As I researched photography as a business and career, a funny thing happened. I realized that digital photography wasn’t making being a professional photographer easier or more lucrative, it was making it tougher. That’s because I wasn’t the only person who picked up a digital camera and thought “hey! I can do this!” — tens of thousands of us were having that thought, and many were jumping in and doing it. Some were actually succeeding, too.
This one's one of my favorites. In 2001, researcher Frédéric Brochet invited 54 wine experts to give their opinions on what were ostensibly two glasses of different wine: one red, and one white. In actuality, the two wines were identical, with one exception: the "red" wine had been dyed with food coloring.
The experts described the "red" wine in language typically reserved for characterizing reds. They called it "jammy," for example, and noted the flavors imparted by its "crushed red fruit." Not one of the 54 experts surveyed noticed that it was, in fact a white wine.
Uh huh. Heck, even I can taste the difference between Coke Zero, Coke, and Diet Coke. C'mon now, pretentious snobs!
I use a trick with co-workers when we're trying to decide where to eat for lunch and no one has any ideas. I recommend McDonald's.
An interesting thing happens. Everyone unanimously agrees that we can't possibly go to McDonald's, and better lunch suggestions emerge. Magic!
This is often why brainstorming works. The goal is simply to give any and all ideas - good or bad - because sometimes the lousy ideas lead to better ideas.
Someone who says "McDonald's" for lunch may inspire someone else to remember that awesome burger they had at a cool new gastropub around the corner.
A game developer made a game in which the player assumes the role of a game developer.
He seeded unlocked copies of his game online so people could easily pirate it, with one small change: the player of the pirated version will suffer from high rates of piracy of the games they "develop" in the game.
The developer of the game is suffering from high rates of piracy, complaints, and is not making any money.
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