Published by rwatstein November 15th, 2008
in innovation, corporations and technology.
Tools like prediction markets and online voting can’t replace internal innovation processes. But they can open a new channel. Few things matter more to a company. Think of the impact a single product, whether the iPod or New Coke, can have on a company’s fortunes. IT needs to make itself part of that process, and one way is by providing tools to help their companies make better decisions. Like blogs, wikis, and other social software, these tools tap into a free exchange of ideas. Unlike other social software, they lead to a definitive outcome and measurable results.
Read the full article here
Share This
Published by rwatstein November 15th, 2008
in innovation, technology and Apple.
It has been seven years since Steve Jobs announced the first “perfect thing” in the fall of 2001. Since then, very few products have come to exact total domination in their respected fields like the iPod has. And really, no other gadget in recent memory (save for maybe the iPhone) has exploded onto the cultural cache with the same impact. Here, take a scroll down memory lane with us and see the evolution of the product from its initial rocky conception to its current button-free touchscreen interface. Come on, it’ll be fun.
Read the full article here
Share This
Published by rwatstein November 9th, 2008
in libraries and innovation.
Marshall Breeding writes: “I’ve been extremely fortunate over the last few years to have had the opportunity to travel to many different parts of the world and speak and work with librarians in many countries. It has been great to have the chance to see first-hand some incredible libraries that demonstrate creative approaches to library services, innovative uses of technology, expansive resource sharing, and pragmatic approaches to library automation. In my experience, many of the libraries that most push beyond the traditional boundaries can be found in other parts of the world. Let me give you a quick tour.”
Read the full article here
Share This
Published by rwatstein November 9th, 2008
in innovation, environment and green.
The ECO Showerdrop from Product Creation uses a numerical display to show how many liters of water you’ve used and how much time you’ve spent in the shower.
Read the full article here
Share This
Published by rwatstein November 2nd, 2008
in innovation and technology.
Boston University’s College of Engineering is launching a program, under a National Science Foundation grant, to develop the next generation of wireless communications technology based on visible light instead of radio waves. Researchers expect to piggyback data communications capabilities on low-power light emitting diodes, or LEDs, to create “Smart Lighting” that would be faster and more secure than current network technology.
Read the full article here
Share This
Published by rwatstein October 19th, 2008
in libraries, innovation and library services.
You know those people you can read just like a book? Well, on Saturday, Santa Monicans will be able to borrow one of them when this city turns its main library into a “Living Library.” Fourteen “living books” will be on hand in this trendy, liberal city, representing an encyclopedia of knowledge on such subjects as nudism, Buddhism and foodism. That’s because one of them is a real, live nudist, two are Buddhists and another is a vegan.
Read the full article here
Share This
Published by rwatstein October 19th, 2008
in innovation, technology and hardware.
Catch phrases like “easy to use” and “no installation required” are music to a nontechie’s ears. In the case of Aluratek’s USB Internet Radio Jukebox, that music can literally be heard on more than 13,000 Web radio stations worldwide.
Read the full article here
Share This
Every year, libraries answer more than 374 million reference questions, according to the American Library Association. Mosio, the award-winning mobile Q&A community, today announced the launch of Text a Librarian (www.textalibrarian.com), a new service that helps libraries set up mobile Q&A systems so they may answer students and patrons’ questions instantly via text message to any mobile phone. Now, with Text a Librarian, any library or school can create their own secure, live mobile Q&A SMS reference service in just minutes, with packages starting at just $99/month + set up fees per library/branch. Text a Librarian works across all major carriers, mobile phones and devices, and works seamlessly with existing email and IM systems. Students and users simply text (or email) their question and it shows up live on the library or school’s own private and secure Web dashboard for them to answer back instantly.
Read the full article here
Share This
Published by rwatstein September 27th, 2008
in innovation and technology.
A USB drive can be used for much more than just porting data — it can carry entire bootable apps, lock down a PC, encrypt data, run Windows, and even call for help when lost.
Read the full article here
Share This
Published by rwatstein September 27th, 2008
in web 2.0 and innovation.
On most days, I put my hands on two to five new Web 2.0 products. I write up some of them, but pretty much forget about all of them by the time I wake up the next day. A few things do stick with me, though. Here’s a list of products I am actually still using, weeks or months after the initial review.
\Read the full article here
Share This
Published by rwatstein September 21st, 2008
in education and innovation.
A new website brings social networking and ad revenues to the traditional note-taking service, but the model could raise copyright issues. Knetwit, as it’s called, is a Web site that combines some familiar Web 2.0 features — user profiles, file sharing, online communities — with the goals of campus note-taking services. Its creators dropped out of Babson College to launch the service, now with backing of at least $5 million in venture capital and other funds. They have ambitions to develop it into a one-stop destination for educational content not only for students, but for professors and researchers as well.
