Cruising with a brain in neutral
Went to the Thinkerama again tonight. Not much went on - some updates on what's happening with earlier projects, some minor tweak ideas for current stuff.
I'm unsure about some of the discussions. They seem... I'm not sure how to put it. Off. Misaligned. In the wrong mental space. It bugs me because it tends to make me want to jump up and cry "Wrong!" or "You fool! That will never work!".
I've had it explained to me that some of the ideas aren't necessarily going to be used in the form they're introduced in, and that there might be a lot of verbal jumping off to related spaces where more useful possibilities work, and I'm fine with that, but it bugs me that the original ideas could be tabled when they have such obvious huge self-defeating flaws.
Sure, with sufficient neurocrackling momentum we'll eventually pinball our way out of the original limitations and into a new phase space, but sticking us in a box of stupidity in the first place just wastes our limited time. It bugs me when I can see such boxes around us within seconds of the idea leaving someone's mouth, and know that we're going to be in for a long, boring, and fruitless round of "Now, I want to go around the table and get everyone to tell me what they really like about FredJimBob's idea" while I'm mentally shouting "Nothing, because it obviously CAN'T WORK!"
Apparently this comes across as not being helpful, even when I'm doing my best to restrain myself to a simple "I'm not seeing at this point how we're going to overcome X, could someone enlighten me and perhaps grow the concept towards a wider headspace?"
I don't always even add "...because otherwise this product is going to OBVIOUSLY POISON PEOPLE IN THE FACE WITH KILLER BEES", or even "...because the idea you've described only has applications in two areas, both of which have better, cheaper, and faster systems and products which have been commercially available for decades."
I swear, one of them tonight actually said "There's nothing on the market using this process", and it took all my power to bite back "There's a REALLY OBVIOUS REASON for that, if you'd just actually consider the ramifications of what you're proposing."
While I don't mind discussions which eventually end up going in a useful direction, it doesn't help to start them by presenting a product idea which requires suspension of a couple of laws of physics or complete redefinition of human psychology to work or sell. Sweet Zombie Jesus, please, for the sake of all that's good and pure and not wasting my time, pitch ideas which are at least marginally possible in their original form. Otherwise we're going to be rattling around in the tin bucket of FAIL for the next thirty minutes while my brain tries to squeeze out my ear and run away gibbering.
It's like being asked to evaluate and comment on the best way to tweak and market a lipstick which is applied by cannonball to the face. Serious discussions of Rose Blush vs Spring Lilac are not going to help the product. Really. Nor are such lines as "Well, we could make a cannonball-applied lipstick for about $20 per decapitation application... with packaging and administration, $25 per item isn't really viable - so we'll sell it at $49 each."
Good God, I'm surrounded by people who are lapsing into management.
I'm unsure about some of the discussions. They seem... I'm not sure how to put it. Off. Misaligned. In the wrong mental space. It bugs me because it tends to make me want to jump up and cry "Wrong!" or "You fool! That will never work!".
I've had it explained to me that some of the ideas aren't necessarily going to be used in the form they're introduced in, and that there might be a lot of verbal jumping off to related spaces where more useful possibilities work, and I'm fine with that, but it bugs me that the original ideas could be tabled when they have such obvious huge self-defeating flaws.
Sure, with sufficient neurocrackling momentum we'll eventually pinball our way out of the original limitations and into a new phase space, but sticking us in a box of stupidity in the first place just wastes our limited time. It bugs me when I can see such boxes around us within seconds of the idea leaving someone's mouth, and know that we're going to be in for a long, boring, and fruitless round of "Now, I want to go around the table and get everyone to tell me what they really like about FredJimBob's idea" while I'm mentally shouting "Nothing, because it obviously CAN'T WORK!"
Apparently this comes across as not being helpful, even when I'm doing my best to restrain myself to a simple "I'm not seeing at this point how we're going to overcome X, could someone enlighten me and perhaps grow the concept towards a wider headspace?"
I don't always even add "...because otherwise this product is going to OBVIOUSLY POISON PEOPLE IN THE FACE WITH KILLER BEES", or even "...because the idea you've described only has applications in two areas, both of which have better, cheaper, and faster systems and products which have been commercially available for decades."
I swear, one of them tonight actually said "There's nothing on the market using this process", and it took all my power to bite back "There's a REALLY OBVIOUS REASON for that, if you'd just actually consider the ramifications of what you're proposing."
While I don't mind discussions which eventually end up going in a useful direction, it doesn't help to start them by presenting a product idea which requires suspension of a couple of laws of physics or complete redefinition of human psychology to work or sell. Sweet Zombie Jesus, please, for the sake of all that's good and pure and not wasting my time, pitch ideas which are at least marginally possible in their original form. Otherwise we're going to be rattling around in the tin bucket of FAIL for the next thirty minutes while my brain tries to squeeze out my ear and run away gibbering.
It's like being asked to evaluate and comment on the best way to tweak and market a lipstick which is applied by cannonball to the face. Serious discussions of Rose Blush vs Spring Lilac are not going to help the product. Really. Nor are such lines as "Well, we could make a cannonball-applied lipstick for about $20 per decapitation application... with packaging and administration, $25 per item isn't really viable - so we'll sell it at $49 each."
Good God, I'm surrounded by people who are lapsing into management.