Category Archives: Thinking

Could we someday create innovations like we create music?

in Innovation, Thinking



Imagine there was a tool where we could input our ideas, combine them with other ideas, see some connections and visualize them in real-time. I’m not talking about music, but actual ideas like the ones that we have when we’re thinking out loud or brainstorming with a group.

In the video above you see an application called Ableton Live used by many DJ’s in concerts to create music in real-time which we can do using different music equipment from sites as Sound Manual online which offer the best options for this. I repeat, not pre-programmed but in real-time!

Why is this important? It’s important because DJ’s can experiment with different sounds and music in real-time. They’ve always had this ability but with this tool, DJ’s can input the sounds where they want, listen and make the adjustments all in a matter of seconds, just check out these popular public domain songs.

Again imagine if we could have a tool where we could input our ideas, combine them and see a result in real-time before we release it into the world.

What would such a tool look like?

We have one…our brain.

Yes, our brain is the most powerful machine ever invented and although it would be great to have a tool, such as Ableton, at our disposal that could enable us to create more in less time; our brain will ultimately connect the insight that gives us that breakthrough idea.

Only our brain gives us the ability to imagine how things could be before we ever see them out in the world.

I’m sure there are people already thinking about a technology that can enable us to make connections faster but in the meantime we can start by flexing our brain muscles and learn to think better.

P.S. I’m not promoting Ableton Live, I just saw that video and thought about such a tool for the purpose of innovation.

Readers what do you think, is such a tool possible? How would it work? How can we start creating one right now?

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10 more resources to boost your brain power

in Thinking

boost brain power

The ability to think better makes you a superior strategist and innovator

One of my favorite subjects is the brain, how it works and how to better put it to use is something that has always intrigued me. While there is huge amounts of information on the internet on how to boost your brain power, I stumbled upon a list of and thought I’d add 10 more! ??????????? ??????? ????????

  1. (Lite Mind)

  2. (MindCafe.org)

  3. (Open Forum)
  5. (New Scientist)
  6. (Scientific American)
  7. (About.com)
  8. (Find Schools Online.com)
  9. (New Scientist)
  10. (MIT Techreview)

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????? ???? ????? ????????? ?????

A History of Violence rip

UPDATE: Found another one that was posted today by Steven Aitchison, 100 Ways To Develop Your Mind.

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Let’s stop creating crappy movie games

in Thinking

gi joe the rise of cobra game

First let me get this out of the way…I’m a GI Joe fan!

Illuminating Angels & Demons film

As I’m playing the best free solitaire today, I can say that I own most of the first edition toys some of which I got on sale at online stores like mamonlineshop.com and with this weeks release of the movie was feeling like a 5 year old again. Now the movie is not an Oscar winner but it’s highly entertaining and mostly did a good job of bringing out the Joe in me.

The reason I’m writing this is because I just saw the game review of the game GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra and it’s a piece of crap just like every other movie game!

Why do they keep releasing crappy movie games?

Let me tell you why…extra sales!

Other movie studios have done it, so should we! Let’s release a below average game and we’ll be able to get a handful of sales from our core fan base so we can move the needle on our revenues.

Pathetic!

The problem with this is you’re releasing crap to the masses while wasting a valuable opportunity to engage with the audience in an authentic way. The only thing this is creating bad word of mouth like this:

Remember kids, don’t ever spend you’re hard earned money on crappy games, especially if it’s a video game movie. If you do you’ll only be restarting you’re hard work. With no saves
Now I know that I should have only invested on games from www.dreamjackpot.com that would help me earn more money!
Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS release Ghostbusters II release buy Daffy – The Commando

This Gun for Hire

Flicker move

And knowing is half the battle!

G IIIIIII JOOOOOOOOOE!

Note to self, consumers are not dumb. The people who saw GI Joe are now in their mid 20’s early 30’s and when they see piece of crap like this on their screens they’re not buying it for them or their children and guess what, if a few one’s did go past most likely it’s being returned to the store after going through the torture of playing these things.

In my opinion the creators of the Matrix did the best job of connecting the story of the movie with a game. The game wasn’t a blockbuster but it certainly wasn’t a piece of crap!

The opportunity to release a game that connects the story to the game is wide open, whoever realizes this and is able to set the bar higher than the mediocre rest will change the game.

Blazing Saddles dvd

What are you waiting for?

Yo Joe!

download The League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse

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How can we best engage our brains to help us better understand big ideas?

in Thinking

Wolfen psp

 

Here’s a talking about three areas of the brain that help us understand words, images, feelings, connections and the importance of knowing how our brain makes sense of the different types of information we engage with in our daily lives.

Crocodile Dundee movie Key Takeaway: Use drawings to communicate your ideas more effectively

Quest for Camelot

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The Last Word buy

Contract Killers movie download

 

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The Bluetoes Christmas Elf movie full

How to daydream productively

in Thinking

“I don’t have time to think about this right now, I need to get things done.”

How often do you hear this everyday?

I was recently reminded of the importance of having “thinking time”, reflecting on what you’re doing instead jumping straight to execution.

