Thinking Inside the Box

I am skeptical about Posner's contention.  The vast majority of things that are good for the public are also good for those signing the CEO's paycheck.  You might have to change a few things or make up an initial cut in volume but anything that's good for the consumer is inherently good for the producer.  It is infinitely more probable that free-thinkers are shut up by politicians, pollsters, and tastemakers.  Free thought often flies in the face of conventional wisdom, feel-good sociology, and political correctness.  No one wants to get smeared by muckrakers.

Anyway, here are my problem solvers:

I have a very simple solution to the environmental problems that may be brought about by emissions from factories, power plants, and other such establishments.  The only law required in order to ensure that the environmental hazards brought about by waste or emissions from any sort of plant is this:  THE HEAD OF THE COMPANY AND HIS FAMILY ARE REQUIRED TO LIVE WITHIN FIVE MILES OF THE PLANT.  End of problem.

My solution to corrupt pork barrel politics is two-fold.  In the legislative branch, we need a two-step policy to try to turn these crooks into honest statesmen:

1. Any member of congress may speak for as long as he can while holding a block of ice.

2. The penalty for proposing any bill that does not become law is death.

End of problem.

On so many levels, I love those watermelons. When I think of the time I spent as a child 'rotating' growing fruit so that it wouldn't be flat on one side. You can see how much Henry Ford I have in me.

All I know is, when Number 8, remember him? asks me a question, I often answer with one of my own.

Mommy, why are trees taller than us? He asks.
Are they always? I ask.
Well, baby trees aren't. He reflects.
True. Good point. I say.

He probably thinks his mommy is the thickest mommy on the block, but the point is, he is thinking.

Something struck me about Einstein's quote.

“No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.”

It sounds like he's isolating two different types or groups or mindsets. But, in truth, he's addressing a simple neurological fact—creation and analysis are not born of the same place, but they can both exist in one person.

Try it. Think about a problem. Think about how it is put together and how to piece it out. Analysis.

And then, and this is where I think we fail today in how we train people, turn off the 'thinking.' DECIDE TO MOVE to the other half of your brain. The free fall side. The Lewis Carroll _Jaberwocky_ side. Feels so good. Be silly, and, most importantly, not afraid to fall.

Number 8 will be more than happy to contribute a non-rational response to the above problems, but it is way past his bed time, so you'll have to wait, about a decade or so.

I had square tomatoes one time in a Subway sandwich - I was so amazed I took a picture... they didn't taste much like tomatoes.

There are some things that simply should NOT be tampered with ....... We Humans seem to want to tamper with every little thing, just because we can ... and we delude ourselves into believing that we are smart - not intelligent but smart.  It is obvious that we are intelligent, otherwise we would not be able to tamper as we do ....... The problem is, that we get so busy tampering, believing that any and all change is for the better, and cussing and discussing all of the issues generated by that tampering, that we keep focused away from the very things that count the most.   When some Institution collapses all around us, an event that we never gave a moment's thought to because two generations of us have been driven through daily life by Madison Avenue, we stand completely stunned and oblivious, dazed and confused, like the poor stupid bastard who was in the Outhouse when the Lightning struck ...  And what have we learned??? Not a damned thing

Missive,

Don't you mean "Henry Shmord"?

Thinking outside the box.  I am an artist/painter, and one would tend to think I would "hang around" other artist types, but that's not the case.  My friends and the people I tend to talk to are complete opposites...corporate managers, police officers...If i want to think outside the box, why would I hang around folks who have the same ideas and know what I know?  My potpouri of friends keeps my mind fresh and challenged.

I am an artist who loves thinking outside the box...that is why I visit Peterman's Eye everyday!

Creativity is coming up with new ideas, but humans are perched between two poles: fear of the unknown, and love of novelty.  For reeasons I don't understand, the Japanese (among other folks) seem to love new products and ideas (perhaps because their social structures are so rigid and frozen?).  Call it compensation....  On the other hand, Americans with their fluid social structures (divorce, frequent 'moves', casual friendships, changing jobs) seem to hold on to 'the old' (e.g. the American infatuation with antiques).  Is there reason to think some folks look to some areas of life for innovation and not others?  Are these culturally channeled?  What is certain (and many can attest to this) is that creativity is honored in the abstract, and bitterly fought in the concrete.  Here's an experiment you might try:  At your next BBQ, tape some five dollar bills together and put them over the fire to burn.  the reactions are very revealing (remember these are YOUR five-dollar bills, not theirs!).  By going outside the box in an area most folks have deep emotions about (i.e. the paper symbols of wealth) expect to unleash a torrent of very fascinating emotions and emotionally driven words and behaviors.  :-)  The shift back from green dollars to green watermelons reduces the emotionality, but don't forget that watermelons also have emotional overtones for many folks.  (They certainly don't eat the things because the nutrition label says 'watermelons are a great source of blah, blah, blah!)

