You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension—a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You’re moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. Cameras are cameras; some expensive, some purchasable at five-and-dime stores. But this camera, this one’s unusual, because in just a moment we’ll watch it inject itself into the destinies of two people. It happens to be a fact that the pictures that it takes can only be developed in the Innovation Zone.
Enter two young ambitious minds, playfully taking selfies in a contemporary Manchester kitchen. These men-brothers since conception-stumbled upon a brilliant idea for a machine: digital booths for commercial events and retail venues; allowing users to pose for a photo and share it instantly via text, Facebook, Twitter or email, as well as offering a branded printout. As it turned out, in our self-absorbed, egotistical present-day society, demand was enormous.
Allow me to elaborate. These brothers, Hyrum and Josh Cook, found great success with their selfie machines in the UK; however, have not yet reached international markets. Unsurprisingly, the Cook brothers ran a Costco candy black market operation in grade school where they developed their shady methods of operation. All that can be derived from this story is the value of snagging hot trends. Creating new technology to adapt to fickle present day wants and needs is highly profitable, as the Cook brothers have exemplified.
It’s been said that science fiction and fantasy are two different things: science fiction the improbable made possible; fantasy, the impossible made probable. What would you have if you put these two different things together? Well, you’d have a couple innovative Brits who know what’s up, a whole lot of selfies, and a journey into the heart of the Innovation Zone.
Making money on society’s narcissism is absolutely amazing to me. Where other entrepreneurs may have glossed over the idea of a “selfie”,being something that had already reached its full potential, the Cook brothers certainly were not quite finished with it yet!