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<\/a><\/p>\nKudos to those of you with carafes that don\u2019t spill.\u00a0 I\u2019ll bet they are not made of glass.\u00a0 Turns out this is a physics problem<\/a> with glass carafes.\u00a0 In order to make the glass more robust and not sharp edged, the lip is slightly rounded, which disrupts the fluid flow at the lip.\u00a0 The slight compression of the fluid makes it more likely to follow the glass than gravity, and the faster you pour, the more you spill.<\/p>\n When you see a \u201cproblem\u201d try exploring it for (I know this sounds clich\u00e9) opportunities.\u00a0 The best solutions are ones that completely bypass the problem.\u00a0 What\u2019s the best way to sail around the Cape of Good Hope?\u00a0 Don\u2019t do it (ergo the Suez Canal).\u00a0 Another example is when we see a chain of operations starting with people entering data electronically to then print the form, send it in to get scanned and checked, with all sorts of poor quality 3rd<\/sup> party form-filling software and people marking on the paper and mishandling the paper.\u00a0 You could look at that and try to solve all the problems in the chain, or you could see a business opportunity to put those poor quality 3rd<\/sup> party vendors out of business and completely bypass the print\/scan translation steps (our own Suez Canal!).<\/p>\n In our agile training we harp endlessly about the importance of continuous improvement.\u00a0 The most important lesson is that this is about how to see the world and not some specific, measurable behavior.\u00a0 The opportunities are endless, if we only dial up our sensitivities.\u00a0 Try it out the next time you see a problem and ask \u201cwhy?\u201d\u00a0 Inventors are not necessary gifted from birth; the curiosity can be developed with deliberate effort.\u00a0\u00a0 There is any number of formal brainstorming techniques used by high tech companies for \u201cinventing the future\u201d, but in the end it’s a way of thinking.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Inventors are ordinary people with extraordinary perception.\u00a0 They see the same things we all see, but they are more observant and very, very curious.\u00a0 “Why?” pops out of their mouth a lot. For example, if you have a common coffee carafe you may have noticed that if you pour with any speed (\u201cI need my … Continue reading Where Do Inventions Come From?<\/span>