The Art of Wiggles
Exploring Technology, Pattern Recognition, and Human and Societal Potential
Originally Published January 1, 2025
Abstract
The world that surrounds us is a symphony of interconnected patterns—a perpetual dance between chaos and order. As it expands, so do the frontiers of human creativity and potential, evolving in ways that mirror these natural patterns. Alan Watts’ metaphor of the 'wiggle and the net' provides an elegant framework for understanding these cycles and humanity’s role in shaping them. The 'wiggle' has long represented the raw, dynamic forces of life, while the 'net' symbolizes technology's capacity to capture, organize, and amplify these energies. Yet today, a pronounced slowdown in first-principle innovation has drastically limited our ability to develop new nets, leaving critical natural patterns untapped.
This thesis leverages historical case studies—from the printing press to earned wage access—and examines contemporary challenges such as declining funding and systemic barriers that hinder disruptive breakthroughs. At Zenith Labs X, a 501(c)(3) technology accelerator based in the United States, we are dedicated to sparking first-principle innovation—reimagining industries from the ground up rather than iterating on what already exists. Every collaboration is treated as an experiment: an opportunity to explore transformative ideas at the frontiers of technology. By uniting entrepreneurs, academics, policymakers, investors, and service providers, Zenith Labs X aims to reshape industries, expand human potential, and ignite a new era of disruptive progress.
Seeing the Wiggle
In his transformative work, The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are (1966), Alan Watts introduces the concept of the “wiggle”—the natural rhythms and patterns that form the essence of our world. From the paths rivers carve through mountains to the flow of human connection, life reveals itself as a series of interwoven movements. At first glance, these movements may appear chaotic, even random. Yet closer reflection uncovers the deeper symmetries that connect and sustain everything around us.
Watts’ metaphor frames technology as the “net” cast over these wiggles. By capturing, organizing, and amplifying inherent rhythms, technology transforms apparent disorder into fertile ground for progress. For instance, the steam engine harnessed energy from heat and pressure, revolutionizing transportation and industry (Bellis, n.d.). The internet channeled information into a global network, democratizing access to knowledge. Mobile banking redefined financial access, extending opportunities to underserved communities worldwide (Donner & Tellez, 2008).
Technology can also create entirely new wiggles——disruptive patterns that reshape industries, societies, and perceptions. Blockchain introduced decentralized trust into domains once reliant on intermediaries (Tapscott & Tapscott, 2016). Earned wage access reimagined how and when workers receive their pay (PayActiv, n.d.). Autonomous vehicles, by redefining transportation itself, are transforming urban planning, logistics, and mobility as a service (Russell & Norvig, 2020). These are not simply instances of capturing existing flows; they represent fundamental reconfigurations of how we interact, transact, and build.
“The net has thus become one of the presiding images of human thought” (Watts, 1966, p. 59).
At its core, technological progress remains a dynamic dance between chaos and order. What begins as an unstructured wiggle—a challenge, a moment of inspiration, or an overlooked opportunity—becomes, through human ingenuity, the foundation for entire organizations and endeavors. In this way, the wiggle-net metaphor not only illuminates how we innovate but also underscores the profound human capacity to transform subtle, often overlooked rhythms into tangible value.
History of the Wiggle
Throughout history, humanity has sought to understand and shape the natural patterns of the universe, using technology to transform what once seemed unpredictable into opportunities for progress. More than a mere tool, technology can function as a philosophical framework for exploration—reshaping industries, disrupting societies, and forging connections once deemed impossible. In doing so, it provides individuals with purpose and unites them around shared goals.
The timeline below highlights 25 pivotal moments in technological innovation. Although not exhaustive, this representative list spans eras and sectors, underscoring the power of vision, creativity, and bold execution in shaping our interconnected world.
Note: The dates provided represent general societal consensus on when each innovation began to exert transformative impact, though development phases may span multiple years and minor variations exist among sources.
Taken together, these 25 milestones highlight how humans have consistently leveraged technology to tame, reinterpret, or amplify natural patterns—often transforming entire societies in the process. Humanity’s progress has long hinged on recognizing and harnessing the universe’s inherent patterns—its wiggles. Yet, as our innovation systems have matured, the very frameworks originally designed to harness and amplify nature’s raw 'wiggles' have, through rigidity and entrenchment, begun to inadvertently constrain the radical breakthroughs they were meant to unleash.
