Wow In Music – Thing Called Love

Darrell Mann

This section of the ezine feels more and more like a Hall of Fame for under-appreciated musicians. We continue the theme this month with John Hiatt, surely one of the greatest American singer-songwriters of the last fifty years. … Read More

Biology – Wraparound Spider

Darrell Mann

Time to add more species to the list of animals who have perfected the art of camouflage. Known as the wrap-around spiders, Dolophones is a genus of spider found primarily in Australia and Oceania. The genus contains 17 … Read More

Patent of the Month – Joining Dissimilar Materials

Darrell Mann

Our patent of the month this month takes us to a quartet of inventors at the Battelle Memorial Institute in Washington State. US10,369,748 was awarded to the team on August 6. The invention takes us on a rare … Read More

Best of The Month – Never Split The Difference

Darrell Mann

For a long while, my ‘go-to’ book when it came to negotiation theory was the same go-to book as the rest of the world, ‘Getting To Yes’ by Fisher and Ury. At the same time, I also know … Read More

Measuring Innovation ROI – #1 Big Picture

Darrell Mann

“When we try to pick out anything by itself we find that it is bound fast by a thousand invisible cords that cannot be broken, to everything in the universe.” John Muir

“To demand … Read More

Not So Funny – Merging

Darrell Mann

We’ve had occasion to examine the power of Inventive Principle 5, Merging, several times in the past. The trick with using this Principle is to find combinations that are non-obvious, but at the same time where the elements … Read More

Short Thort

Darrell Mann

If the problem is Complicated, the Five Pillars of (technical) TRIZ are sufficient. The moment the problem becomes complex, two additional Pillars need to be brought to bear if the problem is to be solved effectively:

… Read More

Biology – Fogstand Beetle

Darrell Mann

Stenocara gracilipes, also known as the fogstand beetle, is a species of beetle that is native to the Namib Desert of southern Africa. This is one of the most arid areas of the world, receiving only 14mm of … Read More

Investments – Negative CTE Materials

Darrell Mann

Scientists have created materials that shrink uniformly in all directions when heated under normal everyday conditions, using a cheap and industrially scalable process. This potentially opens up a new paradigm of thermal-expansion control that will make electronic devices … Read More

Generational Cycles – Jordan Peterson – Hero To Heroes

Darrell Mann

In a polarized world, there aren’t many more polarizing figures at the moment than Jordan Peterson, the man responsible for the publishing phenomena that is, ‘Twelve Rules For Life’. Peterson was born in Canada in June 1962. Which … Read More

Wow In Music – Driving With The Brakes On

Darrell Mann

It’s difficult for me to think of a band more criminally underrated than Del Amitri. I can’t think of a weak track across the course of their half dozen albums released between 1985 and 2002 – including some … Read More

Constructed Crisis?

Darrell Mann

The main thesis of last month’s Book of the Month, Crisis & Renewal, is that real change only happens when there is a crisis. This creates a potential problem for innovation teams, because, turning the book’s finding the … Read More

Best of The Month – Hooked

Darrell Mann

Something of a controversial choice this month. ‘Hooked’ is pretty much the playbook for Silicon Valley start-ups intent on addicting customers to their products. The reason why seventy-nine percent of smartphone owners check their devices within fifteen minutes … Read More

Patent of the Month – Plasmonic Structures

Darrell Mann

We head to the University of Manchester for our patent of the month this month. US10,345,490 was granted on July 9 to a trio of inventors, two of whom are Nobel-Prize winners. Andre Geim and Konstantin Novos won … Read More

Not So Funny – You Had One (Principle 17) Job

Darrell Mann

No shortcuts. It should be everyone’s mantra. Like these people:

…especially important when kids are involved…

…so they grow up to be the kind of public servants we need them to be…

…always ready … Read More

Conference Review – ICSI 10

Darrell Mann

The 10th International Conference on Systematic Innovation was convened at the University of Liverpool from 9-11 July. Statistics-wise, the event was attended by over 100 people, from 16 different countries. They got to listen to 4 plenary presentations, … Read More

EpiPens & Natasha’s Law

Darrell Mann

This is a photo of Natasha Ednan-Leparouse, recently boarded on a plane from Heathrow to Nice in the South of France. Approximately two hours after this photo was taken, Natasha was tragically pronounced dead. She suffered from extreme … Read More

Short Thort

Darrell Mann

“That which is not measurable is not science. That which is not physics is stamp collecting.” Sir Ernest Rutherford

“The more physics you have the less engineering you need.” Sir … Read More

Investments – Nuclear Diamond Battery

Darrell Mann

New technology has been developed that uses nuclear waste to generate electricity in a nuclear-powered battery. A team of physicists and chemists from the University of Bristol have grown a man-made diamond that, when placed in a radioactive … Read More

Generational Cycles – Childhood Sweethearts

Darrell Mann

Psychologists from Sigmund Freud forward have generally agreed: our core attitudes about life are largely locked in by age five or so. Changing those attitudes requires intense effort.

Neil Howe and William Strauss took this obvious truth and … Read More