Creative Think

Combine Ideas

Time to reach for another card from the Creative Whack Pack. Today's is: Combine Ideas. Let's see what it says.

"The time has come," the walrus said, "to talk of many things: of shoes - and ships - and sealing wax - of cabbages - and kings." Combining unrelated ideas is at the heart of creative thinking. The ancients mixed soft copper and even softer tin to create hard bronze. Gutenberg combined the wine press and the coin punch to create movable type and the printing press. Joseph Pulitzer added large-scale advertising to high speed printing to create the mass circulation newspaper.
What different ideas can you combine?

Speaking of combining ideas, there is a wonderful set of articles in the current issue of The Economist called "A World of Connections" that discusses some of the interesting possibilities that arise when combining microprocessors and radio technology. If just a bit of this stuff happens in the next few years, it could significantly change the ways in which we think about the objects around us. Check out the above link for more articles on this subject.

Question/Exercise: In my previous post, "Death Notice of an Innovation Metaphor," I asked for new "innovation metaphors" to replace the light bulb. Let's go one step further: What two unrelated ideas can you join together to create a new "creativity symbol"? What two ideas combined say "aha" or "wow!"

Death Notice of An Innovation Metaphor

Today, I'm announcing the death of a long time metaphor for creativity and innovation: the light bulb.

If you think about it, it's really quite amazing that a 125-year-old invention has had such longevity as a symbol for fresh thinking.

Imagine, for example, if the Long Play (LP) phonograph album (the 33 RPM version popularized in the 1950s) had become the metaphor for "new ideas." It would have been laughed out of existence no later than the early 1980s.

This hit home to me in a recent conversation I had with an art director with one of my publishers. We were reviewing cover mock-ups for one of my upcoming projects. One of them had a light bulb — symbolizing a "new idea."

I told her: "We can't use the light bulb for two reasons. First, it's a very, very, very old metaphor for a new idea. And second, the environmentalists are going to vilify the incandescent light bulb in coming years."

So long, trusty innovation metaphor. You served well! But it's time to find something new.

Question: What are your suggestions for the new creativity metaphor?

Playing With Robert Scoble

Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending an hour with Robert Scoble (author, tech evangelist, and blogger-extraordinaire) at his PodTech office in Palo Alto. Scoble's blog (Scobleizer) and video program (Scoble Show) are viewed by many, many tens of thousands of loyal fans.

The two things that struck me about Scoble are his accessibility and affability. I called him up out of the blue (his telephone number is on his web site), and said, "I'd like to meet you." "Fine," he responded, "how about tomorrow at three?" When I met him, I knew immediately that I'd like him — he's very down to earth and friendly.

We chatted about his work, my work, and then I gave him a Ball of Whacks. Here is a photo of Robert happily playing with it

Actually, this photo is not a bad metaphor of what a conversation with Scoble is like. He's playful. He puts ideas together in different ways. He tries different ways of looking at things — some of them brand new. He sees the obvious. And he has fun doing it.

I mentioned that I had been at Google the day before and that company had reminded me of Apple in the early 1980s: "Lots of young people, lots of energy, and no parking." I asked where he saw Google going, and if anything could stop them. "I'm not sure anything can stop them, not even a deep recession. They got a lot of smart people there." He paused a bit, and continued, "Maybe there is one thing: the Department of Justice." And he went on to give his theory that the Feds went after IBM for monopolistic practices after it had been in business for 50 (or so) years; they came after Microsoft after it had been in business for 25 (approximately) years; perhaps the Feds will go after Google when they're twelve. Interesting theory.

"What are your keys to success?" I asked. He mentioned that he works hard and "loves to talk with Geeks." But the key reason is that "I was in the right place at the right time." Scoble was a very early adopter of a disruptive technology, namely, blogging and other Web 2.0 social media tools. From there he built an audience, a great set of contacts, and a name for working hard and having "take-after-provocative-take" of what was really going on in the burgeoning blogosphere.

I then asked him, "Where was Microsoft in 2004-05 when this was happening? Why didn't they see the opportunities?" Scoble's response was revealing. He showed me a memo he had written to senior Microsoft execs more than two years ago. In it, he outlined the great future in store for the various social applications. Microsoft didn't buy Scoble's vision.

Scoble then gave the following metaphor: "Which would you rather have: a penny that doubles its value every day for thirty days, or $100,000?" On day 15 of this exercise (which is where the new web 2.0 apps were when Scoble made his proposal to Microsoft) that penny was now worth a little more than $300. But Microsoft felt that was insignificant compared to $100,000, and passed. But if you do the math, you find out that in 30 days that penny is worth more than $10,000,000. Interesting way of looking at things!

