Some Inventions
Simple Ideas That Made It Big
Wong Limsoon
11 February 2011
2
• An invention
should be
– Novel
– Non-obvious
– Useful
• It is NOT required
to be complicated,
technologically
sophisticated, etc.
Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011
• So inventing should
be easy …
•
But when there is already a
solution to a problem, it is not
easy to invent a better one
Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong
From ancient time
4
An invention is
normally a
device like this
big stick of the
Neanderthal
man
Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011
Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong
5
An invention can
also be a
process, like this
ancient man
drilling wood to
get fire
Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011
Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong
6
An invention can
even be
something
“representational”,
like money
Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011
Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong
7
An invention can
be a composition
of all of the above
(device, process,
etc) as well
• Inns, from
antiquity
– Serve travelers
• Restaurants,
invented in
~1000AD in the
Arab Empire
– Serve anyone
Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011
Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong
8
An invention can
even be
something
“abstract”, like
language
Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011
Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong
From modern times
10
An invention can be a device
• Cat's eye is a safety
device marking roads
• Originated in UK in
1933 and is now used
all over the world
A key feature of the cat's eye is the flexible
rubber dome which is occasionally deformed
by the passage of traffic. A fixed rubber wiper
cleans the surface of the reflectors as they
sink below the surface of the road (the base
tends to hold water after a shower of rain,
making this process even more efficient). The
rubber dome is protected from impact
damage by metal 'kerbs' – which also give
tactile and audible feedback for wandering
drivers.
Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011
Image
and prose
Wikipedia
Copyright
2011 credit:
© Limsoon
Wong
11
An invention can be a process
• Walter Jacobs thought (in 1920’s), “Hmm. If
people rented horses, why wouldn't they rent
cars, too?”
• He raised enough capital to buy 12 used Model
T's and begin renting the cars. A few years later
his fleet was up to 565 and annual revenues
exceeded $1,000,000
• Jacobs' thriving rental business is now the #1
rental car company in the world (Hertz)
Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011
Prose
credit:
Ezine
@rticlesWong
®
Copyright
2011
© Limsoon
12
An invention can be a representation
• Programming a computer in the old days
•
Machine Language (ATARI)
169 1 160 0 153 0 128 153 0 129 153
130 153 0 131 200 208 241 96
• Programming a computer today
• BASIC
FOR I=1 TO 1000: PRINT "A";: NEXT I
Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011
Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong
13
An invention can
be a composition
of all of the above
(device, process,
etc) as well
Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011
• Theme Parks,
invented in 1930’s
Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong
14
Math formula is not an invention,
but its use to solve a real problem is
• Who is Limsoon?
– ~200,000 webpages
contain “limsoon”
– Millions of webpages
contain “who” “is”
– None contains all of
“who” “is” “limsoon”
• Word occurring freq in
a doc & also occurs in
many docs is not impt
 Term frequencyinverse document
frequency
• Which webpages
to show?
Need to determine
which word is key
Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011
Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong
15
Logical reasoning is not an invention,
but its use to solve a problem is
• So “who” “is” are
not impt words to
look for in a doc,
but “limsoon” is
• A webpage that is
ref by more other
webpages is more
impt
• But there would
still be ~200,000
webpages that are
found. Which ones
to show first?
Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011
Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong
Exercise: Inventing the Internet
17
Computer Network
Problem : Data Communication relies essentially on electronic
signals which can be unreliable.
Network
Long Message
Jack
Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011
Rose
This
Copyright
slide came
2011
from
© Limsoon
Anthony Wong
Tung
18
Computer Network
Problem: Data Communication relies essentially on electronic
signals which can be unreliable.
Network
Long Message
Jack
Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011
Rose
This
Copyright
slide came
2011
from
© Limsoon
Anthony Wong
Tung
19
Computer Network
Problem: Data Communication relies essentially on electronic
signals which can be unreliable.
Network
Long Message
Rose
Jack
Breakdown!
Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011
This
Copyright
slide came
2011
from
© Limsoon
Anthony Wong
Tung
20
Computer Network
Problem: Data Communication relies essentially on electronic
signals which can be unreliable.
Network
Long Message
Rose
Jack
Resend
Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011
This
Copyright
slide came
2011
from
© Limsoon
Anthony Wong
Tung
21
Computer Network
Problem: Data Communication relies essentially on electronic
signals which can be unreliable.
Network
Long Message
Rose
Jack
Resend
Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011
This
Copyright
slide came
2011
from
© Limsoon
Anthony Wong
Tung
22
Computer Network
Problem: Data Communication relies essentially on electronic
signals which can be unreliable.
Network
Long Message
Rose
Jack
Resend
Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011
This
Copyright
slide came
2011
from
© Limsoon
Anthony Wong
Tung
23
Can you think of a solution?
Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011
Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong
24
Computer Network
Solution: Break long message to shorter message, have
intermediate router
Network
Jack
Short 1
Short 2
Short 3
Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011
Rose
This
Copyright
slide came
2011
from
© Limsoon
Anthony Wong
Tung
25
Computer Network
Solution: Break long message to shorter message, have
intermediate router
Network
Short 1
Jack
Rose
Short 2
Short 3
Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011
This
Copyright
slide came
2011
from
© Limsoon
Anthony Wong
Tung
26
Computer Network
Solution: Break long message to shorter message, have
intermediate router
Network
Short 2
Jack
Short 1
Rose
Short 3
Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011
This
Copyright
slide came
2011
from
© Limsoon
Anthony Wong
Tung
27
Computer Network
Solution: Break long message to shorter message, have
intermediate router
Network
Short 3
Jack
Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011
Short 2
Short 1
Rose
This
Copyright
slide came
2011
from
© Limsoon
Anthony Wong
Tung
28
Computer Network
Solution: Break long message to shorter message, have
intermediate router
Network
Short 3
Short 2
Rose
Jack
Short 1
“Short 2”
Breakdown!
Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011
This
Copyright
slide came
2011
from
© Limsoon
Anthony Wong
Tung
29
Computer Network
Solution: Break long message to shorter message, have
intermediate router
Network
Short 2
Short 3
Rose
Jack
Short 1
Resend “Short 2”
from second router!
Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011
This
Copyright
slide came
2011
from
© Limsoon
Anthony Wong
Tung
30
Computer Network
An the Internet was born!
Short 1
Short 3
Network
Short 2
Short 1
Jack
Rose
Short 3
Short 2
Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011
This
Copyright
slide came
2011
from
© Limsoon
Anthony Wong
Tung
31
Summary
• An invention
should be
– Novel
– Non-obvious
– Useful
• It is NOT required
to be complicated,
technologically
sophisticated, etc.
Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011
• So inventing should
be easy …
•
But when there is already a
solution to a problem, it is not
easy to invent a better one
Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong