BIG BLUE'S LITTLE BOOK OF IDEA BOOSTERS WHAT ARE INVENTORS TO DO when they just plain get stuck? No new ideas, no cries of ''Eureka!'' from the bathtub? Well, IBM's research scientists now have a little spiral-bound book of 56 tips to try. Sort of like the Tao for people who think about computers all day. The tips range from the pedestrian to the surreal. In the interest of furthering scientific research, a sampling: ''Clean your desk.'' ''Go backpacking.'' ''Shut the door. Practice shooting rubber bands at targets in your office.'' ''Reread your favorite book from childhood.'' ''Ponder something else. For example, if a belt were placed around the equator, and then had six meters of length added to it, and you grabbed it at a point and lifted it until all the slack was gone, how high above the earth's surface would you be?'' If you figure it out, let IBM's big thinkers know at tips98@us.ibm.com. By Ira Sager EDITED BY HEATHER GREEN

Updated May 7, 1998 by bwwebmaster
Copyright 1998, by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved.
Terms of Use