The alchemy of OSS

Alchemy is the ancient practice of trying to turn lead into gold… alchemy was an art based partly upon experimentation and partly upon magic.”
Benjamin Radford
here on Live Science.

The definition of alchemy is, “part science, part art,” according to Geoff Leong. To William Whewell, “In general, art has preceded science. Men have executed great, and curious, and beautiful works before they had a scientific insight into the principles on which the success of their labours was founded. There were good artificers in brass and iron before the principles of the chemistry of metals were known; there was wine among men before there was a philosophy of vinous fermentation… Art was the mother of Science.”

In OSS, we have the science / experimentation part well covered. Indeed, we have great creativity in science / experimentation.

But are we lavished with the curiosity, the art or the magic (apart from the “magic” within some OSS product slide-decks)? Who are our Michaelangelos, Ben Franklins, Steve Jobs, et al – those who are preceding OSS science with art?

Simple question – Do you have any in your organisation?

Do you, like me, feel that we need art and magic to be the instigators of The Call for OSS Innovation?

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