Kedron Rhodes

We keep hearing it — “the art of the possible.” It’s one of those shiny phrases tossed around to describe innovation, stretch thinking, and encourage a certain kind of exploratory mindset. But the more I hear it, the more it grates. Innovation isn’t art. Sure, like art, it demands freedom and curiosity — but to me, it’s more demanding than that. It’s focused. It’s grueling. It’s often systematic.

That dissonance led me down a rabbit hole about the science of innovation. 🔬 And the more I sat with that thought, the more these stories surfaced. Real innovation isn’t simply whimsical — it looks like R&D, late-night prototypes, countless failures, and persistent iteration. Yes, it can be fun. But we do ourselves a disservice when we treat it as a playground rather than a pressure cooker for critical thinking.

I know, I know — to my design-thinking friends, this sounds heretical. I’m not arguing against play. I’m arguing for complexity. The places where innovation is still needed — climate, energy, AI ethics, education — require a potent blend of imagination and discipline. A creative cocktail, if you will, with a dynamic ratio of play and precision. 🍹

This week’s links stretch across that spectrum — from hydrogen-powered robot horses to accidental futurists. Some will challenge your assumptions. Some will just make you smile. Either way, I hope they expand your definition of what’s possible.

What the Like Button Can Teach Us About Innovation 👍

You probably tap it dozens of times a day. But the humble Like button — now ubiquitous across the web — wasn’t born in a Facebook lab. Its story is murky, decentralized, and rich with lessons about how real innovation happens. After three years of research, the authors couldn’t find a single person who invented it. 🕵️ Instead, the button’s evolution reveals innovation’s true nature: distributed, iterative, and often modest in ambition. This article flips the hero myth of innovation on its head, suggesting that the best ideas don’t emerge from lone geniuses but from messy collaboration, surprise, and a willingness to embrace contradictions. (Read More →)

🪏 Take it a bit deeper with these…

🧪 Innovation

• Kawasaki unveils a hydrogen-powered, ride-on robot horse — Meet Corleo, a two-seater robotic quadruped from Kawasaki that uses AI vision to navigate rough terrain. Steered by body movement, it’s either a wild mobility experiment or the future of transport.
• France runs fusion reactor for record 22 minutes — A major milestone in clean energy: France’s WEST Tokamak maintained a plasma reaction for over 22 minutes. A small step for fusion, a huge leap toward sustainable power.
• Innovation By Design: Lessons From Google And Microsoft — Behind every breakthrough is a system. This piece outlines five strategies that help companies create environments where innovation can thrive alongside execution.
• LEGO’s COO on balancing innovation, cost, and sustainability — Carsten Rasmussen shares how LEGO builds a global manufacturing network that fuels creativity without losing sight of efficiency or the planet.

🎉 Fun

• Wonderful Examples of Design Improvisation, i.e. Redneck Engineering — Duct tape. Lawn chairs. Pure grit. These janky-yet-genius solutions reveal the power of improvisation when you’re short on tools but high on determination.
• The Accidental Futurist: Steven M. Johnson’s Alternate Realities — Hot tub cars? Shoes with headlights? Johnson’s playful designs walk the line between absurd and prescient — a delightful reminder that imagination sometimes outruns the times.

👋 Sign-Off

Innovation requires your will, intellect, courage, and willingness to be wrong. It should also be fun, IMHO. Hope this one challenges your thinking and also reminds you to have some fun along the way.

Thanks for reading. Forward this to someone who’s still trying to invent the Like button.

⁓ Kedron

P.S. On the wall in my office, I keep a collection of art from illustrators I admire — from animation, children’s books, comics. Each piece is a reminder that life isn’t just about solving problems. Some of the most meaningful “jobs to be done” are about helping people feel joy, notice beauty, and appreciate the moment. Art does that. It transcends utility and brings us somewhere higher — to a place where the human experience feels a little more expansive, a little more alive.