BigSpeak Voice

Aug 2, 2014

Originality Is Not All That Original

What do William Shakespeare and Led Zeppelin have in common? They both pinched much of their material from artists that came before them. The Bard, who added a few thousand original words to the English language and gave us our most unique phrases, was unabashed in his thievery of complete tracts from well-known poets and playwrights of his day. Most of his plays recycle stories from history and other literary works, and his stylistic flourishes are inspired by things that his contemporaries were already doing. Now it appears that Led Zeppelin, those icons of originality for a generation in motion,...

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Aug 2, 2014

Innovation Starts In Dark Places

There is a dark, untold back story of innovation that may disturb you: many of the earliest forms of the world’s biggest technological advancements were pioneered by bad people in morally corrupt contexts. The most radical innovation in video streaming started in the pornography industry. The most sophisticated uses of messaging technologies started with drug traffickers and terrorists. Counterfeiters have pimped digital technologies to such an advanced state that governments are rethinking the use of paper-based currencies. Why does innovation often start in dark places? When you’re working in the fringes, the normal risks and rewards associated with radical change...

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