efficacy of our tooling against our interpretation of the world?

scientific fact

Scientists are searching for meaning in life just like artists. The two parties are harmonized in spirit. The greatest examples in either field tend to be the same type of mind.

An innovator questions everything. Especially the proofs of his predecessors, better yet himself. And he does this in perpetuity.

Citation and plagiarism are not equivalent. To plagiarize is to copy blindly, neglecting to contribute to, or advance the original idea. Citing source material is to validate comprehension. To consume and commit to memory, then (perhaps decades later) dig deep inside oneself and subconsciously synthesize your interpretation of the original idea rooted deeply in a desire for metamorphosis.

Tesla left Edison’s company and then attempted to compete with him.

Da Vinci ran each project to completion whenever he was commissioned by Medici, the King of France, or whoever else.

It took about 100 years for Tesla to gain any significant recognition.

Da Vinci enjoyed a plethora of fame during his lifetime.

This is a recurring theme amongst inventors and artists. Eventually, their greatness is unearthed regardless of how ‘successful’ they were during their lifetime. It’s not easy for them to sacrifice even an ounce of creative liberty (which is inevitable if you are commissioned for work), but those who make small sacrifices seem to enjoy the fruits of their labor while alive.

With all scientific innovations, analog technology comes first. The discovery is always in analog form. As the properties of the analog discovery become better understood, the components required to reproduce the analog version become increasingly smaller, cheaper, and more modular. Eventually, we reach a point where we do not need to work strictly in an analog fashion, the components are so clever at this point that the majority of them can be coded to store, edit, and reproduce the analog signals using logic alone. Today this coding is done digitally, tomorrow perhaps it’ll be done quantumly. Regardless of how sophisticated the encoding gets, the fact remains that our eyes, ears, and brains interpret analog signals, so we must always start and end there if we want to unearth something interesting from our world.

A scientist works out of a lab, while an artist works out of a studio. Both environments are designed for the same type of spirit. Tools and raw materials are strategically packed in every direction. The spaces stimulate their inhabitants daily. They gently guide people towards innovative usage of anything within arms reach, praying that the user discovers a new and noteworthy application.

As it matures, a creative space should balance on an increasingly finer line: providing just enough structure to get one’s vision headed in any given direction, allowing the most brazen occupants to build an entirely new foundation.

The workspace is both imperative and neglected too often. It should feel just as alive as the people who *use* it. One day I hope the world recognizes that labs and studios are the same. And that classrooms and cubicles are great for only one thing: straightening out curves. I envision a day when our children will not know the difference between their soul and the environment that helps them express it. And that they will not be *graded on memorization,* but rather *inspired by innovation.*

Study everything at every second of every day. Attempt to write the textbook instead of reading one. *Applied research* is an innate style that dominates all aspects of the inventor's life.

“Applied research \[is\] a type of research that attempts to find practical solutions to existing problems. These can include a variety of challenges, such as infrastructure and conservation. This type of research employs empirical methodologies, such as experiments, to develop an understanding of new knowledge”.

“While basic research focuses on curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, applied research takes a different approach by examining how real-world phenomena or outcomes can be altered. At its core, applied research is oriented towards identifying practical solutions to specific problems.”