Welcome to Practical Wonder

Exploring the hidden patterns behind professional influence

I study how breakthrough thinking gets recognized.

Theranos raised $724M with fake blood tests while real diagnostic companies went bankrupt.

Elizabeth Holmes understood something most technical experts miss: recognition comes from positioning, not just performance.

She positioned blood testing as "revolutionary healthcare access." Real companies positioned themselves as "better diagnostics."

Same market. Different recognition outcomes.

The pattern is everywhere:

Some breakthrough thinkers achieve recognition. Others with equal merit remain unknown.

What I investigate:

How breakthrough recognition actually works. Real people. Real timelines. Real results.

• Katalin Karikó: Positioned mRNA research for 40 years until COVID made it essential. Nobel Prize 2023.

• Jennifer Doudna: Positioned CRISPR as "programmable medicine," not just "molecular scissors." $20B industry.

• James Cameron: Positioned deep-sea research as filmmaking advantage. $6B Avatar franchise.

What you discover:

• How they built recognition despite complexity

• Specific positioning moves that worked

• Why some approaches succeeded while others failed

• Patterns you can apply to your expertise

I'm an engineer who writes fiction. I think in systems but see stories everywhere.

This is the only newsletter that analyzes breakthrough recognition through documented case studies.

You belong here if:

• You have genuine expertise but struggle with recognition.

• Your insights are ahead of the industry.

• You want to understand how breakthrough thinking achieves market validation.

You don't belong here if: You want quick marketing wins or growth hacks.

Recognition isn't about having the best ideas. It's about positioning breakthrough thinking so markets can recognize its value.

Let's decode how that works.