Inception

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Inception

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charlie.smith Valued Member Points: 69 More actions · Answer 1

When I find myself getting nowhere (fairly often these days), I take a walk through the plant. It is about a half mile and by the time I stop and visit here and there I can completely forget the issue for a while. Often, when I sit down an look again at the problem, I see things I didn't see before.

If not, it is at least a pleasant walk!

2New2Guru SSC Enthusiast Points: 149 More actions · Answer 2

I'm seeing a fairly consistent and I think accurate thread here. Once you disconnect one side of the brain, the other suddenly kicks in with a light bulb moment. The best ideas always seem to come when you don't have a pen, Ipad, keyboard, phone or any other way of recording it.

Daniel Bowlin SSC-Dedicated Points: 34566 More actions · Answer 3

I think it was Edison that said:

Genius is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration

For all the shower moments, just woke up moments, Snap moments, there are hours of hard work. Working, searching BOL, Googling, and just plain thinking is the route to solving problems. From time to time Ah Ha moments come but mostly as a result of both the front and back of the brain working hard on the problem.

I frequently have these kind of moments, but it is more like putting a puzzle together without knowing what the puzzle is supposed to look like. You work hard, and tediously, to put it together, then you get to a point and you see the picture, and everything gets easier from that point.

jamescox SSC Veteran Points: 227 More actions · Answer 4

There was a PBS series (and sequel, I believe) called 'Connections' - about how one aspect of a need or technology to solve that need was connected to prior and subsequent events.

For me, that's how it works - being able to see the connection between diverse 'inputs' and how they could be adapted to the particular 'output' I'm working on.

So, reading from many sources, listening to others and poking around on the net all are important for me...

(BTW, the series is available on DVD and highly recommended!)

Brnbngls SSC Eights! Points: 823 More actions · Answer 5

What usually happens for me is I get stuck on a problem and I spend so much time trying to analyze it I just get burned out and my "solutions" are just shots in the dark. The best ideas to solve said problems usually come right after....uh....marital relations. I'm very relaxed and the idea just shows up.

The distance between genius and insanity is measured only by success.

Peter Brase SSC Enthusiast Points: 101 More actions · Answer 6

Very interesting that for most people, inspiration seems to come away from the office. For me, it seems to happen when I'm washing dishes! Something about the mindless mechanical activity that occupies my body and my physical energy while leaving my mind free to wander. It's pretty clear, however, that if we all stayed out of the office, we'd get a lot more done :-D!

SeñorDBA SSC Enthusiast Points: 129 More actions · Answer 7

The real question is, truly, is it a "very well done movie"? 😛

salman.samad Right there with Babe Points: 799 More actions · Answer 8

" ... It's definitely science fiction (I hope) and not something I think is possible ..."

You will be surprised Steve (just as I was!!)

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/08/03/f-forbes-inception-science-dreams-neuroscience.html

jallmond Ten Centuries Points: 1181 More actions · Answer 9

While bathroom inspiration is certainly true, I think I get most of my professional code/project development work ideas from happening to be standing over someone's shoulder and watching how they perform job functions. Usually it's not hard to apply technology to make their lives easier. Isn't that the whole point of IT?

bsheets 73864 Old Hand Points: 377 More actions · Answer 10

I often get ideas from being dissatisfied with something, and thinking there has to be a better or easier way.

Oliveoil SSC Veteran Points: 268 More actions · Answer 11

To convert a problem/idea into something "executable" I love to use Freemind, an open source mindmapping-tool.

It helps me a lot to break down the problem into small chunks, it is like making a brain hardcopy :-D. Then I play with the map - reorganize - add details.

That's when I get most of the ideas because I can SEE what I am THINKING about. 😉

http://freemind.sourceforge.net

r.e.kiser Grasshopper Points: 21 More actions · Answer 12

We are all technophiles to some degree, or we wouldn't be in this business; as a result, our solutions to a business problem tend to be *technical* solutions.

I think it's often worthwhile to take a step or two back and consider the business problem to be resolved from a more openminded, less tools-centric approach. Our primary value to our employers must lie in our problem-solving ability, and not just in our own sometimes very narrowly-defined skillsets.

Mike Dougherty-384281 SSCrazy Points: 2794 More actions · Answer 13

reminds me of a Freeman Dyson quote: "A good scientist is a person with original ideas. A good engineer is a person who makes a design that works with as few original ideas as possible."

Many times I come up with clever solutions when the Right Thing(tm) is an obvious execution path that would take longer than the time alloted. The Good Enough solution is the compromise that meets the time/budget requirements while allowing for seamless transitional fixes after delivery. We all know doing it right the first time is ideal but there have been few times that I've experienced that luxury. "Ready, Fire, Aim" is common enough that the developer response can only be "Ship, Test, Patch."

Another source of innovation (for me) is knowing about enough best practice to be able to cite it but not being so indoctrinated to The Way that I can't forge my own path. Being figuratively lost in the woods leads to new ideas or at least builds skills for getting back on track. I think that's also important: when plans fail, can you assemble something useful from the broken pieces?

mtillman-921105 SSCertifiable Points: 7156 More actions · Answer 14

For me, the best ideas come from reading other people's code.

Programming is a science of sorts. People think of great scientists like Einstein when they think of science, but scientific progress is more often the result of a group process than the insights of a single genius. For example, the light bulb came about using a lot of employees trying different methods - not a theory from a single hero.

If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants. ~ Newton.

The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge. - Stephen Hawking

TravisDBA SSCoach Points: 15780 More actions · Answer 15

When I think outside the box, I try not follow other solutions necessarily.:-D

"Technology is a weird thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other. ...:-D"