| Perhaps you’re feeling like everything has been done before. Consider a particular area and imagine how it could be if only a few things are changed. For example, we know where social media got us. How did it evolve to get to this point? Is there a better alternative? Build a better experience or work with others to cut a new path of least resistance. You may have enjoyed mining Bitcoin, but there’s more to blockchain technology than that. I’m surprised you didn’t mention NFTs or dapps. Search for Web3 if you’re into playing buzzword bingo. A part of Oculus may have sewn the seeds of fascism that we recently witnessed and are experiencing the effects of as we attempt to squash it back under the rock it crawled out from, but their corporate overlords still feel strongly enough about it to announce they’re dropping a considerable chunk of cash to swindle everyone into thinking they’ve created a “metaverse” instead of another walled garden. There’s a ton of work happening in the VR/AR/XR space that is approachable. Look beyond gaming to AEC and manufacturing applications. The new 5G phone books are coming! Get ready for that. Solar and alternative power is only getting bigger. We’ve experienced some technical difficulties getting a certain segment of the population to transition away from fossil fuels, but if we can get an electric car into space, we can hopefully get one in NASCAR. And I’m sure you’ve seen all the robots, right? The Roomba folks have a nice platform, but there are many others out there. Add a camera, a laser, and a bit of deep learning into the mix and you’ve got yourself hours of entertainment. Go back and watch Douglas Engelbart’s mother of all demos and you’ll see that some things have progressed further than others. Why is that? Find what interests you and dig deeper. Make something that works for you and show others the way. |
In fact, in general, make it a habit to revisit 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s technology. Look up old computer magazines, read some articles.
There are TONS of ideas that were pioneered back then that have either been forgotten, have not fully evolved to reach their potential yet, or have evolved in negative ways such that they “lost the thread” (and therefore, provide fertile ground for revisiting and iterating upon).
One of the most monumental mindset shifts I’ve had in my career was looking into the whole Xerox Parc Smalltalk stuff. The concept of a live environment that you can change anything about it, right then and there, was a magical lightbulb that got me thinking about the UIs I build and the data behind them in new ways. It shifted my mind towards user empowerment rather than tight controls and structures.
Rediscovering some of these core ideas in their pure, early forms can be really inspiring.