"Tell us that old story again, Zayde," my grandchildren will ask.
"The one about how you used to go to that place where everyone worked. You know, the Workplace! And you worked with the same people every day — until they were thrown out or they stormed out on their own. And you kept all your big secrets from everyone outside the building. Tell us that story again. I love that story."
"Oh, and then tell us the story about how someone used to chop down trees and grind them up and soak the dust in water and roll the whole mess flat and spill ink on it and leave it on your doorstep in the early morning for you to play with at breakfast. Tell us the part about how this news-paper was your connection to the outside world. I love that story."
"Ugh, children. It's time for Zayde's enema. Leave me alone."
The world is changing. (Duh.)
Because Ideas Are Getting Frisky
So here's a great example of ideas having sex.
It comes from a website called hitRECord, where creative individuals upload their work with the explicit intention that other people will take that work and change it; add to it; making it more, less or better.
It's a highly creative example of crowdsourcing.
The following video is an example. I don't know the true order of its development, but we can imagine:
- A person posted a video of a fast-motion traffic scene.
- Another person liked it and doubled it into a mirror-image. Then reposted it.
- Yet another person saw that, liked it, and wrote the text. And reposted it.
- Another person added the music (reposted), someone else recorded the voiceover (reposted) — and then someone decides she's going to add the subtitles.
And they don't work in the same building, nor — in fact — have much of an idea who the others are.
It's just a couple minutes. Enjoy.