Seriously, Mr. Peterman?

I feel encouraged. 

The Box, aka The White Man's container...

Someone recently pointed out that too many people spend all day inside one box looking at another one.  A square watermelon sits flat on a shelf, but it has a higher ratio of skin to interior volume, doesn't it?. Why do you think Budweiser and Co'cola  still come in cylindrical containers?  What about a refrigerator that had no room for airflow among its contents? That would be a freezer. Square burgers waste less grill space. Everything at Crate and Barrel is designed to fit into a subportion of a standard sized diplay cube.

Most problem solving is a response to discomfort.  Much innovation is marketing.

My Car has done broke down

and a whole lot of women done me wrong

The liquor has done got me and I forgot the most of this song

You know it never rains no more, except the times it pours 

I hate to tell you friend, my blues is just like yours.

My love life is like my checkbook

Either tangled or confused

She did some  splaining to me and it's not just my ego that's bruiised

She said there's no more biscuits till you've done your chores

Would you take a look and tell me my blues is not like yours? 

Mr. Peterman,

So glad you said this. And too ironic that I've been thinking about a similar wrinkle in a paradigm all weekend.

On Saturday, I read that the original 'Owner's Manual' was circulated through college lit classes as a requisite read. Unbelievable. So I decided I had to have a copy of Peterman Rides Again. And though I certainly know how to use the internet to get what I want, I am a very impetuous girl and wanted it that very day. So I scoured Detroit. Called everyone. And do you know what THREE of the conversations with seven booksellers looked like?

Seller: It wouldn't be in autobiography if he's a fictional character.
(Mind you, Miss Ive only calls 'real' booksellers. The type who can talk 'book-ease' with great prowess and have dusty shelves of treasures.)
Me: He's not. He's real. Now just go check, man. You're killing me.
Seller: He's real?
Me: Uh huh. Now why are you still here?! Go. (Smiling, am actually quite cordial.)
Seller: But he was a character on. . .
Me: Do I have to drive down there and show you your autobiography section?
Seller: OKAY, I'm going.
Me: Music to my ears.

I love it. On so many aesthetic and theoretical levels, I love this paradox. A real brand that's very appeal is its mystique, or mirage.

As a guerrilla marketeer, this is a fantastic 'situation.' Such a delicate balance. And you all have managed to strike it, and hold it. It's like trying to keep a canoe on its side. Rigorous.

Mr. Peterman, you talk about 'known courses of action,' and in marketing, the knee-jerk reaction is to find a way for the world to know that the company is real. On the other hand, vulgar and blatant approaches would kill its greatest quality, the mystery.

Too good. Will force myself into the 'free fall' side of my brain and get back with you. Might have to go ask Number 8.

um...ahem Miss Ives, pssssst.

Mr. P's book was, um, shall we say, not his greatest marketing triumph. Both eBay and ABE.Com are awash in available copies at prices distinctly not commensurate with or reflective of the quality of the contents. Can we change the subject, please?

My blues is just like yours, only bigger and meaner and smarter.

You got a broken heart, well mine is broken harder 

You can wish into one hand and spit into the other

My blues is just like yours, I've got to tell you brother. 

Mr. Trask,

Why would you want to change the subject just when it gets interesting? You missed my point. It is exactly that the focus is not on NUMBERS or successes or failures that sets this brand apart. Not that it does not have a bottom, line. It is a company. I have no idea what goes on 'inside,' I just know how it 'feels' from the outside. It's that you can't HEAR the need for big numbers in their product. It's a whisper, a beckon. Very charming.

And I don't have the blues. Even a little bit.

Not being knowledgeable enough to know that something can't be done is very fertile ground for fresh and innovative ideas.

Thanks, Miss Ive,

You've probably never heard of the excess inventory blues, then...

Viral marketing is great, and the whole story of the tiny ad in the WSJ and the Mysterious Japanese Gentleman and all of the rest of it, but  my point was just that PRA may be a sore subject  with its author, who probably prefers commercial success in certain instances.

