[size=3]rule 11

[b]use beauty as a yardstick[/b] the world's greatest scientists, philosophers, and artists agree: if an idea isn't beautiful, it probably isn't innovative. they're putting a special spin on the concept of [i]beauty[/i] by defining it as quality of wholeness, or harmony, that generates pleasure, meaning, and satisfaction. a beautiful idea is often a great idea. while beauty can't be reduces to a pat formula, it can be understood by seeing it as a system containing three interactive elements: [i]surprise, rightness,[/i] and [i]elegance.[/i] in everything we experience as beautiful, there's a moment of [i]surprise[/i] when we first encounter it. surprise is the jarring pop of disrupted expectations-the "jolt". the pleasure, meaning, or satisfaction that follows this jolt can be experienced as a warm glow, a slowly spreading smile, or the hair standing up on your arms. physiologically, it's a blast of serotonin to your central nervous system. [i]rightness[/i], the second element of beauty, is a kind of fitness for duty, a specific structure that lets the thing we're encountering align with its purpose. [i]elegance[/i], the third element, is a rejection of superfluous elements in favor of simplicity and efficiency. an elegant idea is one that has the fewest number of elements that allow the whole to achieve its purpose. the best ideas seem so perfect that they leave no room in the imagination for anything better. - marty neumeier