Archive for January 27th, 2011

Using a Jeopardy (the game show) format, I would present applicants with a (seemingly) simple object and have them create a question for which that object is the answer.

Example: Pencil (answer)

Possible Questions:
(1) What do we use to do our homework? This question relates to a personal functional description.
(2) What has a pointed tip on one end and sometimes has an eraser attached on the other? This question is a visual description.
(3) What writing instrument keeps getting renewed by sharpening? This question focuses on the maintenance of the item.
(4) What do some people wedge on their ear? This question has multiple possible answers and relies on people’s “common” view.
(5) What do artists use and come in many colors? This question shows some differentiation and avoids being overly general.
(6) What can you use to poke a hole through the bottom of a paper cup? This question is fairly original and constructive.
(7) What can you use to scratch an itch on your head when you are in class? Again, a fairly original question and shows a non-usual use of the object.
(8) What can you use as a plant stake? This is a creative question but one would normally not do it since it would be a waste compared to some alternative objects.

This reminds me to make a note about artists who collect used pencils (they never completely disappear do they?) to create works of art.

In the US, many people might say that the hybrid vehicle (such as the Prius) represented a remarkable shift towards more sustainable fuel consumption – this is under the assumption that the fossil fuel supply could be depleted before humans disappear. Would you also consider that fossil fuel production and use is so polluting that we are actually trying to sustain human life rather than the fuel supply? Other candidates that I can think of in the “today” mindset are CFLs (maybe LEDs) and solar energy panels (generally the renewable energy concept). If we choose to think broader and more historically, sustainability is not really technology-driven and certainly not a new idea. If we stretch our imagination way back, we can imagine the application of sustainability as early man created ways to keep fires going for heat or light (it is believed that man initially “controlled” fire by using fires started by lightning strikes). Later (but still a long time ago), humans figured out how to sustain fires over long periods of time in hearths to cook food. The first really well-known innovation in sustainability is that of crop rotation. In the 20th century, accelerated urbanization and increased waste production pushed greater effort in agricultural (or food supply) sustainability, and actually opened up the consideration of sustainability economics – which sustainability  trends could financially survive and yield a meaningful shift? Today, we are engaged in sustainable development (optimizing the way resources are consumed and, if possible, replenished), and sustainable business development (integrating strategies into business practices that are financially- and product-competitive; we’d like to think GREEN too which is more about satisfying regulatory constraint). What sustainability trends can see if we try to look into the future? I would sure like to see trends that help us use time more efficiently; think of time as a limited resource and perhaps this will drive you to be creative.

Other candidates: insulation, double-paned windows, faucet aerators, recycling bins and recycling facilities, the pencil …