Journalist and author Evan Schwartz said invention is one of the oldest forces of mankind and he discussed both the creative process and the suppression behind current and past inventions. There is an old saying that it is "safer to invent the future than predict it," and inventors may feel that their concepts give them power over the future, he noted. Different creative strategies have been employed, he detailed, such as Da Vinci using analogy to formulate his flying designs and Edison combining many inventions together into a system.

Schwartz commented that inventors such as Edison and Alexander Graham Bell were the heroes of their day but today's inventors are perceived more as "kooky" outcasts working in their basements. This transition took place partially because corporations began taking control of more and more patents, as well as working to suppress technology they viewed as being bad for their business, he explained.

Governments can seize inventions, said Schwartz, if they perceive something to be a threat to national security. Further, sometimes companies conspire to delay the full development of a project, and he cited the case of Jeffrey Ballard's hydrogen fuel cell technology, in which investing auto companies diverted funds from research to manufacturing.

Flatwoods UFO Update

First hour guests, researchers Stanton Friedman and Frank Feschino updated the 'Flatwoods UFO Monster' incident which took place exactly 52 years ago. The case was notable as several witnesses reported seeing a 12 ft. tall vehicle/robot that emitted a sickening gas. Friedman commented that there were a host of UFO sightings within a 24-36 hour period after the event, and that Feschino has collected this information in his forthcoming book, The Braxton County Monster.