p.2"While waiting in the lobby of Google's main building, I snuck
into the back of a tour group heading inside... A young professional woman, barely containing her embarrassment, asked, 'Where
is the search engine? Are we going to see it?' to which only half the group laughed. (There is no singular 'engine' - only
endless dull bays of server computers running the search-engine software.)... A thirty-something man turned to his tour buddy...
He pointed to the young programmers in the distance... 'I see them talking and typing, but when do they come up with their
ideas?' "
Sometimes being creative involves being misunderstood, at least initially.
p.13"The tightrope between being strange and being creative is too narrow to walk without occasionally
landing on both sides, explaining why so many great minds are lampooned as eccentrics...Developing new ideas requires questions
and approaches that most people won't understand initially, which leaves many true innovators at risk of becoming... misunderstood"
Research needs to back ideas in order to make sure that they are usable in the real world.
p.13"Scientists need to not only make discoveries, but to provide enough research to prove to others
that the discoveries are valid."
A new idea should be followed through. Waiting for something to happen is not going to turn the
idea into reality.
p.14"Ted Hoff, the inventor of the microprocessor (Intel's 4004), explained, '...If you're always
waiting for that wonderful breakthrough, it's probably never going to happen. Instead, what you have to do is keep working
on things. If you find something that looks good, follow through with it.' "
Many new ideas come from bright minds following their personal interests.
p.41,42"The majority of innovations come from dedicated people in a field working hard to solve
a well-defined problem. It's not sexy, and it won't be in any major motion picture anytime soon, but it's the truth...Many
innovations begin with bright minds following their personal interests. The ambition is to pass time, learn something new,
or have fun. At some point, the idea of a practical purpose arises, commitments are made, and the rest is history."
Innovative ideas can make people feel uncomfortable, and this might cause them to be rejected, initially.
p.61"innovative ideas are rarely rejected on their merits; they're rejected because of how they
make people feel."
Mainstream organizations will usually take risks with new ideas only when they have a good chance
of a payoff.
p.63"Innovators rarely find support within mainstream organizations, and the same stubbornness that
drives them to work on problems others ignore gives them the strength necessary to work alone. This explains the natural bond
between breakthrough thinkers and new companies; innovative entrepreneurs not only have the passion for new ideas, but they
also have the conviction to make sacrifices that scare established companies."
If an inventor wants his new ideas to be accepted, he or she should take a look at the following
suggestions:
p.65"Rogers identifies five factors that define how quickly innovations spread; they belong in every
innovator's playbook. Roughly summarized and loosely interpreted, they include:
1. Relative advantage. What value does the new thing have compared to the old?...
2. Compatibility. How much effort is required to transition from the the current thing to the innovation?...
3. Complexity. How much learning is required to apply the innovation? ...
4. Trialability. How easy is it to try the innovation? ...
5. Observability. How visible are the results of the innovation? ..."
Brainstorming needs to look at facts, ideas and solutions.
p.91"The true essence of brainstorming as a method is well described in Applied Imagination,
a fantastic read and a forgotten classic. The core message is simple:
- You have three things: facts, ideas, and solutions.
- You need to spend quality time with all of them."
