63 lines
2.2 KiB
Markdown
63 lines
2.2 KiB
Markdown
---
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name: Collision-Zone Thinking
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description: Force unrelated concepts together to discover emergent properties - "What if we treated X like Y?"
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when_to_use: when conventional approaches feel inadequate and you need breakthrough innovation by forcing unrelated concepts together
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version: 1.1.0
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---
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# Collision-Zone Thinking
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## Overview
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Revolutionary insights come from forcing unrelated concepts to collide. Treat X like Y and see what emerges.
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**Core principle:** Deliberate metaphor-mixing generates novel solutions.
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## Quick Reference
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| Stuck On | Try Treating As | Might Discover |
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|----------|-----------------|----------------|
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| Code organization | DNA/genetics | Mutation testing, evolutionary algorithms |
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| Service architecture | Lego bricks | Composable microservices, plug-and-play |
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| Data management | Water flow | Streaming, data lakes, flow-based systems |
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| Request handling | Postal mail | Message queues, async processing |
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| Error handling | Circuit breakers | Fault isolation, graceful degradation |
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## Process
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1. **Pick two unrelated concepts** from different domains
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2. **Force combination**: "What if we treated [A] like [B]?"
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3. **Explore emergent properties**: What new capabilities appear?
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4. **Test boundaries**: Where does the metaphor break?
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5. **Extract insight**: What did we learn?
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## Example Collision
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**Problem:** Complex distributed system with cascading failures
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**Collision:** "What if we treated services like electrical circuits?"
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**Emergent properties:**
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- Circuit breakers (disconnect on overload)
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- Fuses (one-time failure protection)
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- Ground faults (error isolation)
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- Load balancing (current distribution)
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**Where it works:** Preventing cascade failures
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**Where it breaks:** Circuits don't have retry logic
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**Insight gained:** Failure isolation patterns from electrical engineering
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## Red Flags You Need This
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- "I've tried everything in this domain"
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- Solutions feel incremental, not breakthrough
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- Stuck in conventional thinking
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- Need innovation, not optimization
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## Remember
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- Wild combinations often yield best insights
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- Test metaphor boundaries rigorously
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- Document even failed collisions (they teach)
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- Best source domains: physics, biology, economics, psychology
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