Touche.

two problem-solvers come to mind:  First, money!  it always seems to solve problems, well, actually, it just makes them go away.  Second, my very, very sharp Samurai sword (a katana), it makes problems go away permanently (okay, just joking about the sword).

Sometimes the best problem solver is knowing what you want and taking responsibility for it.  You may fail, you may succeed, but if you don't fail (at least a few times) you won't recognize success when you achieve it.

It's important to be well-read and have diverse interests.....this helps to see solutions from various perspectives.  success in business and life is being able to think and solve problems.  But first, you have to be able to ask the right questions.

My business is a problem solving business.  I have to know how to market, how to negotiate, how to keep things from falling apart at the last minute.....and maintain a high standard of honesty and integrity.

I may, at times, have to be calm and relaxed, cold-blooded, passionate, assertive, be able to say "no" in a bluff (and be able to walk away to prove that bluff), and to say "yes" to less than is wanted.  To do that you have to know the need, a want is icing on the cake.  You can eat cake without icing.

Two books I always recommend, when asked, are Donald Trump's "The Art of the Deal" the only book he wrote that has information you can use in business), and Mr. Peterman's "Peterman Rides Again". (I've even read a talk Mr. Peterman gave at his old alma mater). It will help you overcome adversity and get you back in the saddle of business and life.

Remember, when you look at architecture, a painting or a read a book, you see only the finished product. You need to know that all those "works of art" were the product of not only creativity but problem solving.

This is truly a fascinating topic. And it makes you look so many every day things in a whole new way..and with a nod to Jillybean, think of that Eureka moment when someone thought up a rubberband, paper clip and the scissors. I have to stop now, or this response will go on for page after page. I'm in a panic because I can't find, you know, that thing that does that thing.

Malcolm Gladwell writes about inventions and collaborative problem solving in a recent New Yorker issue

www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/5/12/080512fa_fact_gladwell?currentPage=all

Sorry, I haven't innovated enough to make this a hot link. Try googling New Yorker Gladwell Invention 

As for the sword as effective problem solver, look no further than Dillinger:

"You can get more with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone." 

She deserves her tips

Unwittingly she frustrates

Must she call me sir? 

someone may have said it before him, but I'd like to credit Frank Zappa with the quote,"necessity is the mother of invention".

To: Willie Trask,

Did Dillinger write any "self-help" manuals......? However, when you think about Dillinger's philosophy, he said more about problem-solving and sucess in one sentence then Dale Carnegie, Anthony Robbins, and all the "prosperity preachers" have said in a hundred books.

Trump, Peterman and Dillinger.....an interesting trinity of inspiration.  A feel a "new religion" in the works.

I meant to say "I feel a "new religion...." 

The Dyson vacuum cleaner is a perfect example of innovation that almost got shelved.  Manufacturers made millions annually on the sale f vacuum cleaner bags, so they wanted to buy Dyson's design and shelve it.  When he went into business for himself, he forced them to bring out their own bag-less offerings.

I also think the man who made the chicken wing into a meal people could charge for was brilliant.  Elevating trash to an entree is an art form.

"Post-it Notes" save the world!

A reusable pressure sensitive adhesive was developed by a 3M employee. Unfortunately it did not have a known marketable application.

That is until a few years later, when another 3M colleague, who was in a church choir and was often frustrated because his bookmarks were always falling out of his hymnal, came up with the idea of using this adhesive to keep his bookmarks in place.

Decades later, new applications for "Post-it" products are still being identified

My father used to contend that the solution to all human conflict (including international aggression) was peanut butter. Simply send your enemies ship load after ship load of peanut butter for free in jars stamped "A Gift of the People of the United States." Soon, and very soon, they will become addicted and drop their adversarial stance lest they lose their source of supply. Since death isn't working, I think we ought to give it a try.

We truly are a nest of singing birds! My head is spinning from all this wondrous dialog. Each day I have to come up with new ways to stimulate my students, strategies tailored to each individual snowflake. It keeps me thinking, certainly. Like Miss Ive, I usually answered my kids' (and my students, oh how it annoys them to be required to think!) questions with a question, to start a thought process.

But, M'sieur Robert (DPR), DEATH for failed laws? I think a good horsewhipping in the town square would be so much more satisfying.

Doc recommended The Black Swan, by Nassim Taleb to me earlier, and I am reading it now. It addresses these matters in an interesting way also. Highly recommended.

Doc, baby-some backchannel, PLEASE!

I can say no more-my poem must speak for me. Someone mentioned the Japanese, and haiku, but I prefer senryu...

