It's Already Been Done

There are roughly 8 billion people on the planet. And most have the capacity and the capability of making something for someone. So, the chance of our ideas being original at this point are virtually nil. And despite this, remarkable work is produced every day. And, while it feels fresh and new...and perhaps even original, it’s probably not. So, why bother working on something new?

It turns out that while there are very few one off’s, there are many, many variations...slightly modded instances of the last slightly modded instance. And so the ratchet of progress turns, not always because of original, groundbreaking ideas, but despite the lack of them. Morphing, modifying, developing a tangent in a unique way isn’t cheating. It’s creating. It’s bringing our unique perspective to it and making it better. And we need more of it. 

Which Geeks Are You Serving?

There is a resurgence of the vinyl record. And of course it makes no sense in terms of listening to music. There are now far more efficient means of filling your ears than ever before. And even audiophiles have a hard time agreeing upon the “best” medium. And alas, some of the upward trend is just a fad which will likely wane. But go to any serious record shop and watch what’s going on and it’s obvious… people who like records like going deeper. They like diving into the details of the craftsmanship, the history, the oddness, the weird and sometimes even offensive nature of the record...and its wrapper. And they like the conversation that ensues...about which pressing is best, whether a remastered reissue is better than the original, etc.

The new attraction to vinyl records has very little to do with music. It has much more to do with the conversation you get to have with other like minded people about what’s behind the music, the album art and the process of getting it on the disc. It enables people to be geeks.

Everyone wants to be a geek about something. Which ones are you serving?