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| How to think
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or the miniskirts? Expand it: like one-stop shopping centres or
the Boeing 747? Dry it: like packet soup? Slice it: Like bread? Stretch
it: like denims or stretch limousines?
What could you substitute?
Ladislo Biro substituted a ball for a nib, and
the ball-point pen was born. The fax machine has substituted electronic
transmission for posted mail - and the Internet has superseded the fax. Clarence
Birdseye - after finding frozen fish in Canada's Arctic Circle - substituted freezing
for canning, to invent the frozen food industry. Supermarkets substituted
self-service and trolleys for shop assistants. Xerox's Palo Alto Research Centre
substituted the "point and click" method of running a computer; Apple adapted it
commercially, and the world's simplest computing system was born. Bed-and-breakfast
homes in Ireland have substituted for hotels and become the core of that country's
tourist industry. Compact discs have replaced vinyl recordings for music.
What new combinations can you make?
Sony combined earphones with a transistor radio to
invent the Walkman. Pressure-cooked chicken and a special sauce gave us Kentucky
Fried Chicken. Nylons combined with panties to make pantyhose. Walt Disney
combined Mickey Mouse with tourism to invent Disneyland. Shops and carparks linked
together to produce shopping centers. General Motors combined hire purchase with a
choice of colors and built the world's biggest car company.
How can you adapt it?
Rollerblades are now a multimillion-dollar
seller - realigning skate-wheels into one line. Rugby football has been adapted
from soccer, rugby league from rugby, softball from baseball.
What could you magnify or increase?
McDonald's magnified hamburgers to produce the Big
Mac. Prince has made a fortune by enlarging the tennis racket. So has Calloway
with its Big Bertha golf clubs. Wal-mart has become the world's most
profitable retail chain, selling through giant discount stores. JVC invented three-hour
videotape and beat off Sony to establish the world standard - because the extra length
enabled buyers to record complete sports events.
What could you reduce, reverse or eliminate?
Frank Whittle reversed wind and invented the jet
engine. Bill Hamilton
Contents Page Preface
Introduction
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