This is my personal blog. I have included my thoughts, ideas, opinions (of which I have many) and indeed, my news.
Thursday, 25 March 2010
Out Of The Box Thinking...
I love this story so much that I felt that I just had to put it up on my blog - I think you will like it too...
American astronauts upon first going into space soon discovered that their pens didn’t work in zero gravity. So NASA embarked upon a program to invent a writing instrument that would work in outer space... After spending millions of dollars and burning thousands of man-hours on research and engineering, they finally developed a "pump pen" that could write anything, anywhere, at any angle.
Meanwhile, in the secret laboratories behind the Iron Curtain, Soviet Union scientists casually took note of the researches of their American counterparts. They spent almost no time and no money solving this problematic dilemma. They already had the answer, their cosmonauts used…pencils.
From David Abingdon's book: 'Out Of The Box Marketing'
This is a much told story which ably demonstrates the need to think differently but is sadly untrue. They could not consider pencils as loose shards of pencil lead or graphite would float around in zero gravity and if they got into equipment could short out the kit and risk the mission.
Good point annonymous, but surely if it worked for the Russians it may have been an idea worth trying, before going the whole multi million pound 9 yrds developing a new space pen? I dont recall news of Russian space missions brought down by pencils in the equipment.
Even if the facts arent spot on factual, the analagy highlights perfectly the 'not being able to see the wood for the trees' scenario.
David has trained in excess of 3000 people from all walks of life and from around the world in marketing, sales, consulting and coaching. Directly and indirectly, he's helped thousands of businesses, consultants and entrepreneurs gain enormous success and earn staggering incomes. He has also personally taken three business from zero to multi-million pound companies - each in less than 12 months. As a consultant, David helped one company make over £35m in just two and a half years, earning himself £1.27m in the process.
He has appeared in the BBC's 'Money Programme', BBC News and Channel 4’s ‘How The Other Half Live’ and has featured in the Guardian, Scotsman, Australian Wealth Creator Magazine, Success Magazine and the Australian Financial Review. He has also provided comment and articles to the Sunday Times, Daily Express and Marketing Magazine. He is author of a breakthrough business book; 'Out Of The Box Marketing' published by Thorogood Publishers - available in many languages. The country estate in which David Abingdon now resides is a far cry from the deprived area in Birmingham, England, where he spent his childhood. He enjoys music, reading, business activities and flying.
This is a much told story which ably demonstrates the need to think differently but is sadly untrue. They could not consider pencils as loose shards of pencil lead or graphite would float around in zero gravity and if they got into equipment could short out the kit and risk the mission.
ReplyDeleteGood point annonymous, but surely if it worked for the Russians it may have been an idea worth trying, before going the whole multi million pound 9 yrds developing a new space pen?
ReplyDeleteI dont recall news of Russian space missions brought down by pencils in the equipment.
Even if the facts arent spot on factual, the analagy highlights perfectly the 'not being able to see the wood for the trees' scenario.