When you put your mouse cursor over a button and a window (modal) pops up to show you what that button does? That’s another invention of mine from March 6, 1987, and called it “Tool Tips. It was a “necessary” invention, while I was working with quadriplegics, I realized a quadriplegic couldn’t hold a …
Necessity & Invention Some say that necessity is the mother of invention. Sometimes that’s true, but it’s not. Sometimes… Invention is the mother of necessity. Take Steve Jobs and the Macintosh, the iPod, and the iPad. Everybody seemed content with DOS (OMG!). No one said “You know what would make using a computer even …
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The Electric Flowerpot At the turn of the twentieth century, Russian immigrant Akiba Horowitz (AKA Conrad Hubert), was working for Joshua Lionel Cowen selling electric fans and the Electric Flowerpot. The electric Flowerpot was a flowerpot with a cylinder attached that contained a small bulb, two batteries, and a switch. You would switch on …
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Give me some ideas! Get that pad and start listing all the things you can do with a newspaper. Really! See how big a list you can make and how creative you can be! “Don’t worry, a year from now you won’t even remember the details of the problem that has you worried.” Lon Safko …
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Perspective On Future / Past Innovation Several years ago, I had lunch with Edward de Bono. He is considered one of the greatest minds on creativity and what he calls “Lateral Thinking”. It was a real treat for me. We were discussing innovation and creativity and I said “When we look back on …
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Inspiration Is Like… Several years ago, I was interviewed by a magazine about one of my inventions and the reporter asked me what the moment of inspiration was like. Wow! I had never thought about it before. I really didn’t know how to describe it. After thinking about it for a moment, I realized …
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Archimedes’ Eureka Moment Archimedes was challenged by the King to help discover a possible theft. The King had previously commissioned a goldsmith (jeweler), the create a beautiful crown of emeralds, rubies, and gold. Soon after, the goldsmith presented his beautiful crown to the king. The king became suspicious of the goldsmith. He thought “What …
Inspiration Wayne Dwyer said in his March 8, 2004, PBS presentation of his “Power of Intention”: Inspiration or “inspire”, originally came from the words “In-Spirited” or the Greek root of “inspiritu”. The Greeks believed that when someone is truly “inspired” or “In-Spirited” that they are touched and gifted by the Gods with that idea, …
The British Psychological Society’s Research Digest Blog (how about that name…), reported on interesting research that shows that shifting your eyes horizontally back and forth for 30 seconds can boost creativity. Apparently, it helps with communication between both hemispheres. Remember that from before, The Stroop Effect? Ready… Set… Go! Lon Safko Serial Innovator, Keynote …
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Get another piece of paper and a pen. Now, draw a picture of yourself as you would if you were in the 1st grade again. Think about it before you start. Draw the picture of yourself and write your name next to it. Here’s the catch… USING YOUR LESS DOMINANT HAND! Important note: If the …
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