Straker David, Rawlinson Graham. How to invent (almost) anything

Spiro Press, 2003—322 p. —ISBN13: 9781904298878.How to Invent (Almost) Anything covers a broad range of issues and processes needed for generating creative ideas and key processes examining these ideas in an analytical way whilst maintaining their creative power. The key process for bridging creative and analytical thinking outlined in the book is a user-friendly version of TRIZ, the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving: a process which is being adopted around the world by large and small companies alike. As a 'how to' book it offers practical, easy to use guidance on 'how to invent', and 'how to innovate' for products and services. To aid understanding of what is involved in innovation and invention, the book covers psychological insights into innovation, for an individual and in a company culture, and it introduces an easy but potentially revolutionising approach to scientific thinking.Preface.
Toolbox 1: Logical.
Analytical Invention.
Break things down and question them. Simple and powerful.
Part A: Simple Science.
[b Simple Science[/b].
Energy, matter, space and time. That’s all you have to invent with.
A Simple Science Lens.
Looking at friction through an unconventional lens.
Applied Simple Science.
Hinges, bottle-tops, levers, nuts and bolts, knives. All fall before simple science!
Toolbox 2: Scientific.
Basic TRIZ.
Here’s how 200,000 patentees did it.
The TRIZ 7-step process.
Simplified TRIZ for speedier invention.
Part B: Psychobabble.
How the Brain Works.
We are just pattern machines. That’s all.
The Motivating Fire.
Survival = Control + Identity + Novelty. The fires that make us do what we do.
Managing in a Complex World.
Sense, understand, decide, act. There’s many a slip.
Toolbox 3: Psychological.
Getting Past the Blocks.
Go under, around, through. Just don’t get blocked.
Stimulating Ideas.
How to set yourself on fire!
Part C: Putting it all together.
Toolbox 4: Holistic.
The TAO Process.
Cold logic, Simple science, TRIZ and psychology. All in one box.
Epilogue.
Appendixes.
Altshuller’s 39 Parameters.
TRIZ Contradiction Matrix.
TRIZ 40 principles.
Not-a-bibliography.