A recurring theme in this blog is about connecting the unconnected. But how do you know when unconnected things can be connected? Sometimes it helps to change your perspective. Here are a few metaphorical machines that can help you do just that.
The Windback Machine, as in, “to wind back the hands of time.” You can use this in conjunction with its counterpart, the Windforward Machine. These machines allow you to see how things were previously or how they will become in the future. These are good for developing perspectives on how things got to the state they are in currently, and the direction they are heading. We talked about this in the blog The Thrill of Creating Complexity.
Another pair of handy metaphorical devices are the Zoomin Machine and Zoomout Machine. These machines allow you to look at your subject with a microscopic view or, in the case of the Zoomout Machine, see your subject within a much broader context. Sometimes it’s useful to see the granular composition of your subject as, for instance, if you want to deconstruct it, take it apart, or see how the parts interact. Or it could be helpful to see if your subject is part of a larger group that together represent a pattern or a trend. The Zoomout Machine is great for that. We talked about zooming in/out in the blog post Divergent Perspectives.
Yet another pair of helpful devices are the Speedup Machine and Slowdown Machine. Speeding up your subject helps you to witness a long evolution in a single sitting. Slowing it down lets you see minuscule changes that may be lost when viewing your subject in real time. Think of the Slowdown Machine as a way to freeze-frame your subject in motion, allowing you to really study its attributes. These machines are especially helpful when the subject of your perspective is yourself. The Slowdown Machine lets you answer the question, “What should I do right now at this very moment?” The Speedup Machine lets you visualize how your life will play out if you continue on your current trajectory. We talked about these perspectives in the blog post, What Will You Do With the Time You Have.
And let’s not forget another group of useful machines, the Augment Goggles. These appear in various pop-culture tropes such as X-Ray Specs, Detective Vision, Spectrespecs, and good old Magic Glasses. These can come in the metaphorical variety as well as the actual-physical-try-them-today variety that let you see things that are normally hidden from the naked eye. Night-vision goggles show grainy green renditions of what’s hiding in the darkness. Blue lights show you the stains on the carpet that you never noticed. 3D glasses make blurry characters on the movie screen pop out at you, startle you, and cause you to spill your popcorn on your date. These devices can help to reduce the entropy in your field of vision, as discussed in From Entropy to Order.
Of course, these devices will not allow you to see things if you aren’t actively looking for them. You have to use these devices with the mindset of making discoveries. You have to ask yourself, “How can I change my perspective to see things in new and meaningful ways?” You have to be open and receptive to allow a new understanding of your subject reveal itself to you. Changing perspectives can let you visualize how unconnected things can find new meaning when connected together.