Connections Inspired Me
Remember the BBC/PBS series?
This memorable clip of James Burke explaining how we got to firing rockets into space will remind you what the Connections series was like. I remember being transfixed when I first watched the series on TV (remember TV?) as a youth.
I loved the notion that observant people through history had noticed how chocolate plus peanut butter from seemingly unrelated fields could lead to Earth-shaking innovations. Burke is a gifted storyteller. (For some of my other influences, watch this video I posted in 2016.)
Reader, I’m willing to bet that you were inspired by one of these:
- Lord of the Rings
- Ayn Rand
- Star Trek
- Ray and Charles Eames’ Powers of Ten video
- Carl Sagan’s Cosmos
- The “Blue Marble” photo of Earth from space
It shouldn’t surprise you that I have such a collection in my Brain, where you may find other items that have had similar effects.
Of course, I’d love to know what inspired you. Please lmk in the comments; I’ll add novel items to my Brain.
Here's the list of Connections episodes.
This article is cross-posted on Substack here and LinkedIn here. It's also here in my Brain.