Capturing the Wiggle
Foundational innovation—the process of transforming raw, disruptive 'wiggles' into breakthroughs that redefine entire industries—has visibly decelerated.
U.S. federal R&D spending, once a catalyst for groundbreaking ideas, declined from 1.9% of GDP at the height of the space race (1964) to just 0.8% by 2023 (AAAS, 2025).
Likewise, private investment has faltered: venture capital funding dropped to $248.4 billion in 2023—its lowest since 2017 and a 35% plunge from the prior year (CB Insights, 2023). This dual retrenchment in public and private sectors not only signals a collective deprioritization of transformative innovation but also suggests a strategic pivot toward sustaining existing structures. Either way, the result is the same: reduced incubation for the bold, long-range exploration that drives groundbreaking breakthroughs.
While reduced R&D spending and venture funding signal waning support for long-horizon projects, additional evidence suggests that truly transformative innovation is in decline. Over the past two decades, total factor productivity (TFP) in advanced economies—a hallmark indicator of breakthrough technological progress—has consistently underperformed compared to mid-20th century gains (Goldin & Katz, 1998; Bloom, Jones, Van Reenen, & Webb, 2020). TFP measures how effectively an economy translates labor, capital, and other resources into output, and its rise historically aligns with paradigm-shifting technologies (such as electrification, semiconductors, and the internet).
Summarized data from Bloom et al. (2020) show the following approximate trends for U.S. TFP growth:
As TFP softens, the economy’s capacity to do more with the same (or fewer) committed resources diminishes. Incremental upgrades and efficiency tweaks can’t replicate the sweeping gains once spurred by foundational breakthroughs. This slowdown in TFP, paired with shrinking public R&D budgets and lower private risk appetite, underscores the argument that bold, first-principle innovation has become both harder to initiate and more difficult to come by.
Equally concerning, an extensive analysis of 45 million scientific papers and 3.9 million patents found a universal drop in “disruptiveness” over the past six decades, implying that researchers and inventors increasingly build upon prior work incrementally rather than pushing into fundamentally new territory (Park et al., 2023).
We continue to see growth of Scientific and Technological Knowledge, but
Disruption (as measured by CD Index) is clearly on the decline.
The CD index (from Park et al., 2023) is a metric that gauges how much a paper or patent disrupts existing knowledge networks, with higher scores indicating a greater shift away from established paths and more significant new directions in research or innovation.
In tandem, all of these trends point to an innovation ecosystem more inclined toward incremental improvements than the kind of first-principle breakthroughs that once reshaped entire industries and societal structures. Despite clear signs of declining first-principle innovation—from dwindling R&D budgets to stagnating total factor productivity to a pervasive culture of groupthink—the barriers run even deeper than just the numbers. As we examine the broader innovation ecosystem, seven interlocking forces emerge, each reinforcing a preference for small, safe steps over bold, transformative leaps.
Market Consolidation and Concentration
As industries consolidate, a handful of dominant players increasingly control market access, stifling opportunities for smaller innovators. Incumbents often prioritize safeguarding existing revenue streams over pursuing radical ideas, sometimes acquiring emerging competitors to neutralize potential threats (Bonaimé & Wang, 2024). This behavior not only heightens prices but also discourages entrepreneurial risk-taking, thereby limiting the resources devoted to truly disruptive ventures.
Over time, such consolidation fosters a cycle of optimization rather than revolution. To reinvigorate innovation, policies and practices must encourage competition, decentralize power, and empower smaller entrants to pursue bold ideas without insurmountable barriers.
Regulatory Capture
Regulations intended to protect consumers and ensure fairness can disproportionately burden new or smaller ventures. These startups often lack the capital and legal expertise to navigate complex compliance environments, putting them at a competitive disadvantage. Established corporations, by contrast, have the resources to manage regulatory demands—solidifying their dominance (U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 2024).
Moreover, regulatory uncertainty can deter entrepreneurs from investing in potentially transformative but untested concepts. Simplifying frameworks and ensuring they foster equitable competition is essential to sparking the next wave of foundational innovation.
Economic Pressures and Barriers to Entrepreneurship
The rising cost of living and high levels of personal debt—student loans, credit cards, and more—make launching a venture feel more like a personal gamble than an exciting opportunity. For many, failing fast means risking financial ruin.
