September 30, 2005

PROBLEM SOLVING

Lynn of Reflections in D Minor examines some ways to think like a genius, and asks the obvious question on this one:

"Look at problems in many different ways, and find new perspectives that no one else has taken (or no one else has publicized!)"

Uh... okay. How do you do that?

The answer is simple... stare at the problem until an idea pops into your head. Dismiss it because it's trite and unoriginal.

Repeat as often and for as many hours as necessary until something original hits you.

Normally I don't have to do this for more than 3 or 4 hours max before something clicks, although sometimes - if I'm very lucky - it only takes a few minutes.

You probably think I'm kidding, but it's actually how I manage to do most of my assignment-based humor pieces for the Alliance & the IMAO podcast.

It's a crude, brute-force technique, but it DOES work.

Sucks the life right out of ya, though.

By the way, if you think the jokes that I post are bad, you should see the ones that never made it out of my skull.

posted by Harvey on September 30, 2005 at 10:10 AM | Permalink | 3 Liars | TrackBack | Ponderings
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Comments on PROBLEM SOLVING
tommy exemplified on September 30, 2005 10:16 AM

I call it brute force and ignorance

Tom exemplified on September 30, 2005 03:00 PM

Or you could just kidnap a genius and hide him in your basement. Geniuses can live on nothing but Ramen soup, need little exercise, and are exceedingly quiet. They do tend to be messy, though.

Madfish Willie exemplified on September 30, 2005 07:36 PM

Thanks for sparing us the gruesome task of your more mundane meandring thoughts...