Organizations That Empower Folks Further Down The

Nothing Really Says ... Interactivity - Which Was So Exciting And Captures The Real, The Web Zeitgeist Of 1995 - Than 'click Here For A Picture Of My Dog.'

What I'm Saying Is Individuals Have Better Ideas If They're Connected To Rich, Diverse Networks Of Other Individuals. If You Put Yourself In An Environment With Lots Of Different Perspectives, You Yourself Are Going To Have Better, Sharper, More Original Ideas. It's Not That The Network Is Smart.

Those That Regularly Come Into Contact With People Having Diverse Interests And Viewpoints Are More Likely To Come Up With Innovative Ideas.

This Is How Great Intellectual Breakthroughs Usually Happen In Practice. It Is Rarely The Isolated Genius Having A Eureka Moment Alone In The Lab. Nor Is It Merely A Question Of Building On Precedent, Of Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants, In Newton's Famous Phrase. Great Breakthroughs Are Closer To What Happens In A Flood Plain: A Dozen Separate Tributaries Converge, And The Rising Waters Lift The Genius High Enough That He Or She Can See Around The Conceptual Obstructions Of The Age.

It May Not Be Possible To 'win The Future,' In President Obama's Words, But If We're Going To Encourage More Innovation, It's Not Enough For Us To Just Dig In And Work Harder. We Also Need To Encourage Surprise And Serendipity. We Need To Play Each Other's Instruments.