--- title: "The100: Accidental innovation, ask vs. guess culture, and space logos" description: "The100: Accidental innovation, ask vs. guess culture, and space logos" image: https://hello.watchmethink.com/hubfs/shutterstock_2645492703.jpg --- [![Bombayworks logotype](https://hello.watchmethink.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/WatchMeThink_September_2023/images/wmt-logo_inverse.svg "Bombayworks logotype")](https://watchmethink.com/) - [What we do](https://watchmethink.com/#) - [Watch Me Explore](https://watchmethink.com/what-we-do/watch-me-explore) - [Watch Me Develop](https://watchmethink.com/what-we-do/watch-me-develop) - [Watch Me Use](https://watchmethink.com/what-we-do/watch-me-use) - [Watch Me Shop](https://watchmethink.com/what-we-do/watch-me-shop) - [Who it's for](https://watchmethink.com/#) - [Consumer Insights](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/consumer-insights) - [Shopper Insights](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/shopper-insights) - [Category Management](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/category-mangement) - [Innovation & Product Development](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/innovation) - [Sensory & Consumer Science](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/consumer-science) - [Packaging](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/packaging) - [Marketing](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/marketing) - [About](https://watchmethink.com/about) - [The 100 Blog](https://blog.watchmethink.com/) - [Contact](https://watchmethink.com/contact) - [Login](https://watchmethink.com/dashboard) - [Sign up](https://watchmethink.com/#) - [Corporate users](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/client) - [Request registration here](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/client) - [Consumer](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/contributor) - [Get paid to review products](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/contributor) Menu # The100: Accidental innovation, ask vs. guess culture, and space logos - Home - [Blog](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog) - The100: Accidental innovation, ask vs. guess culture, and space logos - [Blog home /](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog) [Fran](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/author/fran) 11/14/2025 [The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100) [0 Comments](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-accidental-innovation-ask-vs.-guess-culture-and-space-logos#postComment) 2 Minutes ### “Then who exactly are we making ideas for?” Sam Williams, head of strategy at AMV BBDO, [made a point that’s worth bearing in mind](https://creative.salon/articles/features/future-of-planning-sam-williams-amvbbdo) while we’re busy prompting, tinkering, and saying the likes of *“it’s basically just pattern recognition”* (guiltyyyy 👀): *“It’s impossible not to be excited about what AI is opening up for us \[...\] I can move quicker, cut through complexity, and stitch together disparate data sets \[...\] But it’s a tool - not a substitute. And as we’re constantly pushed to do more, faster, we should never let the ease and efficiency of using it make us forget where great strategy really comes from. Not a workflow, not a deck, but in the streets, homes, and lives of the real people we’re trying to move. Because if strategy loses its grounding in real people, then who exactly are we making ideas for?”*   ### How common is accidental invention? [According to Brian Potter,](https://www.construction-physics.com/p/how-common-is-accidental-invention) just over 7% of the major inventions between 1800 and 1970 were accidental. But what does that tell us?  *“The most notable pattern at work here is that the majority of these inventions — 8 out of 14 — are chemical inventions \[...\] The other notable pattern is that most accidental inventions (11 of the 14) were the product of deliberate research, or of attempts to invent something else \[...\] This probably also shouldn’t be surprising: it suggests the conditions for creating an accidental invention aren’t likely to be created in everyday life, but instead when trying to create or discover something new.”* A nice case for protecting R&D budgets - you never know what else you’ll stumble into. And henceforth, my pivot into chemical manufacturing begins.   ### “When Ask meets Guess, that’s when the problems start” Karin Chan wrote a properly interesting piece on [ask vs. guess cultures.](https://medium.com/redhill-review/navigating-ask-and-guess-cultures-in-a-modern-world-30b167f8ab09) And how not being aware of them can lead to all sorts of workplace kerfuffles. Quoting Andrea Donderi: *“In some families, you grow up with the expectation that it's OK to ask for anything at all, but you gotta realize you might get no for an answer. This is Ask Culture. In Guess Culture, you avoid putting a request into words unless you're pretty sure the answer will be yes \[...\] If you're a Guess Culture person then unwelcome requests from Ask Culture people seem presumptuous and out of line \[...\] If you're an Ask Culture person, Guess Culture behavior can seem incomprehensible, inconsistent, and rife with passive aggression.”*   ### What does it take to open a restaurant in New York?  After The New York Times spent a year following Mouleena Khan and Aleks Jeune [as they opened their restaurant](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/10/06/dining/how-to-open-restaurant-nyc.html?unlocked_article_code=1.wE8.iP65.Ir8q957d6k3d&smid=url-share), it’s safe to say it ain’t no picnic.  