Entertained to a lack of imagination?
Oldbitcollector (Jeff)
Posts: 8,091
I've spent the last month pondering why we don't see more project activity than we currently do...
I'm starting to come to a conclusion that we have become a society of people who have entertained ourselves nearly to death, or at least death of imagination.
I remember what I was a pre-teen, I had that Radio Shack, 101 electronics kit. My favorite project in the kit was the FM radio transmitter. (I think I could still assemble it without looking at the page.) My father still has tapes of my radio broadcasts hidden away. Later, I lived that dream for a short while. It didn't matter my broadcasting equipment was a wooden box with some wires, and that my microphone was placed next to the speakers on my record player, and that my broadcast range could be measured in feet, I was a DJ. Imagination took care of the rest.
It seems that our current society seems to lack imagination. It's not just that we've "Grown up", but the kids seem to suffer from the same problem. Have we entertained ourselves so much on movies, TV, and gadgets that we can't even think? Imagination has become this thing that only a few posses, and all of us know who they are in the electronics community. Even the folks who bring us our entertainment seem to have lost the ability to come up with new ideas, rehashing old material from twenty years ago for films and television.
Companies like Parallax and Gadget Gangster will have to find ways to counter this but not just providing sensors and cool parts, but probably some excellent examples and projects to kick people back into play. I saw an example of this when asked about the Spinneret at the show. A few people have had trouble imaging just "what" to do with this cool gadget.
Perhaps we need to start handing out TV-b-GONEs at our shows? I'm not sure what the answer it, but it does seem like we are on a slippery slope as a society.
OBC
I'm starting to come to a conclusion that we have become a society of people who have entertained ourselves nearly to death, or at least death of imagination.
I remember what I was a pre-teen, I had that Radio Shack, 101 electronics kit. My favorite project in the kit was the FM radio transmitter. (I think I could still assemble it without looking at the page.) My father still has tapes of my radio broadcasts hidden away. Later, I lived that dream for a short while. It didn't matter my broadcasting equipment was a wooden box with some wires, and that my microphone was placed next to the speakers on my record player, and that my broadcast range could be measured in feet, I was a DJ. Imagination took care of the rest.
It seems that our current society seems to lack imagination. It's not just that we've "Grown up", but the kids seem to suffer from the same problem. Have we entertained ourselves so much on movies, TV, and gadgets that we can't even think? Imagination has become this thing that only a few posses, and all of us know who they are in the electronics community. Even the folks who bring us our entertainment seem to have lost the ability to come up with new ideas, rehashing old material from twenty years ago for films and television.
Companies like Parallax and Gadget Gangster will have to find ways to counter this but not just providing sensors and cool parts, but probably some excellent examples and projects to kick people back into play. I saw an example of this when asked about the Spinneret at the show. A few people have had trouble imaging just "what" to do with this cool gadget.
Perhaps we need to start handing out TV-b-GONEs at our shows? I'm not sure what the answer it, but it does seem like we are on a slippery slope as a society.
OBC
Comments
The best thing about my wife was she never watched TV, so she got me to cut WAY back. If I watched TV like the average American, I'd never get anything done!
Maybe it's just me but I find it difficult to be imaginative/creative in a structured and bound environment.
Today it seems like due to time constraints, money constraints or just societal pressures, everything is structured and controlled. There's very little free time and when it does crop up, people are often so burnt out that they veg in front of the TV (I'm guilty). I know at work, it's hard to be as creative as we used to be because there are so many time demands - often, creativity just comes as a response to survive. There's no time for refinement or development of an idea because you have the answers and are off to the next problem.
I find my hobby worlds to be excellent releases (when time permits) and I tend not to follow rules too strictly - it really is OK to try something and fail because you really can/do learn.
As for younger generations, I can't answer. There seem to be a percentage of innovative, imaginative spirits but it seems like each generation has fewer and fewer. No everyone wants a formula to create the next big success (game, movie, app, etc.) - it's better to follow the rules and patterns of previous successes without taking the risk or challenge of innovation.
I agree with erco about getting overwhelmed - I often do that to myself and just need to get on with it and take the first bite....it may work, it may not, it may need to have somethine redone but at least it is started.
-Phil
The lost art of building with your hands.
How many kids today are required (or even have the opportunity) to take shop class? Has Title IX been a factor in eliminating these programs as it has for certain team sports? How many kids' parents provide a workbench and tools that they're free to use? Kids can't be expected to want to build stuff if they've never even been exposed to the means for doing so.
-Phil
http://lifehacker.com/5142776/ze-frank-on-executing-ideas-vs-brain-crack
I have to agree with you, our society tends to not be "hands on."
Last semester, as a freshman in high school, I took a tech theater class, which is one of the more technical classes, ( I took it b/c i think playing with soundboard and light-boards are fun
As for projects, hopefully I can finish my CNC in the next week and start to work on my custom HDPE robot base for UPENE
@ PhiPi
Unfortunately, my school dosent have a shop class, but my parents have been supporting my projects since I was 3. Im pretty sure im the only one my age I know that can/will build the types of creations I do.
