Principles and SCAMPER: Eliminate

Why do I want to fit Principles into SCAMPER approaches? In a recent post (check it here first) I explore how SCAMPER can embrace the 40 Principles of Inventive Problem Solving. The goal is to wrap the complexity of the Principles in the approachability of SCAMPER. Eliminate defined in Applied Imagination Under the category of…

Amazon’s Turbulent Beginnings

Amazon is a dominant player now, but its birth was plagued with doubt and financial weakness, reveals the book The Everything Store by Brad Stone. Amazon started as an online book seller, and this was a canny move by Jeff Bezos, the company’s founder.  Books were true commodities – all the same, no question of whether…

Deming, Quality and the 40 Principles

W. Edwards Deming is a giant figure in the realm of quality management. In the aftermath of the second world war, Japanese companies turned to Deming, an industrial expert, for his input on creating top quality products. These same companies, including Toyota and Sony, rebuilt the Japanese economy and became global competitors, besting many American…

What Happened To The Tweel?

Tweel nice Conventional pneumatic tires use air pressure to maintain their shape and resistance to weight and driving forces yet also cushion the vehicle from road imperfections. Principle 29 – Pneumatics and Hydraulics Michelin has developed an airless tire called the Tweel. This is a merging of tire and wheel into an integrated unit.  Principle 5…

Compact Toilet Rolls

Ah, the glamour of international travel. I thought this was cool. This is a package of toilet paper we picked up at the nearby Walmart on our vacation in Puerto Vallarta. Notice that the inner rolls are flattened to reduce the overall packaging size. I’d never seen this before. Since toilet paper is lightweight it’s…