Learner Turner: The science of pioneering

I remember the first experiment I ever tried. I was 8 years old at a burger place with my dad, and there was a bank of fizzy drink dispensers on the counter where you could fill up your cup with your choice of beverage. As I headed to the counter the world slowed to a stop as a thought hit my brain. What if I didn’t just get one flavour? What if I got… ALL the flavours? My mind virtually exploded as I considered the possibilities. I calculated quickly. If I only got the drinks that I liked and combined them together, then I would be guaranteed to like the flavour of my new drink. It was logical. It was risky. I was on the edge! With a full body of glee, I filled my cup with no less than four different types of fizzy drink and headed back to my dad, barely able to contain my excitement. That first taste was magic. It was unlike anything else I had ever had before: root beer, Fanta, Dr Pepper and Coke. Exquisite. From then on, I tried everything in pursuit of the best drink in the world. There were a lot of terrible combinations, but 29 years later it is a thing of perfection.