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. Put To Another Use defined in Applied Imagination Under…
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…
Proven reusability “For a long time people were using the space shuttle as an example of why reusability is dumb. You can’t take a single case example and make an entire theory out of it.” Elon Musk Musk has frequently made the case that discarding a rocket is like flying a jumbo jet across the…
Mercedes-AMG new F1 engine In 2014, Formula 1 introduced a new set of rules requiring all participating cars have engines with turbos and some form of electric hybridization. The approach taken by some teams uses what they call MGU-K (motor generator unit – kinetic) which is the same process used in most road going hybrids…
Levels of driving automation The Society of Automotive Engineers identifies five levels of driving autonomy. Level 0, which is now common in even economy cars, issues warnings or take action if a collision is imminent. At the other end of the spectrum is Level 5, in which the car could be fully functional without a…
“The refrigeration system makes one end cold and and one end warm.” Dave Pearson, Star Refrigeration This Youtube interview reveals some innovative thinking going into more renewable heating options for Scottish homes. The air conditioning systems we are familiar with in North America typically pump heat out of the building into the ambient air, so…
Lunar lifeboat An electrical short in an oxygen tank caused an explosion in Apollo 13’s service module. This cylindrical module was tipped with the command module, the bell-shaped capsule that plunged through the atmosphere to return astronauts to earth. Docked to the top of the command module was the lunar module with its spindly landing…
The right tool for the job A minimalist set of tools wielded by an expert is always a joy to see. Whether it is the electrician, the bricklayer or the chef, they dispense with all but the most efficient methods. This article is an ode to Principle 6 – Universality, the use of the same…
Regal bearing That beauty pictured above is a Buick Regal similar to the 2002 model I had back in the day. One of its features, which GM has continued on other cars to this day, is courtesy perimeter lighting. If you used the remote to open the doors, or locked the car after exiting it,…
Disposable Montreal’s “Big O” stadium built for the 1976 Olympic games stands as an object lesson for cities that are contemplating spending billions of dollars on their Olympic dreams. The Montreal stadium costs taxpayers over $30 million to maintain every year and yet the cost to tear it down would be prohibitive, no less than…