I suppose Ed "received" his knowledge through one or more of the various channels of universal truths (dreams, visions, divination, clairaudience, divine inspiration, etc). I have known a couple of pretty bright electrical engineers that say they often wake in the morning with answers to problems/questions, or they dream the answers. Of course these guys do not necessarily attribute this to the divine (but I do). wink

This reminds me of the invention of the sewing machine...

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In the mid 19th century, like many others, Elias Howe was trying to work out a way to make a lock-stitch sewing machine. While he had worked out a general idea for making this, he was stuck on one point: how to thread the needle. The insight came to him through a dream in 1844.

Howe dreamt that he has been captured by savages, who threatened to kill him he did not invent the machine. These dark-skinned painted warriors surrounded him, and led to a place of execution. While he shook with fear, suddenly he noted that the head of the spears held by his executioners had eye-shaped holes. It was as if the dream was giving him a message: unlike the conventional needles, the needle for the sewing machine should have holes in the front.

Excited, Howe woke up and made a model of the eye-pointed needle. It was the dream that helped Howe to complete his work, and to patent the first sewing machine( link ).