#cementboat

[ramidonya]

Vintage Santa Cruz. #aerialmap #1950s #cementboat #nizenemarks #aptoscalifornia (at Santa Cruz, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/B72Vuv9AmUk/?igshid=icrxv72yme2z

[avrfilms]

#cementboat pier. #seacliffstatebeach (at Seacliff State Beach)

[billswheelsskateshop]

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Got more #BillsReels Ts in. #striper #cementboat #billswheels #40years (at Bill's Wheels Skateshop)

[metamorphicstrategies-blog]

So how Can a cement boat float, anyway?

I know what you’re probably saying...silly question here.   I learned a few things about perception versus reality this weekend, at my nephew’s graduation ceremonies at Univ of Wisconsin-Madison (a nod of thanks Katie Couric for a lively commencement speech!).   I found out that, as a civil engineering undergrad, my nephew was part of a team of CE’s that participated in a regional Cement Boat competition.  The goal?  To get a boat made of nothing but cement to float in a body of water and then, to race the boat against other like boats.

Over dinner after commencement, he and I were talking and i finally got to ask him the obvious question...How the heck did you all do that???   After all, cement is cement and nothing I knew of was any different.   His response?   The cement was made out of crushed glass beads, which had all the properties we all know about cement, but at a fraction of the density.  By making the boat precisely the right thickness (if i remember correctly, it was 3/8″) with the new-formula cement, the Cement Boat floats...and was able to handle up to 4 college-age undergraduates as a crew.

Many times, we look at things and accept what we see in front of us.  Our eyes don’t deceive us, there is the belief that this is how things should be.  The innovators...the visionaries....the CE’s students at U of W.....they look at what is visible and dare to think ‘what if...’, to think outside of the box to take what seems like a no-brainer and turn it on its head, revealing new solutions to questions asked.   This is the mindset that corporate Innovation teams need to take, so as to stay relevant in their industries.   Perhaps bringing in some non-marketing folks to a cross-functional Innovation team isn’t such a bad idea?

Go Wisconsin....and congratulations, Jordan, initial innovation well done.  Your uncle will be looking for many many more from you moving forward...