Inventive and full of ideas
594432
A few years ago, I read one of the most extraordinary science fiction novels I've ever picked up - This Is The Way The World Ends, by James Morrow. It was an end of the world tale in which the surviving humans of a nuclear holocaust are put on trial by the spirits of those who never had a chance to live because of the armageddon. It was a rich, vibrant tale, whose execution didn't always live up to the marvellous ideas within.
I'm reminded of the work as I read Watership because again, here is a book that is filled with smashing ideas.
The Watership of the title is a colony ship, bursting free from the world it was hidden under, while its insect-like inhabitants cultivated the DNA of the humans in the surrounding area to suit their needs when it came time to harvest them and carry them to the new world that would be the sanctuary for both races.
Things unwind, however, first when the leadership of the Crawler, Desu, is challenged by a captive human, Iyarid, after he discovers she has smuggled a non-approved child onto the ship in addition to those chosen for removal. He lashes out recklessly in his decisions, endangering his own people as much as anything else, but worse is to come as the living ship comes under the control of the powerful Charn, an aeromancer, and things take a bloody and sinister turn.
Along the way, we take in other scenes of humans becoming voluntary slaves to the entertainment system that is supposed to fill only their leisure time, and encounter the living beings created within the ship but who may have to be sacrificed to achieve its ultimate goal.
This whirlpool of ideas certainly sucks you in, though at times the background is a little too hazy. As the ship blasted off from the planet, I had lots of questions remaining about the world and the society it roared away from - was this our world, what level of technology did this society have? The ship itself felt like it lacked definition - I wanted more detail so I could see it more clearly in my mind, a solid ground from which the ideas could soar.
In the end, I find it hard to rate the book exactly. The hazy details leave the book a little shy of a four-star rating, but the ideas are stronger than a three-star one. In the end, I'm going to favour the ideas.
4626745
Great ideas that open up a brave new world, which is not so much new as it is a change in viewpoint with exciting options. With no loss of taste or variety.
3215997
This is a big book filled with creative ideas in how to doodle by adding doodling on top of another. It's like phrase one, phrase two and then phrase three and it works. Making a simple flower by adding to the outer edges, and by adding to the inner flower. The designs go on and on for just about any project. There is an interesting page on how to add to photos not for me but again a cute idea if your creative. More blank pages for you to try on your own, I'm beginning to see a norm to this idea, I guess I hate marking the book knowing I'd be erasing and erasing. I prefer to use a separate sheet of paper especially if I decided to give these drawing books to the grandkids, one day. There are more and more ideas on doing design that you can embroider, and other special projects for special occasions. I like the book because it has a lot of things in it.
3731129
I'm a big fan of Neumeier's work- especially The Brand Gap, which has been a key bit of inspiration for us in the Brand Communications + Design group at Red Hat. The Designful Company is subtitled "How to build a culture of nonstop innovation," and there are some pretty great ideas within on how to do exactly that.

It is clear that Neumeier is well read and well traveled in the right circles. He draws upon ideas from many current innovation thought leaders, including Gary Hamel, Roger Martin, Sam Lucente, Steve Jobs, and more. In fact, the recommended reading list in the back of the book is worth the price of the book itself.

In the book, Neumeier is attacking the 20th century management model right alongside Gary Hamel (go check out The Future of Management). One of my favorite quotes:

"In the meantime, we are seeing the breakdown of a management model so bereft of ideas that it has resorted to 'unlocking' wealth through financial manipulation rather than 'creating' wealth through designful innovation. [Richard] Boland suggests that Enron's failure was not only a failure of ethics but a failure of imagination."

That phrase "a failure of imagination" blows me away because it perfectly captures some of my biggest fears. That we as a country and as a society are strip-mining our existing ideas rather than planting the seeds for the ideas of the future. We need to create a culture of sustainable innovation, where you can't use up all of the old ideas until you have nurtured the new ones well on their way to adulthood.

The best and most innovative companies out there today seem to get it. And it appears that the US government might even be starting to get it. But years of idea strip-mining have taken their toll on everything from healthcare, to education, to energy issues.

Another favorite quote from the book:

"The journey of the innovator, as one designer described it, is learning how to 'cut cubes out of clouds.' How can you give sharp edges to a soft concept so everyone can see it? How can you make the intangible tangible? It's folly to predict revenues, costs, profits, or market share for a product concept or business model that has yet to be introduced. But it is also folly to launch it without a modicum of intellectual rigor. In the end, ALL innovations get measured- by the marketplace."

If you are only going to read one book by Marty Neumeier, I'd still get The Brand Gap. It will change the way you think forever. But The Designful Company is a great, short read, and an accessible guide to some of the smartest current thinking around the role of design in creating cultures of innovation. Heck, why choose? Buy `em both!

