an artist-inventor sees the future
DESCRIPTION
Presented by Steven M. Johnson Some futurists think up alternate future scenarios while working with a group at a futures research think tank, while others work alone as artists and writers, brainstorming within their own minds. In an illustrated talk, artist-inventor Steven M. Johnson shares his secrets for coming up with numbingly dumb, humorous invention concepts, as well as prophetically-accurate depictions of future technologies that were sometimes decades ahead.TRANSCRIPT
An Artist-Inventor Sees the Future
What if?
What If Thinking is practiced by young children,
cartoonists, science fiction writers, historians, scientists
and futurists
What If Thinking is often considered
impractical
My Path from Cartoonist to Futurist–Prognosticator
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)
1938-2014 Personal Career History
AGE
World Future Society Annual Conference, 2014 Orlando FL “What If?”
1992
1991 Pedal Train Public Therapy Buses
1962 Cuban Missile Crisis
Freelance Magazine Cartooning: Venturing into
What If Thinking
1962-1977 Urban Planning Journal of American Institute of Planners
1974 Yosemite Valley: Dammed and commercialized Sierra Club Bulletin
1974 Half Dome as Location for Billboard Sierra Club Bulletin
1973 Oil Drilling Proposed for Everglades Sierra Club Bulletin
1978 Lake Tahoe Strip Commercial Cry California magazine
1978 Public Campgrounds: Thought Control The Sacramento Bee
Thinking like a six-year old: Designing
What If Products
The Vacationeur
1974-78 RVs and Motorhomes-1 Sierra Club Bulletin et al
Trojan Duck
1974-78 RVs and Motorhomes-2 Sierra Club Bulletin et al
1974-78 RVs and Motorhomes-3 Sierra Club Bulletin et al
1974-78 RVs and Motorhomes-4 Sierra Club Bulletin et al
1975 1976 Bicentennial: Uses for Oversized American Autos Harper’s Magazine
1975 1976 Bicentennial: Uses for Oversized American Autos Harper’s Magazine
A Useful Tool for What If Thinking:
Mix ‘N’ Match
1984 Dress Glove + Overcoat + Umbrella = Armbrella What The World Needs Now
1984 Ashtray + Helmet + Filter + Fan What The World Needs Now
1984 Lawn Mower + Yard Furniture What The World Needs Now
Bike Vest 1984 Foldable Bicycle + Jacket = Bike Vest What The World Needs Now
1976/1984 Scooter/Motorcycle + Motorhome What The World Needs Now et al
1984 Auto + Clothes Closet = Closet Car What The World Needs Now
1991 Suit + Air Pump = Wearable Airbag Public Therapy Buses 2nd ed.
ApplyingMix ‘N’ Match techniques to Slightly More Serious
Subject Matter
2010 Six seats + office + solar/muffler dryer + recliner = RLV Design Mind magazine
2010 Six seats + office + solar/muffler dryer + recliner = RLV Design Mind magazine
2010 Six seats + office + solar/muffler dryer + recliner = RLV Design Mind magazine
2010 Six seats + office + solar/muffler dryer + recliner = RLV Design Mind magazine
2010 Six seats + office + solar/muffler dryer + recliner = RLV Design Mind magazine
2010 Six seats + office + solar/muffler dryer + recliner = RLV Design Mind magazine
1991 Bldg. Facade + Recreation = Wallmaster, Jogging Ramp Public Therapy Buses
1991 Worship + Vocal Prayer + StairMaster = Power Worship Public Therapy Buses
1991 Baseball + Pinball = Bonus Baseball Public Therapy Buses
1991 Swimming pool + Moat = Swimming Moat Public Therapy Buses
1991/2013 Natural Living + Hotel = Primitive Hotel Public Therapy Buses 2nd Ed.
Applying What If Thinking to Fuel Station Design
1966 Gas station architecture Cry California magazine
1974 Gas stations get a new business model Sierra Club Bulletin
2012 Future fuel stations Txchnologist.com
Retrograde Futuristic
2012 Future fuel stations Txchnologist.com
2011 Electric car recharge and diner Txchnologist.com
2011 Electric Car Recharge With Dining: Slow vs. Fast Txchnologist.com
What If Auto Travel Could Be Made to Be Fun or Therapeutic?
Already, many people find driving a car alone to be therapeutic: It is
their “alone” or “thinking” time.
