Einstein? What did he really know?

ALBERT Einstein said that if at first an idea is not absurd, then there’s no hope for it.

But what did he know? He might have split the atom but did he actually invent anything useful, like a contraption that tickles your back or a Lazy Susan?

Not in the encyclopaedias where I spent hours researching this column he didn’t.

On the contrary, I’d suggest it’s the obvious ideas which work best. The whole point of being inventive is that you make people say, “Now why didn’t I think of that!” If they’re too far out, like the computer when it was first proposed, they’ll never take off.

Lets use the wheel as an example. Whichever caveman chiselled a big piece of rock into a circular shape then rolled it down the hill must have left his friends kicking themselves. “I was only sitting on that rock the other day!” one might have cursed. “And now flippin’ Gareth has engineered what’s probably the turning point in the history of the mankind.”

Also up there in the top seven inventions of all time is sliced bread and it’s become the benchmark on which new inventions are judged.

It’s bread but in a revolutionary move, it’s cut into thin pieces perfect for making cheese butties. It’s astonishing to think that people actually used to cut it themselves.

You need to keep your eyes open to your creative juices flowing if you’re going to be inventive.

Apparently, the man who invented the cats eye reflectors which line our roads came up with it after his car lights shone into the eyes of a cat as it walked towards him.

If the cat had been walking away he probably would have invented a pencil sharpener.

It isn’t always about coming up with a completely new idea or device, it’s sometimes just using your initiative with the options available.

I recently picked my car up from the garage and the mechanic said, “I couldn’t repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.”

While there have been some brilliant inventions over the years, the chocolate fireguard springs to mind, lots of inventive thought and effort is still being directed at the real big challenges? How can we reach other planets and build MacDonalds there? How can we move so fast that we go back in time? What could make phoning a call centre less infuriating? Unfortunately, even the greatest of minds of our time are struggling with that last one.

Next week… The art of being in love.