full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Tim Harford: How frustration can make us more creative

Unscramble the Blue Letters


So this one ... "Change instrument roles." Yeah, everyone swap instruments — Drummer on the piano — Brilliant, brilliant idea.

"Look closely at the most embarrassing details. Amplify them."

"Make a sudden, destructive, unpredictable aotcin. itorapnorce."

These cards are disruptive.

Now, they've proved their worth in album after album. The musicians hate them.

(Laughter)

So Phil Collins was panlyig drums on an early Brian Eno alubm. He got so frustrated he started throwing beer cans across the studio.

Carlos Alomar, great rock guitarist, wrionkg with Eno on David Bowie's "Lodger" album, and at one piont he turns to Brian and says, "Brian, this experiment is stpiud." But the thing is it was a pretty good album, but also, Carlos Alomar, 35 years later, now uses The Oblique Strategies. And he tells his students to use The Oblique seeittargs because he's reaielzd something. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it isn't heipnlg you.

Open Cloze


So this one ... "Change instrument roles." Yeah, everyone swap instruments — Drummer on the piano — Brilliant, brilliant idea.

"Look closely at the most embarrassing details. Amplify them."

"Make a sudden, destructive, unpredictable ______. ___________."

These cards are disruptive.

Now, they've proved their worth in album after album. The musicians hate them.

(Laughter)

So Phil Collins was _______ drums on an early Brian Eno _____. He got so frustrated he started throwing beer cans across the studio.

Carlos Alomar, great rock guitarist, _______ with Eno on David Bowie's "Lodger" album, and at one _____ he turns to Brian and says, "Brian, this experiment is ______." But the thing is it was a pretty good album, but also, Carlos Alomar, 35 years later, now uses The Oblique Strategies. And he tells his students to use The Oblique __________ because he's ________ something. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it isn't _______ you.

Solution


  1. playing
  2. incorporate
  3. stupid
  4. helping
  5. working
  6. realized
  7. album
  8. point
  9. strategies
  10. action

Original Text


So this one ... "Change instrument roles." Yeah, everyone swap instruments — Drummer on the piano — Brilliant, brilliant idea.

"Look closely at the most embarrassing details. Amplify them."

"Make a sudden, destructive, unpredictable action. Incorporate."

These cards are disruptive.

Now, they've proved their worth in album after album. The musicians hate them.

(Laughter)

So Phil Collins was playing drums on an early Brian Eno album. He got so frustrated he started throwing beer cans across the studio.

Carlos Alomar, great rock guitarist, working with Eno on David Bowie's "Lodger" album, and at one point he turns to Brian and says, "Brian, this experiment is stupid." But the thing is it was a pretty good album, but also, Carlos Alomar, 35 years later, now uses The Oblique Strategies. And he tells his students to use The Oblique Strategies because he's realized something. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it isn't helping you.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations


ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
opera house 4
brian eno 4
cologne opera 3
keith jarrett 3
unplayable piano 3
great rock 3
vera brandes 2
attentional filters 2
jet engine 2
good job 2
oblique strategies 2

ngrams of length 3

collocation frequency
cologne opera house 3

Important Words


  1. action
  2. album
  3. alomar
  4. amplify
  5. beer
  6. brian
  7. brilliant
  8. cans
  9. cards
  10. carlos
  11. closely
  12. collins
  13. david
  14. destructive
  15. details
  16. disruptive
  17. drummer
  18. drums
  19. early
  20. embarrassing
  21. eno
  22. experiment
  23. frustrated
  24. good
  25. great
  26. guitarist
  27. hate
  28. helping
  29. idea
  30. incorporate
  31. instrument
  32. instruments
  33. laughter
  34. musicians
  35. oblique
  36. phil
  37. piano
  38. playing
  39. point
  40. pretty
  41. proved
  42. realized
  43. rock
  44. roles
  45. started
  46. strategies
  47. students
  48. studio
  49. stupid
  50. sudden
  51. swap
  52. tells
  53. throwing
  54. turns
  55. unpredictable
  56. working
  57. worth
  58. yeah
  59. years