Scoble also has some interesting marketing ideas. And he used himself as an example. He is about to become a father for the second time (his wife Maryam is due in September).

"When someone gets married, they are inundated with offers of products and services before the actual marriage itself. But not so with having a new child. At five months [into Maryam's pregnancy], we've already made a lot of the purchases for our new child: newer sturdier car, more insurance, etc. But no one marketed 'new baby' related products and services to us. We took care of that ourselves.

I think it will happen in the near future that someone like Google or someone else will be able to look at my online behavior and see the sites I visit, and aggregate that information into a pattern that says 'new baby on the way' and then start marketing to me at three months and get my business."

Talk about killer apps! We also chatted about Twitter (he likes it), people (he likes them), creative thinking (it comes easily to him), and Apple (it mystifies him). It was a great hour — the kind in which I could feel new connections being made in my mind.

Thanks again, Robert. Look forward to seeing you again soon!

My Akira Kurosawa Marathon

A year ago this week, I was in Kyoto, Japan enjoying blooming cherry trees and Zen Rock Gardens. Prior to the trip I watched a number of films by the great Japanese director, Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998). I consider Kurosawa to be one of the greatest directors of the second half of the 20th century along with Stanley Kubrick, Ingmar Bergman, and Federico Fellini.

These are my five favorite Kurosawa films and I recommend them all to you. (All are available through Netflix.) What comes through is the quality of Kurosawa's writing (top notch), and his concern with the different moral dimensions of human beings. These films give you much to think about. They also showcase the fine acting skills of Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura.

Seven Samurai (1954). With Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura. This film is absolutely stunning. I felt the virtue and nobility of the leading characters wash over me (it will happen to you, too). The film is about a veteran samurai who answers a village's request for protection from bandits. He gathers six other samurai to help him. The film culminates in a huge battle when the bandits attack the village. This film was basis of the Hollywood film "Magnificent Seven" (1960) with Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen, but the original Kurosawa version is far superior. This film is nearly four hours long, and I watched it over two sittings.

Rashomon (1950). With Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura. The classic example of "point of view" means just about everything. This film is set in 12th century Japan. A samurai and his wife are attacked by the notorious bandit Tajomaru, and the samurai ends up dead. The bandit is captured and is put on trial, but his story and the wife's are so completely different that a psychic is brought in to allow the murdered man to give his own testimony. And then a whole different story emerges. Finally, the woodcutter who found the body tells his version, and it's completely different from the others. Mifune is wonderful in this film!

Ikiru (1952)  Starring Takashi Shimura. This was the first Kurosawa film I saw, and I can't recommend it highly enough. The title "Ikiru" means "to live." A longtime bureaucrat learns he is dying of cancer and wants to find some meaning in his life. He finds himself unable to talk with his family, and spends a night on the town with a writer, but that leaves him unfulfilled. He next spends time with a young woman from his office, but finally decides he can make a difference through his job. This film has many plot turns, and the music is wonderful. The final scene of the protagonist sitting in a swing at night in the falling snow is haunting, and will stick with you for a long time.

Throne of Blood (1957) With Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura. Kurosawa transports Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' to medieval Japan. This film made me see and understand "Macbeth" in a whole new way. A very fine adaptation and production.

Ran (1985). This is one of Kurosawa's final films. It's also the only one I saw in color (all the others from the 1950s were in black in white). Kurosawa borrows the story from Shakespeare's "King Lear." Kurosawa's insights into human relations are displayed in full glory. A story of greed, a lust for power, and ultimate revenge. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like the "burning castle" scene. Very colorful, but the tone is dark and pessimistic. Kurosawa gives you a lot to think about regarding the human condition.

Question: What are your favorite Kurosawa films?

  

A Conversation With Bruce Nussbaum

Recently I was in New York, and one of the high points was a meeting with Bruce Nussbaum, BusinessWeek editor, noted author, and creator of the Nussbaum On Design blog.

Bruce is well-connected in the design world, and his opinions on design and innovation are both respected and debated. I'd been aware of Bruce's work for some time, but it was his recent post, Are Designers the Enemies of Design? (by all means, check it out!) and its subsequent reaction and fallout that made me want to meet Bruce. With a good word put in by David Armano (the "connoisseur of conversation"), I was able to schedule a late afternoon appointment.

Bruce's 43rd floor office has a gorgeous river view. But I didn't spend much time looking around. That's because Bruce captures your attention. Right off the bat, I was struck by Bruce's vitality and friendly manner. He's an engaging individual with stories from many different arenas. (I should note that we are close in age, Bruce a year older; this means that we have a number of similar experiences including "ducking and covering" in the 1950s).

