Michael Iva’s manifesto, “100 Ways to Kill a Concept: Why Most Ideas Get Shot Down”.
So, you’ve got an idea. A big idea. But will your idea take flight? Not if you let your concept be killed by all the usual excuses you hear from your managers, your bosses, your spouses—excuses motivated by fear or possessiveness. In this wide-ranging manifesto, Iva offers you ways to persuade someone to embrace your idea, to not be swayed by negative responses, and to utilize your creativity.
Here’s a list of circumstances that usually follows up once a concept is conceived:
Filmmaker Brett Gaylor explores issues of copyright in the information age, mashing up the media landscape of the 20th century and shattering the wall between users and producers.
Stefan Sagmeister is no mere commercial gun for hire. Sure, he’s created eye-catching graphics for clients including the Rolling Stones and Lou Reed, but he pours his heart and soul into every piece of work. His design work is at once timeless and of the moment, and his painstaking attention to the smallest details creates work that offers something new every time you look at it.
While a sense of humor invariably surfaces in his designs, Sagmeister is nonetheless very serious about his work; his intimate approach and sincere thoughtfulness elevate his design. A genuine maverick, Sagmeister achieved notoriety in the 1990s as the designer who self-harmed in the name of craft: He created a poster advertising a speaking engagement by carving the salient details onto his torso.
Some of the points he highlighted in his TED talk were:
Helping other people helps me.
Having guts always works out for me.
Thinking life will be better in the future is stupid. I have to live now.
Starting a charity is surprisingly easy.
Being not truthful works against me.
Everything I do always comes back to me.
Assuming is stifling.
Drugs feel great in the beginning and become a drag later on.
Over time I get used to everything and start taking for granted.
Money does not make me happy.
Traveling alone is helpful for a new perspective on life.
Keeping a diary supports personal development.
Trying to look good limits my life.
Material luxuries are best enjoyed in small doses.
Worrying solves nothing.
Complaining is silly. either act or forget.
Actually doing the things I set out to do increases my overall level of satisfaction.
Everybody thinks they are right.
Low expectations are a good strategy.
Whatever I want to explore professionally, its best to try it out for myself first.
Everybody who is honest is interesting.
There’s also a community site dedicated to Things I Have Learned In My Life in which you may contribute, share, and hear other people’s life lessons.
PS. Thanks to Marco de Jong for summarizing them on the TED Talk page.
Voting takes place on January 27, 2009. Google will be picking the top 100 ideas, of which 20 semi-finalists will be selected through public voting. From there, Google advisory board will then select up to 5 final ideas.
After the final ideas have been picked, Google will bring them to life. They will commit $10-million to implement the projects.
I like how Google is doing this. Hopefully, its successful enough that not only a lot of people conceive great ideas but also help the World. If any, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if those 5 or so finalist show up on TED Talks.
More details available at project10tothe100.com. Good luck everyone! Let’s change the World positively.
As I was trying to confirm my hunch about Chrome and the Pokemon ball looking the same, I ran into a search result in Flickr which led me to Cole Henley’s image above. Awesome. I am not alone1.
Although, I don’t know about the Simon Says part but it wouldn’t hurt. [↩]