The first thing that came to me to describe this passage by Adrian Miles, was ‘sporadic’ and I guess it best describes the nature of ‘ideas’.
‘ocean’, ‘no shore’ then began to manifest into more morbid ideas of ‘ideas’. To be on this ‘boat’ surrounded by ideas – to immerse and surround yourself with the immensity of creativity – can be humbling and very lonely. At the most basic level and idea is hard to communicate with somebody, much like when you hear the infancy of an idea in your head, try to explain it, and end up stuttering or not being able to find the right words for it; the idea in it’s primal state is purely self-evident, incommunicable, or a qualia – a thing only experienced in the first person and indescribable to others. Try explaining the colour red to somebody who has never seen it before (thanks VCE Philosophy!).
Of course once the idea begins to take shape and you can attach human language to it, the loneliness will subside and you might find that ‘shore’ that you chart and settle your idea on to cultivate it. In short being in an ‘ocean’ of ideas is a little daunting but thrilling at the same time because once you catch that one sparkling idea it’s an adventure to explore it and when it’s a real killer of an idea the thrill is only further amplified.
How might this translate to Networked Media? Well adventure is exploring the unknown, so the easiest way to make the best use of the subject and explore it’s themes is to experiment in every way possible. With access to an online community feedback is inevitable, and the collaborative effort will be nothing short of an adventure for better or for worse.