The inventor

My dad is working on a patent right now for a new type of wind turbine, should get approved in the next couple of weeks. I think perhaps I have mentioned this before in my blog, but somehow, I get the feeling that the inventor, as a tropos or type, is not prevalent or recognized here in Iceland. The guys that build their superjeeps are tinkerers, but an inventor, well an inventor thinks of something that is meant to be of benefit not necessarily to themselves (though one hopes for good monetary compensation, of course), but to society at large. The lightbulb, the telephone, the traffic lights, the stories of these inventions are built into the narrative of American history. Big things that change the way we live our lives. And yet, once they are in place, they seem as normal and natural as if they have always been there. A feeling of "Of Course!" is what should accompany a good invention. A good invention is not simply a solution to a problem, it is a leap beyond, a willingness to create new realities.

There are bad inventions too, things that cause more problems than they solve. But I am pretty darn sure my dad's wind turbine is not one of those.