Bridging the Communication Gap

As an Engineer I often have difficulty with communication. Mathmatical formulas aside, when you'[re trying to pitch an idea, you have every detail planned out in your mind. How does that idea make it onto paper, and then in front of a manager or potential investor.

The Rules

Here are Phil McKinney's rules of innovation.

1) Stay Foolish -
Admit it, have you ever met an inventor that you would consider normal. No way.

2) Push beyond the limits of the possible by doing the impossible
To achieve all this is possible we must attempt the impossible.

3) Crazy ideas change the world
A big takeaway from this, it that often breakthroughs happen when the results make a scientist go, "Hmm, that's interesting." rather than the traditional, "It's just as we thought." By paying attention to the mistakes and errors that occur, are often nature's way of guiding us to a solution.

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Innovate with a Big Stick

Do people really understand innovation. I'm not even sure if I do. For the past several years I've taken up short stints in various industries hoping that the ideas in one would cross-pollinate onto another. That was the plan. Now it seems, I'm having to strike out onto my own and recreate myself and my career. While I wouldn't call it lying on my resume, that's just a bad idea to begin with, I will say that I have conveniently left out details such as down-rating my titles, leaving out responsibilities, and in certain cases successes. Why, well innovation guru isn't quite understood by most in HR and management may be deciding between a layoff or keeping employees on to maintain morale. A new project is most likely off the radar screen, but unfortunately it is exactly times like these that require some new thinking. Innovation increases when you start limiting constraints.

Getting Ahead or Filling the Downtime

I was introduced to this a few years ago, and it's helped out so many times. The MIT Open Courseware site is fabulous. Granted it's not all menial stuff that you will peruse, but topics such as Computation for Biological Engineers, Macroepidemiology, of how about Street Fighting Mathematics. I did see a courses for Algebra I and Toy Design, so you got a plethora to choose from. While I'm waiting out my downtime I'll be taking a course or four, it could be a while. Perhaps the Problem Solving Seminar. You can visit the MIT OCW by following the link below.



MIT OCW

Can we solve the economy?

I think Einstein once said something along the lines that one cannot solve their own problems due to their lack of perspective. When viewed from outside the answer is simple. So my question is, since the economy is rather global now, can it really be solved by us? Can we really create another 'Braintrust' to solve the issues. The media has gotten better over the past several weeks, at least now you wouldn't think it is complete Armageddon when listening to the news. At least you can check out this site, for a bright spot in your day.

Positive Economic News

Asking the right questions

Innovation is less about being creative and more about having a method. Much like walking is just putting one foot in front of the other, you walk faster by putting more power behind each step, making each stride faster, and eventually you're running. The method is the same with innovation. Have a method, ask the right questions and eventually you're running. Not every step is going to work, but you have to get through them, to see what is beyond. When driving from New York to LA at night, you don't need to see the whole way, only about 500 feet in front of you will get you safely across.