Exploding Creativity » Other Worlds

Creative Myopia

Robert W. Sharp — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 21:27:26 +0000

When you’re creating something, do you sometimes find it difficult to decide if the thing you’re creating is better one way or another? I had this happen to me this past week in creating a new video for my website, Web2Intranet.com.

The first cut of the video is what I had originally envisioned. On reviewing it for the upteenth time, it seemed to me to sound too plain so I added background music. And then the ending of the video seemed too “cute” for a business related website, so I produced it without that ending.

And the waffling continued. Did the background music and that original ending distract from the information I was trying to convey or did they add entertainment value to it? I produced four versions of the video with all the combinations: background music present and not, the ending present and not. In the end I chose distraction-free information over entertainment, so the video I presented on the website does not have background music and does not have the ending I originally envisioned.

However, I thought for ExplodingCreativity.com I’ll present two versions here, one with background music and the ending, and the other as given on Web2Intranet.com. Let me know which you like better –

Here’s the one with background music and the alternate ending.

Here’s the one without background music and without the above one’s ending.

Video Making

Robert W. Sharp — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 17:22:21 +0000

I just made a new Introductory Video for my Information Management / Intranet Services website, Web2Intranet. The video can be found here.

A man, a camcorder, and a green screen…it’s a beautiful thing. Well, may not be overly beautiful, but it sure is a fun and creative thing to do. I’m thinking now of creating a Video Setup page that details my setup and process for producing these videos, like my Podcast Setup page does for the ExplodingCreativity podcasts. As interesting as it may be for someone else, it would actually be helpful for me so I don’t forget something after a long time from doing the last video. If I don’t write it down, I’ll forget, or at least have to re-learn something the hard-way as opposed to the easy-way of reviewing my notes on it.

Episode 13: Web2Intranet and Creativity

Robert W. Sharp — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 20:59:52 +0000

This episode discusses my experience developing the Web2Intranet website and how it relates to creativity.

References mentioned in this episode:

Happy National Inventors’ Month

Robert W. Sharp — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 16:18:42 +0000

August is National Inventor’s Month, as I found out from the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center’s monthly newsletter, Prototype. The Lemelson Center is for the “Study of Invention and Innovation.” Interesting stuff. Check them out at:

Lemelson Center home page

Prototype newsletter archive

This month’s prototype newsletter

Onboard Innovators

Robert W. Sharp — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 04:25:23 +0000

Here’s an interesting article on inventors inventing devices for airplane travel: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28475016.

Helping blind see fish through music

Robert W. Sharp — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:27:28 +0000

The FOXNews.com article ‘Audio Aquarium’ Technology Helps Blind ‘See’ Fish writes about how scientists at Georgia Tech have created an automated music generation program that creates music based on the size, color, position, and speed of fish in an aquarium tank so that the visually impaired can enjoy the aquarium. They’re now trying to get their invention in other aquariums and zoos. I just thought that was very creative.

Kimono as Art

Robert W. Sharp — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 04:55:47 +0000

Last night my wife and I attended a Bonenkai party at the Timken Museum of Art given by the Japan Society of San Diego and Tijuana. The Timken Museum and the San Diego Museum of Art currently have a kimono exhibit, Kimono As Art: The Landscapes of Itchiku Kubota, and we were able to see some of the kimonos on exhibit. In fact, when the exhibit opened, my wife, Michiko, a professional interpreter and translator, interpreted for the son of Itchiku Kubota who is lending the kimonos to the museums. Itchiku was an award winning artist and passed away in 2003.

These kimonos are quite fascinating. Instead of painting on canvas, Kubota-san tie-dyed landscape images onto silk kimonos he created, giving the images a three-dimensional effect. The kimonos are very intractely designed, taking a year each to be finished. These kimonos aren’t for wearing (some are quite huge); they’re purely for display as an art-form.

After January 4, 2009, the exhibit moves on to the Cultural Center for the Arts in Canton, Ohio. If you’re in the San Diego area soon, or in the Canton area February-April, definitly check it out if you can.