The relationship between [[My Recipe for Giant Bubble-Making]] and the[[USA]]: ## How are they similar? - "Bigger is better" - Giant bubbles are a perfect example of an invention coming out of the US. - It is such an American thing in my opinion. - Everything is scaled bigger. - There is no hesitation to go "balls to the wall" in the US. - Not even with the humble soap-bubbles. - There is no fear to try things out. - Someone, somewhere in the last 20 years in the US said to themselves: "How can I make CAR-SIZED bubbles?" - I discovered making giant bubbles when I lived in New York, a city based on scale and speed - They're both the result of relentless experimentation - Both eventually burst - Big bubbles eventually burst, so do parts of the US economy - Giant soap bubble-bursting happens slowly. You can watch the collapse for over 2-3 seconds depending on size. It's sort of a zipping roll-up motion from one side to the other. I imagine that an economic bubble bursting in the US has a similar ripple effect that starts at the weakest point of the economy - probably the everyday person - , and rolls up collapsing to the most stable point - maybe the banks or the government. - They both, bubbles and the economy, appear to be hard to get right and suggest a very complex set of resources you need to succeed. But in reality, you only need a few key-ingredients to make big bubbles as well as a few key-ingredients to succeed economically. - They're incredibly attractive - Giant bubbles are a draw for all walks of life, ages, cultures, backgrounds, ideologies. If you stand on the corner and make big bubbles, most people will stop and engage. Just as the US has historically drawn people from all over the planet. - Both are eye-catching. When you see a giant bubble you can't look away. When you see the US, you can't look away either. - Life in [[New York City, USA]] for example is incredibly mesmerizingly colorful just like the colors in a bubble. - Inside, outside, boundary and volume - Both exist because they create a boundary between inside and outside. - Both have a lot of "ITness" even though the boundary is very thin. ## How are they different? - Soap bubbles are temporary, the USA have been around for centuries - One is a social construct, the other one a chemical compound