Invent a better light bulb

Ask who invented the light bulb, and most people will say “Edison”

He didn’t of course, but I always think the story of the multiple inventors of the light bulb sheds some interesting light on the distributed way that innovation really happens: The person that gets the credit is very seldom the sole contributor, and it all takes a lot longer than people think. Continue reading Invent a better light bulb

Breaking the Cycle of Distrust: developing creativity and empathy in a challenging world.

This is a summary of my longer article, first published by Friends of the Earth, and available here

It’s very clear that the next generation will need to do better than us if they’re to resolve the huge environmental and economic challenges ahead of us, build a better society and provide wellbeing for 8-10 billion people while using less resources than at present. They will need innovators, but educational systems in many countries – not least the UK – are killing rather than fostering creativity. Continue reading Breaking the Cycle of Distrust: developing creativity and empathy in a challenging world.