Think outside your box

Be the nail who stands highest

Beware the hammer

More at eleven-Olivia

To: Olivia,

The Black Swan is an interesting book........it's similar to a fairly new "science" or at least "school of thought" or research called "simplexity".  This is the idea that small, seemingly random and meaningless events trigger greater events.  For example, current President Bush wanted to be the Baseball Commissioner.  He "lobbied" for the job but delays caused Bush to give up hope and eventually turn to politics.  He ran for governor of Texas and eventually President. If he had become baseball Commissioner would the Iraq War have happened?  There are other examples.......but the idea that a small, perhaps insignificant moment, can cause a more significant event is intriguing.  In business, besides the Black Swan there's also a so-called "tipping point".

Sometimes these ideas and concepts get written about in a sensational and 'for the popular masses" style, but there is a truth to be understood.  Unfortunately, we see the true cause after the fact.  If it's really a random trigger, there's little reason to believe we can prevent many of the emergencies that the world suffers.

Fauntleroy and Doc Nolan,

Welcome aboard and thank you for your eloquent observations.  I look forward to more from both of you.

JillyBean,

You make a very good point about genius being born of limitations.  I agree, for limitations require you to use your imagination in order to overcome them.  And that way lies genius.

In the 1940's, all the Hollywood studios (most notably, Warners and RKO) assembled a B production unit for young directors to turn out cheap programmers with 2nd tier stars (though very few of them remained 2nd tier for long).  The low budgets forced the directors to use stark lighting, terse dialogue, and a fast pace to get the story told.  It also required them to reduce their drama to the brass tacks simplicity of a crime story or thriller.  They were made cheaply and sold well.  Years, later this style was given a name.  When the critics at Cahiers du Cinema started discussing movies seriously as an art form, they looked at these little B-budget thrillers with all their limitations and dubbed them "Film Noir".  They include some of the greatest masterpieces of the era including Double Indemnity, The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, The Dark Corner, Desperate, and Murder My Sweet, just to name a few.  None of them would have been half so interesting if it hadn't been for their limitations.

EsPat,

What do you mean, the katana is just a joke?  I thought you were bringing it to Central Park!

Thank you, ExPat, for that succinct summation on our species' blindness. Gladwell is an author on my list too, along with Friedman and OH SO MANY OTHERS. I usually keep about 6 books going at once, and I suspect many here are similar, judging from the quality of the discourse. I know there are some guys that are so thankful that Bush didn't get BB commish, and instead just mucked up some other stuff...

Zack, here's a couple of quotes from Mr. Zappa that I like:

Bad facts make bad law, and people who write bad laws are in my opinion more dangerous than songwriters who celebrate sexuality.

and...

Let's not be too tough on our own ignorance. It's the thing that makes America great. If America weren't incomparably ignorant, how could we have tolerated the last eight years?
-- Frank Zappa, in 1988

You know, a prophet is never appreciated in his own time. Like almost every other person, he said some things I agreed with, and some I didn't, but at least he was THINKING.

PS-You know, ladies and gentlemen, I just KNOW when I mention a book, SOMEBODY here has probably already read it! I love that...

To: DreadPirateRoberts,

I meant that solving "problems" with a sword was not a serious way to do so.......not in today's society. (Which is a rather unfortunate turn of events in the modern world). As to Central Park, I didn't know it was "problem"  to be solved.  I see it as a wonderful way for me to spend the early morning hours.....for everyone else it might be a problem.  But don't worry, I have the solution in hand.......both hands that is.

I'm confident enough that I will buy a round trip ticket back to L.A. 

Which Shakespearian play do you think has the best swordfights?  Of course, Romeo & Juliet come to mind, or Hamlet, but I'm not sure that Othello doesn't have the most sinister

Olivia said:

"I think a good horsewhipping in the town square would be so much more satisfying."

I love Olivia!!!

And, may I say, DPR, you are such the gentleman always welcoming people to the site. I remember how much it encouraged me. Very nice.

MackDaddy,

Where are you? If you get this send me a message at my site with an address. I still have to respond to your note. So great.

Olivia,

You may be right that the public flogging would be much more satisfactory.  But death is so much more effective.  There's always the chance that a corrupt politico might consider his potential pork worth a flogging.  Death has a way of really giving one pause.

ExPat,

Romeo and Juliet is, surprisingly, Shakespeare's most violent play in terms of the actual number of separate, individual fights (FIVE of 'em!).  Tybalt, Shakespeare's most violent character, participates in three of the five.  I have choreographed the duels for Romeo and Juliet twice.  One was a traditional Elizabethan setting with rapier and dagger, while the other was done in modern dress and we had the brawlers use steel pipes and baseball bats.

