Top 5 Map Comparisons for Mind Mapping

Mind-Mapping is a wonderful technique when you think there is nothing for you to talk about online. I took 45 minutes this morning to create some mind maps that allowed me to find probably 100 posts worth of topic material!  So here are my Top 5 Map Comparisons for Mind Mapping.  

1. It helps you figure things out when you're lost.  
2. You can see shortcuts between ideas.  
3. Someone else can follow you into your psyche.  
4. Shows you where you could use more detailed surveying.   
5. Use it with a moral compass to find your way in the world.  

I've found it much more useful when trying to trace my own thought pattern than generate ideas.  I haven't had much luck using a mind map for recording a brainstorming discussion, for example.  I think using it for mapping my existing knowledge base is the first time I've actually found a use for it that I endorse!

-sjk

New Business Opportunities

Happy Fragrance Day!  I certainly hope you get to enjoy all the people out there who smell nice.

Everyone wants to get in on the ground floor of a new business.  They want to be a part of the realization of the next great idea, and make a pretty penny along the way.  The main problem is how to do that!  There are a lot of web sites that outline ideation, and I really like reading about them.  But when you're a skilled professional that wants to find a growing opportunity, how do you do that?
 
Be excited. As I've begun my personal path toward the front end of the innovation curve, I've noticed that the more excited you are about an idea, the more people are drawn to you.  The more people who are around, the more input you have for your own ideas.  And a bonus is that people will help you refine your idea, not to mention execute effectively. 

Talk to everyone about new ideas.  I'm not advocating that you share all your ideas with everyone.  But if you begin talking to people about new ideas - especially those that you know you will never implement, you become a valuable resource for vetting ideas.  You basically get in on the ground floor of other people's great ideas. 




Share your ideas with everyone.  Ok, now I'm advocating that you share your ideas.  Sharing is the source of many innovations that have occurred in the past.  Many will tell you this is a terrible idea because it lets all your secrets out.  The rewards are not to have the best idea, though.  Those come from great execution.  You just have to be aware that there is competition out there and not be afraid of it. 

I have found these based on a my experience with social media, and applying the ideas I found there.  They are not new, but they do really focus on the value of relationships.  I can't wait until I get to explore new ideas with my grad school teams post-graduation. 

Impossible Photography

I listened to a Ted Talk by Erik Johansson, at this link.  He discusses his desire to create photo-realistic images using photoshop.  He seems to be a modern incarnation of M.C. Echer, an artist famous for perspective drawings that were not possible in a three dimensional world.  

One thing he said struck me quite profoundly - his comment that he felt traditional photography was limited.  It is all about the setup.  For a photograph, you have to set up the right lighting conditions, the right scene, and have the right film in the right camera.  And so the photography process ended when you snapped the picture and created an indelible image.  With Photoshop, he was able to extend the creative process beyond taking the picture.  Technology allowed him to modify photography, allowing him freedoms previously reserved for painting and drawing.  

Overcoming a limitation is a great way to come up with innovative processes and products.  For instance, Google Docs allows collaborative editing of google-formatted presentations, documents, and spreadsheets.  They worked to overcome the barriers to collaborative editing by taking advantage of cloud computing and storage technology. 

If I look at another traditional media - sculpting - what can we come up with from there?  The ability to digitize and recreate sculptures at different locations?  A tracking glove or other device that allows you to sculpt in 3D using analog tools?  How about an installation where you combine the two and have a single piece of art that can be modified by others, where you can highlight its evolution over time?  

My first inclination is to put photography in its own category, because it has such a clear delineation between setup and post-processing.  I'm going to continue looking for other places where people move the immovable, or could if they wanted. 

Barcoding Artwork?!?!?!

Well, I"m just flabbergasted!  The Wall Street Journal posted an article that discussed how companies are starting to gussy up barcodes!  When I've worked in packaging, I'd always thought of them as a necessary space-wasting technology. Now, as I understand it, some companies are making the barcodes into doodles.  One was a school bus, one was a patch of flowers.  One was a city skyline!

If you're able to incorporate a barcode like that successfully enough into your product, you could get it into the logo!  For example, if you have a logo of a Scottish man in a kilt, you could design the kilt pattern so it is actually a 2D barcode!  Or you could have a snowy background with a barcode.  Or a smiling face, with barcode teeth. And all of them could reinforce your brand.

Colors - Moods and Meanings

Since I'm hoping to get into design, I was intrigued when I found this infographic on color and its symbolism in the United States.  And I liked how it even gave some insight into how corporations choose logo colors.

When I was young, a friend used to have people over every Friday night for a dance party in his basement.  It was a little lame, but I was 14 and had a really fun time.  He had an adjacent bedroom with a king-sized bed that everyone used for relaxing.  It was lit by exactly one bare light bulb in the middle of the ceiling.  Originally it had a red bulb in it, and everyone liked it because it gave the room a calm, relaxed atmosphere.  But when it burnt out, and was replaced by a blue light, everyone stopped hanging out in that room.  It had lost its relaxing vibe, and picked up something much more energetic, despite being about the same brightness.

Ever since then, I've paid attention to how color affects people and their moods.  It's also given me reason to pay attention to a person's favorite colors.  I haven't noticed any patterns yet, but a certain lady I know loves the color yellow, and she's one of the most bright, energetic people I know.

Biomutualism

One fascinating topic I've recently learned about is Biomutualism.  It's defined as "an association between biology and another discipline."  It boils down to using biology to make breakthroughs or gain insights into other fields of study.  Then returning to biology with a new question to be answered through field study.  I was introduced to this concept through a talk on geckos' feet and tails here.

They make several associations between geckos and other areas of disciplines.  First, the gecko feet have nano-sized hairs on their feet which allow them to grip surfaces using intermolecular forces, rather than traditional means like claws or adhesives.  Then the engineers figured out that you need a tail for climbing.  Then the biologists figured out an active tail was used for stabalization and movement in mid air, possibly during falls.  Then back to the engineers to develop active tail technology. 

Biology is a fantastic place to find inspiration and mutual benefits such the example above.  Life has existed for millions of years and the diversity of animals and plants ensures that some have come to use principles we have not even thought of yet.

It is also a good model for how I like to imagine my interaction with the world around me.  Taking information from multiple sources, using it in ways that may be unique to me, then offering ideas, designs or other intellectual property to others so they can do the same.