Practical Tools and Wise Quotes on All Matters Creative

How To Invent (Almost) Anything: Full Contents

How To Invent (Almost) Anything > Full Contents

Preface

1. Analytic Invention

• 1.1. Chunking
• 1.2. Attribute Analysis
• 1.3. Value Analysis
• 1.4. Purpose Analysis
• 1.5. Causal breakdown: the Cause-Effect Diagram
• 1.6. Root Cause Analysis / Five Whys
• 1.7. Causal Chains: sequences of events
• 1.8. Critical Thinking
• 1.9. Bionics
• 1.10. 5W1H
• 1.11. SCAMPER
• 1.12. Verbs

2. Simple Science

• 2.1. What is Science?
• 2.2. Science and Energy
• 2.2.1. Inventing With Energy
• 2.2.2. Science and Force
• 2.2.3. Inventing With Forces
• 2.3. Science and Matter
  • 2.3.1. Atomic Thinking
  • 2.3.2. Mass and Density
  • 2.3.3 Flexibility and Rigidity
  • 2.3.4. Inventing with Matter
• 2.4. Science and Space
  • 2.4.1. Shape
  • 2.4.2. Size
  • 2.4.3. Boundaries and Corners
  • 2.4.4. Inventing in Space
• 2.5. Science and Time
  • 2.5.1. Inventing with Time
• 2.6. Simple Science in Non-science
• 2.7. Invention 'So What?'

3. A Simple Science Lens

• 3.1. Bounce
• 3.2. Elasticity
• 3.3. Fracturing
• 3.4. Electrostatic Action
• 3.5. Viscosity
• 3.6. Gravity
• 3.7. Invention 'So What'?

4. Applied Simple Science

• 4.1. Hinges
• 4.2. Bottle-tops
• 4.3. Levers
• 4.4. Nuts and Bolts
• 4.5. Knives
• 4.6. Invention 'So-what?'

5. Basic TRIZ

• 5.1. TRIZ Principles
  • 5.1.1. TRIZ Principles: Function
  • 5.1.2. TRIZ Principles: Harm
  • 5.1.3. TRIZ Principles: Ideality
  • 5.1.4. TRIZ Principles: Trimming
  • 5.1.5. TRIZ Principles: Substances and Fields
  • 5.1.6. TRIZ Principles: Evolution
  • 5.1.7. TRIZ Principles: Contradictions
• 5.2. Using Contradictions and Principles
• 5.3. Simplifying TRIZ Principles
• 5.4. TRIZ Thinking
  • 5.4.1. TRIZ Thinking: The Blocked Sink
  • 5.4.2. TRIZ Thinking: Mowing the Grass
  • 5.4.3. TRIZ Thinking: Plane Hatch
  • 5.4.4. TRIZ Thinking: Printing
  • 5.4.5. TRIZ Thinking: Cleaning
  • 5.4.6. TRIZ Thinking: The No-whiteboard Whiteboard

6. The 7-Step TRIZ Process

• 6.1. Resources
• 6.2. Parameters
• 6.3. Benefits
• 6.4. Ideality Gap
• 6.5. Evolution Trends
• 6.5. The 7-Step TRIZ Process
• 6.7. Resources Again

7. How The Brain Works

• 7.1. A Quick History of Brain Science
• 7.2. The Real Parts of the Brain
• 7.3. How We Think: Patterns of the Mind
  • 7.3.1. How We Think: Reaching Out to Communicate
  • 7.3.2. How We Think: Thought Patterns
  • 7.3.3. How We Think: Memory Patterns
  • 7.3.4. How We Think: Left Brain, Right Brain
• 7.4. Classification: Making Sense of the World
  • 7.4.1. Classification: Chunking the World
  • 7.4.2. Classification: Languaging Chunks
  • 7.4.3. Classification: Short-term Memory
  • 7.4.4. Classification: Long-term Memory
  • 7.4.5. Classification: Class-ification
  • 7.4.6. Classification: Rapid Classification
  • 7.4.7. Classification: Big Patterns: Mental Models
• 7.5. Association: Just Like That
  • 7.5.1. Association: Neural Networks
  • 7.5.2. Association: Just Like That
  • 7.5.3. Association: Associated Emotions
• 7.6. Invention 'So What?'

