What’s a black box?
“A self-contained unit in an electronic or computer system whose circuitry need not be known to understand its function.”
Black boxes have become more and more prevalent. And that modern man depends more and more on them is all too evident. Whatever device or product we buy, each has its own instructions for use, from the simplest to the more complex ones.
While quality professionals and quality gurus keep trumpeting Innovation & Creativity, they still don’t leave their ivory tower of “rules”.
Six Sigma is an example, though excellent it might be: we live under ISO, Gemba, Muda, Kaizen, Kanban, 5S, 8D, Go-Lean, and so on ruling. It’s a fact.
We are obsessed by the ‘new’, but what’s really new? I think that in many cases, we are repeating history and not getting the ‘lessons learned.’
Let’s look at a few design examples. After 1973 Lyall Watson’s Super Nature book, a multinational food company now packs its frozen peas in pyramid-like plastic packages. Continue reading
It all – or almost all – started with the telegraph: SOS, an alleged acronym for Save Our Souls.
Why not our bodies, first? It can be argued.
Then came the Radio and the – obviously unfortunate – “MayDay” screams. Continue reading
I’ve been doing offshore business for all my work-life.
I don’t intend to bore you with my curriculum vitae. And I don’t intend to lead any of you into numerical analyses such as budget, investments, ROI, and so on. Continue reading