Oblique Brian I've just been reading a bit about Brian Eno. He's a very interesting machine - no, hang on - musician. So far today I've listened to two of his albums - Here Come The Warm Jets and Taking Tiger Mountain By Strategy. Both records make me think that Eno doesn't write a single note unless he's worked out first what he wants to write about. Some people like to improvise, continually bashing out notes until they find a combination that works. Whereas Eno's work just seems to drop out of the sky, fully realised. But we know he does improvise, because he created a set of cards called Oblique Strategies. Each card has a phrase on it that allows the reader to approach their problem from a different non-obvious angle. Which is exactly what improvisation is about. Here's a few examples:

Use an old idea.

Repetition is a form of change.

Don't stress one thing more than another.

It's an excellent way to find quick releases to creative blocks. I think I'll be reading more about Oblique Brian.
Incidentally, his essay The Long Now is an interesting read too.  ¶ 11:35 AM