8. The Motivating Fire

• 8.1. An Evolutionary Background
• 8.2. The Evolutionary Ruleset
• 8.3. The General Adaptation Syndrome
• 8.4. Basic Drivers
  • 8.4.1. A Sense of Control
  • 8.4.2. A Sense of Identity
  • 8.4.3. The Need for Novelty
  • 8.4.4. Aesthetic Needs
• 8.5. Transactional Analysis
• 8.6. How The Brain Does It
  • 8.6.1. Emotions
  • 8.6.2. Emotional States
  • 8.6.3. How to Get Into a Creative Mental State
• 8.7. Goals
• 8.8. Invention 'So What?'

9. Managing in a Complex World

• 9.1. Sensing
  • 9.1.1. Sensing: Uneven Senses
  • 9.1.2. Sensing: The Zoom Lens
  • 9.1.3. Sensing: Attentive Creativity
• 9.2. Inferring Meaning
  • 9.2.1 Inferring: Classification
  • 9.2.2. Inferring: Comparing Interests
  • 9.2.3. Inferring: Comparing With the Future
  • 9.2.4. Inferring: Judging
• 9.3. Deep Thinking
  • 9.3.1 Thinking: The Inner World
  • 9.3.2. Thinking: A Constructed Reality
  • 9.3.3. Thinking: The Emotional State
  • 9.3.4. Thinking: Multiple Personalities
  • 9.3.5. Thinking: Assumptions and Beliefs
  • 9.3.6. Thinking: Values
  • 9.3.7. Thinking: Attitudes
• 9.4. Inner Space
• 9.5. Formulating Intent
  • 9.5.1. Formulating: The Refinement Loop
  • 9.5.2. Formulating: Short-cutting
  • 9.5.3. Formulating: Creating Alternatives
  • 9.5.4. Formulating: Selecting the Best Course of Action
• 9.6. Translating Intent Into Action
  • 9.6.1. Translating: Intent Bias
  • 9.6.2. Words, Music and Dance

10. Getting Past the Blocks

• 10.1. Three Sources of Blocks
• 10.2. Three Types of Block
• 10.3. Mental Blocks
• 10.4. Silencing the Inner Critic
• 10.5. Who Needs Experts?
• 10.6. Environmental Unblocking
• 10.7. Block Demolition
• 10.8. Unblocking Entire Companies

11. Stimulating Ideas

• 11.1. Challenging
  • 11.1.1. Challenging: Challenge
  • 11.1.2. Challenging: Assumption Busting
  • 11.1.3. Challenging: PO
• 11.2. Creating Tension
  • 11.2.1. Creative Tension: Incubation
  • 11.2.2. Creative Tension: Goal-Setting
  • 11.2.3. Creative Tension: Pre-inventive Forms
  • 11.2.4. Creative Tension: Truth and Vision
  • 11.2.5. Creative Tension: Wishing

12. The TAO Design Process

• 12.1. The TAO Process
  • 12.1.1. TAO Spiral: Exploring
  • 12.1.2. TAO Spiral: Prospecting
  • 12.1.3. TAO Spiral: Digging
  • 12.1.4. TAO Spiral: Extracting
  • 12.1.5. TAO Spiral: Refining
• 12.2. Not OR but AND
• 12.3. The Scientific Track
• 12.4. The Analytic Sequence
  • 12.4.1. Analytic: Identification
  • 12.4.2. Analytic: Requirement
  • 12.4.3. Analytic: Analysis
  • 12.4.4. Analytic: Hypothesis
  • 12.4.5. Analytic: Proof
• 12.5. The TRIZ Sequence
  • 12.5.1. TRIZ: Problem
  • 12.5.2. TRIZ: Function
  • 12.5.3. TRIZ: Ideality
  • 12.5.4. TRIZ: Contradiction
  • 12.5.5. TRIZ: Principles
• 12.6. The Logic Cloud
• 12.7. Psychological Track
• 12.8. The Dream Sequence
  • 12.8.1. Dreaming: Fantasy (Make a Big Wish)
  • 12.8.2. Dreaming: Fiction (The Dream)
  • 12.8.3. Dreaming: Possibility (Daydream)
  • 12.8.4. Dreaming: Actuality (Plan)
  • 12.8.5. Dreaming: Reality (Persist)
• 12.9. The Creative Cloud

Epilogue

Appendix A: Altshuller’s 39 Parameters

Appendix B: The Contradiction Matrix

Appendix C: The 40 Principles

Quotes About The Book

About the Authors

Dedications