Hey HN, where do you go for good ideas? | Hacker News Reader

Hey HN, where do you go for good ideas?

8 pointsjfasi11 comments

I'll admit this is sort of a vague question, but I think it will make for more interesting conversation. Where do you find interesting ideas for things to work on? Universities? Friends? Internet? The shower?

I'm finding myself in something of a creative slump, and I'm eager to find out what's happening on the frontiers of computer science and entrepreneurship.

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Although I'm not much of an entrepreneur (yep, here more for the hacking than the startup'ing), I spend a lot of my time working on "ideas" — I am a musician, a programmer, a tinkerer, a writer, a designer, etc., and find myself daily in need of ideas.

But recently I've been feeling an information overload. I spend too much time reading online, consuming information, taking in everything I can get. I read books all day long, I am constantly pushing myself to learn new things (languages, computer & human, and ancient history has been a recent focus). And I love it, I really do enjoy learning this way.

But some things, like good ideas, have to come slowly. Some of my best programming-related ideas have come while immersed in nature, like on a camping trip or while hiking a glacier, removed from the internet for days.

My advice is to leave town, disconnect. Go camping for a week. You'll learn a lot more there than you ever could online.

Alternatively, dramatically change your daily routine. Become nocturnal. Live with a friend in a different city for the weekend. These don't have to be permanent changes, but they do have to be dramatic.

My theory — backed by zero empirical evidence — is that when we our brains are forced to react to new situations, they have to improvise. This makes us instantly more creative.

I find I have my best ideas when I'm not trying to come up with an idea at all. That doesn't mean you shouldn't look for inspiration, but I think a large part of forming an idea is to let your brain be disengaged. Here's something I shared on HN the other day that touches on this concept, but with better evidence:

http://fairobserver.com/article/self-referential-thought-neu...

A quote from the article might be helpful:

"Scientists suggest that the Default Network may be required for generating spontaneous thoughts during mind-wandering, and that it may be an essential component for creativity. More specifically, it becomes active when individuals focus on internal tasks, such as daydreaming or envisioning the future."

My interesting ideas almost always come to me when I'm trying to sleep or when I'm in class. However, the subject of my idea is almost always unrelated to sleep or to the subject of the class at hand.

I think the meat of an interesting idea comes from exposure to the widest possible variety of environments, and the intersection between them. An obvious pattern for programmers which fits this criteria is an app idea arising from the intersection of knowledge about software and knowledge about something entirely unrelated, eg. patio11's Bingo Card Creator. (Yes I know, "interesting" is subjective.)

The ideal "idea generating formula" for me has therefore become seeking exposure to interesting (no, actually just different) objects/places/people/ideas/pastimes/jobs/[insert noun here] and then waiting for my brain to make connections out of it while it should be focused on a lecture or sleeping.

Rather than looking for good ideas, look for problems that need to be solved, or market opportunities. Find out what is selling like crazy, and see if there's a subniche you can fill in that market. Read around in forums and see what people are complaining about. Talk to them and delve into their problems. Start with niches you're interested in.

My wife or mom. They both spend a lot of time traversing the internet, to places I would NEVER visit, and they've been known to open their pocketbooks while doing so, especially when they have a problem that needs a rapid solution.

Saw this interesting link on the Entrepreneur blog. Might help you with your inspiration!

http://www.entrepreneur.com/blog/220790

For some completely crazy ideas have a look at http://www.halfbakery.com

That is a great site, I really like this idea http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Advertisement_20casino#108429... I think it could be a good company if it where done right, an iPhone app would be great for just killing time.

Try my idea generator at: http://www.ideaoverload.com/

I get most of my good ideas while writing about and actually coding up ideas I already have.

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