1983 Hot Tub Convertible Road&Track magazine
1984 Road Yacht What The World Needs Now
1984 Exercise Roll Bar What The World Needs Now
1984 Passenger Exercise What the World Needs Now
1984/2012 Yogamobile What The World Needs Now/art print
1991 Exercise While You Drive Public Therapy Buses
2012 Workout Convertible Have Fun Inventing
2012 Slow Cars Have Fun Inventing
Around Town (Only)
Around Town
On Freeway
2013 Sleeping or Reading in a Self-Driving Car The New York Times
What If Thinking Applied to Home
Furnishing Design
1984 Ceiling-mounted furniture What The World Needs Now
1984 Hiding Bed (vs. Hide-a-Bed) What The World Needs Now
1992 Fear Furniture The Sacramento Bee
1993 Potato Couch Room Group The Sacramento Bee
2014 Veggies Room Group Unpublished
What If Thinking Applied to Computer
Use in the Home
1973/1975 Computer Use in the Home The Futurist
1973 Computer Use in the Home The Futurist
1983 Computer Use in the Home The Sacramento Bee
1993 Computer Use in the Home The Sacramento Bee
2012 Personal Cave/World Interface Have Fun Inventing
What If Thinking Applied to Computer Use While
Out and About
1984/91 Clothing For Office Work/ Reading What The World Needs Now/Public Therapy Buses
1984 1991
1991 Keeping Up, Using Technology Public Therapy Buses, 2nd Ed.
Computer/TV-watching Screens Useful Neckties
1992 Uses for Apple Newton Desktop magazine
Order Food/Complain Communicate/Take Notes Share
1992 Introduction of Handheld Computers Desktop magazine
Lecture/Handheld image Video phone Screen/Special Glasses
1992 Uses for Apple Newton Desktop magazine
Built into Necktie Post Opinion on Wall Post Opinion About Movie
1992 Uses for Apple Newton Desktop magazine
2012 Computers/media accessible everywhere Good Magazine/Have Fun Inventing
What If the Needs of Seniors Were Taken
More Seriously?
1984 Stable Shoes for Seniors What The World Needs Now
1991 Rota-Seat Public Therapy Buses
1991 Slow Reflexes Expressway Public Therapy Buses
2005 Combined Seniors Bench and Anti-terrorist Barrier Book proposal
2009 Napping Cubicles Have Fun Inventing
2010 Zoom Eyeglasses for Distance 50th Reunion Book, Yale Class of 1960
2005/14 Seniors-Only Malls Have Fun Inventing/art print
What If There Were More
Choices for Public Transit?
1973
1991 2011
1973-2011 Mass Transit
2013
NYC Taxi
Contest
2011 Proposed Taxis for New York City The New York Times
2011 Proposed Taxis for New York City The New York Times
Racing Seatbelts
Whole Body Bumper
2011 Proposed Taxis for New York City The New York Times
1991 Snap-together Cars with Mother Car Public Therapy Buses
1991 Mail Oneself Public Therapy Buses
2013 Self Travel Module Public Therapy Buses 2nd Ed.
1991 ParkShrink Autos Public Therapy Buses
2013 ParkShrink: New Models Unpublished
Video camera
1993/2012 See Over Traffic
Video camera
2009 Traffic View Blimp Unpublished
1991 Intercontinental Highway for Ultralight Vehicles Public Therapy Buses
What If There Were Fresh Approaches Taken to Reducing
Public Costs?
2009 New Autos Pre-Scratched and Dented Have Fun Inventing
1991 Utility Toiler: Packages, mail, garbage, clippings, recyclables Public Therapy Buses
1991 Public Therapy Buses and Solar Cook-A-Mats Public Therapy Buses
Applying What If Thinking to Office Furniture Design
1984 Nod Office What The World Needs Now
1991 Office Sleeper Public Therapy Buses
2010 Public Napping Lockers and Closets Good Magazine
2010 Cubicle Concepts Design Mind Magazine
2010 Cubicle Concepts Design Mind Magazine
2010 Cubicle Concepts Design Mind Magazine
2010 Cubicle Concepts Design Mind Magazine
2010 Cubicle Concepts Design Mind Magazine
2010 Cubicle Concepts Design Mind Magazine
2010 Cubicle Systems Design Mind Magazine
2010 Wallicle Design Mind Magazine
2010 Personal Workstations Design Mind Magazine
1991/2010 Flip Floor Good magazine, Public Therapy Buses 2nd Ed.