A 2022 Federal Reserve report found that 37% of Americans would struggle to handle a $400 emergency expense (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 2023), underscoring widespread economic precarity. Without a financial safety net, individuals are far less likely to undertake the inherent risks of entrepreneurship. Alleviating these economic pressures is crucial for unleashing the innovative potential of everyday problem-solvers.
The Jevons Paradox
Efforts to boost efficiency—whether by optimizing supply chains or reducing energy costs—can ironically constrain the transformative leaps essential for first-principle innovation. The Jevons Paradox illustrates that as resource efficiency improves, overall consumption can surge, straining both financial and environmental systems (Jevons, 1865; York & McGee, 2016). For instance, in artificial intelligence, cost-effective training methods have accelerated AI adoption while simultaneously spiking energy use and intensifying competition for limited attention (Hamilton, 2025).
Ultimately, this relentless pursuit of efficiency channels resources into a perpetual cycle of incremental gains, thereby stifling the audacious, high-risk ventures that are the true catalysts of first-principle innovation."
The Moral Disconnect of Remote Work
While remote work offers considerable convenience and efficiency for certain roles, an entirely at-home workforce magnifies disparities that ultimately reinforce incremental rather than transformative progress. Essential service providers, health workers, and manufacturing teams cannot similarly “opt out” of physical labor, exposing a moral gap between those who benefit from digital isolation and those who remain on-site. Beyond equity concerns, exclusively remote environments risk losing the unplanned, hands-on synergy critical to sparking first-principle ideas. Brainstorming sessions, lab work, and real-world feedback loops—often invaluable for groundbreaking breakthroughs—can be diluted when relegated to video calls or text threads. Over time, this separation from tangible challenges fosters an iterative mindset (tweaking what already exists) rather than the bold creative leaps that arise from cross-pollination among diverse, in-person teams.
Hyperconnectivity and Distraction
In an era dominated by digital engagement and rapid news cycles, sustained focus has become a scarce resource. Hyperconnectivity encourages immediate gratification—likes, shares, and clicks—over deep thought and extended problem-solving. Research by Mark (2023) shows that individuals, on average, switch screens every 47 seconds, underscoring the difficulty of maintaining the concentration vital for genuine innovation.
With mental bandwidth fragmented by notifications and content streams, the cognitive space necessary for exploring uncertain or complex challenges becomes elusive. As a result, bold thinking often recedes, overshadowed by reactive or short-term reactions.
Incrementalism and Societal Entropy
Modern corporate and cultural systems often prioritize short-term performance metrics—such as quarterly earnings, immediate revenue growth, and publication counts—over long-term transformative impact. This emphasis reflects a broader societal entropy: a gradual shift from fostering curiosity and bold experimentation to valuing predictability, optimization, and immediate results. Fear of failure and a pervasive risk-averse mindset have permeated organizations and societal norms, discouraging the exploration of foundational challenges. Consequently, innovation becomes focused on incremental improvements to existing systems rather than addressing complex global issues or transforming entire industries.
Without deliberate efforts to counter this entropy—by funding high-risk projects, championing curiosity, and realigning incentives—ambition and creativity risk being stifled by the inertia of the status quo. The danger is not only missed breakthroughs but also the systematic underutilization of human potential.
Taken together, these seven forces—market consolidation, regulatory capture, economic pressures, the jevon's paradox, the moral disconnect of remote work, hyperconnectivity, and incrementalism—form a self-reinforcing feedback loop that suppresses genuine first-principle innovation. Dominant incumbents limit new entrants; overburdensome regulations deter experimentation; personal financial fragility discourages risk-taking; exclusive remote setups deepen social divides and hamper synergy; efficiency gains overshadow radical leaps; hyperconnected distractions erode sustained focus; and short-term metrics overshadow long-term breakthroughs. Only by recognizing how each factor constrains innovation—and tackling them in tandem—can we rekindle the spirit of bold, foundational progress that once propelled humanity’s greatest achievements.
These convergent and present challenges cannot be ignored.
Introducing Zenith Labs X
“A new paradigm in technological acceleration”
At Zenith Labs X, we believe that the boldest ideas deserve the strongest foundations. As a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, our mission is to create a collaborative, inclusive space where visionary entrepreneurs can transform first-principle concepts into tangible solutions. We draw on diverse funding sources—government, foundation, and corporate grants, as well as
ZLX (our own DeFi ecosystem)—to ensure that financial and institutional barriers never stall truly transformative progress. Fundraising events, strategic partnerships, and philanthropic contributions further fuel our mission, enabling us to invest patiently in long-horizon projects and the next wave of world-changing innovation.
