Week 6 Story Lab: The Power of Creative Constraints

Source: John Spencer

TEDed Video: The Power of Creative Constraints, by Brandon Rodriguez.

I find the quote "What if the road blocks are actually hidden opportunities?"is related to pretty much the ideas behind the video about creative constraints, that is to deal better with hard times.

We usually faces many difficult decisions that sometimes beyond our capabilities. In a condition of limited resources, we have to manage things in a better way to achieve our goals without any wastes.

Creative freedom always faces with creative constraints (such as time, cost, knowledge...), and, of courses, creative constraint applies to all of the majors and across fields. However, these constraints, sometime are "hidden opportunities", that once we go over this, there will be innovation.

The video shows the example of the landers viking 1 and 2. In order to arrive to the surface of Mars, they have to rely on thrusters, in which in turn spills out the chemicals and contaminates the Earth's surface. 

That is a constraint. Scientists finds the airbag system as a solution and also stop burning contaminated fuels. But latter, we question that what is the appropriate size of the airbag?

"Constraints are't a boundaries of creativities, but the foundation of its"

Reading Notes: The Monkey King Unit, Part B

In part B of The Monkey King Unit, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921), Sun Wu Kung was appointed a stablemaster of the heavenly steeds by the Lord of Heaven. However, Sun Wu Kung angried when he knew that this was the lowest rank position, he escaped the heaven and called himself " The Great Saint Who is Heaven's Equal"(The Great Saint)

Sun Wu Kung's destiny.

With his empty title, Sun Wu Kung idled day by day. He ate the peaches, drunk the nectar and swallowed the pills of life (Laotzse)  He latter was punished by the Buddha, be imprisoned under the mountain until a monk came and helped him out (The destiny of Sun Wu Kung).

Reading Notes: The Monkey King Unit, Part A

I am a great fan of "The Journey to the West", so i decided to read The Monkey King Unit, which comes from The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921).

Sun Wu Kung in The Journey to the West. Source: Zing

This story is about a monkey who was born from the stone, and gradually grew and became a Handsome King of the Apes. He then later named Sun Wu Kung by his master, who taught him the kung fu and incantations. After years of learning, Wukung finally mastered the magical transformations and somersault on the clouds and many other arts (Sun Wu Kung Departs). Later, he used his powerful skills to save his apes from the Devil King. 

As a King of Apes, he seeked his own weapons that are worthy with his power. He came to the Dragon King, a Water and Weather God, to ask for a weapon and an armor. However, he found no weapon that suited for him except the golden rod, which weighted many thousand pounds and shone with a red glow. (The Dragon Queen).