An engineer I know suggested reading about TRIZ, the inventing problem solving method developed by the Russian inventory and science fiction author Genrich Altshuller. The book I got is "And Suddenly the Inventor Appeared", and I'm working my way through it, using the problem solving methods as I go in my own work. I also got a copy of his and his wife's science fiction works called "Ballard of the Stars" where Altshluller under the pen name Altov works out first formulations of his theories on TRIZ. My favorite so far is the story "The Donkey Axiom" where the character Antenna works as an engineer designing toys but on his own time creates endless numbers of receivers and has built a prediction machine in his home. Absolutely fascinating. The study continues. Just reading about all the hardship that Altshuller overcame in the development of his theories is a wonder in itself.