However, a quick Google confirms that their restaurant is still open (and with verrrrry good reviews), so they must have done something right.    ### And finally… [An archive of space exploration logos](https://spaceexplorationlogoarchive.webflow.io/), celebrating all things design in the cosmos. Anyone got a favourite? [The Apollo-Soyuz mission insignia](https://spaceexplorationlogoarchive.webflow.io/loghi/astp-soyuz-19-epas-v1) wins it for me 🖖 I love these [old Hollywood bloopers](https://x.com/NonsenseIsland/status/1550562796458352641). Even their mistakes are elegant.  And with my apologies in advance for the next 10 minutes that you’re about to lose… Can you guess [the date and location of these photos?](https://timeguessr.com/)  Bon weekend, *Fran* --- #### Tag: [The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100) #### Share: - [Follow us on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-accidental-innovation-ask-vs.-guess-culture-and-space-logos) - [Follow us on Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-accidental-innovation-ask-vs.-guess-culture-and-space-logos&text=The100:%20Accidental%20innovation,%20ask%20vs.%20guess%20culture,%20and%20space%20logos) - [Follow us on Linkedin](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-accidental-innovation-ask-vs.-guess-culture-and-space-logos) - [Follow us on Pinterest](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-accidental-innovation-ask-vs.-guess-culture-and-space-logos&text=The100:%20Accidental%20innovation,%20ask%20vs.%20guess%20culture,%20and%20space%20logosdescription=“Then%20who%20exactly%20are%20we%20making%20ideas%20for?”%20Sam%20Williams,%20head%20of%20strategy%20at%20AMV%20BBDO,%20made%20a%20point%20that’s%20worth%20bearing%20in%20mind%20while%20we’re%20busy%20prompting,[...]&media=https://3461170.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/3461170/shutterstock_2645492703.jpg) --- --- ## From the archives If you like The100, maybe even found it vaguely enjoyable (steady now), you can have a ganders at our previous issues. 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[The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100) 04 September, 2026 #### [The100: Patterns that aren't, time well spent and the knights of Arundel](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-patterns-that-arent-time-well-spent-and-the-knights-of-arundel) The leadership of sound bites It’s a strange old time in research and insights at the moment, eh?… [Read More](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-patterns-that-arent-time-well-spent-and-the-knights-of-arundel) [The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100) 21 August, 2026 #### [The100: Neurononsense, the gym test and the Republic of Olvana](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-neurononsense-the-gym-test-and-the-republic-of-olvana) Cite me if you can If I had a cent for every time I heard “95% of purchase decisions are… [Read More](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-neurononsense-the-gym-test-and-the-republic-of-olvana) [The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100) 07 August, 2026 #### [The100: Discount loops, The Batman Effect and crimes against the Y axis](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-discount-loops-the-batman-effect-and-crimes-against-the-y-axis) Yellow sticker syndrome Mark Ritson has staged an intervention against price promotions and given… [Read More](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-discount-loops-the-batman-effect-and-crimes-against-the-y-axis) - Get started - [Login](https://watchmethink.com/account/login) - [Sign up: Corporate User](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/client) - [Sign up: Consumer](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/contributor) - Resources - [Terms for Thinkers](https://watchmethink.com/terms) - [Terms for Adhoc Work](https://watchmethink.com/terms-for-adhoc-work) - [Terms for Subscriptions](https://watchmethink.com/terms-for-subscriptions) - [Terms for Agents](https://watchmethink.com/agent) - About - [Contact us](https://watchmethink.com/contact) - [About us](https://watchmethink.com/about) - [Blog](https://blog.watchmethink.com/) - [Privacy policy](https://watchmethink.com/privacy) - [Equality, diversity and labour standards](https://watchmethink.com/equality-diversity-labour-standards) - Social - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/watch-me-think) - [Twitter](https://twitter.com/watchmethink) ![cyber-essentials-plus](https://hello.watchmethink.com/hs-fs/hubfs/WatchMeThink_September_2023/images/cyber-essentials-plus.png?width=96&name=cyber-essentials-plus.png "cyber-essentials-plus") ![mrs-logo-cps](https://hello.watchmethink.com/hs-fs/hubfs/WatchMeThink_September_2023/images/mrs-logo-cps.png?width=216&name=mrs-logo-cps.png "mrs-logo-cps") ![watch](https://hello.watchmethink.com/hs-fs/hubfs/WatchMeThink_September_2023/images/watch.png?width=213&name=watch.png "watch") Watch Me Think © 2025. All rights reserved. ![](https://px.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=1498698&fmt=gif) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Fran", "url" : "https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/author/fran" }, "dateModified" : "2025-11-17T09:58:22.468Z", "datePublished" : "2025-11-14T08:30:00.000Z", "headline" : "The100: Accidental innovation, ask vs. guess culture, and space logos", "image" : [ "https://hello.watchmethink.com/hubfs/shutterstock_2645492703.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-accidental-innovation-ask-vs.-guess-culture-and-space-logos", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://hello.watchmethink.com/hubfs/wmt_logo_rgb_for-web-1.png" }, "name" : "Watch Me Think" } } ```