But how is creativity really treated, beyond the reality distortion field of such misty-eyed ad campaigns?

FORBES: Do We Value People Who "Think Different"? In Schools: Mostly Not.

Even a real hero, Steve Jobs, is famous for his "reality-distortion field"--in two minutes Jobs can have you believing the moon is made of Brie.

FORBES: Blessed Are the Hypomanic

Looks like Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs' reality distortion field is portable, because it now appears to have made a trip with Jobs to Memphis, Tenn.

FORBES: Magazine Article

' He was able to overcome the reality distortion field.

CNN: Is there a bias against creativity?

As usual, whether the subject is antennas, Flash or shipments, there is more to the story and sooner or later, even people inside the distortion field will begin to resent being told half a story.

FORBES: RIM Chief To Steve Jobs: 'Customers Are Getting Tired Of Being Told What To Think'

"People talked about Steve's reality distortion field as a joke but at the same time time he gives you the impression that everything he says is core to his belief about the world, " he said.

BBC: Shock over Apple boss Steve Jobs' medical leave

It cited Penn State's "excessive focus on athletics" and showed how under Paterno, a football-mad university created its own insular, reality distortion field, one in which to "avoid the consequences of bad publicity, " facts were brushed away and concealed.

WSJ: What Penn State Should Tear Down

However, these feelings never lasted long, because the shot would switch to another camera position which had worse contrast, or greater lens distortion, or shallower depth of field, and the illusion would be broken.

ENGADGET: BBC shows off 33-megapixel Super Hi-Vision Olympic footage, we ask: why?