Friday, December 19, 2008

Ingenious Inquiries 12/19/08

Every great inspiration is but an experiment.

Charles Ives
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I once heard imagination described as taking something and putting something else with it that other people wouldn't think of putting there. Such as attaching a motor to a goat cart to make the wheels turn.

Who was it that first attached a piece of movable wood to the bottom of a ship so that it could be steered through the water without having to keep adjusting the sails?

Who was it that mounted a large balloon on the top of a small cabin and let it float through the air with a motor attached to propel it?

Who fastened his sock to a post to show where the wind was coming from and how hard it was blowing?

Who sewed his bag onto his trousers and thus invented the pocket?

Who stretched an animal hide across a large kettle to make a loud drum?

Who was the baker who started selling sliced bread? And, as a matter of fact, as someone recently asked, what was the greatest thing before sliced bread?

The list is endless. Put this thing with that thing and see what you come up with.


DB

(After Sunday the days will be getting longer, think of that.)

3 comments:

Beth said...

How often do you see an invention and wonder, "Why didn't I think of that?" It takes a truly creative mind to patent and market something that was right there in plain sight!

Hugs, Beth

betty said...

yea about the days getting longer after Sunday!!

so glad people have experimented with different things to come up with all the inventions we have and all the conveniences we have too!!

betty

Breezy said...

I am always thinking of things to invent that would make my job easier at work, but then am told such things exist, but our dept won't get them. I will keep trying to think of something new to invent.