We chatted about creativity, design, cycles of business innovation, and the challenges of writing a book. We then turned to the subject of blogging and these topics came up:

• Writing and maintaining a good blog "requires time, effort, and discipline";
• The danger of turning one's blog into a self-PR platform ("it makes it boring");
• The very difficult challenge of monetizing one's blog ("very, very few are able to do it"); and,
• The exhilaration of getting connected to many, many interesting people.

I mentioned to him David Armano's observation that the tone of Nussbaum On Design appears to have changed over the past few months from being reporting-oriented to being more conversational and audience-engaging. (The certainly shows up in the number of comments his posts elicit.)

Bruce acknowledged as much by saying, "I've gotten to a certain age where I feel I can just say what's on my mind." This led to a discussion of the above-cited post about designers and its reaction by certain bloggers in the design community ("Who Controls the Conversation"). As Bruce put, "Let me just say that I'm a strong believer in openness."

We talked for about a half an hour, and then Bruce had to attend a meeting. "Stay here and relax," Bruce told me, "and we can chat more when I return." While he was gone, I studied Bruce's book shelf, and then pulled down two books he had written in the 1980s. These were both serious works of reporting and analysis. The first I dipped into was Good Intentions: How Big Business, Politics, and Science Are Corrupting the Fight Against Aids (1990: Grove/Atlantic).

The other work was The World After Oil: The Shifting Axis of Power and Wealth (1983) in which Bruce explored the economic and global geo-political implications of the new technologies of the 1970s and early 1980s. I was startled to read on page 109 that Bruce predicted the near-term downfall of the Soviet Union from internal causes. He made this prediction in 1983, and he was certainly in the minority then.

When Bruce returned to his office, I asked him about his prescient insight with regard to the fall of the USSR. He smiled, "You're not the only one who was impressed. When that book came out, I received a call from William Casey [former CIA Director under Reagan]," and he proceeded to tell me a fascinating story about meeting Casey. What fun! He told me some other stories too, and I talked about my own experiences as a creativity consultant in industry. I gave him a Ball of Whacks to play with and also a Creative Whack Pack.

Over the past three decades at BusinessWeek, Bruce has witnessed a lot of revolutions — in business, technology, economics, and in politics. But these days, Bruce is not looking backwards. It's clear that he's both enjoying reporting on the exciting things currently taking place in the design world, and also having fun using the new communication tools to engage people about the future of design.

Many thanks for your time, Bruce!

Amtrak to New York

I had business in Washington yesterday (and met many delightful people at the event), and then had to get to New York. Rather than go via my typical travel mode (flying), I decided to take Amtrak. It was delightful! I took the "Acela" train (very few stops), and it took only 2:40 from Union Station in Washington to Penn Station in NYC. I felt like I was traveling in another era: the grandeur of  Union Station, no TSA (no shoe removal, etc.), no landing in Queens, nice views along the way. All in all, a relaxing trip.

Here is a shot I took out the window when the train stopped in Baltimore. The caption says: "Why study the stars? They all look the same to me." Which is ascribed to an apprentice of Galileo. The point of the ad: you need to listen to people with different points of view.

Re-Reading Vonnegut's "Cat's Cradle"

I've already commented (here) about the recent passing of novelist Kurt Vonnegut at age 84. (The image on the left appeared on Vonnegut's website shortly after his death, meaning, I guess, "that bird has flown.")

We had a rainy morning in northern California and I didn't feel like going out. So I picked up my copy of "Cat's Cradle" and spent the next three hours re-reading a book that I had first digested nearly four decades ago. I've read all of Vonnegut's novels, but this was always my favorite.

It was interesting to be taken back to the world of the early 1960s in which the "Cat's Cradle" is set. It made me feel young again.

Vonnegut is funny. And perceptive, of course. And quite dark and cynical too. But the era in which this book is set was dark as well: atmospheric atomic weapons testing by the US and the Soviet Union, and a near miss of World War III during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. (Kind of makes today's "Global Warming" fears look like a walk in the park in comparison.) Those were some scary times. But looking back at them, I realized that if we can survive that, we can survive almost anything. (Of course, my parents' generation probably felt the same away about the Depression and World War II.)

Anyway, it's a interesting world that Vonnegut puts together. Some of the elements include: the inventor of the A-Bomb. Ice-9, a material that makes water hard. A holy fool, Bokonon, who starts a paradoxical religion. A Midget. Large company R&D. A Caribbean island. The "Grand Ah-Whoom, or the end of the world. A dysfunctional family. And so on. Read it for yourself.

Hollywood did a pretty decent job of making a film out of Slaughterhouse-Five (directed by George Roy Hill, 1972), but failed miserably bringing Breakfast of Champions (1999) to the big screen. I'm glad they never tried with "Cat's Cradle." It works best in the imagination of the reader.

