Simple Ideas That Made It Big

Wong Limsoon

11 February 2011

Some Inventions

Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011 Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong

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• An invention should be – Novel– Non-obvious– Useful

• It is NOT required to be complicated, technologically sophisticated, etc.

• So inventing should be easy …

• But when there is already a solution to a problem, it is not easy to invent a better one

From ancient time

Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011 Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong

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An invention is normally a

device like this big stick of the Neanderthal

man

Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011 Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong

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An invention can also be a

process, like this ancient man

drilling wood to get fire

Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011 Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong

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An invention can even be

something “representational”,

like money

Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011 Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong

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An invention can be a composition of all of the above (device, process,

etc) as well

• Inns, from antiquity– Serve travelers

• Restaurants, invented in ~1000AD in the Arab Empire– Serve anyone

Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011 Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong

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An invention can even be

something “abstract”, like

language

From modern times

Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011 Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong

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An invention can be a device

• Cat's eye is a safety device marking roads

• Originated in UK in 1933 and is now used all over the world

A key feature of the cat's eye is the flexible rubber dome which is occasionally deformed by the passage of traffic. A fixed rubber wiper cleans the surface of the reflectors as they sink below the surface of the road (the base tends to hold water after a shower of rain, making this process even more efficient). The rubber dome is protected from impact damage by metal 'kerbs' – which also give tactile and audible feedback for wandering drivers.

Image and prose credit: Wikipedia

Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011 Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong

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An invention can be a process

• Walter Jacobs thought (in 1920’s), “Hmm. If people rented horses, why wouldn't they rent cars, too?”

• He raised enough capital to buy 12 used Model T's and begin renting the cars. A few years later his fleet was up to 565 and annual revenues exceeded $1,000,000

• Jacobs' thriving rental business is now the #1 rental car company in the world (Hertz)

Prose credit: Ezine @rticles ®

Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011 Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong

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An invention can be a representation

•  Machine Language (ATARI)

169 1 160 0 153 0 128 153 0 129 153 130 153 0 131 200 208 241 96

• BASIC

FOR I=1 TO 1000: PRINT "A";: NEXT I

• Programming a computer in the old days

• Programming a computer today

Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011 Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong

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An invention can be a composition of all of the above (device, process,

etc) as well

• Theme Parks, invented in 1930’s

Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011 Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong

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Math formula is not an invention, but its use to solve a real problem is• Who is Limsoon?

– ~200,000 webpages contain “limsoon”

– Millions of webpages contain “who” “is”

– None contains all of “who” “is” “limsoon”

• Which webpages to show?

Þ Need to determine which word is key

• Word occurring freq in a doc & also occurs in many docs is not impt

Þ Term frequency-inverse document frequency

Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011 Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong

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Logical reasoning is not an invention, but its use to solve a problem is• So “who” “is” are

not impt words to look for in a doc, but “limsoon” is

• But there would still be ~200,000 webpages that are found. Which ones to show first?

• A webpage that is ref by more other webpages is more impt

Exercise: Inventing the Internet

Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011 Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong

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Computer Network

Jack Rose

Network

Long Message

Problem : Data Communication relies essentially on electronic signals which can be unreliable.

This slide came from Anthony Tung

Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011 Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong

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Computer Network

Jack Rose

Network

Long Message

Problem: Data Communication relies essentially on electronic signals which can be unreliable.

This slide came from Anthony Tung

Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011 Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong

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Computer Network

Jack Rose

Network

Long Message

Problem: Data Communication relies essentially on electronic signals which can be unreliable.

Breakdown!

This slide came from Anthony Tung

Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011 Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong

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Computer Network

Jack Rose

Network

Long Message

Problem: Data Communication relies essentially on electronic signals which can be unreliable.

Resend

This slide came from Anthony Tung

Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011 Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong

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Computer Network

Jack Rose

Network

Long Message

Problem: Data Communication relies essentially on electronic signals which can be unreliable.

Resend

This slide came from Anthony Tung

Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011 Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong

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Computer Network

Jack Rose

Network

Long Message

Problem: Data Communication relies essentially on electronic signals which can be unreliable.

Resend

This slide came from Anthony Tung

Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011 Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong

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Can you think of a solution?

Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011 Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong

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Computer Network

Jack Rose

Network

Short 1

Solution: Break long message to shorter message, have intermediate router

Short 2Short 3

This slide came from Anthony Tung

Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011 Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong

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Computer Network

Jack Rose

Network

Short 1

Solution: Break long message to shorter message, have intermediate router

Short 2Short 3

This slide came from Anthony Tung

Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011 Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong

26

Computer Network

Jack Rose

Network

Short 1

Solution: Break long message to shorter message, have intermediate router

Short 2

Short 3

This slide came from Anthony Tung

Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011 Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong

27

Computer Network

Jack Rose

Network

Short 1

Solution: Break long message to shorter message, have intermediate router

Short 2Short 3

This slide came from Anthony Tung

Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011 Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong

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Computer Network

Jack Rose

Network

Short 1

Solution: Break long message to shorter message, have intermediate router

Short 2Short 3

“Short 2” Breakdown!

This slide came from Anthony Tung

Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011 Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong

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Computer Network

Jack Rose

Network

Short 1

Solution: Break long message to shorter message, have intermediate router

Short 3

Resend “Short 2” from second router!

Short 2

This slide came from Anthony Tung

Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011 Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong

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Computer Network

Jack Rose

Network

An the Internet was born!

Short 2

Short 3Short 2

Short 3

Short 1

Short 1

This slide came from Anthony Tung

Talk at IvP Launch, Sing Poly, 11 Feb 2011 Copyright 2011 © Limsoon Wong

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Summary

• An invention should be – Novel– Non-obvious– Useful

• It is NOT required to be complicated, technologically sophisticated, etc.

• So inventing should be easy …

• But when there is already a solution to a problem, it is not easy to invent a better one