Hi Rajat,
One of my favorite sites tells me nothing is impossible... Here are a few quotations to use when people oppose your innovative efforts:
"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons." - Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." - Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943
"I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won't last out the year." - The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957
"But what ... is it good for?" - Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." - Ken Olson, president, chairman, and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977
"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a
From India, Pune
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8One of my favorite sites tells me nothing is impossible... Here are a few quotations to use when people oppose your innovative efforts:
"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons." - Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." - Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943
"I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won't last out the year." - The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957
"But what ... is it good for?" - Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." - Ken Olson, president, chairman, and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977
"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a
From India, Pune
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Hi, :o Forgot to give the source of the above: The "Eat Your Words" Department Innovation Network Regards, Anuradha Zingade
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From India, Pune
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Hey Anuradha,
Thanks for sharing these lovely examples. These clearly elucidate two things:
1. What is considered impossible today may become a reality tomorrow.
2. Even if you have a great idea or dream, stick to it irrespective of what the world or people say.
Can you imagine what the Beatles felt when they were told the following comments?
It can be disastrous for one, but they stuck to their dreams and made it a reality. Many others cowed down, who are nowhere in history. One of those could-have-beens, but time has passed by. Many live a life of regrets, thinking about what they should have done, and they realize their time on this earth is up.
May we request you to share more examples of those could-have-beens with us?
Cheers,
Rajat
From India, Pune
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Thanks for sharing these lovely examples. These clearly elucidate two things:
1. What is considered impossible today may become a reality tomorrow.
2. Even if you have a great idea or dream, stick to it irrespective of what the world or people say.
Can you imagine what the Beatles felt when they were told the following comments?
It can be disastrous for one, but they stuck to their dreams and made it a reality. Many others cowed down, who are nowhere in history. One of those could-have-beens, but time has passed by. Many live a life of regrets, thinking about what they should have done, and they realize their time on this earth is up.
May we request you to share more examples of those could-have-beens with us?
Cheers,
Rajat
From India, Pune
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Dear all,
Subject: Focus on Problem or Solution?
The Difference between Focusing on Problems and Focusing on Solutions
Case 1
When NASA began the launch of astronauts into space, they found out that the pens wouldn't work at zero gravity (ink wouldn't flow down to the writing surface). To solve this problem, it took them one decade and $12 million. They developed a pen that worked at zero gravity, upside down, underwater, on practically any surface including crystal, and in a temperature range from below freezing to over 300 degrees C.
And what did the Russians do...??
Guess....
They used a pencil.
Case 2
One of the most memorable case studies on Japanese management was the case of the empty soapbox, which happened in one of Japan's biggest cosmetics companies. The company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a soapbox that was empty. Immediately, the authorities isolated the problem to the assembly line, which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For some reason, one soapbox went through the assembly line empty. Management asked its engineers to solve the problem.
Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with high-resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soap boxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not empty. No doubt, they worked hard and they worked fast, but they spent a considerable amount to do so.
But when a rank-and-file employee in a small company was posed with the same problem, he did not get into complications of X-rays, etc., but instead came out with another solution.
He bought a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. He switched the fan on, and as each soapbox passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.
Moral
Always look for simple solutions. Devise the simplest possible solution that solves the problems.
Cheers,
Rajat
From India, Pune
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Subject: Focus on Problem or Solution?
The Difference between Focusing on Problems and Focusing on Solutions
Case 1
When NASA began the launch of astronauts into space, they found out that the pens wouldn't work at zero gravity (ink wouldn't flow down to the writing surface). To solve this problem, it took them one decade and $12 million. They developed a pen that worked at zero gravity, upside down, underwater, on practically any surface including crystal, and in a temperature range from below freezing to over 300 degrees C.
And what did the Russians do...??
Guess....
They used a pencil.
Case 2
One of the most memorable case studies on Japanese management was the case of the empty soapbox, which happened in one of Japan's biggest cosmetics companies. The company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a soapbox that was empty. Immediately, the authorities isolated the problem to the assembly line, which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For some reason, one soapbox went through the assembly line empty. Management asked its engineers to solve the problem.
Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with high-resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soap boxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not empty. No doubt, they worked hard and they worked fast, but they spent a considerable amount to do so.
But when a rank-and-file employee in a small company was posed with the same problem, he did not get into complications of X-rays, etc., but instead came out with another solution.
He bought a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. He switched the fan on, and as each soapbox passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.
Moral
Always look for simple solutions. Devise the simplest possible solution that solves the problems.
Cheers,
Rajat
From India, Pune
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Rajat Ji,
Thanks for the post. Look for simple solutions! All innovations and strategies are breathtakingly simple like a flute. Think about how simple a flute is, and haven't you heard the beautiful music that comes out of it?
Thanks,
Bala
From India, Madras
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Thanks for the post. Look for simple solutions! All innovations and strategies are breathtakingly simple like a flute. Think about how simple a flute is, and haven't you heard the beautiful music that comes out of it?
Thanks,
Bala
From India, Madras
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Hi, Time for right brain workout.... try these... simple answers Regards, Anuradha
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From India, Pune
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Hi Rajat and Bala,
I have a query on lateral thinking. Rajat, can I complement it with your theory and concepts? BTW, if any of you don't know the answers, you can ask me. I know them all but will answer on an individual basis. Please make an attempt; who knows, you may get one of them in the bathtub! Just don't run out shouting "Eureka"; instead, try something original! 💡
Regards,
Anuradha
From India, Pune
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I have a query on lateral thinking. Rajat, can I complement it with your theory and concepts? BTW, if any of you don't know the answers, you can ask me. I know them all but will answer on an individual basis. Please make an attempt; who knows, you may get one of them in the bathtub! Just don't run out shouting "Eureka"; instead, try something original! 💡
Regards,
Anuradha
From India, Pune
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Hi Anuradha,
"I have a load on Lateral thinking... Rajat, can I complement it with your theory and concepts?"
Hey, thanks... that's very sweet of you... sure, why not!! We all would be happy to receive some inputs from you.
"BTW, if any of you don't know the answers, you can ask me... I know them all... but will answer on an individual basis. But please make an attempt, who knows, you may get one of them in the bathtub!!! Just don't run out shouting 'Eureka'... instead, try something original..."
I am trying... shall send you my answers... for sure, we won't act like Archimedes...
Cheers,
Rajat
From India, Pune
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"I have a load on Lateral thinking... Rajat, can I complement it with your theory and concepts?"
Hey, thanks... that's very sweet of you... sure, why not!! We all would be happy to receive some inputs from you.
"BTW, if any of you don't know the answers, you can ask me... I know them all... but will answer on an individual basis. But please make an attempt, who knows, you may get one of them in the bathtub!!! Just don't run out shouting 'Eureka'... instead, try something original..."
I am trying... shall send you my answers... for sure, we won't act like Archimedes...
Cheers,
Rajat
From India, Pune
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Hi Anuradha, Go ahead, give me your concepts and theory on the subject. It will definitely help me in learning. More than me it will help all of us to learn. Thanks
From India, Madras
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From India, Madras
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Hi Anu..
It's tough one..nevertheless am taking some time off - n wud attempt to solve again this weekend..it's really good one..
Look forward to your more inputs..
Accidental Inventors
Stories of creativity and problem solving for accidental inventors
As a potential inventor do you think of an invention?
Many inventors report stories of every day events that triggered them to think of some problem in a new way.
The inventor of VELCRO® reported that he thought of the invention while removing burrs from his pet's fur after walking in the woods.
You may recall Eli Whitney's story of watching a cat pull feathers through a cage -- it was how he thought of the invention now known as the cotton gin.
A less well-known story involves Catherine Ryan, who invented locking nuts to hold bolts in place. Her inspiration was how her own wedding ring kept getting stuck on her finger. She saw that if something in the nut could expand after a bolt was placed inside a nut, it would hold the two together
Other inventions come about when their inventors try to think of uses for things - vulcanized (heated) rubber for tires came about that way.
