As I woke up this morning, I had a great idea. I just realized that I am a semi-knowledgeable expert in geocaching; and it is a very little known sport. Why don't I try and write the 'Geocaching for Dummies' book on the subject? A quick way to make some money on the side, right? Anyway, this idea crashed before take off when I noticed that not only does a 'for dummies' guide exist but also a 'idiot's guide' to geocaching. For me, this just another idea in a long line of a passionate idea that came into being, only to be squashed before any action was ever taken.

It made me realize something. I think that the American culture has thrived in a climate of original ideas, innovation and creativity. I fear that we are reaching the 'bottom of the barrel' when it comes to original ideas that do not require some kind of expert knowledge. The days of the contrutction worker inventing a better mousetrap in his or her spare time have come to a close. Nowadays you need to be a PhD to invent something (idea or otherwise) that has not been done before.

I hope I'm wrong, because if I'm not then this is very sad - and I do not think it can be good for the American culture. Because the next generation of Americans will not have this climate of innovation, they are growing into a climate of distraction. The next generation is born into a world where the cool thing to do is to pour your life force into a one-off reality where video games and artificial point systems determine success or failure as a person. But how can Americans keep innovating if everything has already been done before?