Having time to think about a problem your trying to solve often takes the back seat to execution, but often the key to finding a novel solution to that problem is to stop thinking about it and “daydream”.

Satan’s Little Helper film

When I was a young boy my parents sent me to the Silva Mind Control Method course (best investment ever!), and one of the things I was taught was the importance of letting your mind rest. According to our instructor back then, our brain makes the most connections when we’re sleeping and therein lies new solutions to problems. So if you want to gain adequate sleep, services like sleep training might be incredibly beneficial for you.

There is a technique that we were taught for getting our brains into Alpha, a state similar to sleep called the 3 to 1 technique.

Your first start by getting comfortable and closing your eyes, take a deep breath and when exhaling in your mind repeat the number 3 three times and relax your body.

Prague Duet buy Do the same for numbers 2 and 1 and this will put your mind in a very relaxed state where all you’ll hear is the sound of the air in your lungs.

I’ve found that this technique is also great for taking 15 minute power naps which are great after lunch.

Hopefully you’ll find this helpful.

Wolfen dvdrip

The elegantly simple way to turn ideas into brilliance

in Creativity, Innovation, Thinking

The Genius Machine

I just finished reading by Gary Sindell. This is the shortest, most simple, useful book on creative thinking that I’ve ever read!

As Gary puts it, his work is to help people think.

This is not a book with yet another creative thinking technique to add to your arsenal, you can get those elsewhere. What this book gives you is an 11 step process to help you think through your ideas and turn them into reality.

A process he calls the Endleofon.

According to Gary, in order to develop our innovations to their highest possible level and to facilitate their acceptance by the people who would benefit most from our creations we need to answer The Endleofon questions which I share with you here.

11 steps that turn raw ideas into brilliance

1. Distinctions.

What do I see? New ideas are the result of perceiving new distinctions.

2. Identity

Who am I? Why are these ideas important to me, and why am I driven to share them with the world? Have I made my identity clear to my audience so they know where I am coming from?

3. Implications

Reverb move When the Wind Blows dvdrip

Where do my ideas lead? If what I am saying is true, then what are all the consequences I can imagine?

4. Testing

What am I blind to? Have I imagined how my ideas might impact a variety of situations, places and people? Have I questioned everything about my assumptions? What would prove me wrong? Can I create a model of my work and find precise analogues?

5. Precedent

The Lookout psp

Who else has seen something like this? By asserting that I have something to say, I am entering into the great conversation of ideas that stretches back through the centuries. We cannot know everything that has been said about our area of focus before we began our work, but we must try to be aware of important, precedent thought.

6. Need

Who needs this knowledge? If what I am saying is so, for whom would this knowledge be valuable? This question forces us out of focusing solely on our own area and may lead us to find the universals in our thinking. Understanding who needs us most will also help us in crafting what we say.

7. Foundation

Are there underlying principles? What is the world I’m working in? What are the underlying values expressed here? What are the applicable rules or structures that obtain here? Can I pull these together into a coherent group or body of law?

8. Completion

 

Impostor psp

 

Is everything here? If the idea or product is valuable for someone, am I giving my audience everything they need for it to be useful? If everything they need is not here, have I explained what other information they will need in order to know enough to take action or teach others?

9. Connecting

The Sweetest Thing film

Dane Cook: Vicious Circle rip

Who am I addressing? Do I understand my audience’s frame of reference? Am I writing for my readers, speaking to my listener, carefully guiding the experience of my user?

10. Impact

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot hd Where do I want to go? In creating this work I have launched an alter ego that will eventually take on a life of its own. If this development or body of knowledge succeeds in the marketplace of ideas, will it help me fulfill my goals for my life? Are the identities of creators, the creation and the users aligned?

11. Advocacy

Am I supporting the adoption of my ideas? My thinking stands for me. Now I must stand for what I have created.

Help yourself in developing your breakthrough thinking by reading this book, it’s easy to read and simple to put to use.

You can follow Gary at his where he continues the exploration of the Endleofon innovation process.

UPDATE: Listen to this Businessweek podcast with an interview with Gary talking about his book.

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Does your idea stand on its own?

in entrepreneurship, Leadership, Thinking

So you got an idea and you want to communicate it.

Part of testing ideas is finding out if your idea is replicable and whether others can teach it.

We need to find out whether acceptance of an idea is dependent on its being associated with a particular charismatic individual (YOU), or whether it can stand on its own.

How many times have your heard some consultant show up and give a humorous and brilliant hour long keynote that gets everyone stirred up, but when the dust settles, nothing has changed.

The fact that some people can charm an audience and have people hanging on their every word is not a test of value of their ideas. The real test is whether a person’s ideas can in turn be presented by others and get the same positive results.

You might be communicating a great idea, but if it can’t stand on it’s own you’re not doing much.

So what should you do?

Easy! have someone else present your ideas and see what gets transmitted.

If you’re the magic sauce of your ideas and they only flourish in your immediate presence, your idea may not be sustainable yet and might need further development.