When I was assigned to read "The Elusive Big Idea", my first impression was that it was going to be a boring essay about ideas and how we are unable to attain them. When I started reading it, however, I realized that it is an interesting essay about ideas and how we are unable to attain them.
I also realized that I disagree with some of what Neal Gabler was writing about. For one instance, Gabler states, "If our ideas seem smaller nowadays, it's not because we are dumber than our forebears but because we just don't care as much about ideas as they did". I agree that it's not because we are dumber than generations past. The part I disagree with is that he says that we don't care. If I were to ask Mr. Gabler one question, it would be why are you so ignorant? It just makes no sense to me. If we try to imagine how far we have progressed since the beginning of the industrial age, it is almost unfathomable to size up the advancements we have made. The technology of today is crazy. So how could we not care? It is much harder to come up with ideas when we already have advanced machines and strategies. It's not that we don't care, its that it is harder to THINK of a good idea.
In my opinion, I think that a lot of the big ideas have already been thought up. I'm positive that there are plenty more creative ways to imagine solutions and fixes to problems. We may be moving so fast with technology and industry that it is just too difficult for our creativity to keep up.
Gabler states that "Ideas aren't what they used to be". I think that he simply can't see that we do have great ideas, but they seem smaller because ideas before seemed like the greatest thing to ever happen.
Ideas nowadays aren't elusive. They aren't hiding from us in the corners of our minds. Ideas are harder to see as revolutionary. They have simply been shadowed by the ideas of the past that seemed like nothing could trump it. I think that if Neal Gabler took a closer look into the things we do today, he would understand this concept that there are great ideas. To me, Gabler just seems stuck in the past.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
It Matters: Small Businesses
In class, we read an article called The Televisionary by Malcolm Gladwell. In the article, Gladwell described the success, then failure in the life of Philo T. Farnsworth. Farnsworth was the visionary who invented the television.
Farnsworth wasn't open to sharing the credit for his invention, so he attempted to be the lone creator of the television. Ultimately, he failed since he couldn't sell like a big company could, and he couldn't make progress like a big company could. It's pretty obvious that the main reason Farnsworth didn't make it big is because he wasn't part of a big company.
Right now, our country's economy is in a poor state. There are a lot of people who are trying to make it big, just like Farnsworth. I think there are too many people trying to be entrepreneurs. These people are starting up small businesses, and their businesses are failing. Well why? It has worked before, why can't it work now? In a blog I was looking over, it gave ten reasons to why these businesses are failing. Out of all ten of the reasons he gave, the ones that I agree with the most are numbers one and nine.
Number one is "Lack of Experience". Nowadays, people look for the get rich quick schemes, and hope that they will magically pull their family out of debt. If a potential small business starter takes a shot in the dark, with no experience in business at all, there is a HUGE possibility that this business they are starting will only dig them in a deeper hole. Some people will muster up as much money as they can by taking second mortgages on their homes, taking out loans from banks, and borrowing money from any of their friends that they can so that they are able to start up a small business. With the high chances of failure, this business probably won't make any profit.
Bullet point number nine says "Competition". I think this point can be most easily connected to the problems of our friend, Mr. Farnsworth. Farnsworth was pushed out of business by a big company. This is what is happening to the entrepreneurs of today. These people are trying to somehow make a name for themselves by creating different and creative versions of things that can be found for much cheaper and much more readily than a small, family owned shop. An example of this would be like trying to open a sandwich shop, when there is a Jimmy John's and a Subway on either side of it. It is just too difficult to start up something new when today's consumers are always in a rush. People will always go to the place where they know they can get the fastest and cheapest food.
Simply put, things are too big nowadays to have something small blow up. It's like the food chain. Big, strong, and smart creatures will eat the small, weak, and unintelligent creatures. It is the way of life.
So how could we change this? Well it would be very difficult, but thanks to the internet, I know of one way that people are trying to "kick start" their ideas. Kick Starter is a website that was created for entrepreneurs of today. It basically lets you share your idea on the web, and if people like the Idea that you've presented to them, then they can back the project by donating money to your project. You would post the amount of money that you need to make your project happen, and the deadline in which you need to have all your money. Some people might even send you messages with ideas that can help make your invention better. It is a relatively simple way to promote your idea, and get enough money so that you can make your idea happen.
If everyone knew about this website, I feel like the world would be a much cooler place, filled with so many creative things. Maybe if the internet was around during Farnsworth's time, he could have been able to promote his idea to the world, and actually make a living being the sole creator of the television. But right now, the big companies have too much power in the world, and a lot of people don't have the ability or knowledge to change they way they run their business.
NY Times Blog on Why Small Businesses Fail
Farnsworth wasn't open to sharing the credit for his invention, so he attempted to be the lone creator of the television. Ultimately, he failed since he couldn't sell like a big company could, and he couldn't make progress like a big company could. It's pretty obvious that the main reason Farnsworth didn't make it big is because he wasn't part of a big company.
Right now, our country's economy is in a poor state. There are a lot of people who are trying to make it big, just like Farnsworth. I think there are too many people trying to be entrepreneurs. These people are starting up small businesses, and their businesses are failing. Well why? It has worked before, why can't it work now? In a blog I was looking over, it gave ten reasons to why these businesses are failing. Out of all ten of the reasons he gave, the ones that I agree with the most are numbers one and nine.
