Just got my Amateur “Ham” License from the FCC, call letters: KG7WLW (General Class)
Author Archives: Drew Haninger
Think Different
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“It is hard to solve a problem by using the same thinking that created it”, Albert Einstein. If you want to get disruptive, you will have to think differently.
Creativity and Music
There is a very big connection between creativity and music. Creativity is just connecting things together. Music connects many areas of the brain together. Playing music connects the right and left sides of the brain. I have heard that some companies have a tendency to hire engineers that also have a major in music because these type of people tend to be the most creative.
Here is a great article on this in Huffington Post and also in Quora.
Music and Piano
Books Helping Me in My latest Research Project:
Books Helping Me in My latest Research Project:
- How to Create a Mind by Ray Kurzweil
- Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance
- Spikes – exploring the Neural Codes
- A Practical Guide to Brain-Computer Interfacing with BCI2000
- The ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications (Ham Radio)
- Detection of Signals in Noise by McDonough and Whalen
- Some Links:
- Signal Hound Spectrum Analyser
- Gqrx – software defined radio powered by GNU-Radio
- software defined radio news and projects
- Radio Astronomy SDR Receivers
- brain–computer interface (BCI)
- Recording the entire nervous system in real time will unlock secrets of the brain
- Brain Waves and Beta Buzz: The Wild Story of Neural Oscillations
- Zero Span Mode For Pulsed Signal Analysis
The “Gut” Feeling – What is This?
Many top CEO’s from General Electric to Walmart to Army generals have these “gut” feelings about things, sometimes called “seeing around the corner”. Is it real or fake. Most of the time they seem correct in hindsight. I understand that psychologists have studied this and came to the conclusion that the sub-conscious brain is looking at trends, data, past history, competition, user complaints and finances and coming up with certain predictions. It usually comes as a feeling, but if ones takes time to think about it the data is also available.
For example a CEO may say: “that marketing campaign is wrong”, maybe a correct feeling, but why. Maybe it does not connect with users, too wordy, wrong words or just boring.
Here is a reference: When to trust your gut feeling by Jack Welch (General Electric)
Also look at these quotes from BrainyQuote.
Why are you doing the wrong analysis
Sometimes when we are building a generic platform we make the mistake of spending too much time analyzing a single product. We want to know how an article, title or product did so we can decide if we should do more of the same on the platform.
But remember in establishing a platform many items need to be added so:
1. users can get almost anything, so they come back looking for more of anything.
2. the “long tail” effect works.
3. we get lots of search traffic (Google SEO) from many items that draws in many possible users and customers.
Yes, but what we promote in marketing could use some analysis, but not necessarily what we put on the platform. This assumes the cost of a product, article or title is low.
Creativity, not Email
Do creative things over email, if you can, save email for less productive time of day. (of course don’t ignore anything important) When you are most peaked and alert do creativity. There might be something new to invent today. Maybe a new way to do an old thing. Maybe a new technology for a new or old thing.
Dancing with Creativity and Analytics
Growth Hacking is a creative analytical marketing used by many technology startups. In Growth Hacking there is a careful dance between creativity and analytics. In the old days one would do A B testing. Well that’s great to find the best horse to ride on, but it will not take you to a new paradigm where transportation is now an invention by Henry Ford called the “Horseless carriage” — p.s. why is the word “horse” in there???
Get Fresh Ideas from Anywhere…
Get fresh ideas, from anywhere…
Where is anywhere? Learn something new, try something new, travel where you have never been and watch your creative self come alive with new ideas.
Tenacious
Tenacious – a great word to describe how one needs to just keep going. Don’t give up on a great idea. Some creative business ideas just do not take off because the visionary gave up too soon.