The duel I never got to choreograph, but would have loved to, is in Hamlet.  It is my favorite fight in terms of the way Shakespeare actually wrote it (though, frequently, productions don't pay full attention to the text; what else is new?).  The text states that the fight is to be with rapier and dagger, there is a certain number of hits discussed in the dialogue, and the first one must be dubious because Laertes challenges it and Hamlet has to turn to Osric (the umpire) for a judgment call.  We also know that Laertes sword tip is poisoned and at some point the characters must switch swords because they both die from the poisoned tip.  Also, Laertes' wound must be more severe than Hamlet's (or, I suppose, simply closer to his heart) because Hamlet is poisoned first but Laertes dies first.  It's a fight filled with specifics and limitations but, within them, there are all kinds of fun things you can do.

DPR, you and ExPat (and Miss Ive, I love you too, dear) have SO turned my head! Such interesting, dashing gentlemen! Anyone who can speak eloquently on such romantic topics as Shakespeare, swordfighting, and the general foibles of humanity, has my rapt attention! On top of that, you speak of film noir, a wonderful genre, and every time I see M. Robert's name, I get a giggle thinking of Princess Bride, one of my all time favorite movies.

"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father-prepare to DIE!"

Oh, M. Robert, my blushes! Your reference on the your last post, in the previous subject, to your (and my unintentional, surely *impish grin*) visual with regard to the Brit-smacking...ahem...brought the crimson to my dimpled cheeks. Well, I always was a fiesty dame.

Note to self, brush up on the Bard's swordplay.  Spent a day last week at a seminar getting organized, though I'm a pretty hopeless case.  My brain just doesnt work that way, when it works at all.  But a few days before a young co-worker needed some encouragement and not being organized yet, I passed on Bruce Mau's Incomplete Manefesto.  I had been thinking about Bruce after reading about the CCTV Headquarters in Bejing.  Now Bruce is no longer associated with OMA or OMA is no longer associated with Bruce, but S,M,X,XL is an interesting read.

Will we have mobius watermelons next?  We can fill the centers with square fruit.

Thank you for the always interesting read.

zackchange: yes I agree. Frank Zappa was certainly a neccesity. Goodnight all.

More of swords. I have died and am actually in Valhalla right now, and there's a broadband link. This site is proof.

This week has been quite a good week for sword acquisitions, and if there are any others of us who are in the market for swords I dare say the "credit crunch" is your friend. On MyArmoury.com and Sword Forum Int'l there are classifieds with quite a few motivated sellers. Real swords. Not wall hangers. Not "sword-like objects". I'm filling in a few niches in my collection. Highly recommended to you all.

Katanas are ridiculously over-rated. I'm glad to hear that any reference to one was meant in jest.

A truly out of the box approach to watermelons would be growing just the flesh with no rind. Or perhaps altering the watermelon genetic code so as to produce a watermelon that was hydrated with vodka, or a very dry gin. Ahh, that would be refreshing out of the ice-box, indeed. I'd call my watermelon-with-gin creation a "Boodlemelon". And this reminds me that I am rather tragically at the bottom of my glass of cabernet. Lucky for me, the solution is downstairs. TTFN.

Greetings:  Something I found on Oddities of the World concerning the above mentioned mellons: 

"Today the cuboid watermelons are hand-picked and shipped all over Japan. But the fruit, on sale in a selection of department stores and upmarket supermarkets, appeals mainly to the wealthy and fashion-conscious of Tokyo and Osaka, Japan's two major cities, since the fruit comes with a caveat: Each square watermelon costs 10,000 yen, the equivalent of about $82. Regular watermelons in Japan cost from $15 to $25 each."

Think I'll just have a cantalope.

Melon Cubes......So I figured: Iff'n that computer company up north got folks to buyin' their boxes that look like cows...,

One day the Scientists of earth all got together and informed God they didn't need Him anymore. 

"Really?", God said.  "And how did you come to that conclusion?"

 "We can recreate everything you have done - we can clone life, grow limbs and organs, bring the dead back to life, alter species, change the climate..."

"Interesting", replied God.  "One last request before I go?"

"Certainly!", the Scientists replied, eager for the challenge.

 "Can you make Man from a handful of dirt?"

"Oh, I'm sure we can", one said, scooping a handful from the ground.

"Sorry", smiled God.  "You'll have to use your own."