Number one is "Lack of Experience". Nowadays, people look for the get rich quick schemes, and hope that they will magically pull their family out of debt. If a potential small business starter takes a shot in the dark, with no experience in business at all, there is a HUGE possibility that this business they are starting will only dig them in a deeper hole. Some people will muster up as much money as they can by taking second mortgages on their homes, taking out loans from banks, and borrowing money from any of their friends that they can so that they are able to start up a small business. With the high chances of failure, this business probably won't make any profit.
Bullet point number nine says "Competition". I think this point can be most easily connected to the problems of our friend, Mr. Farnsworth. Farnsworth was pushed out of business by a big company. This is what is happening to the entrepreneurs of today. These people are trying to somehow make a name for themselves by creating different and creative versions of things that can be found for much cheaper and much more readily than a small, family owned shop. An example of this would be like trying to open a sandwich shop, when there is a Jimmy John's and a Subway on either side of it. It is just too difficult to start up something new when today's consumers are always in a rush. People will always go to the place where they know they can get the fastest and cheapest food.
Simply put, things are too big nowadays to have something small blow up. It's like the food chain. Big, strong, and smart creatures will eat the small, weak, and unintelligent creatures. It is the way of life.
So how could we change this? Well it would be very difficult, but thanks to the internet, I know of one way that people are trying to "kick start" their ideas. Kick Starter is a website that was created for entrepreneurs of today. It basically lets you share your idea on the web, and if people like the Idea that you've presented to them, then they can back the project by donating money to your project. You would post the amount of money that you need to make your project happen, and the deadline in which you need to have all your money. Some people might even send you messages with ideas that can help make your invention better. It is a relatively simple way to promote your idea, and get enough money so that you can make your idea happen.
If everyone knew about this website, I feel like the world would be a much cooler place, filled with so many creative things. Maybe if the internet was around during Farnsworth's time, he could have been able to promote his idea to the world, and actually make a living being the sole creator of the television. But right now, the big companies have too much power in the world, and a lot of people don't have the ability or knowledge to change they way they run their business.
NY Times Blog on Why Small Businesses Fail
Thursday, September 6, 2012
What If?: We could harness creativity.
So in class, we've been talking about creativity. So I began pondering why some people aren't creative. Was it genetics? Was it the way they were raised? I wondered what creativity actually is in the first place! Is it an intangible thing, such as a thought? Or is it a tangible thing like a ball? Then I thought that this couldn't be possible. You cannot harness creativity like a book in your backpack! But what if? What if creativity was a tangible item?
There would be so many possibilities!
What I want to call this tangible item is your "totem". A totem pole that Native Americans built are representative of their tribe. They represent things about the tribe such as accomplishments, gods, and even hardships. That is what your totem would be like. It would represent you, and how you are, and your whole life!
So, what if your totem was a magnifying glass? Say for instance, you are stuck, locked in a room, and you need to get out. Don't worry, because you have assistance! If you would just take a peek through the lens, you could see all the possible ways to escape. You would notice that there are plenty of ways you could escape this room. You might see a way to call for help. But you would only see things that your mind could produce, not someone else's.
The way I see it is that the tangible item could be a way to easier access the creativity in your mind. I think that it would work like a crutch. Whenever you needed some help, it would be right there for you to lean on, and pull ideas from. These ideas would be original too! They would be coming from your own mind, because when you look into the totem that is your creativity crutch, you are simply strengthening the connection to the creative part of your brain.
I think that this would only have a positive effect on humanity. The world would be a more creative place, and like John Updike wanted us to take from his poem, The Angels, creativity would never disappear. Music would be better! Technology would improve! We could even solve world problems, such as wars and poverty.
Life just seems like it would be better if everyone had a bit of creativity. It would give me hope to look forward to for our future generations, because I would know that things could only get better.
There would be so many possibilities!
What I want to call this tangible item is your "totem". A totem pole that Native Americans built are representative of their tribe. They represent things about the tribe such as accomplishments, gods, and even hardships. That is what your totem would be like. It would represent you, and how you are, and your whole life!
So, what if your totem was a magnifying glass? Say for instance, you are stuck, locked in a room, and you need to get out. Don't worry, because you have assistance! If you would just take a peek through the lens, you could see all the possible ways to escape. You would notice that there are plenty of ways you could escape this room. You might see a way to call for help. But you would only see things that your mind could produce, not someone else's.
The way I see it is that the tangible item could be a way to easier access the creativity in your mind. I think that it would work like a crutch. Whenever you needed some help, it would be right there for you to lean on, and pull ideas from. These ideas would be original too! They would be coming from your own mind, because when you look into the totem that is your creativity crutch, you are simply strengthening the connection to the creative part of your brain.
I think that this would only have a positive effect on humanity. The world would be a more creative place, and like John Updike wanted us to take from his poem, The Angels, creativity would never disappear. Music would be better! Technology would improve! We could even solve world problems, such as wars and poverty.
Life just seems like it would be better if everyone had a bit of creativity. It would give me hope to look forward to for our future generations, because I would know that things could only get better.
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