Consult Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategies With Your iPhone

Far Out Apps’ Oblique Strategies (app store link) is a free iPhone application that makes it easy to consult the oracle of Eno.

The original Oblique Strategies is a deck of cards created by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt, first published in 1975, and now in its fifth edition.

Each card contains a phrase or cryptic remark which can be used to break a deadlock or dilemma situation.

From the introduction to the 2001 edition:

“These cards evolved from separate observations of the principles underlying what we were doing. Sometimes they were recognised in retrospect (intellect catching up with intuition), sometimes they were identified as they were happening, sometimes they were formulated.”

“They can be used as a pack, or by drawing a single card from the shuffled pack when a dilemma occurs in a working situation. In this case the card is trusted even if its appropriateness is quite unclear…”

The Oblique Strategies app is free and open source.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *