INNOVATIONS : HIGHWAY TO HELL??

when people doubt themselves or they think that they are not able to accomplish, I always tell them...

"when you've started thinking like Japanese, only then you'll know that nothing is impossible"

before we move further towards a thorough understanding regarding innovations that failed to demonstrate practicality, let's take a look at some of Japan's most peculiar gadgets.

SOLAR- POWERED BRA

Here, we are looking at a solar-powered bra. This bra can generate enough energy to charge a mobile phone or an I-Pad! The whole solar thing is actually quite magnifying....but why bra?

SO SINCE PRACTICALITY = NO

INNOVATION = NO

STANDING SLEEPER

the theory is...if the bench is full and you are really tired, then this is what you do. But can we really sleep well standing? Of course not.

SO SINCE PRACTICALITY = NO

INNOVATION = NO

MACHINE GUN GUITAR

and this baby right here is........whoaaaa

PRACTICALITY = WHOAAAA

INNOVATION = WHOAAAA

DO I WANT IT = YEAAAAAA!!

MAN- PILLOW

ahahaha, loner much, aye??

PRACTICALITY = FOREVER

INNOVATION = ALONE

you know people right, how stereotypical a person can be. When a thing easily breaks down, they'll say "CHINA", but when they see bizarre or strange gadgets. What do they say?

THEM JAPANESE!

another story worth telling is about the failure of Atari Jaguar. Gamers must be familiar with Atari, the company that brought forth the game called Pong. First of all, this is Atari Jaguar.

hehe, kinda ugly, isn't it? :3

so, what's the case with Atari Jaguar? Listed as one of commercial failures in video gaming, It was initially designed to surpass the other major contenders of that time, Sega and Nintendo's processing power. However, due to lack of quality, a setback in the hardware that made programming difficult, an unfriendly controller design, and a number of crippling business practices on the part of Atari senior management, Atari Jaguar was put on its knees and remained one of a major innovation failures. However, what has become of Atari Jaguar?

IT BECOMES A DENTIST EQUIPMENT!!YEAYY!!! :D

Creativity is never wrong. Imagination is never wrong, it may be unrealistic, but it won't be wrong, same goes to art. However, what led to the downfall of Atari Jaguar and other innovations' wall of shame-rs? This is because the marketing can be wrong, business strategy can be wrong. I've filtered it down to 3 reasons that I think must be eligible in the product in order to sustain a commercial value in it. Let's analyze these three questions.

1) IS IT PRACTICAL?

Can it be used? If it can be used, is it easy to be used? Is it heavy? Is it portable? Can it be brought anywhere? Does it look nice? Can the look be enhanced? Does it break down easily? Does it lag?  Why does it lag? How often does it lag? If we charge the battery, will the phone lag!? Why does Blackberry always lag!??? (this is getting personal...I'm a Blackberry user and we all know how often Blackberry lags)

So these questions must be asked for a product to enjoy success in the market. Why do handphones become a hit? It's because it can be brought anywhere, and it's not like we only want to call people in our home. We have SMS already, but why does Blackberry Messenger manage to bulldoze the market? It's because BBM only requires BB pin, not the contact's number. Thus, if the person one is chatting with is slightly annoying, he can always remove the contact without having to think that "she has my number!!! :O" Practicality is the utmost important feature in product. This is why naughty teenagers use Google Chrome instead of Mozilla Firefox. The Incognito Window. ;) (dirty minds are clever minds) Practicality. Steve Jobs threw the first Iphone in the water to see how much it weighs. Personally, I don't think that innovations are meant to be original, they are meant to enhance, simplify, and make the products more practical.

and that's what practicality is all about...

2) WILL IT SELL?

Does it look like other product? Does it have slightly more functions that its contenders?If it does, can the price be way more than the contenders? If it doesn't, should the price be lowered? Can people accept changes? Are people actually ready to accept changes? Can the product bring changes? In other words.............Will it become a trend?

We are back to honour the late Steve Jobs, the pioneer of Apple. Apple is currently the most valuable company in the world....for selling things that other companies have sold wayy before it. However, how could this happen? Simple, because it sells. It commercializes the products, making people to have the idea that this has never been done before. All the apps, the slim and sexy figure of the Iphone and how smart the phone is which often be described as "smarter than the user", those are commercial points that Apple have in order to surpass other companies in the market. It's true though, sometimes to indicate how ostrich and dumb a man is, we say "I think your phone is way smarter than you"

3) WILL IT STAY?

Are you in to visit, or are you in to stay? Are you paying rent, or buying the house? Are you here to follow, or are you here to lead? Are you in to participate, or are you in to takeover?

Many companies have fallen, because they can't keep up with how fast the world rolls. Usually, the most common is the telecommunication companies. See how Nokia seems to lose its touch? But Nokia isn't quite a perfect example for this, Nokia has been in the scene far longer. If you want to know what really symbolizes practicality, Nokia 3310 is the symbol of practicality. We often brag about how rough and tough Nokia 3310 is. With the internet people making memes about it. Nokia rocks and will always do. However, have you ever been to the handphone stores and heard someone says "Can I take a look at that Alcatel,  Better pinch yourself, it's a dream. Thus, in order to ensure the success of the product, the production team must always be aware of the surroundings and the changes in the society. They must be fast to take action before being surpassed by other ambitious companies. The philosophy is simple... (of course, talking is always easy :3 )

YOU'VE GIVEN WHAT THE SOCIETY WANTS, NOW GIVE THEM BETTER AND LET THEY NOW FOLLOW WHAT YOU WANT

well, not that easy though...it's actually hard.haha

From The Thick Accent of Sir Ken Robinson

Frankly, if the lecturer had said it earlier that this would be written on the blog, I would listen to this video better..

I remember myself in the class multitasking. 1) to try and actually comprehend the thick British accent of Sir Ken Robinson. 2) To try keeping the straight face and shutting my mouth and opening my eyes from sleeping because I had a strange feeling that the lecturer was looking at me.

But then I looked behind and looked at my friends were now in different places in the Atlas...

I was done trying....

but it's fine though, because I'm watching this again...THIS TIME WITH AN EARPHONE!

http://blog.ted.com/2006/06/27/sir_ken_robinso/ - this makes everything easier!

Now that I've gained the comprehension about this talk, I must say that I haven't done anything more productive today than listening to this talk (this is also considering the fact that I woke up at 5pm today). So, let me break things into pieces so that the information can flow easier.

Do schools kill creativity? That's the ultimate question here. As for me, in any place called school or any place that is meant to be educative, the main objective is parallel, to cultivate the students into becoming better individuals. The problem here for me, is probably a mentality that is so contagious, it is affecting the creative field. A contagious mentality that suggests like what Sir Ken Robinson said, "to produce university professors" If ears could nod, mine were nodding to this phrase said by Sir Ken Robinson.

But something strikes you when you move to America and when you travel around the world: every education system on earth has the same heirarchy of subjects. Every one, doesn’t matter where you go, you’d think it would be otherwise but it isn’t. At the top are mathematics and languages, then the humanities, and the bottom are the arts. Everywhere on earth.

Isn't it really the case here? That heirarchy is actually affecting the way people see things. But, actually, I don't quite agree with the fact that schools kill creativity because if we say the word "schools", we are blaming every school. I mean, we have dance school, we have art school, we have drama school. We have that, even in a low amount, we have that. What the students must do (which of course, requires the aid of the adults to actually push them forward) are to identify the factors that define themselves, whether they want to be a mathematician, whether they want to be an animator. What I'm trying to prove here is, if you want to be  an artist, don't bother going to IPTA because you are not going to get what you are aiming at. However, I've seen my friends who are going to study something they are totally alien to. When the UPU result was out and this girl was informing her friend excitedly that the friend got admitted to IPTA and you know what the friend said when she looked at the course she got? "What is this about?" But is this really the fault of public education? No, because I think public education is preparing students to GET JOB, not LIVING DREAMS. Why? Because job ensures money, and money ensures at least a cozy living, isn't it? If the student is really into art stream, he or she must prepare his or herself mentally to stand at the lowest hierarchy, start anything from ground zero, prepare to overcome people's shallow stigma. The door is there, not moving anywhere, but are you prepared to twist the knob? The story regarding Gillian Lynne excites me as well, "she's not sick, she's a dancer". Maybe Gillian Lynne is pretty lucky to realize her potential from such an early stage, but the bottom line is still the same. If you really know what to do with your life, then you find the path to make it there. Now, she made Cats and Phantom of The Opera. And this is the part where adults must play their role as well. Parents especially, must realize that brains are divided into two and both don't really think the same. The right brainers are creative ones, and your child might be a right brainer. Thus, good parents must catapult them into landing at a place where there belong. Quoting what Sir Ken Robinson said regarding Gillian Lynne's story that even made me give him a round of applause :-

Somebody else might have put her on medication and told her to calm down.

As a sum, schools shall remain the same. Teaching every basic necessity that an individual needs to know in order to get a mere look about what is it that the world demands now. From Mathematics to Social Studies, schools are meant to educate. However, in terms of developing creativity, I guess the person who wants to be creative must take a stand as well with help from adults. As of right now, I'm again looking at the poster on my brother's wall.......

DO WHAT YOU LOVE AND THE MONEY WILL FOLLOW

THE MOST BORING POST EVER : 5 WORDS THAT DON'T DEFINE CREATIVITY

ATHEIST

Trust me, life will be boring if we don't believe. This word isn't used to spark a religious debate or anything, but for me, those who center themselves through religions are those who are able to be creative. This is because even when they don't see it, they can still believe in it. However, atheists, they regard these factors as a made-up bedtime story. Thus, they are lack of the ability to imagine because they are not used to mingle with imagination. They are too stuck with their hectic reality, trying to live each day without a guideline...as if life doesn't matter.

“I would rather live my life as if there is a god and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't and die to find out there is.” - Albert Camus

Dane Cook - Sneezing Atheist

"I hope when he dies, he does become a tree. I hope he's in the middle of the wilderness, and he's doing his tree thing whatever it is trees do. Through the woods a sweaty guy with an axe comes along. Sees him, chops him down and turns him into paper. AND WHEN HE IS PAPER, YOU PRINT THE BIBLE ON HIM!"

THAT LAST LINE NEVER GETS OLD.

SCEPTICISM

don't you feel like killing this guy?

This is like the younger brother of Atheist. Atheist is the worst, they are at the level where they challenge a force beyond their comprehension. Sceptics however, is a boring group who are playing safe. They don't even give an air for imagination to spare some space.They think they are the man of Science but even Albert Einstein once said that imagination is more important that knowledge.

SERIOUSNESS

so cliche, for the sake of the post, i choose to be lack of creativity

I find it beyond annoying when people say "grow up". I really hate that phrase. I really hate when people ask someone to mature up. Maturity for me isn't evaluated through stupid jokes or through a boy's obsession over video games, for me, maturity is evaluated according to how well a person can adapt to his situation. If it's time to have fun, what's with the long face?  Believe me, when the time comes, you will be surprised on how oriented we are able to become. Seriousness actually causes us to be passive and close-minded which of course, isn't a recipe for creativity.

POLITICS

Political jokes are funny, in fact, they are really good. However, nothing's funny about politics. First of all, pardon me for any misinterpretation. I'm here only as a spectator, talking about what I see. I think the only creative part about politics is the Memorandum. But wait a minute, if deception plays a part in politics, and deception is about existing non-existing things......ISN'T THAT CREATIVE? :O But back to the bottom line, political world is an important feature towards globalization. That's why it is understandable that politicians have no time for kid's play. Well, it isn't really their fault. As long as you do your job well, you can leave the creativity part to other people...Does it sound cynical?

and to sum this post up

BORING

Yup, boooringg..like this post with only red and black, this word is a no-no for a creative person. A creative person must stay hyper and stay lively because if you become boring, you become just another person. As a creative person, he must always stay fresh and comes up with brand new idea, even outrageous ones because sometimes, good things come when u don't expect it to be. So when you feel like you've lost your touch, take your time, close your eyes, and imagine great things. :)

THE KEY IS TO BELIEVE

IF YOU CAN'T EVEN BELIEVE, YOU'VE LOST FROM THE START

CREATIVITY IN 5 WORDS

Desktop Wallpaper : Watchmen

Song on Playlist : Muse - Madness


For this week's Creative Studies, we are required to throw 5 words associated with creativity. Only five words, I must say that it's not that hard.  Creativity is everywhere. Cuisine, songwriting, colours, even small fun talks with friends regarding whether aliens exist. Creativity is vast, the perimeter is the universe. Therefore, these are the 5 words to describe creativity as a whole.

 A clever person explains through demonstration and descriptions.....but intellectual defines in only one word. ;)

(not saying that I'm an intellectual...or maybe I am saying that I'm an intellectual)

1) FICTION

Fiction is the product of creativity. It's all about making something out of nothing. To mock the boring reality. Fiction is definitely the word to describe creativity. Many fictional stories have actually managed to make audience succumb to them as a way to escape reality. Harry Potter (though I don't really fancy it) for instance, it has developed a large fanbase. The 7th installment remain  the fastest selling-book ever with 15 million units sold within the 24 hour of the release date but what does Harry Potter offers that made it so popular? It offers the product of sheer imagination. Look again, in every novel, they contain only letters and the letters are not even in fancy fonts. But what the letters represent are the priceless part. Believe me, before The Lord of The Rings came to theatre, everybody has a different look of Sauron in their mind. That journey of imagination is what matters.

2) ORIGINALITY

Repeated twists......are cliche

It looks the same...but are looking close enough?