[...]
3584313
Very Clever ideas that make you think and want to make you  use what you have to make great things!
3812180
This book is engaging to read, and I was especially pleased by the new ideas it caused me to contemplate.  I also found the resources provide in its notes section to be useful.  Finally, I liked the tone--it neither brainlessly rejected technology, nor did it brainlessly celebrate it.
273914
400 Latest and Greatest Small Business Ideas is packed with creative ideas on new business ventures.  In addition Terry Kyle has added useful tips on common small business pitfalls, free resources, ways to save money and a great take on a model for small businesses.  There is a lot packed into one book here.  The only criticism I have is that the breadth and depth of information can make it little difficult to navigate at times but it is worth the effort.  I left the book feeling that Terry Kyle really is passionate about helping his readers be successful in business.
2968273
A Year in Earrings: 365 Designs and Variations is a delight of creative energy interwoven with pratical and easy-to-understand information. I hadn't expected the author to include where components were purchased with online addresses.  The collective amount of instruction was impressive, and I was surprise to be exposed to so much.  I hadn't been familiar particularly with so many different online sources of unique beads and jewelry findings detailed in lucid and concise instructions and displayed in inspiring versions of clever ideas.

I have a feeling I'll be using this book for a lot more than 365 pairs of earrings as it is one of those books I'll probably keep for many years and refer to it often.  I want to try many of the ideas shown, and then on occasion I'll inject my own twist into some of the designs.  The author deserves accolades and royalties for sharing the wealth of her creativity and productivity in a way where anyone new or experienced in making earrings can learn as much as they want in a enjoyable and entertaining way FAST.
1871938
This is a great book for both a beginner or experienced. It's motivating and full of ideas to really get your creativity going.
814898
All of Steve Johnson's books take seemingly mundane topics and turn them into fascinating stories, intertwined with science, history and human behavior. His latest effort, Where Good Ideas Come From is no exception. With such concepts as the adjacent possible, exaptation, liquid networks, the slow hunch, serendipity ,and platforms, he reveals a discovery process that is much more probable, and probably more accurate, than the eureka experience documented by so many idea generators from history. Much credit goes to the tinkerers and those willing to commit errors. One may wonder how Johnson pulls a book of ideas together like this. He shares one of the tools that he uses, DEVONthink, a personal digital journal, database and semantics analyzer. You'll express dismay as Johnson shares how disconnected our various government entities are that pursue terrorists and marvel at the efficiency of open systems (e.g. universities). It would seem, based on his analysis, that most of the innovation from history comes from a methodical approach, building on the work of others, and an occasional bit of luck. It's an inspiring book for those of us that hold out hope that we might innovate something in the future. Read it and then head back to your lab, or garage, for the next great innovation in...
3588659
Scott Berkun has written a great book on innovation that is different from most of the usual fluff on the topic.
Each chapter of the book is devoted to a myth related to innovation, (hence the title) and the author goes on to discuss why the myth has propagated as truth and why it is wrong.

In my opinion, the great thing about this book is the examples. The author has picked great anecdotes from the past and dissects them to prove his point.

One of the best chapters is the Myth of Epiphany, where he goes through Isaac Newton and gravity.

This book is a must-buy because of the many insights and reminders that you will get. It is also very well-written and absorbing; I missed my stop on my commute to work because I was too engrossed reading it!
525623
This is a wonderful book.  Funny and full of really usuable ideas.  It is possible (and downright enjoyable) to be both creative AND organized -- this book can take you there.  The quotes that start each section are more  than worth the price of the book.  I'm giving this book to each friend and  family member this Christmas; even non-artists can benefit from the wisdom  contained in Time Management For The Creative Person.
3383889
This book breaks down creativity by explaining various techniques used to build from (and depart from) previous works. Primarily, the authors rely on brief explanations and a vast number of examples. The examples illustrate how technical and artistic innovators seem to share (deliberate or unintentional) approaches for generating creative products based on existing products. The parallels are then used to support suggestions as to how companies and schools can promote creativity. Very good food for thought.
4314864
It is amazing that the author is able to gather the thoughts and imaginations of so many great minds. It truly stretches one's imaginations on what's possible in the future. A fun and thought provoking read!
4126154
Pek and McGlade's book is as promised: an idea-packed, fun, and yes, stimulating book.  This book tickles the recesses of your brain to help you mine your creativity, ingenuity and have fun doing so.  Recommended for knocking the cobwebs from your mental gearbox.

TK
1550540
The author is creative, inventive, informative and very intelligent.  This is just one of many.  Don't miss out
936014
This book is full of creative techniques for creating truly unique projects in fabric and mixed media. Our art quilt group has tried several. Great fun!