Today starts a new feature on WWED called "The Random Search Effect". It is, in essence, exactly what it says and refers to the notion that sometimes I just find things that match my thoughts at the moment or thoughts I've had in the past by no intent whatsoever. The quote above comes from JA Heinlein of the Heinlein Publishing Group in Colorado, and I found it while following a link for Hugh MacLeod's new book, Ignore Everybody. And I am of course, looking for a publisher for Wild Wild East, so what the heck - this random thing works pretty well - but what I like about the quote is that it closely parallels a thought by Lech Walesa, former President of Poland, that I had written about earlier this year in a story called "Workers of the World Unite - A Recession Re-imagined - The Individual Collectivist is Born". Walesa said, "I'm lazy. But it's the lazy people who invented the wheel and the bicycle because they didn't like walking or carrying things." I like both of those expressions of the same thought but in reference to my own way of working, would describe myself in terms of a thought by Madison Avenue's Bill Bernbach. "I spend many hours, making up for not being a genius".So here's to random search. To happy accidents. To just foraging around in a mass of non-directional information until the right idea just presents itself - and you think that you're a fucking genius just for finding it. I'll just put in my hours, thank you very much.
For more in the Random Search Effect series see:
To be continued: The Random Search Effect I
Children & Unselfishness: The Random Search Effect II
Your Inner Fire: The Random Search Effect III
Mystery Google: The Random Search Effect IV
Warren Buffet: The Random Search Effect V
