Creative Think

Would You Take A Bullet for _____?

My next door neighbor had a fund-raiser this morning for presidential candidate Barack Obama. About 200 people showed up to give him money (the speeding Suburban at right carries the arriving senator).

The place was abuzz with excited people, and also lots of security: police, highway patrol, and secret service personnel. They were all very courteous and professional.

I had a chance to talk with one agent, and ask him the question I'd always had in the back of my mind ever since I saw the 1993 Clint Eastwood/John Malkovich film In the Line of Fire. This was the question I asked:

"When you were applying for the Secret Service, did they ask you if you would be willing to take a bullet?"

And he said, "No, they don't ask that question." So there you have it!

"Negativity": Your Advice Requested

Dear Readers,

I'd love to have your thoughts and advice on the following issue.

Several days ago, I received the following email from SR, a "regular" of this blog.

For about a decade now, I've had a hard time being 'creative' . . . when I sit at the drawing table, it's very difficult for me to have fun and be creative. This is not good for a graphic designer who's job it is to be 'creative' all the time. It affects me at work, and even in the sanctuary of my own home studio.

What I am good at creating is negative dwelling, self-doubt, and ridiculous negative fantasies.

So, my question is... could my 'creativity' struggles be attributed to my negativity? When I try to buck down and be creative, could something inside try to stop me, because subconsciously, I associate creativity with negativity?

Do you think I'm on to something here? Or does it sound stupid?

Okay, readers: What advice would you give to SR? Thanks.

Innovation Lessons Learned 2007

Chuck Frey at Innovation Tools has a new post up, Innovation Lessons Learned 2007, in which he asked over 100 people in the innovation field from around the world to share their top of mind thoughts about Innovation 2007. It's well worth reading. Check it out!

[Pictured: Razzbo, Wally Doodle, and Ziggedy Zack]

We Go Blu-ray

For the past year or so I've been watching the brewing 1080 DVD format battle between "Blu-ray" and "HD DVD."

The confrontation between the Blu-ray consortium led by Sony and the the HD DVD one led by Toshiba seemed reminiscent of the early 1980s struggle between VHS and Beta in the video tape arena.

Some pundits have predicted the battle may go on until 2009. Like many of you, I'd been sitting on the sidelines waiting for a clear winner to emerge before plunking down several hundred bucks or so on a high-def player. After all, who wants to own obsolete and/or non-supported hardware?

My son Alex, however, got me into the game with a Christmas gift to me and my wife of a Samsung Blu-ray player. So, now I'm a Blu-ray partisan! It provides a great viewing experience.

He also gave us the Blu-ray edition of the BBC production of "Planet Earth." It's quite a viewing treat! Alex calls it "nature porn" and he's not far off the mark.

Netflix has also made it easy for customers to change their preferences to Blu-ray (which I've done).

I'm sure the HD DVD viewing experience is also enjoyable. I will say, though, that from a marketing perspective it sure has a clunky name. To my ears, the Blu-ray name has always seemed sexier.

Furthermore, I think that in five or six years this format battle will seem quaint as more and more people download their movies directly.

I Receive A Turn Table for Christmas

One of my Christmas presents from my wife was a turn table. For those of you under the age of thirty, here is a photo of what it looks like (at left). It's one of those turn tables with a USB attachment that allows you play a record, and at the same time turn what's playing into an MP4 file.

It's been a good fifteen years since I had a turn table. But I never got rid of my records most of which I collected in the 1960s and 1970s. I've had a great time playing some of my old favorites. Also, I can't believe what a great classical music collection I had in the form of LPs. I'm listening to Schumann's Symphony #3 (the "Rhenish") as I write this.

And they sound so rich—much fuller than MP3s.

I've also enjoyed some works that I doubt ever got turned into tapes or CDs: Ken Nordine's "Word Jazz" and "Colors"; Firesign Theatre; Ralph Towner; early Pat Metheny. A special treat has been listening to some of the very first records I ever owned: early Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary. The turn table has been a wonderful time machine to allow me to hear them again.

So far, the only downside to LPs is having to get up to turn them over to hear what's on the other side.

I've turned a few of the tracks into MP4s, but not as many as I thought I would. That's because I've enjoyed them in their vinyl form.

Interesting thought question: forty years ago when I was listening to some of these LPs, it never really occurred to me that one day they would be obsolete, and that I would be transferring their contents into a different format.

Forty years from now, what format will today's 20 year olds be turning their MP3s and MP4s into?

Our "Janus-Like" Powers

So here we are in January, named after the two-faced Roman god Janus, who in their mythology was the god of gates and doors, and beginnings and endings.

I  believe that Janus's double-faced nature also symbolizes much of what goes on when we engage in creative thinking, that is, seeing something in more than one way. I love how the Nobel prize winning physician Albert Szent-Gyorgyi describes creative discovery:

Discovery consists of looking at
the same thing as everyone else
and thinking something different.

When we tap into our "Janus-like" powers, it's as though we use one head to "look at the same thing as everyone else," and the other head to be creative and "think something different."

