Product Showcases

Weird Science

"Science is the great antidote to the poison of enthusiasm and superstition."
  --- Adam Smith

A recent article in Wired Magazine revealed the Laura and John Arnold Foundation. Founded by John Albert after acquiring over $1 billion working for Enron, (and never charged with any crime), the Foundation gives money to science projects that dispute other science projects. For example, the US government claimed many years ago that obesity is caused by people eating certain fats. The Albert Foundation funded a research project that shows these claims to be false. Another claim of "bad science" is that of pharmaceutical companies deceiving the public into paying for worthless therapies.

The funding and the concept behind exposing and rebutting status quo science discoveries is interesting. There are too many of us who blindly believe that because science says so, it is true. The article quotes Albert as stating that, "'A new study shows...' are the four most dangerous words."

"To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science."
  --- Albert Einstein

But not all science is bad. The sign industry was developed and evolved because of science. Your work and my work becomes easier, or at least we become more efficient, because of science. Embracing science is a good thing. Flatly rejecting any science developments can be a dangerous stance for business.

There are times when it is good to test science against what is known to be true, like what was uncovered in the Wired piece, and to trust the experts when it is correct to do so. Not all science is good and not all science is bad.

"Success is a science; if you have the conditions, you get the result."
  --- Oscar Wilde

Our businesses can be our testing ground for science. The science of installing a unique sign for a tattoo parlor is utilized when you engineer a specialty design and install it. Science can be accepted when you send your sales force to a training seminar. And science is involved when you read the latest strategy for leading your team in your business.

"Computer Science is embarrassed by the computer."
  --- Alan Perlis

There are instances when science is given a bad name when it clones a pig with a jellyfish, as the company Monsanto did a few years back, making the pig's nose glow in the dark. And science is commended when it discovers that a colonoscopy can help catch cancer before it grows too far. Adopting science surely requires a cognitive balancing act and it is not always an easy task.

But applying science to your business doesn't mean you have to wait for the results to be printed in the next Harvard Business Review. Science is what you do every day, but under various names. I believe that if we begin looking at some of the daily things we do and label them as science, we might begin taking a more serious look at what, why, and how we are doing them. We can start approaching problems and challenges in a different light. In fact, it might not be a bad idea to issue lab coats to your staff and call everyone a scientist. This might not only fix some inside issues, it may lead to scientific discoveries that can impact the world!

"At its heart, engineering is about using science to find creative, practical solutions. It is a noble profession."
  --- Queen Elizabeth II