Blog
Accidental Innovation – The Microwave Oven
Innovation Microwave Oven Many of the inventions we have now started out as accidents. One accidental innovation was the microwave oven. We take it for granted when we want a quick cooked meal, popcorn or a warmed over slice of pizza from the night before. It’s easy...
A Wrinkle-Free Invention That Solved a Problem for Homemakers
Inventors are problem solvers. They can’t help themselves. They help us save time, save lives, and save us from tedious or dangerous work. Many inventions are disruptive, but most are an improvement on something that has been around, such as the iron, a wrinkle-free...
Innovation in Nature – How Shrimp Can Save Lives and Planet
As a futurist and innovation keynote speaker I like to make innovation simple and easily accessible so that anyone can do it. Nothing is more accessible than nature, yet the vastness of what's possible in innovation through biomimicry, (using nature to solve problems)...
Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation
On a recent speaking trip to Detroit I took a detour and spent the day at the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation. If you're ever near the area of Dearborn, Michigan near Detroit, it's absolutely worth the trip. It's especially interesting to me as an inventor,...
Accidental Innovation – Super Glue
As an innovation keynote speaker and inventor I often talk about the "aha moment". This is when it seems as though an idea just comes to you from out of the blue. But there are other ways inventions happen when you're not looking for them. Many inventions were...
What Will the Farm of the Future Look Like?
As the innovation keynote speaker last week for the Utah Farm Bureau Leadership Conference I realized the agriculture industry is in the midst of quite a bit of disruption. But it hasn't always been that way. For almost a thousand years, innovation in agriculture...
Innovation in Nature – Velcro
The inspiration for innovation can come from many places. One of the best places to look is in nature. Nature has been solving its own problems for millions of years and has had plenty of time to work out the bugs and become sustainable. Biomimicry is a science...
Fads – Group Think Gone Wild
Fads tend to get a bad rap because their popularity may not have anything to do with the value of the item or the craze. Good examples are Hula Hoops, Pet Rocks, Lava Lamps, the Slinky and Beanie Babies. Pet Rocks and Beanie Babies don't solve problems. They are just...
Why the Manufacturing Industry Needs Diversity
I've worked in many male dominated industries, from being an innovation keynote speaker to being an inventor to being a manufacturer. Quite often I'm the only woman in the room, but I've never felt left out of the conversation. Most men I've worked with welcome a...