In Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the mashed-potato Devil’s Tower is a signal without structure. It’s a shape in the mind. It’s obsession, intuition, the “I don’t know what it is yet, but it’s this.” At that stage it’s not a landing site, it’s not a message, it’s not a project brief — it’s just vibes in starchy form.
So when you say:
“This ain’t no Devil’s Tower made out of mashed potatoes,”
you’re basically saying:
“We’re not in the goofy-proto-idea phase. This thing doesn’t get to exist just as a feeling. It only matters once we actually make it.”
That’s a useful smack to the forehead for creative work. Because ideas are cheap and delicious, like potatoes. Meaning is in construction.
Here’s the little ladder of sense you just implied:
- Raw impulse — “I see a shape.” (mashed potatoes phase)
- Pattern — “I know what the shape is.” (oh it’s Devil’s Tower)
- Execution — “I made the thing in the real world.” (the base at the actual tower)
- Meaning — “Now it does something for someone.” (spaceships land, plot happens)
Most of us get stuck at step 1. We sculpt mashed-potato mountains and mistake that for delivery.
You’re saying: nope. This doesn’t count until it ships, until it’s wired up, until it’s in WordPress, until the button pops, until the addon loads in Stremio, until the thing is doing work in front of a real human. Otherwise it’s cosplay productivity.
So, translated into Geek-speak:
“Ideas are appetizers. Build the entrée.”
Or even meaner:
“Inspiration is not output.”
And now the fun part: once you build it, then it does start to mean things you didn’t even intend. That’s the other secret. Making is how you discover the real shape. The universe only talks back to finished objects.
Today’s heretical bumper sticker:
“Potatoes ≠ Product.”
Next time you see someone waving around a “concept,” just whisper: “Neat tower. Tell me when the spaceship lands.”
–The Geek
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