Pagan Kennedy explores what it takes to truly invent -- and whether we can find ways to encourage more of it.
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NASA engineer Lonnie Johnson invented the Super Soaker water gun. There wasn't a plan — he stumbled on a powerful nozzle design, was captivated by the idea and ultimately changed the game for squirt guns. It was serendipity.
Such is the story of countless inventions. Yet with innovation on virtually every agency's agenda, waiting around for inspiration to strike is hardly a promising strategy. What can be done to prime the serendipity pump?
That question is the crux of Pagan Kennedy's "Inventology: How We Dream Up Things That Change the World" — a book that visits with dozens of inventors and maps the patterns that might help others encourage epiphanies of their own.
Kennedy explores far more than serendipity; deep expertise and sustained focus produce their share of brilliant inventions, too. But being open to discovery is a skill in itself, and "Inventology" just might provide a technique that improves the odds.