Incredible Machines

It has become a running joke between me and my friends that satellites read my mind, and then distribute my ideas to other people (who make money out of them). I don't believe this (although the whole point of this website was to rip apart the satellite mind reader's monopoly on my ideas... also, possibly I should later write an article on the idea I have for selling peoples ideas via a satellite network...)

The first idea I remember having, which I quickly saw someone else creating, was for a computer game. My idea was that yo0u controlled a cartoon cat who had to maneuver items around a levels and ladders type screen to construct a Heath Robinson style machine to trap a cartoon mouse. This was back in the days of Tetris and similar puzzle games, you understand.

Not long after, I started seeing adverts for "The Incredible Machine", not quite the same idea, but similar enough - and different enough from existing games - to be a shock. At a still very young age I was having ideas in a similar league to professionals. (Of course - I now know that no professionals have ideas and better than those of a fifteen year old kid - but at the time it was a learning experience)

So, that is my story... except

Heath Robinson machines keep coming back. We've had Honda adverts with car parts rolling across our TV screens and winning awards. People like the Heath Robinson.

And we have graphic cards which render 3D scenes that look better than reality (actually, this is a lie - except for in football games. I now notice that football on TV looks significantly less good than in computer games). And we have physics engines.

Its time for the incredible machine to return. In 3D.

Or - if not the incredible machine - why not a similar 3D game about a cat trying to catch a mouse?

Act Now

I have many ideas. Some of my ideas are good, could change the world, possibly make me a million. Others are poor, or require skills and contacts outside of my capabilities.

But I never seem to act on my ideas. Maybe I share them with friends, or maybe they stay locked up in my head, just waiting for the day when I will be able to turn them instantly into a fully realised whole.

And, as that day never comes, the ideas are never realised.

The ideas in my head stay unused. They are not valuable ideas. Aside from the small amount of entertainment they provide me with they are worthless.

Pick A Possibility is an idea I had recently. It is an idea sanctuary. A place where I can put my ideas in public. A place where I can share them, make them available for anyone to read, and use, and be inspired by.

And so, the first idea I wish to share is just this: If you don't act on an idea quickly - and you don't keep acting on it - the idea isn't an idea which, on its own, is going to be worth anything to you. So don't hoard it - share it - create your own idea sanctuary... and hopefully in time we can start an idea breading programme.

All the ideas I offer in Pick A Possibility are free for the taking. Do with them what you will. My ideas are probably not unique. If you benefit from them, I would love to hear about it. If you want to discuss them, please contact me: I want to hear your ideas too.

And if you want to criticise my ideas, go ahead... but it isn't worthwhile. I'm not likely to put any of these ideas into practise, and in my experience it is always the ideas that make me think "that'll never work" which turn out to be the most powerful, once you get around one small sticking point.

The possibility is the thing. Pick a posisbility.