A number of college/university final year students had been 'buying' premade projects for their final year projects, and that disallows them to think even further. Not all that, on times many students refused to think. Many projects especially microcontroller ones are poorly done and solved. A mere 30 minutes of think, it is already a labourious process to them. They would rather be outside playing Left 4 Dead or Defense of the Ancients in the cybercafes, or smoking in the alley. All in the academic world is simpler to them, read up notes, regurgitate contents in exam and aim for First Class Honours. Not bad, I'd say, but many of those students with that 3.5-ish pointers, they struggled with the projects, alongside with creating new concepts. There are no more imagination in the students, and only it came out a little when they had to get the project last minute before the submission date.
During my undergrad years, I'm an average student, and being the curious guy, I would read up a lot on stuff in the library. I admit I flunked a subject or two, but that did not stop me from learning more of the good stuff in the college. There, I could read up Fourier Transform, and gradually progress to FFT, and gradually progress and connected myself to the music world, where harmonics and rhythm comes in place. Not only that, I read up a lot in Neurobiology and Machine Vision as many of the concepts can be combined to become a more effective system. In the college, the "think" system is very important.
Unfortunately the "thinking" culture is slowly diminishing even in colleges. The "thinking" activity allows other people to sideline each other, especially in groups. Many people got bullied because they are "progressive thinkers".
We must not let the imagination evaporate to oblivion. As Einstein said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge".
-Phil
My kid can play Guitar Hero on expert. It’s wildest thing to watch. He also has a Fender Strat and 40 watt tube amp. He can’t play a lick. I’ll pick up my axe and strum a few bars. The boy watches with eyes wide open and asks Dad how do you do that… Practice son!
I think that’s the problem, lack of practice. Information is a Google search away. However, learning takes practice.
Just reminded myself of that electronic kits: There wasn't much "DIY electronic kits" and "assemble stuff" anymore sold. I once visited a store which used to pack a few of those stuff. Sadly, no one bought it. Evidence: The same old pack was still hanging there for months before they shelve it again.
Long time ago those stuff sold well. I remembered "Wheel of Fortune" featuring the 4017 and the 4060, and the "Timer + Relay" featuring the 555.
Also, with DIY electronic projects, I find books waaaaayyyyyyy more useful than Google.
I think in today's world, youth are almost "scared off" by the sheer complicity (or appearance of it) of modern day technology.
People seem to be getting smarter, but at the same time less motivated ("we have smartphones, what else could this world possibly need?").
Then again, us forumers, we're not like that, are we?
Low power one with a standard LED.
now a 1 WATT SMT from Digikey
Action Video !! a Must see
http://www.flickr.com/photos/peterthethinker/5879205661/in/photostream
I had a idea to use a SMT LED vs a TH LED and run it off a small Li Po cell . well as you can see Its plenty bright
you could say I have a bright imagination .
I have Bright ideas .
The wife and I haven't had the tv on this month (got angry at bad cable service and said a few things like "cancel" and words I can't repeat on the forum), and have been finding other things to do instead of original plan of trying a dish network. Oh, the looks on peoples faces at work when they ask "have you seen...?" and you tell them you haven't watched tv in weeks.
As a kid I would spend all my free time reading, now I don't have free time and mostly read stuff for work.
I was in the department store and happened to glance at the display of educational toys (I think by vtech) with all the game cartridges, etc you could buy. Perhaps if we bought small children the Radio Shack Shack Project Kit instead they might not lose the imagination kids are naturally born with. But then you'd have to spend time with your kids instead of leaving them to the electronic baby sitters. (Felt good to rant!)
I may be growing older, but am refusing to "grow up".
We noticed that the cartoon networks ran on a 48 hour "near loop" so we bought a bunch of slow record VHS tapes and recorded it. When we called to cancel, the person on the phone asked if we had kids, and acted like we were abusing them by doing this.
As the children lost the tapes one by one, they were effectively weened from cable.
Our friends think it's funny that we haven't seen the latest "cool" commercial, but we don't miss the constant pull to advertising.
OBC
@Egmono.... Yeah, that song had quite the influence. There was a song by the Scorpions called "Media Overkill" that portrayed a similar message:)
I remember when Home Canning made a brief resurgence about ten years ago. The Onion had an article (which I cannot find) entitled "Housewife Claims to find Eighteenth Century Drudgery 'Relaxing' ".
The current paradigm includes TV and big budget movies. It also includes prepackaged meat, refrigeration, and medicine which extends our lives beyond the 40 years maximum that should be expected for a species our size and weight, which had dominated human most of human existence until the advent of "civilization".
