5 Reasons the Internet has Become the Ideal Creative Medium
And its Only Getting Better
1. Collaboration – Because of the internet collaboration is possible between individuals in opposite corners of the globe. The increased sharing of ideas and information speeds up the creative process and results in better, faster, more innovative ideas. The collective human intelligence is overclocked like never before.
2. Low Barriers to Entry – Anyone can get a free blog or web page to express their ideas and opinions. If you want to run your own site the costs are still relatively small. Compare this with publishing a book or recording a CD. To reach the same audience the costs of production and distribution would be astronomical. Because of the internet voices are heard that never had a venue before.
3. No Censorship – Excuse me, I meant no fucking censorship. The internet gives the individual the ability to publish without the restraints of mainstream media. It ensures unhindered freedom of speech and the sharing of controversial opinions. No longer does having an unpopular idea stop you from being heard.
4. No Corporate Control – If you want to reach a wide audience using conventional media, chances are you will have to go through a large corporation. Once the corporation is involved the focus is no longer the creative work, but making money off it. Your work will be rejected if it doesn’t fit into a clear marketable category. The internet cuts the middle man out of the system and creates a direct link between author and audience.
5. Multimedia – No matter what type of media you use, the internet is a way to showcase your creativity. Be you a writer, artist, musician, filmmaker, or engineer, you can reach your audience. Or even better, combine all your talents into a diverse multimedia experience. Creators are no longer constrained by the limits of a page or recording. The internet has created a new type of artist whose specialty is the synthesis of various media.
We live in a special time in history. The internet has destroyed barriers to thought and creativity that were previously insurmountable. And this is only the beginning. We have emerged from the stone ages of internet infancy and can see the light of day. If the great minds of the past were alive today, they would be publishing online. It is our duty to get the most out of our intelligence using this awesome tool.
Einstein’s Theory of Religion
“Everything that the human race has done and thought is concerned with the satisfaction of deeply felt needs and the assuagement of pain.”
-Einstein
A great mind is not constrained by specialization. Albert Einstein’s genius illuminated religion, politics, and education as well as science. When I came across Einstein’s theory of religion several months ago it immediately changed the way I think. Einstein begins with a discussion of the nature and origin of religion.
With primitive man it is above all fear that evokes religious notions- fear of hunger, wild beasts, sickness, death. Since at this stage of existence understanding of causal connections is usually poorly developed, the human mind creates illusory beings more or less analogous to itself on whose wills and actions these fearful happenings depend.
Einstein also explains why early fear based religions evolved into the moral religions of modern times. Read the Rest of This Article »
A Teacher’s Essay on the Public Education System
A few weeks ago an essay by John Taylor Gatto showed up on the del.icio.us popular page that reinforced my opinion of traditional education. With the authority of an award winning teacher, Mr. Gatto, explains the state of education in the form of seven lessons he taught students throughout his career.
1. Confusion – Mr. Gatto’s first point is that children are taught a mass of disconnected facts. He states, “The logic of the school-mind is that it is better to leave school with a tool kit of superficial jargon…than to leave with one genuine enthusiasm.�?
The memorization of facts only to repeat them on a test is dull and pointless. That is what school is for most kids. For the rest it is about getting good grades. Purpose of education (understanding and development) is ignored. Read the Rest of This Article »
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