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I recently came across a list of interesting inventions and new products. Seeing all of these together from so many industries and applications really brought home a few points.

1. Humans are dangerously inventive
   
   Humans are unique in the world for their use of tools and language. This combination, without going into debates around which came first, allows us to dominate, control and mold the environment to our own needs.
   
   Unchecked this ability will lead to the extinction of everything that does not meet the needs of human development and survival. The reason that so many of the products and inventions are 'green' is the result of the human worry for survival of the planet.
   
   
2. Products carry knowledge
   
   Products that we have developed and evolved over the years carry important knowledge. Could we have a wind turbine without years of development of windmills and knowledge of electricity generation, or an electric vehicle without batteries, electric motors, electricity, vehicle body design, and lightweight materials.
   
   
3. There are discernible patterns in many of the product's evolution
   
   Many of the products are the result of people searching for knowledge or ideas a small distance from that which is already contained in their product. A PC keyboard with a storage compartment, a washing machine with sensors that control precisely the amount of water needed for a particular load, a bicycle with an attachment for crushing grain, are just a few examples.
   
   The further from the knowledge already contained in the product, the more radical the invention seems. Often new knowledge is introduced as a simple juxtaposition or combination from other products. For example, the laser guided robot brings together a robot with an ability to pick-up irregular objects and light detection, together with a simple laser pointer.
   
   There are many other patterns of this kind in the human creative process that moves from one product to another.