Have you heard of "yellow stickies" ( PostIt®)? They were the result of a "failed" adhesive experiment which was too weak to market, until the chemist figured out that a weak adhesive had good uses too.
Many times you can come up with a solution for a problem (or find a problem that fits your solution!) by either "turning a problem around" or selecting two or more things at random and using them to "seed" new ideas.
What does "turning a problem around" mean? It means looking at it from a different angle or thinking about it in a new way.
Example 1 - instead of thinking of shoes as protecting your feet from the ground, think of using something to protect the ground from your feet.
Example 2 - instead of thinking about how you can carry kumquats home from a store, think of how they can come to you - by delivery or growing your own - or do you need kumquats at all?
Carefully define a problem. Focus on what you are trying to do in the first place - instead of simply how to do things. If you focus on methods, " i.e . "I need a way to use a computer to count apples", you may not to count apples?
Try changing the question - start it with a different word - who, what, where, when, why, how, etc. Change your perspective on a problem - looking for something is not at all the same as finding it, and putting something away is very different from getting rid of it.
Think about something in an unexpected and way that expresses your creativity. Describe doing something in words for something entirely different - search and rescue your toys; turn your closet into a menu of clothes; or feed a thought.
Identify a more basic problem - "I need to have about 1000 apples to sell every week" and miss a better solution.
Of course many patents issue on novel uses of things so don't just throw away an idea because it doesn't fit the rules.
Cheers,
Rajat
From India, Pune
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It's tough one..nevertheless am taking some time off - n wud attempt to solve again this weekend..it's really good one..
Look forward to your more inputs..
Accidental Inventors
Stories of creativity and problem solving for accidental inventors
As a potential inventor do you think of an invention?
Many inventors report stories of every day events that triggered them to think of some problem in a new way.
The inventor of VELCRO® reported that he thought of the invention while removing burrs from his pet's fur after walking in the woods.
You may recall Eli Whitney's story of watching a cat pull feathers through a cage -- it was how he thought of the invention now known as the cotton gin.
A less well-known story involves Catherine Ryan, who invented locking nuts to hold bolts in place. Her inspiration was how her own wedding ring kept getting stuck on her finger. She saw that if something in the nut could expand after a bolt was placed inside a nut, it would hold the two together
Other inventions come about when their inventors try to think of uses for things - vulcanized (heated) rubber for tires came about that way.
Have you heard of "yellow stickies" ( PostIt®)? They were the result of a "failed" adhesive experiment which was too weak to market, until the chemist figured out that a weak adhesive had good uses too.
Many times you can come up with a solution for a problem (or find a problem that fits your solution!) by either "turning a problem around" or selecting two or more things at random and using them to "seed" new ideas.
What does "turning a problem around" mean? It means looking at it from a different angle or thinking about it in a new way.
Example 1 - instead of thinking of shoes as protecting your feet from the ground, think of using something to protect the ground from your feet.
Example 2 - instead of thinking about how you can carry kumquats home from a store, think of how they can come to you - by delivery or growing your own - or do you need kumquats at all?
Carefully define a problem. Focus on what you are trying to do in the first place - instead of simply how to do things. If you focus on methods, " i.e . "I need a way to use a computer to count apples", you may not to count apples?
Try changing the question - start it with a different word - who, what, where, when, why, how, etc. Change your perspective on a problem - looking for something is not at all the same as finding it, and putting something away is very different from getting rid of it.
Think about something in an unexpected and way that expresses your creativity. Describe doing something in words for something entirely different - search and rescue your toys; turn your closet into a menu of clothes; or feed a thought.
Identify a more basic problem - "I need to have about 1000 apples to sell every week" and miss a better solution.
Of course many patents issue on novel uses of things so don't just throw away an idea because it doesn't fit the rules.
Cheers,
Rajat
From India, Pune
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