World's first 3D Pen

Writing and painting had always been 2 dimensional. But things are about to change with 3Doodler around. This amazing innovation doesnt really look like a pen, but can be used like a pen to create 3D writing or drawing. Instead of ink the this Pen uses plastic strands. This innovation melts the plastic strand when the device is switched on, the melted palstic comes out of the other end of the device allowing users to give a third dimension to their imagination. This device can prove very handy for a lot of creative work for various kinds of designers. I think this should also help school teachers who wants to explain 3 dimensional things innovatively.

Completing the Creativity Triangle

To get an innovative solution to a problem we need to have knowledge, skill and ideas which are parts of the creativity triangle.

We gain experience and knowledge from books and our environment. We use the acquired knowledge and exercise our abilities to develop our skills. Only knowledge and skills are not enough to get a creative solution, we need ideas and ideas are powered by “Creative Thinking” without which the entire triangle remains dormant. It is like the electric power without which even the most sophisticated electronic device is nothing more than a piece of trash.

The highly competitive and challenging environment we are in, demands a lot of innovation and constant improvements, so it is absolutely imperative to activate the Creativity Triangle inside us. But, how to activate thinking?

We can follow some basic rules to activate the creativity triangle:

1. Dont ask for solution, search for solution

2. Challenge conventional thinking - always ask "but why?"

3. Do not stop after you have got the first idea. Remember, that you need to keep the Creativity Triangle active, so keep generating lot of ideas. Think of this model as a machine inside you that will perish without thoughts, so generate new ideas everyday to keep this model alive untill thinking becomes a habit.

The Future of Future

We spend inordinate amount of time every day to catch up with the future. We do this by learning things which aligns us with “tomorrow”, synchronising our capabilities with the needs of the “future”. Once we transform into more intelligent species, we push our imagination and the frontiers of science to define a new future. The dynamic future is like the fast expanding universe with millions of thoughts and ideas spewing into its enormity every moment.  So, what is the future of future? Let us look at the past and then it will be easier for you to understand my thoughts about the future of future.

Post the invention of steam engine and the industrial revolution, mankind have never looked back. Then came the age of computers, which surprised our imagination with unthinkable levels of speed, accuracy and automation. Our technological advancements are accelerating at a much higher speed, than it was before the dawn of internet. The speed of information flow has been phenomenal. So, with every major breakthrough, the speed at which we advance have only increased. In other words we are shortening the life of future. Even the smartest mobile phone becomes obsolete within a year. Our grandfather would have dreamt of faster and sophisticated cars to evolve in hundred years but we can imagine piercing through the twilight sky in our flying cars in just a few decades.

Photo Credit: Sam Howzit

I believe there are two elements which are integral to this inexorable march of technology – Imagination and Speed. I am not aware if the speed of imagination can be measured, but in future, humans should be able to imagine at a speed at which the universe is expanding. To reach that speed, humans would have transformed into Transhumans (a much advanced human-like species also referred as “posthuman” supported by gadgets embedded in their bodies).

As the speed of our imagination merges with the galactic speed and as technology catches up with imagination, we might start measuring “future” technological advancements in terms of a weeks or even days.

How to create visually appealing PowerPoint presentations in few minutes

While working with organizations I realized that most people struggle to create visually appealing PowerPoint presentation. There are many reasons for this, mostly it is because of lack of time when other business issues takes priority, out of which, some of them could be critical. Obviously, in such cases, enhancing the quality of presentation takes a back seat, until its just about time to present. A last minute dash on the keyboard to upgrade presentation quality often results in messing up the slides with irrelevant clip arts inconsistently inserted to create a collage of confusion. In some cases poor presentation quality occurs because of the lack of adequate PowerPoint skills and creativity. Let me address these three issues one by one:

Photo credit: Robert Couse-Baker

1. Time - 
I tried to address this issue and created a website (www.pptinspiration.com). The website helps PowerPoint users create high quality presentations with minimum effort and the best part is, its absolutely free. Users can choose from a wide range of business ppt templates and download the relevant ones. These slides/templates are fully editable, so users can easily customize the slide according to their need.

2. PowerPoint Skill - 
This needs some practice but I will share some quick tricks which can make your slides visually appealing:

• Use 3D shapes - There are two ways to use 3D, first option is to choose one of the already available 3D shapes from the menu bar at the top. The second option is to transform any shape into a 3D shape. To do this right click on the shape, go to "3D-Rotation" option and rotate it slightly, then go to "3D-Format" and create a depth. Your 3D image is ready.
• Use gradient - This is one of the least used functions. Right click on the shape. Go to "Fill", then choose "Gradient fill". In "preset colors" you will find a range of gradients, I found the grey and white gradient useful - it gives a metallic look to the 3D shapes.
• Use "Word Art" and "Text Effects" options present on the Menu bar to highlight key words or phrases
• Do not use Clip art unless it is absolutely necessary

3. Creativity - 
Do not think in terms of "words", think in terms of "pictures". For example, if you are trying to showcase your achievements, one way is to put a bar graph crowned with numbers.  The other way is to imagine each bar as a hill you have climbed , now you can create a story around the hills and weave it with strategies you have used to climb each of them. Give a name to each "peak", create a landscape of success and finally create a "WOW"

World's first animated T-Shirts

Morph Costume has introduced amazing range of animated T-Shirts. Its an innovation that combines smart phone apps with great looking fancy t-shits. The world's first smart phone animated t-shirt is designed by a NASA scientist who quits his job to create these awesome Halloween costumes. Have a look...