Making Sense Of Fake News #1 – Problem Definition

Darrell Mann

When we were assembling the narrative for the TrenDNA book and the likely triggers of the S-Curve-shifting Crisis the world is inexorably moving towards, all of our analyses concluded that it wasn’t possible to know which of the … Read More

Biology – Mole

Darrell Mann

Despite the havoc they’ve managed to wreak in my vegetable garden this summer, I still maintain a sneaking admiration of moles. Weighing about 100g and having a length of about 12cm, they somehow manage to burrow their way … Read More

Generational Cycles – The Over-65 Gold-Rush

Darrell Mann

From a recent article in The Washington Post:

Executives at Gillette have for decades defined shaving as a rite of passage. The company famously mails out free razors — with “welcome to manhood” cards — to … Read More

Patent of the Month – Electro-Manipulation of Cells

Darrell Mann

Patent of the month this month comes from a sextet of inventors at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. US10,070,914 was granted on September 11, and primarily seems to concern the treatment of cancer cells, but it would … Read More

Case Study: Patient Compliance Small Picture

Darrell Mann

Back in April we wrote an article about the difficulties of achieving patient compliance within the healthcare sector (Reference 1). The focus there was very much on the big picture, and, as such, the conclusions we drew could … Read More

If Methods Don’t Work, What Does?

Darrell Mann

I’ve used the above slide at a number of conferences now. Usually to a reaction of either stunned silence or an eventual half-hearted challenge from an advocate of one of the methods I’ve chosen to include in … Read More

Biology – Hedgehog

Darrell Mann

We love hedgehogs here at SI HQ. Despite the fact that helping to feed them can get expensive when a family of twenty-plus taking refuge in our garden decide they like only the best cat food, and only … Read More

Dividing 40 into 52: TRIZmeta

Darrell Mann

Next month sees the launch of our new ‘TRIZmeta’ playing cards. Readers with a very long memory may remember that, back in the early CREAX days we made a set of playing cards featuring the 40 Inventive Principles. … Read More

Patent of the Month – Tissue Preservation System

Darrell Mann

Currently, doctors have to throw away more than 80 percent of donated tissue used for joint replacements because the tissue does not survive long enough to be transplanted. Now, following a recent study, University of Missouri School of … Read More

Generational Cycles – Plaid

Darrell Mann

One of my favourite Generation X characteristics is the reluctance to be labelled. I hadn’t connected the issue to fashion until I saw this little gem of a generational generalization:

Then it became obvious…

…GenX wants … Read More

TRIZ Future Conference 2019 – Call for Papers

TRIZ future conference aims globally to spread TRIZ knowledge, tools and methods worldwide. It brings together industrialist and academics to share experiences, works and progress on the subject of how to use and develop TRIZ.

 Triz Future Conference 2019 (TFC’19) … Read More

Rule Of Three ICMM Dynamics

Darrell Mann

Is anyone else puzzled by the apparent lack of innovation these days? This is supposed to be a time of enormous innovation, and yet, when we look at the big organisations they all seem to be busy stockpiling … Read More

Illustration of Principle #6: Integrated Debit and Credit Card

Vairaj Arjune, Krishna Tripathi

Reach into your wallet, and you will surely find many plastic cards for membership clubs, credit cards, debit cards and so much more. With changing lifestyle and preferences, consumers no longer want to carry bulky wallets … Read More

Patent of the Month – Metabolic Transistor In Bacteria

Darrell Mann

We head to Texas for our patent of the month this month, to a trio of inventors at William Marsh Rice University. Their invention was granted as US10,011,839 on July 3rd. Here’s what they have to say about … Read More

Biology – Cordyceps

Darrell Mann

So, picture this. You’re a lowly fungus, Cordyceps, and you’re looking to make lovely Cordyceps descendants, as is Nature’s way. The only problem is that you’re tiny and you live in low places, so your ability to spread … Read More

Case Study: Frequent Callers

Darrell Mann

This is the story of NHS paramedic, Rhian Monteith. She was concerned about small numbers of Accident & Emergency ward patients who seemed to keep coming back to the hospital she worked in. So called ‘frequent callers’. … Read More

Generational Cycles – Who’s Way?

Darrell Mann

In 1969, Frank Sinatra released the song, ‘My Way’. Even though he was over twenty-five years into his career, it was to become the song that still today defines him. It also became the anthem (funerals, birthday parties, … Read More

Testing the impact of Systematic Innovation training in the NHS

John Sainsbury, Pauline Found, John Bicheno, Darrell Mann

Abstract

The study was inspired by the twofold challenge, posed by Birdi, Leach and Magadley (2012), to determine whether TRIZ training is as effective for managers faced with management problems, as it … Read More

Backward Trends?

Darrell Mann

Its always a happy day when we find an innovation that appears to go against the TRIZ Trends, because it allows us to challenge the models and – hopefully – help to make them more resilient in the … Read More

‘Best’ Inventive Principles?

Darrell Mann

“Your perspective on life comes from the cage you were held captive in.” Shannon L. Alder

When the first Contradiction Matrix was created it was all done by hand. Today, it’s possible to use computers to … Read More