The Smart Med Card - Inspiration University

Hey hey - it's Monday! Ha ha, just the words you wanted to hear, right? Well, in order to try and curb a more ravenous case of the Monday's, let's get a little inspired today. Be sure to check out the video at the end!

I do believe I will be making a factual statement when I say: There comes a time in everyone's life when we say - "I could have made that - what the hell...too much time on Facebook." For me, I can certainly attest that there are at least a minimum of two times a day I come across someone's ideas and concepts that make me question my education and experiences; how sometimes 'being smart' has nothing to do with education and knowledge - but rather 'being smart' has to do with the ability to think in the moment. It is about being constrained to an environment where the brain has to piece together a process or event that is often either solace or rushed and chaotic. Both types of events cause chemical changes in the brain that really get the neurons firing. The funny thing about these moments is that the new pathways that have been created in the brain (the memories of the event) somehow, in some of us, create this missing link between a suppressed, good idea and the inspiration, reasoning and algorithm needed to implement the idea. Let's take Bob Hammill's The Smart Med Card as an example.

The Smart Med Card is nothing too new - it's a USB storage unit for Personal Health Records (PHR). The back-end of the device is a HIPAA compliant and secure website on which your medical history is stored and maintained. How the device was born so-to-speak happened exactly as stated in the above paragraph - an event (Bob's wife's COPD) caused him to develop a storage unit to help monitor her health and present it coherently to healthcare providers. Where Bob made the important decision to stand out and create a far more superior device came from two really simple yet powerful changes: no software and easy-to-access PDF health profiles (from the event, COPD, comes a bridge to the suppressed idea - highly portable, easy-to-use and maintainable PHR for use within the healthcare setting - where the steps of implementation [the bridge] were built from the memories of emergency trips to the ER). In this specific case, the invention was a 'twist' on existing technology - to make things simpler.

There is a caveat to inspiration, though. Often, in times if inspiration we get 'good ideas'. I'm afraid I'm going to have to be the bearer of bad news, but these ideas are probably not at all good ideas. Like I said, the best ideas come from an event - an immersion into an environment that is either relaxing or utterly chaotic - times when we certainly aren't trying to invent anything.

What I want everyone to do today is reflect on your experiences; reflect on some of the best and worst moments and walk through them. Is there any part of those experiences that give you insight into how something could be made better or could benefit others in some way?

Finally, for those of us who are tinkerers and love the challenge of inventing for the sake of inventing - your probability of developing dementia-related illnesses will be highly mitigated due to continuous use and 'sharpening' of the brain. Preventative health at its finest!

Oh - for one last bit of inspiration...

(Not endorsed by The Smart Med Card)