N

You have arrived at the web home of Noah Brier. This is mostly an archive of over a decade of blogging and other writing. You can read more about me or get in touch. If you want more recent writing of mine, most of that is at my BrXnd marketing x AI newsletter and Why Is This Interesting?, a daily email for the intellectually omnivorous.

March, 2010

Idea Commodities

Thomas Friedman's quote on the economic competition of imagination.
I'm having a hard time deciding whether I think this quote from Thomas Friedman is total crap or brilliant:
In today's wired world, the most important economic competition is no longer between countries or companies. The most important economic competition is actually between you and your own imagination. Because what your kids imagine, they can now act on farther, faster, cheaper than ever before -- as individuals. Today, just about everything is becoming a commodity, except imagination, except the ability to spark new ideas.
I think it's actually somewhere in the middle of the two. Sure ideas/imagination are worth something and you can't get anything done without them, but if they're not acted on, they don't matter. And while it may be easier and cheaper than ever to act on them, the vast majority of the universe doesn't get around to it. While I certainly believe in encouraging this kind of behavior in children (and adults) as much as possible, I think it's the bringing an idea to life piece that's not been commoditized.
March 21, 2010
©
Noah Brier | Thanks for reading. | Don't fake the funk on a nasty dunk.