You had not intended to freeze the drink, but this resulted in the first popsicle. Even if the result of your action is different than you wanted, it is wise to be open to the fact that the result might be useful in another way.

Columbus' plan to find a new sailing route to the Far East failed. Yet the voyage was a success, for instead of a new sailing route, a new continent was discovered.

Instead of working with Malian musicians, other musicians joined the group. So the project went differently than previously conceived, but one can certainly not be dissatisfied with the outcome.

Christian Rood happened to discover something very important: a machine that was lying around gathering dust, is now possibly going to improve the battery industry enormously. It is important to be open to such new possibilities, that way you can discover very important things.

When Pfizer found out that their drug had a different effect than intended, it was important for the pharmaceutical to be open about the possible usefulness of the other effect the drug had: it provided erections.

Iets wat in eerste opzicht lijkt op een mislukking, kan uitgroeien tot een wereldberoemd bouwwerk. Stel dat de toren van Pisa was ‘geslaagd’ en recht was geweest, was de toren dan ook wereldberoemd geworden?

At many times, old routines played an obstructive role in the project. The corporations estimated that residents were not waiting for work to be carried out in their homes several times, as they had learned in previous projects. They preferred to postpone the project in order to combine it with work that would take place several years later. However, on a tour of the neighbourhood, almost all residents were happy with the offer. The work was not mentioned as an obstacle. Nevertheless, this argument kept being mentioned by various people from the different corporations. Even the installers stepped into an old groove when they were asked to estimate the cost of the intervention. Each new estimate was higher than the previous one because they kept estimating new possible setbacks and assumed that these risks would end up in their pockets. The corporations' maintenance people also shot into their old reflex; given the estimates, they decided it would be cheaper to include the cooking gas replacement in already planned maintenance projects than in a programmatic approach over the entire district. Neither party was able to open a discussion on their own about the common interest.

Another Scandinavian product born from serendipity! The Scandinavians prove they have a talent for harvesting unexpected outcomes. In the same century as the discovery of AquaLinie Alfred Nobel accidentally discovered dynamite after putting a popular but flammable salve on a cut finger…

Many people enjoy living and working in the Bijlmermeer. There is enormous diversity and open and friendly people who are literally creating a new society. In addition, a large-scale renewal operation was set in motion in the 1990s and has now progressed well. A large part of the high-rise has been demolished and replaced by smaller-scale housing, including much housing in the owner-occupied sector. The remaining flats are being thoroughly renovated. In addition, many of the original elevated roads (the 'dreven') have been replaced by roads at ground level, through the excavation of the dykes and the demolition of the viaducts. Most of the parking garages from the original design have also been demolished in the process.

The project has given NOTS the idea to develop the NOTS Microcredit Bonds. The money NOTS earns from these bonds is used to provide study grants to underprivileged children in developing countries.