Articles by kristeen

This week Peter Lloyd looks into the debate of Communal Creativity and explores both sides of the argument. In so doing, he himself quotes famous authors and musician on their perspective of plagiarism, originality, authenticity, or what have you.

Les Paul, the great musician and inventor of the electric guitar, said it best; “to this day, no one has come up with a set of rules for originality. There aren’t any.”

Recent prize-winning German novelist, Helene Hegemann, uses sizable chunks of another writer’s original material. Hegemann, in reply to charges of unoriginality, not only admits appropriation, she defends her cutting and pasting. “There’s no such thing as originality anyway, just authenticity.”

Read more Right Brain Workouts by Peter Lloyd.

With his Master’s Degree in Biochemistry, Joseph Hawumba returned to Makerere University where he teaches biochemistry to science, medical, and veterinary students. He also carries out frontline scientific research and writes academic papers. Hawumba became a Problem Solver on IdeaConnection and was recently interviewed on his success.

What first attracted you to IdeaConnection?
The IdeaConnection concept is good because you collaborate, instead of it being one person solving a challenge. You are stronger when you are more than one and the solution becomes simplified. That was one of the major reasons that drew me to IdeaConnection because it attracts people from different fields to solve a problem.

Read more of Joseph Hawumba’s Interview, You are Stronger When you are More than One.

Become a Problem Solver with IdeaConnection and start working on a new challenge today.

Amos Winter, a MIT graduate student, has developed an innovative mobility aid specifically for developing countries. Conventional wheelchairs are nearly impossible to propel on the sandy roads and muddy walking paths frequently encountered in the developing world. The Leveraged Freedom Chair (LFC) uses an innovative approach to solve this problem by assembling this wheelchair from available bicycle parts.

The LFC has a variable mechanical advantage lever drivetrain that enables its user to travel faster on tarmac and off road like no other mobility aid available. Human upper body force and power outputs were used to optimize the drivetrain geometry for optimal performance on a wide range of terrains. The LFC can easily be repaired anywhere in the 3rd world and costs less than $200 to build.

Check out other new inventions or sell your invention.