There will ALWAYS be the few that explore, and the majority do not. We each choose a DIFFERENT AREA of exploration, and choose the easy way for everything else, its a simple case of distribution of resources. While I explore advanced software development life cycle, I certainly don't expect everyone else to, only hope others a can benefit from my findings. And I certainly would NOT choose to grow my own food, slaughter my own meat, and make my own TV shows.
Understanding the current paradigm is the key to adapting it for your own purposes.
In case its not clear, I disagree with the thread title. I cite all the folks that posted as evidence of my counter-thesis, especially Peter.
Jeff,
A lot of people have left regular message boards for Facebook. Fortunately, Facebook can't always get you electronics help which is why you have forums here.
I don't write a lot as much as I use to because fewer people care because they would rather play Farmville on Facebook.
Chuck
We cut off the satellite TV subscription some 8 years ago due to the service changes as it became not cheap and with unimaginative and uninspiring marketing methods.
The new cartoons have very sharp colours, sometimes it 'pokes' my eyes watching these. I preferred hand-painted like what Hannah-Barbera and others did 60 years ago.
Apart from cartoons, I mostly did read about electronics from the encyclopedia when I was younger (no internet during the 97-98) and depended on hobby electronic kits for mental gratification.
I wonder if we could even encourage kids to play with microcontrollers. The thing is, do they have that patience?
I like old movies, so typically the TV is tuned to Turner Classic Movies (TCM). There are a lot of movies I've discovered that way that I probably wouldn't have come across any other way. I like dialogue and often fall asleep during action sequences in the theater.
Of course, I also look for new episodes of Phineas and Ferb.
[1] Which makes it really difficult to catch up on the old Japanese movies that I like (Kurosawa, not anime) because I need to actually watch them so I can read the subtitles.
Even now, you're sparking imagination......
[1] you need 'reverse closed captioning' - a multi-prop solution to scan for subtitles in the video stream and voice synthesize them so you can go back to listening.....
Actually, you need to create a Propeller version called "TV B On" to counteract the users who turn televisions off. I made one and tested it and all I heard was "Daddy!" My son wishes they made a TV B On but I guess it is already called a tv remote.
Farmville has definitely made an entrance here as well.. sigh.. Outside of the social aspect of it, I have a hard time understanding the appeal.
OBC
IMHO, there are a few factors in play here. One, as discussed is the level of distractions there are in life these days. I find it pretty intense, compared to say 15, 20 years ago. Even then, it was starting to ramp up pretty good. Many comments made on this, so I won't add to it, but to say I generally agree.
Another factor in play is the overall life complexity is on the rise. Costs and risks are being pushed onto us as people, sold as being a value add, but really it's not. We do a lot more detail processing in our lives now, and when we don't do it, the cost is generally time or money, and if we do it, the cost is generally time and money. Gotta love that.
Wealth, BTW, is generally defined as having more "want to do" time than "must do" time, and with each new, what I would call "compressed" entertainment form, came layers of other obligations, essentially compressing "want to do" time into a smaller portion of the day, with our other time freed, the costs and risks are there to consume it, leaving us generally poor in terms of time wealth, and potentially money wealth as well.
And that's the third factor I see here. Over the last 15 years, a whole lot of things have been devalued. The product of labor, in terms of buying power per hour worked, is generally down overall, despite a lot of inexpensive items out there. Other costs rise, and with that diminished overall buying power, more hours are required of everybody, again generally. My own experience here is 40 hours appears never acceptable any more, and I'm not sure how it happened, but it has happened to most people I know. Not all, but most.
All these combined make people tired and drained. That's on top of the many distractions we have in play today. Is there any wonder curiosity is blunted? I don't think so. Truth is, people may well be curious, but they know they probably don't have the time capacity to really follow through, so they don't, optimizing the time they do have.
When I entered this hobby again, I had a fair amount of time, which was enough to boot-strap me in again, and so I'm off and running, having fun like the rest of you are. However, time demand spikes come frequently, and it does limit projects I would consider, as I often must do things in smaller pieces, or with longer chunks of time between active times. I know others, who also have hobbies, maybe not this one, but hobbies all the same, and their experiences are similar. Sometimes we give up sleep, or other things.
IMHO, that all can be managed when people have the core skills they need, but it's a lot harder to get started to do the building now, and that raises the barrier to entry for a lot of folks, chilling project activity as mentioned in the thread.
To sum up, there is just a lot of entertainment, and it's compressed and intense. There is a general increase in life complexity, and finally, the overall value of things and products of labor are less, all of which contribute to a less project / hobby / do it yourself environment.
That's my take folks.
People want friends and it is easier for some people to waste time at their desks. If you have 200 friends, it is not manageable but if 20 are available at a time, it is a way for time strapped people to connect.
My name is Jim and I spend too much time on the forum instead of working on my projects.
--- Personal Confession Off ---
Now I admit that I learn a lot from the people on this forum, but I have to also admit that it is an escape, just like TV.
Jim...
It may be an escape, but it is not like TV. Here you are learning something useful and not being inundated with idiotic commercials.