Remember when we watched The Sixth Sense and we were like "I didn't expect that he is the ghost!!". But then when we watch some other wannabe horror movies, we become like "I've known it all along that he's the ghost" Originality, that what defines a creative person. Yeap, I've read this somewhere at the lecturer's note (also an indication that I actually listen to the lecture ;) ) NOTHING IS ORIGINAL ANYMORE. But what does Samsung S3 have over Iphone 5 (not a user of both)? Because the users know....they are not the same. Samsung and Apple both have their own labels, their own trademarks that what people see it, they are going to say that it's Samsung or it's Apple. What I'm trying to conclude here is that, originality doesn't mean that it must always start from ground zero. Sometimes, we only have to gather the scattered pieces, and fill it the missing areas with our own indications. I think they have a word for that....................INNOVATIVE

3)INTROVERT

Many might show disagreement towards relating introverts to creativity because everybody can be creative. Extroverts and outgoing people, they meet many people thus they see many things, won't that be enough to spark that majestic idea inside their mind? However, as for me and I think it's scientifically proven as well, Introverts are the creative type. Why? Because people are annoying, so they play inside their own mind. Wait,wait, let me straight things up for a while. Who are introverts? Introverts are NOT necessarily SHY, QUIET, PASSIVE, SCARED or whatever that makes a dull person. Introverts are simply those who regard themselves as their best friends. They love to read, they prefer art to science and when they watch movies, they are really into the emotions. They love beautiful things. The LIVE WHILE WE'RE YOUNG or YOLO (probably the most disgraceful ethic ever to be adopted by teenagers) won't work for them. While you are out there having a party, they sit at home thinking about big things. Sculptors, composers, writers are proven to be highly introverted according to Wikipedia. I'm pretty much an introvert as well, though I don't know how to draw. As much as I love being around the people I love, I rather sit alone at the park and observe people as well. Because people are most interesting when they think nobody's looking.. ;) This link is for you in case you ever regard Introverts as a poor addition to the society.

http://www.creativitypost.com/pop-culture/10_myths_about_introverts

BUT YEAAAA, PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE AND NONE ARE CREATED THE SAME. I KNOW SOME INTROVERTS THAT DON'T ACTUALLY PROVE THE FACTS.HAHA

4) MYTHOLOGY

This is here because Troy is one of my favourite films ever!

Mythology for me is also a form of creativity. I loveee mythologies, Greek mythology for example. The Greek mythology now have become a more mainstream figure in fictions. Even from the time of the original Clash of The Titans to God of War, Greek mythology has managed to make creative developers to trigger their minds in taking the mythology to a whole new level. They are like saying "so mythology is unbelievable?let's make it more surreal" I think mythology is a proof that creativity has originated even in the Ancient times. We know that those at the old days were geniuses. They produced thinkers, astrologists, mathematicians and sometimes their skill in science were blended well with their imagination. Leonardo Da Vinci for instance, a painter and scientist. Therefore, I guess it's not wrong to think that they must be storytellers as well in the old days, after all, they do have poets. Homer's Illiad and Odyssey brought the classical Battle of Troy to the world. Telling stories far exceeding someone's thought, mesmerizing audience with mythical creatures and legendary warriors. The Mahabhrata and Ramayana revolved around a godlike warrior. Or maybe, back to the INNOVATION that we were talking about, these tales maybe derive from actual accounts, only with additives to make the story tastes better. The Battle Of Troy is said to be also the battlefield of the Greek gods. Sometimes, I wonder, what if everything is actually right. :O

THAT PART ABOUT MYTHOLOGY IS KINDA LONG, ISN'T IT?

5) COMEDY

"A singer can sing the same song for every show and still can get the roar from the crowd, but if a comedian does the same joke, people are going to say that "this has been done before" "

That's a loose quotation translated in English by Malaysian's very own comedian, Nabil and nothing Nabil has ever said that makes more sense than that. It's really hard to make people laugh without making you look like a clown. The storyline is shaped with spontaneity just for the sake of entertaining people. Not only that, how do you represent the joke itself is a major factor of the comedy. Let's just take Whose Line Is It Anyway as a reference. In a blink of eye interval, the comedian must (not optional,MUST) come up with a joke and they did it everytime. That is enough to prove how creative a comedian is. Same goes to the stand up comedians, don't go too far, let's just take Harrith Iskander. He doesn't wear anything that will make people laugh at his attire, he wears a tuxedo, very smart and very sharp. However, the stories that he tells stand on their own to provide the laughter for the audience. Some might feel offended with comedians for maybe taking the joke too far, these are for me among the worst kind of people. I mean.....

IT'S JUST COMEDY ;)

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, AS I WAS DOING THIS WITH ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA IN MIND.I SUDDENLY LOOKED AT MY WALL AND I ALMOST FORGOT MY BROTHER HAS THIS AT HIS ROOM