Questioning & Finding Gaps in the Status Quo
By Olivia Shim
Our second site visit of the week was at the Computer History Museum (CHM). We saw how computer technology changed, from the first ENIAC computer to the current MacBook Pro. Visiting the CHM showed us real examples of the core ideas we explored this week in class, such as the power of exploring unmet needs in current products. For instance, the first personal computer was the Kenbak-1. This device laid the groundwork for creating personal computers, but the Kenbak-1 was hard to use beyond basic tasks, making it difficult to expand to mainstream use. These deficits led the Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS) company to create the Altair 8800. This computer offered a more versatile and broader range of programming abilities, making it the first personal computer to reach mainstream success.
We also learned about the beauty of spontaneity and that some discoveries that benefit the general public are accidental. This week, we took a BATS improv class to understand the strength of adapting to various situations. Through multiple exercises, we got more comfortable with each other as a group and allowed everyone to take multiple roles that best fit each prompt. The best part was that every time one person made a mistake, we all shouted “Woo-hoo” to celebrate our failures and show that we were all in it together. This experience encouraged us to get out of our comfort zone and taught us how to work with the flow of our team, which will ultimately help us on our entrepreneurship journey. Adding to the joy of spontaneity, we got to see the benefits of creating new things out of boredom and curiosity at the Computer History Museum. For instance, the first video game, Space War, was created in 1962 by students at MIT as a hobby. This video game created for fun to pass time eventually led to the invention of arcades and home consoles, which reached mainstream success in the 1970s.
Overall, the most important lessons I have learned this week are that innovation is a never-ending process of questioning and that curiosity is the most significant advantage of an entrepreneur. We must have the courage to question the status quo by asking seemingly “dumb” questions because they create the most innovative ideas. These questions don’t address every main problem, and the solution doesn’t have to be (and often can’t) solve every existing issue, and that’s okay. The main thing is to stay curious and trust that something beautiful will come from it!
Olivia is a rising junior from Rochester, NY, pursuing a psychology major, a sociology minor, and an Innovation and Entrepreneurship certificate. On campus, she is a student fellow and peer mentor in the SPIRE Program. She helps younger SPIRE fellows find resources for their academic endeavors and provides support throughout the college journey. Additionally, she works as the marketing officer for a startup called Students Who Sit (SWS). SWS connects student sitters to faculty members who seek babysitting services. For Olivia, Duke in Silicon Valley is an opportunity to learn more about the entrepreneurial landscape and hopefully contribute to it in her professional career. Outside the classroom, she loves walking, hanging out with her friends, and watching movie commentaries!
