This document outlines the career of an artist-inventor who applies "what if" thinking to envision novel concepts and products. It describes his path from cartoonist to futurist and includes summaries of his various conceptual designs over his career from 1938 to 2014. These concepts range from new transportation solutions, building designs, clothing, technology uses, and more. His approach involves techniques like lateral thinking, permutation, and morphing to imagine modifications and variations of existing objects and systems. He also made several predictions in the 1980s-90s that ended up coming true later due to technological and societal trends.
6. 1938-2014 Personal Career History
Sierra Club
Bulletin
What The World
Needs Now
Public Therapy
Buses
Have Fun
Inventing
Public Therapy
Buses 2nd ed.
What The World
Needs Now 3rd. ed
What The World
Needs Now 2nd ed.
AGE 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 76
URBAN PLANNER NEWSPAPER ARTIST FUTURIST RETIRED
CARTOONIST (SIDELINE) QUIT CARTOONING ONLINE
Correspond with
Ed Cornish at World Future
Society (1968)
76. 1984/91 Clothing For Office Work/ Reading What The World Needs Now/Public Therapy Buses
1984 1991
77. 1991 Keeping Up, Using Technology Public Therapy Buses, 2nd Ed.
Computer/TV-watching Screens Useful Neckties
78. 1992 Uses for Apple Newton Desktop magazine
Order Food/Complain Communicate/Take Notes Share
79. 1992 Introduction of Handheld Computers Desktop magazine
Lecture/Handheld image Video phone Screen/Special Glasses
1992 Uses for Apple Newton Desktop magazine
80. Built into Necktie Post Opinion on Wall Post Opinion About Movie
1992 Uses for Apple Newton Desktop magazine
150. How Does One Get
into the What If
Thinking Mode/Mood?
151. • Practice Lateral Thinking
techniques
• Practice Thinking While
Sleepy (Hypnagogic State)
152. Two ways to still one’s mind: 1)
conscious effort to control
thoughts, 2) natural concentration
as when making art, music, etc.
153. From The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, circa 200 B.C.:
“1. Now concentration is
explained.
2. Yoga is restraining the
mindstuff from taking various
forms.”
– From Raja Yoga, Swami Vivekananda’s
translation of The Yoga Sutras
Stilling your mind
154. However, in my invention
creation process, I
consciously make my mind
very busy, as I actively
search for ideas, mixing and
matching
177. 1991 “Instant Book Publishing” Public Therapy Buses
Do-It-Yourself
Manuscript fits on disk
Disintermediation (getting rid of middle man)
Instant printing shops
Convenience
Trends that favored this prediction
179. 1975/1980 “Pre-torn clothing for sale”
Hippy youth shopped at Thrift Stores, “Sal’s”
Children of middle class embraced voluntary poverty
Decline of Eisenhower-era “grey flannel suit”
Torn clothing appeared in 1983 movie, Flashdance
TV exposure to images of world poverty
Trends that favored this prediction
180. Radio-controlled and Joy-Stick-
Controlled Vacuum Cleaners
AutoVacc Robotic
Vacuum Cleaner
(5’-3” tall)
Roomba
Original
Roomba/Wikimedia
1991
1990
2002
1991 “Small Vacuum Cleaner Goes Under Sofa” Public Therapy Buses
181. Ever smaller processors (Moore’s Law)
Reduction in size of video cameras
More women working, seek chore convenience
RC-controlled hobby airplanes and model cars
Drudgery increasingly in disfavor (no servants)
1991 “Small Vacuum Cleaner Goes Under Sofa” Public Therapy Buses
Trends that favored this prediction
182. Whole Mouth Dental Appliance
Blizzident whole mouth
brushing system
1991 2013
1991 “Whole Mouth Dental Appliance” Public Therapy Buses
183. This was primarily a joke!!!
Love of convenience gadgets
More powerful small batteries
Speeded up life; no time for elaborate brushing
1991 “Whole Mouth Dental Appliance” Public Therapy Buses
Ever smaller processors (Moore’s Law)
Trends that favored this prediction
185. Increase in school shootings (pre-Columbine)
Fewer mothers in the home
Violence-as-a-solution depicted in movies, videos
US culture/Constitution favor private gun ownership
1991 “Back-to-school armor” Public Therapy Buses
Increase in divorce rate; alienated, sad kids.
Trends that favored this prediction
186. Newton-receiving Glasses
Loic Le Meur/Wikimedia
Google Glass
Image on inside
of glass
1992 2013
1992 “Computer screen visible on inside of glasses” Desktop Magazine
187. Trends favoring this prediction
People will want these
Proliferation of spying gadgets
Always on, always engaged: news, friends
Powerful PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants)
1992 “Computer screen visible on inside of glasses” Desktop Magazine
Ever smaller processors (Moore’s Law)
189. Motorcycle and bicycle helmet laws
Proliferation of spying gadgets
Record your life as you live it
Small enough to fit inside hat
Powerful small still and video cameras
1991 “Camera Helmets” Public Therapy Buses
Trends that favored this prediction