Renewed Creativity and Invention

It's time to turn America into a nation of inventors again and for the whole world to work together to deal with the many challenges and opportunities that are upon us. From garage inventors to multinational corporations we must make a fresh effort at creativity and innovation including using the vast new resources of the Internet and computer clouds.

Find the Missing Piece

When you're inventing something, try to design where only one component is original. I like to find such a component that is used for some completely unrelated purpose. For a plant automation invention instrument, the missing piece I found was a $3.95 replacement part for lawn sprinklers.

Project Your Mind into Imagination Space

To create your Eureka moment, you must forcefully move your mind beyond the existing thinking about the subject. You must move out of your conscious world and focus your mind in a new place occupied only by the new creation. This is your glorious imagination space. Some people, very few, keep this imaginative ability alive through adulthood. Their imaginings lead to inventions, art, designs and explorations of many frontiers never seen before. To start, try to be a child with the almost naive capability of unfettered imagination. Emotion is part of this creative formula, and that has not been replicated in any advanced computer.

A Secret of Discovery

Have you noticed that creativity and discovery seem to arise from noticing odd things? Willis Carrier (1876-1950), while waiting for a train to arrive on a foggy night, noticed that water drops were forming where wisps of fog swept over rain puddles. He instantly had the counter-intuitive idea that moisture could be extracted from air chilled below its dew point. This insight was key to his air conditioners that formed the basis of the Carrier Corporation and the modern air conditioning industry.

Economic Recovery through creativity.

The dollar is plummeting, and we are joined at the hip with China. Could our legendary creativity and Yankee ingenuity be the way to recovery? Let's invent a new generation of products to power the recovery. Promising areas are renewable energy, energy management, and food storage. The December, 2009 issue of Scientific American discusses many new developments. Educating kids in science and encouraging them to be creative and entrepreneurial is a basic step forward.

Everyone can invent!

Would-be inventors often think that the field is open only to professionals and large organizations. That is as absurd as thinking that great cooks only reside in stellar restaurants. My site www.imaginationandcreativity.net will start you on your way.

History getting too fast for the endless pursuit of little thoughts.

Peggy Orenstein writes in today's New York Times Magazine that the Internet is hopelessly integral to her life. However, she continues, in the search mode, you're diving into a big sea and finding yourself in the endless pursuit of little thoughts. The result is that you miss forming the big thoughts.

This is why in my discussions of inventing with Google that I emphasize thinking through your invention goals before diving into Google, and reexamine your search results in terms of those goals as you go along. History is acted out on a global basis and seeking major solutions in ever shorter time frames. Thus our search strategies must be ever more efficient.