Some New Beginnings

Two weeks ago I said there’d be news. It’s finally here. 

Since I have kept you in the dark, I’ll do them in reverse order of universal importance to keep you waiting a bit longer.

First, I’ve formed an inventing company: Agzo-inc.com.

You might be (legitimately) asking, “What does that doofus know about inventing?” That’s a danged good question. I’ll give you a danged good answer. 

I’ve always been right on the edge of ADHD, but blessed with the ability to direct that energy. I’ve got degrees and experience in technical and classic topics, and have been exposed to a wide range of technologies. I’m comfortable discussing most concepts, and have enough of a grasp of the physical sciences to be able to figure out how things work. Not on a micro level in every case, but on a macro level. 

One of my passions has always been law enforcement. As you will notice, the logo above has a pair of handcuffs for the letter “g”. Not by accident. Over the course of the years, during ride-a-longs, and watching Live PD and Live Rescue on A&E, I’ve noticed some very needed things for the first-responder community. I’ve spent hundreds of hours sketching, doing research, designing circuits (yeah, that computer science degree seems to be paying off) and investigating patent law.

Two weeks ago I attended the IACP (International Association of Chiefs of Police) conference in Chicago with my sister Jean. We went wearing two hats – the second will be revealed below. One thing I wanted/needed to do was see who was making things and what was out there that I was unaware of in the world of police technology. I specifically reference that one, because much of the technology I can improve is common to police/fire/EMT units around the world.

We worked our backsides off, hitting 700 booths in 11 hours on the conference floor. Some we could skip, they were single product booths where we didn’t have an interest. But we did talk to a lot of people about our two missions, and I came back with several improvements to make to existing technology: the kind you can patent and sell/license. I’ve been hard at work getting those ready to reach out with, and by the first of the year I hope to be working with a few of the companies on at least three of the inventions I have been developing.

The second item/mission, both in my life and at the conference, was for The Command Post

The Command Post is a non-profit dedicated to first-responder wellness. I’ve been asked to serve as the Vice President for the initial board term, and one of my jobs was to attend IACP  and see what other groups are out there, and to try and find some funding. While our board  is dominated by researchers/university professors and senior police officials around the world, two of us are not. But all of us have a heart for making things better for the community. Better first-responder wellness means fewer traffic accidents during chases, lowered suicide rates in the job, fewer shootings, and generally an improvement of the lives of our people serving on the front lines. 

I met some great people at the conference, and came away with a lot of ideas we shared in our board meeting this past weekend. We do it by video conference, as one of our members lives overseas. 

Now, with a better idea of what we have for resources, we’re ready to really get rolling. But we need funding, as the board members pay for all their own expenses. So, if you know of grants, generous people, and other funding sources for our board, we’d appreciate it. Much of the research is covered under scholarly grants, we still have to travel some and pay for hotels! 

Yes, I’m still writing. Yes, I’m still doing audio books. Yes, I’m still Santa. Yes, I’m still doing voice over. And, strangely, working a full-time job in the real world. 

The salvation is that I will be able to retire from the day job next year if I want. If all of the rest of these pursuits work out like they seem destined to, I will be cutting back to just 40 hours a week sometime in the next year.

So, that’s the update. 

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