"All of the true things I am about
to tell you are shameless lies." — Bokonon (Cat's Cradle)

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Note: When I went to Amazon to create the link for "Cat's Cradle," I noticed that it was #4 on their bestseller list, and that three other Vonnegut books were in their Top 100. I noticed that the same thing happened several years ago right after novelist Saul Bellow died — his books also zoomed to the top and went on back order. I guess there's a pattern there!

An Evening With Virginia Postrel

Thanks to a heads-up from Diego Rodriguez (Metacool), I attended a lecture last night by writer/design-thinker Virginia Postrel at Stanford. (It was part of a the David Lui Memorial Lecture Series in Design.)

I had not met Virginia before, but I had a chance to chat with her before her lecture. She was warm and friendly. I thanked her for the kind things she had said about the Ball of Whacks in her blog, and I was glad she was having fun playing with it. We both acknowledged that it's nice to be mentioned in Glenn Reynolds' Instapundit blog because it creates, as she put it, "an Instalanche" of site visits.

Virginia then spent the next hour presenting her design ideas to the packed auditorium (mainly appreciative designers and design students). Among other things, she discussed the "design explosion." It makes good business sense to improve the aesthetic experience of products and places — to "make them special." She gave many examples for her points.

She singled out Starbucks as a company that has successfully used aesthetics as a strategic tool. Starbucks "is in the business of creating appealing social spaces for people." She went on, "Starbucks is to the age of aesthetics what McDonalds was to the age of convenience, and what Ford was to the age of mass production."

She also shared a number of ideas from her book Substance and Style, and then took questions for another twenty minutes. I asked her about Bruce Nussbaum's recent comments (in BusinessWeek) about "Are Designers The Enemy of Design?" She spoke about the growing DYI (Design It Yourself) movement, and also recognized that good professional designers are really knowledgeable and create some amazing things. She also adroitly handled questions about world music, and the availability of fresh produce in grocery markets.

Thanks Virginia for a fun, stimulating evening!

(BTW: here are some of Virginia's Ball of Whacks designs!)

      

 

         

Simplify

Let's reach for a card from the Creative Whack Pack. Today's is Simplify.

Editor: "I like your book except for the ending."

Author: "What's wrong with the ending?"

Editor: "It should be closer to the beginning."

What can you edit out of a current project or idea to make it better? What can you streamline? What can you simplify?

I had thought about writing a long piece on novelist Kurt Vonnegut who died yesterday at age 84. I loved reading him in the 1970s and 1980s. But to apply the wisdom of "Simplify," I'll just say this:

Vonnegut stretched my mind and made me laugh about the craziness of the universe. He was the Mark Twain of my generation. My favorite novels were: Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse-Five, Breakfast of Champions, and Bluebeard.

Here's a typical Vonnegut quote (sent to me this morning by my son, who is also a Vonnegut fan):

Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and finds himself no wiser than before. . . . He is full of murderous resentment of people who are ignorant without having come by their ignorance the hard way.

RIP, Kurt.

My Favorite Number Twelve

My favorite number is twelve. It's simply wonderful!

It's quite useful for dividing: twelve of anything can be evenly split into halves, thirds, quarters, and sixths.

But even more important, I believe that twelve is deeply embedded in the human psyche. Early humans must have been quite impressed with the relationship between the two brightest heavenly bodies: the sun and the moon. From the moment when the sun reaches its highest point on the meridian (noon on the summer solstice) until it does again one year later, the moon waxes and wanes a total of twelve times. Twelve times! This fundamental pattern must have had cosmic significance to early humans grasping for meaning.

Twelve is a number that manifests itself in life, nature, religion, mathematics, technology, and culture in many interesting and provocative ways:

• There are twelve months of the year, twelve hours on the face of a clock, and twelve signs of the Zodiac.
• Hercules was required to perform twelve labors in twelve years to atone for his transgressions.
• Achilles gave King Priam twelve days to prepare for his son Hector's funeral in the Iliad.
• Twelve is the number of axes through Odysseus had to shoot an arrow to win Penelope.
• A regular dodecahedron has twelve pentagonal sides.
• A musical octave has twelve chromatic tones.
• There were twelve tribes of Israel, twelve disciples of Jesus, and twelve men who have walked on the moon.
• The Twelver Shi'a Muslim sect believes that the Twelfth Imam (Islamic preceptor) did not die.
• There are twelve days of Christmas, twelve steps of recovery programs, twelve jurors on American juries, and twelve buttons of touch-tone telephones.
• Twelve is the product of 1-cubed times two-squared times three to the first power.
• A perfect game in bowling consists of twelve consecutive strikes.
• One more than twelve feels "unlucky."

Question: Where else do you see twelve appear? What do you make of it? What's your favorite number?