Lots of folks complain that the light bulb is a tired and hackneyed symbol for innovation. So, I found it somewhat amusing to see the lowly light bulb making a bit of innovation news. Over on BizTechTalk, “How Many People Does It Take to Make a New Light Bulb?” points out one man’s efforts to find eco-friendly lighting solutions.
If you have seen BizTechTalk before, check it out. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Dan Keldsen. He is a sharp fellow, and he posts some nice interview podcasts on his blog.
So, you are undoubtedly asking yourself what I found amusing about the eco-friendly light bulb. Well, the story reminded me of a TRIZ joke.
Question: How many TRIZ Masters does it take to change a light bulb?
Answer: None. The Ideal Final Result is that the light bulb changes itself.
Jim - thanks for the link and commentary. Quite a bit of great work being done in Innovation these days - across the field!
Your TRIZ joke is fantastic - it's so bad, it's good! Is that an intersection point on the contradiction matrix? ;) I'll have to see if I can work that into any upcoming presentations... but I'll check for tomatoes in the crowd first.
Cheers,
Dan
Posted by: Dan Keldsen | March 13, 2008 at 09:31 AM
There is a light bulb that is exhibiting "ideality" - at the Livermore, CA Firehouse. See the URL below. Perhaps the ideal solution is to have a light bulb that never needs changing! :)
http://www.centennialbulb.org/
Posted by: Kevin B. | March 24, 2008 at 03:22 PM
Way cool, Kevin! At four watts, I wouldn't want to have to read by it, but over one hundred years is very impressive.
Posted by: James Todhunter | March 25, 2008 at 03:43 PM