Jonathan Brun

Relaxing when late for a flight

Flying out of Hong Kong is an amazing experience. You hop on a bullet train downtown and before you know it, you are whisking past rice paddies to the airport. Travelling is stressful, especially when you are a bit late. Waiting for a train to take you to your flight has a certain element of unknown to it – When will the train arrive? How long will it take? Will I make my flight?

Coming down the escalators at the train station, you see an amazing sign that truly does comfort you. The sign reminds you to relax, a train will be there in a couple of minutes. All airports should have some equivalent sign – for example, at the security check-in where lines can stretch quite long.  Brilliant!

Keep urinals clean on the cheap

In light of my promise to show some great design that has a big impact, here is a urinal.

I took this photo in the Copenhagen Airport (I think). Basically, the urinal has a little fly printed at the exact spot that, if peed on, leads to the least amount of spillage. This makes cleaning up much easier and less frequent – saving money and improving sanitation. Brilliant design that costs absolutely nothing. Of course, men being the simple beasts that we are, always aim for the fly.

Chief details officer – make a big impact with little budget

Of all the recent TED talks, one stands out above the others. Ad-man Rory Sutherland explains a new job position: Chief Detail Officer. This person would be responsible for identifying low-cost items that can have a big impact on an organisation’s performance. These items include great signage, online banking tips and better traffic lights.

Please watch the 12 minute talk below, it will be worth every second. Inspired by his clear presentation, I will be posting some items that I have seen over the years that could have a big impact on performance for little to no cost. Details are the most important part of a product; they show the level thought that went into it. Again, be sure to watch this video.

Innovation under pressure

Innovation is not restricted to laboratories, universities and rich countries. Even the poorest innovate to make the lives easier and more efficient. We should do everything possible to encourage innovation, it is certainly the only way out of poverty. Watching someone pick rice in a paddy field in Asia is almost as painful as the activity itself – the labour is so time-consuming and so little paid, one wonders if there might not be a better solution.

In my view, the most valuable thing on the planet is time. We are running against a countdown and every moment wasted in labour that could be accomplished more efficiently is wasted. If something can be automated it should be automated. Do not confuse that with the statement that “everything should be automated”. Humans should focus on what they do best: artistry, innovation, and creativity. Redundant back-breaking work or putting pegs in a hole on an assembly line is an insult to the human brain. Each one of us carries the most powerful computer in the world, but only a small fraction of our population uses it to its full potential.

The mind is a muscle and if it is not exercised, it goes soft. We should constantly be asking ourselves, “Can this be done better and faster without compromising the quality of the work?”. We should not automate to the detriment of quality, we should automate only when it frees time to invest in other, higher level skills. That being said, humans are programmed to enjoy manual labour, to want to touch the earth and flex our muscles. We are animals, so some things should not be automated to the point of removing all human contact.

It is said (I cannot find the source) that the Luddites, who travelled industrial England destroying machines were not protesting automation of human tasks. They were protesting the reduction of the human into a machine. The former weavers who had to make complex mouvements to create fabric were now performing basic tasks that required no creativity. In a certain sense the Luddites were actually for technology, as long as it was not to the detriment of the human mind and spirit.

Here are a couple good links on innovation in the developing world.

AfriGadget

India Innovates

Sick beats

Watch all three, the whole way through. Via 3quarksdaily