Brilliantly Dumb/Absurdly Ideal.  Here are some Brilliantly Dumb ideas: • Post-It Notes • Bubble-wrap • Bent toothbrush • Glow-in-the dark condoms • Velcro • Bottled water.  And some Absurdly Ideal ideas: • What if we had a saw that cuts wood and not people? • What if we could have a hospital wherever there was a patient? • What if you could carry your record collection and your stereo in your pocket? • (circa 1920?) What if we could carry our airport with us? • (circa 1910) What if everyone was their own switchboard operator? They represent different types of innovation. Brilliantly Dumb ideas are straightforward to execute but difficult to conceive of. Both Brilliantly Dumb and Absurdly Ideal ideas are also what I would refer to as “obvious after the fact,” but Absurdly Ideal ideas add a second level of complexity in that the solution is NOT intuitively obvious. Is there a way to find Brilliantly Dumb or Absurdly Ideal ideas? How do we recognize them?

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