With locations in New York, San Francisco, and Madison, Zenith Labs X provides both physical and virtual environments for cross-disciplinary collaboration, learning, and growth. We partner with academic institutions and industry leaders alike to cultivate a pre-competitive sandbox, allowing entrepreneurs to experiment with cutting-edge technologies while drawing on expertise from diverse fields. Our Entrepreneurs in Residence receive mentorship, resources, and dedicated time to develop bold, foundational ideas. Meanwhile, our facilities host a dynamic calendar of speaker series, start-up workshops, networking sessions, and innovation showcases—designed to foster community and amplify the potential of trailblazing thinkers.
Our Mission
We exist to become the zenith of transformative innovation, empowering visionary entrepreneurs with resources, networks, space, and proven frameworks for bringing bold ideas to life. By accelerating the pace of innovation and reframing entrepreneurship as an accessible, well-supported career path, we nurture an inclusive ecosystem where risk-takers can turn inspiration into purposeful, sustainable breakthroughs that shape our collective future.
Our Vision
To establish Zenith Labs X as the global apex of first-principle innovation—a place where status-quo-challenging ideas are nurtured, tested, and scaled. Guided by curiosity, collaboration, and creativity, we strive to drive groundbreaking advancements that redefine industries, expand human potential, and deliver enduring benefits to society.
Core Values
- Curiosity Over Fear
We embrace challenges with openness, imaginative thinking, and a willingness to explore the unconventional. By prioritizing curiosity over fear, we spark unique opportunities and question the status quo.
Core Question: Are we approaching this wiggle with courage and a mindset open to bold, unconventional ideas? - Integrity Through Radical Transparency
We build trust through accountability, honesty, and open communication. Our ecosystem rest on mutual respect and a commitment to authenticity.
Core Question: Are we being honest, accountable, and transparent in how we collaborate and communicate within our ecosystem? - The Power of Networks
Our strength lies in our community: a diverse, evolving network of investors, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, academic partners, and service providers.
Core Question: How can we leverage and grow our network to amplify this idea and maximize its impact? - Focus on the Power Law
We prioritize ideas with transformative potential, recognizing that a few exceptional successes can redefine entire industries and create outsized impact.
Core Question: Does this opportunity have the potential to redefine its market, drive transformative change, or establish entirely new fields? - Catalyst for Innovation
We serve as a bridge and facilitator, empowering entrepreneurs to tackle uncertainty, solve complex problems, and turn bold visions into reality. Our ecosystem underpins these efforts by providing patient capital, physical and virtual spaces, and expert cross-domain guidance.
Core Question: How are we empowering entrepreneurs to overcome challenges, navigate uncertainty, and realize their groundbreaking visions?
By anchoring our mission, vision, and values in a culture of bold curiosity, radical transparency, and interdisciplinary collaboration, Zenith Labs X stands ready to catalyze a new era of foundational innovation—one in which first-principle thinking flourishes, industries are reimagined, and human potential reaches new heights.
Final Reflections
The path from an initial vision to lasting impact is rarely linear—it’s dynamic, unpredictable, and yes, wiggly. At Zenith Labs X, we collaborate with entrepreneurs, academic researchers, industry thought leaders, and service providers to refine bold ideas, connect them with a supportive network, and guide visionary concepts toward enduring outcomes.
- For entrepreneurs: We provide mentorship, resources, and a dynamic environment to bring first-principle concepts to life.
- For investors: We offer a pipeline of transformative opportunities poised to reshape industries and spark new frontiers of innovation.
- For academics and researchers: We create avenues to bridge foundational studies with real-world application, fostering cross-disciplinary experimentation.
- For service providers: We present pathways to engage with cutting-edge ventures, supporting the next wave of world-changing breakthroughs.
- For industry leaders and policymakers: We welcome collaboration on strategic initiatives that catalyze entire ecosystems and address society’s most pressing needs.
If you, too, “see the wiggles”—or are simply intrigued by the possibilities—we invite you to start a conversation with us. Join us in exploring how bold thinking, fortified by the right resources, can redefine what’s possible for generations to come.
Do you see the wiggles?
