Investments – Material Design AI

Darrell Mann

Discovering how atoms – such as a single layer of carbon atoms found in graphene, one of the world’s strongest materials – work to create a solid material is currently a major research topic in the field of … Read More

Systems (Three Different Kinds)

Darrell Mann

Ask ten systems engineers to define what a system is and you’ll get at least eleven answers. Worse: they’re probably all correct. Worst: the differences, valid as they might be, create enormous potential confusion and as a result … Read More

Wow In Music – First We Take Manhattan

Darrell Mann

With 20/ 20 hindsight, it makes perfect sense that Jennifer Warnes’ exquisite 1986 album, Famous Blue Raincoat: The Songs of Leonard Cohen, became a critical and commercial success. After all, Cohen is now widely regarded as one of … Read More

Biology – Long-Tailed Tit

Darrell Mann

Long tailed tits, recognisable by their undulating flight, a tail much longer than its small, pinkish body and generally flying in a small flock, are also known as ‘flying teaspoons’. You generally hear them before you see them … Read More

Generational Cycles – How The LP Saved (Baby Boomer) Lives

Darrell Mann

I wasn’t sure whether to put this one into the ‘Best Of The Month’ or ‘Wow In Music’ sections of the ezine, but ultimately, this month’s publication of (Baby Boomer) David Hepworth’s homage to the long-playing record could … Read More

Systematic Innovation Conference

An exciting event co-sponsored by the Systemic & Systematic Innovation Special Interest Group (SISIG) of the IEEE UK & Ireland and 3M

Systemic and Systematic Innovation Special Interest group (is pleased to announce its second meeting in 2019 as part … Read More

Best of The Month – The Science Of Storytelling

Darrell Mann

Budding authors have literally hundreds of books to choose from if they’re looking for ‘help’ to make their writing better. Nearly all of them seem to be weak imitations of Joseph Campbell’s ‘Hero With A Thousand Faces’, or … Read More

The Resilience Zone

Darrell Mann

At the end of last month, I published a blog article regarding, what I think is a better way of mapping complexity (Reference 1). It was a bit of a strawman. Something I thought might burn on exposure … Read More

40 Inventive (Shoe) Principles

Darrell Mann

After last month’s criticism of the fashion industry’s lack of creativity, we faced a backlash. Armies of angry fashionistas carrying placards outside our offices. Chants of ‘you’re not fit to wear the shirt’. It was, frankly, time for … Read More

Biology – Goldfinch

Darrell Mann

Goldfinches are some of the most colourful birds to be found in Europe. They eat seeds and houses. Or, more specifically, the mortar that holds houses together. Why do they do this?

Seeds, while nutritious on the inside, … Read More

Short Thort

Darrell Mann

“There must always be two kinds of art: escape-art, for man needs escape as he needs food and deep sleep, and parable-art, that art which shall teach man to unlearn hatred and learn love.” W.H. Auden

… Read More

Green evaluation of innovative products

“ENVN” for Early green evaluation of innovative products from sustainability angle, using augmented system operator

Joseph Karlose Theckeveetil Star Academy, #12 Erappa Complex, Banaswadi Main Road, Bangalore 560033, KA, India Email id: trizolver@trizolver.in no 0091 9880308433

A spread … Read More

A TRIZ Newbee’s Report

Hans-Gert Gräbe, Leipzig University, Germany

Background

Three years ago, LIFIS started to advance a new focus Systematic Innovations. LIFIS – the Leibniz Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies – is a registered association of technical scientists mainly from the former GDR … Read More

Investments – Low-Cost Cancer Probe

Darrell Mann

Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is diagnosed in more than 130,000 people globally every year. Now, work is being done on a tool to help in its early detection: a simple, compact laser probe that can … Read More

Generational Cycles – The Death Of Comedy?

Darrell Mann

Comedy is in a period of extraordinary flux. It wasn’t so long ago that it seemed like comedians were filling stadiums and everyone was saying comedy was the new rock-n-roll. The past two years, however, have witnessed the … Read More

Wow In Music – River

Darrell Mann

Released in 1971 and produced by Reprise records, River is a contemporary folk song found on Joni Mitchell’s classic album, ‘Blue’. For some reason, even though it really isn’t really a Christmas song, it has somehow … Read More

Patent of the Month – Microbial Fuel Cell

Darrell Mann

Microbial fuel-cells (MFC) have been around for over a century now, but they’ve never quite made the grade in terms of practical, commercially viable applications. Which is perhaps odd given the fact that they offer the potential to … Read More

Best of The Month – Lost Connections

Darrell Mann

This month’s book choice fits into the psychology end of the innovation story. It’s also about the Big Pharma industry and how their urge to sell drugs rather than cure patients ends up creating far bigger problems than … Read More

The £5 Challenge

Darrell Mann

Here’s a little exercise to try next time you have ten minutes to spare:

What would you do to earn money if all you had was five pounds and two hours? Imagine being given an envelope … Read More

Sustainable Innovation 2019 Conference

Darrell Mann

I’m told that the reason women agree to have another child is because they’re programmed to forget the pain associated with giving birth to the previous one. Not on anything like the same level, but I think I … Read More