Remember that line from The Graduate? When the movie was released in 1967, whole industries were in the midst of a plastics revolution that seemed destined
to change the world.
In case you weren't around in the 60's or you haven't seen The Graduate, here's how that famous conversation went:
Mr. McGuire: I just want to say one word to you -just one word.
Ben: Yes sir.
Mr. McGuire: Are you listening?
Ben: Yes I am.
Mr. McGuire: 'Plastics.'
Ben: Exactly how do you mean?
Mr. McGuire: There's a great future in plastics. Think about it. Will you think about it?
Ben: Yes I will.
Mr. McGuire: Shh! Enough said. That's a deal.
Looks like Mr. McGuire was right. Today, plastics are the most widely used materials in the world; it's the stuff that helps us produce affordable cell
phones, cars, computers, new body parts, you name it. And we've been using it for quite a while already, in every conceivable area of life. So by now
you'd think that anything we could possibly make from plastic would already be made of it, right? Nope. The surprising truth is that, although plastics are
all around us, there's still a lot of room for innovation.
Looks like Mr. McGuire was right. Today, plastics are the most widely used materials in the world; it's the stuff that helps us produce affordable cell
phones, cars, computers, new body parts, you name it. And we've been using it for quite a while already, in every conceivable area of life. So by now
you'd think that anything we could possibly make from plastic would already be made of it, right? Nope. The surprising truth is that, although plastics are
all around us, there's still a lot of room for innovation.
Read the rest of this 2005 article by Rowan Gibson here: http://www.rethinkinggroup.com/rowan/column0507.htm