1991/2010 Cubicle = Office Chair Good magazine, Public Therapy Buses
What If Thinking on Steroids: Permutations and
Combinations
Permutation: Arrangement of objects in a specific order
2013 Permutation Unpublished
1 x 2 x 3 x 4 = 24 permutations
1984 Shirt and Tie Combinations What The World Needs Now
1984 Shirt and Tie Combinations What The World Needs Now
1984/2012 Duplex Toilets Have Fun Inventing
1984 Shoes for Formal Occasions What The World Needs Now
1984 Wingtips What The World Needs Now
The Occasional Usefulness of
Weak or irresponsible
thinking
2012 Weakly-conceived Toilet Concepts Have Fun Inventing
2012 Washers and Dryers: Mind Out The Window Have Fun Inventing
1991 Purposeless, costly, hard-to-justify projects Public Therapy Buses
2012 Tennis Shoe Design: No Thought/Don’t Care Have Fun Inventing
2012 Sleeping Bags: Designed Without Thought Have Fun Inventing
2012 Whimsical Sleeping Bag Design Have Fun Inventing
2012 Inefficient Sleeping Bag Design Have Fun Inventing
2012 Friendship Sleeping Bags Have Fun Inventing
1984/2012 Reptilian and Marine Sleeping Bags What The World Needs Now
1984 Expedition Caterpillar Bag and Tent Set What The World Needs Now
1984/2012 Pup Tent and Sleeping Bag Matched Set What The World Needs Now
1984 The Meditator Sleeping Bag What The World Needs Now
1984 Midnight Mummy What The World Needs Now
1984 Bike Frame Design What the World Needs Now
1984 Bike Frame Design What the World Needs Now
1984 Bike Frame Design What the World Needs Now
Weakly Thought Out Apparel Design
Open zipper alarm
Sole mates
alarm2012
1980
2012/1980 Useful Clothing and Equipment Have Fun Inventing et al
1984 Fashion Concepts-1 What The World Needs Now
1984/2012 Fashion Concepts-2
How Does One Get into the What If
Thinking Mode/Mood?
• Practice Lateral Thinking techniques
• Practice Thinking While Sleepy (Hypnagogic State)
Two ways to still one’s mind: 1) conscious effort to control
thoughts, 2) natural concentration as when making art, music, etc.
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
However, in my invention creation process, I
consciously make my mind very busy, as I actively
search for ideas, mixing and matching
Methods
Imagining variation
Imagining variation
Imagining variation
Six shapes, 44 variations
Study: Modifying an object (boxed)
Study: Unique objects are formed
Study of spacing, repeated colors
Hide-sp/Japan Wikimedia
Making your mind like a kaleidoscope
Letting random images proliferate in your mind
Imagining placing a lid on your mental images, forcing them to bubble up
Allowing multiple, varied images to come to mind
Preliminary selection: Don’t discard images yet
Focussing your attention on an interesting object
Refining and evolving the object
Watching the object change form
Morphing: Moving Forward from the Previous Idea or
Image, Modifying it
Visualizing from left to right, top to
bottom
Practicing morphing an image from its nearest neighbor
Morphing imaginary creature heads
Morphing imaginary creature heads
PredictionsI Made Using
What If Thinking
1991 “Instant Book Publishing” Public Therapy Buses
1991
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
1975/1980 “Pre-torn Clothing For Sale” Public Therapy Buses 2nd Ed.
1975 1980
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
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
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
Whole Mouth Dental ApplianceBlizzident whole mouth brushing system
1991 2013
1991 “Whole Mouth Dental Appliance” Public Therapy Buses
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
Back-To-School Armor
Bullet-proof Children’s Clothes by Caballero
1991
2013
1991 “Back-To-School Armor” Public Therapy Buses
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
Newton-receiving Glasses Loic Le Meur/WikimediaGoogle Glass
Image on inside of glass
1992 2013
1992 “Computer screen visible on inside of glasses” Desktop Magazine
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)
Camera helmetsCamera helmets1991 2013
1991 “Camera Helmets” Public Therapy Buses
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
1984 2012
1991 “Pre-crash Inflatable Bruntwear” What The World Needs Now
First Policeperson in US on a skateboard, Green Bay, Wisconsin
19912014
1991 “Police on Skateboards” Public Therapy Buses
Getting Serious: Applying What If Thinking to The
Growing Wealth Gap
Providing for the Very Rich and the Very Poor
1991 Max. Security Community Portable Toilet Mfg. Homes Public Therapy Buses
1991 Fear Complex for Seniors (Keep Criminals Out) Public Therapy Buses 2nd Ed.
1991/2012 Add-A-Room Public Therapy Buses 2nd Ed.
1991 Used Car Lots for Used Up/Useless People Public Therapy Buses 2nd Ed.
1991 Indentured Servants Live Inside Gate Public Therapy Buses
1991 Portable Pullmans Public Therapy Buses, 2nd Ed.
1991 Portable Pullman Park Public Therapy Buses
1991 Portable Office Pushmaster Public Therapy Buses
1991 Motorless Home Public Therapy Buses 2nd Ed.
1991 Motorhome Community Public Therapy Buses 2nd Ed.
1991 Single Family Superhome Public Therapy Buses 2nd Ed.
1991 “Housing” for the Very Poor Public Therapy Buses 2nd Ed.
1991 Underground Hostels for the Poor Public Therapy Buses 2nd Ed.
1991 Tornado- and Hurricane-Resistant Homes Public Therapy Buses 2nd Ed.
1991 Underground Homes Public Therapy Buses 2nd Ed.
1991 Dining-Adapted Dumpster Edible Trash Public Therapy Buses 2nd Ed.
Thank you.
Steven M. Johnsonwww.patentdepending.com