I wonder if more value is created by people just messing around trying to have fun (apocryphal tale of James Watt messing around staring at tea kettles comes to mind) as opposed to being all serious and working on what they think are important missions
Conversation
Replying to
And of course, I am not just trying to rationalize the fact that messing around is all I actually like to do. 😇
18
This Tweet was deleted by the Tweet author. Learn more
yeah, it's the obvious one...but all 2x2s are fun whether or not they're useful :) trivial versus serious intent, trivial versus serious impact
trivial+trivial = shitpost
trivial+serious = serendipitous inventions
serious+trivial = virtue signaling
serious+serious = war etc
1
6
Replying to
Creative work happens in the former. Iterative in the latter. Play is essential to true creative endeavors, and techno-culture tends to ignore that. Bernie De Koven has plenty of great work in this field of thinking.
Replying to
It's not impossible that humans are more like ants than we understand. No one ant conceives of the emergent effects its activities contribute to. It's possible an ant is intent on a totally different focus, even. This theory wouldn't favor either the one who tries or the good off
2
2
Replying to
I sincerely believe this to be true
Quote Tweet
I think a lot about how Feynman got his Nobel Prize from “piddling around with wobbly plates”. I’m always looking for wobbly plates to piddle with.
And of course the point isn’t to get the Prize, but to enjoy the piddling
Show this thread
1
2
5
Replying to
I definitely want to believe this, in the sense that if it’s playful you’ll be more likely to do it. At the same time, most fun pursuits have tedious aspects that need to be pushed through before they become valuable to others.
Replying to
I know which one feels pure and which one requires hacks, long grinds, and duct tape. Where is the kettle cabinet.