When we think like Janus, we take something out of a familiar context and then think about it in other contexts so that it takes on fresh new meanings. Human beings have been using their imaginations in this way since the beginning.

• The first person to look at an oyster and think "food" did this.
• So did the first person to look at a ship's sail and think "windmill."
• As did the first person to look at sheep intestines and think "guitar strings."
• And the first person to look at a perfume vaporizer and think "gasoline carburetor."
• And the first person to look at baby's urea and think "skin moisturizer."
• And the first person to look at a trapeze safety net and think "trampoline."
• And the first person to look at Internet searches and think "advertising medium."

Do you have these Janus-like powers? Well, if you've ever used a pen as a weapon, or a potato as a radio antenna, or a T-shirt as a tourniquet, or a telephone book as a booster seat, then the answer is a resounding "Yes!"

So, this month, every time you see or hear the word "January," think to yourself:

"Oh yes, Janus — that's my cue to use my
imagination and think something different."

Have a good month!

Think Like A WoMan

This past weekend, my wife and I went to the amazing BodyWorlds 2 exhibit currently showing at the San Jose Tech Museum of Innovation. I highly recommend this touring presentation to anyone wanting to get to know himself/herself better.

One of the displays was about the human brain. Over it was a very large display poster with the following writing:

Think Like A WoMan

Various studies suggest men and women have differently structured neural networking possibly due to early exposure to sex hormones during critical prenatal and postnatal periods.

The physiological difference in the brain is especially obvious in the hypothalamus, a tiny structure at the base of the brain. In males, it is much larger and saturated with the male sex hormone testosterone.

Men and women seem to think differently too, approaching intellectual problems in different ways. Yet although different brain regions are activated, they may well arrive at the same solution.

Women's brains have more neuron cell bodies, giving them an enhanced blood flow and greater efficiency. This may explain why women often learn language better, have a better memory for details, and can fight aging better than men.

On average, women are more empathetic, expressive, articulate, and diplomatic, and better able to sense what others feel.

Male brains contain more of the longer neuron fibers, allowing distant neurons to communicate better. Therefore, men may be better at focusing on a specific task, orienting themselves spatially, or solving complex math or physics problems.

On average, men are more physically violent but better at coping with conflict and moving on.

Here's my question: What differences do you notice in how men and women approach problems and problem-solving?

Which Countries Make and Buy Toys?

My previous post, "Could you go a day without products Made In China?" dealt with China's enormous manufacturing capability.

This is especially true for toys. Check out these maps (from Alex at Kango) that scale a country's size according to the value of toy exports and imports.

Notice that China (along with Hong Kong and Taiwan) fill the upper-right quadrant. Germany, Italy, and Mexico are minor players. North America, South America, and Africa barely show up.

Toy Exporters (Scaled to Revenues)

And who buys these toys? As you would expect, the United States and the countries of Western Europe lead the way. Australia is also a large importer.

Toy Importers (Scaled to Revenues)

For other maps like this, check out: "Another Way to View the World: Exploring Cartograms."

Could You Go A Day Without "Made In China"?

Do you think you could you go a day without products that are Made In China? How about a year? Alex at the Kango blog recently raised this question in connection with the publicity surrounding the recall of some Chinese manufactured products including toys, pet food, and apparel. I'll provide my personal answer at the end, but first a short background.

Historically, China has been a manufacturing powerhouse. This was true in antiquity (from 3rd century BC to approximately 3rd century AD), and again from roughly the 9th century into the 14th century. During these eras, Chinese products found their way to all the corners of the known world. Thus, what’s happening now with China’s current manufacturing capability can be viewed as a “return to form,” rather than something that’s without precedent.

Some groups have talked about boycotting Chinese goods, and/or buying only those made in the USA. I believe "that horse left the barn" a long time ago. It’s been some decades now that many western companies (and their customers) made the decision to have their products made in China. I think the typical consumer would rather pay less rather than significantly more for a comparable product. Simple economics.

Indeed, even if you wanted to manufacture a plastic product in the United States, you’d find that there’s only 40% of the molders here that there were 25 years ago. And you’d have to pay a lot more to have it done.

As many of you know, I designed a product (the Ball of Whacks: info at http://creativewhack.com) that is manufactured in China. I am quite pleased with my manufacturer. I have personally inspected their manufacturing facilities and have written about it: Manufacturing in China.

The Wall Street Journal wrote an editorial (August 13, 2007) stating that it is unfair to single out China for shoddy manufacturing. Poor quality products can come from all countries. The key thing, the Journal points out, for better products is to have better designed products in the first place.

Could I go a day without “Made In China”? I personally wouldn’t want to. Chinese products have enriched not only my life, but also the lives of many others as well. How about you?

Design A New Calendar

It's time for another "What If of the Week!"

What if the world's authorities got together
and asked YOU to re-design the calendar?

What would you come up with? How many months would your design have? How many days in a month? How long would a week be? Would they vary by season? Would there be some weeks that weren't part of a month? Would you add special days? What would your reasons be? What's something really different?

How would your calendar affect business and commerce? What impact would it have on family life? On religious festivals and celebrations? Who would be threatened? What new features would you design into your calendar?

Have fun with this!