StarTalk Live! at Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin with Bill Nye

About This Episode

We live in an age of unprecedented communication and invention, but are we creating and innovating to the best of our abilities? In this episode of StarTalk Live!, recorded at Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, Texas, Bill Nye and company explore creativity and innovation in the Internet age. The crew includes innovative thinking expert Dr. Roberta Ness, cognitive psychologist Dr. Art Markman, comic co-host Eugene Mirman and comedian Maeve Higgins. You’ll learn about “frame-shifting” and find what tools are needed to break the mold of traditional thinking in order to bring out new ideas. Discover how genius minds work, including whether “mood disorders” are a cause or effect of innovative thinking. Find out about Albert Einstein’s annus mirabilis, or “year of miracles,” and whether it was actually a single year. Learn the effects of Johannes Kepler’s solitude on his work and mental state, and discover why his creative process could have benefitted from an online brainstorming session with his peers. The group describes factors that may lead to innovative breakthroughs, including a balance of knowledge and naiveté, a childlike willingness to look silly in the name of discovery, a culture of people working toward similar breakthroughs, and sometimes, years of hard work and deep thought.

NOTE: All-Access subscribers can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: StarTalk Live! at Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin with Bill Nye.