Read the full article here
Share This
Published by rwatstein September 21st, 2008
in innovation and corporations.
Go ahead and follow the lead of these innovative companies, which came up with ideas involving green technology, voice over IP, security, and more.
Read the full article here
Share This
Published by rwatstein September 21st, 2008
in innovation.
Through the years, the companies on our list have continued to deliver in two areas — innovation and execution. we’ve been reevaluating and tweaking our criteria each year. In 1998, we landed on a questionnaire much like the one we use today that rewards the most innovative IT users based on quantitative and qualitative measures. Size still matters–only companies with $500 million or more in revenue can apply. But those that do qualify must prove that they’re spending IT dollars in innovative ways. In the last few years, we’ve added essays: one on applicants’ most innovative IT initiative in the last year, and the other on innovation in a specific technology area. Since 1998, companies in the top 10 are a constantly changing group. Several have made it to the top 10 two years during that time, but only three–Avnet, Cisco, and E.&J. Gallo–have been in the top 10 three times. Bottom line: InformationWeek 500 companies are big, but they need to bring it when it comes to innovation and execution.
Read the full article here
Share This
Published by rwatstein September 21st, 2008
in innovation, Apple and iPhone.
Scientific and medical information resources provider McGraw-Hill Professional has partnered with Modality to bring Zollinger’s Atlas of Surgical Operations to the iPhone and iPod touch. This innovative surgical reference application for the iPhone and iPod touch is designed to provide busy medical students, residents, and surgeons with instant mobile access to the knowledge they need.
Read the full article here
Share This
Published by rwatstein September 14th, 2008
in gadgets, innovation and fashion.
When tech and fashion collide, it’s not always pretty. In fact, sometimes, it’s downright ugly – and forget about actually trying to use it. From crystal-studded USB theft magnets, to phones that look like mutated children’s toys, we rounded up our top 20 techno train wrecks from companies that failed to make fashion function. This week, we scratch the surface with retro gone wrong, good ideas that turned out badly, and a certain iconic cell phone that never quite cut it.
Read the full article here
Share This
Published by rwatstein September 7th, 2008
in innovation, information and technology.
Gina Trapani writes: “Technology is supposed to make life easier, but it doesn’t seem that way when you’re struggling to wrangle 289 new email messages, dealing with a hard-drive crash, or suddenly realizing that you left an important file on the office computer. Thankfully, plenty of tools can help,” among them the “inbox zero” philosophy, using a camera phone to remember things, and cable proliferation controls.
Read the full article here
Share This
Published by rwatstein August 31st, 2008
in future and innovation.
The author caught up with the visionary inventor at SpeechTek 2008, where he talked with InformationWeek about speech technology, his new cellphone reading machine, and two new movie projects.
Read the full article here
Share This
Published by rwatstein August 31st, 2008
in innovation and information.
Sarah Houghton-Jan writes: “What is information overload? 27 instant messages. 4 text messages. 17 phone calls. 98 work emails. 52 personal emails. 76 email listserv messages. 14 social network messages. 127 social network status updates. 825 RSS feed updates. 30 pages from a book. 5 letters. 11 pieces of junk mail. 1 periodical issue. 3 hours of radio. 1 hour of television. That, my friends, is information overload. Here are 10 techniques for managing it, each in a distinct area of information input.”
Read the full article here
Share This
Published by rwatstein July 19th, 2008
in web 2.0 and innovation.
The Web is an extremely fickle place. A Web service can be hot today and dead in the water tomorrow. While there’s no true science for determining exactly what makes one stick while another languishes, there’s a lot to be learned after one fails. Considering a startup? Here are 10 recent failures to add to your case studies.
Read the full article here
Share This
Earlier this week Google launched Lively, a new social network where anyone can create an avatar and virtual room that can be embedded anywhere on the Web. 3D services such as Lively are popping up more and more online thanks to the popularity of virtual worlds like Second Life , Meez , and more. So are your skills up to snuff? We’ve gathered over 20 3D creation tools so that you can create your own avatar or virtual world. Whether you’re a 3D pro or just starting out, we’ve got tools for everyone. Try them out and let us know what you think.
Read the full article here
Share This
Published by rwatstein July 12th, 2008
in web sites, innovation and literacy.
Jen runs a website called Contrariwise that focuses on tattoos based on books, poems, lyrics, movies, poems, plays, and quotations. If you have an appropriate tattoo, such as this typewriter tribute to Hemingway (“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”), you can submit a photo. Otherwise, it’s fun to look through. Be sure to check out the pain-o-meter if you are considering your first tat.
Contrariwise website
Share This
Published by rwatstein July 12th, 2008
in innovation and technology.
More people than ever are setting up impressive home theaters with high-definition plasma displays, Blu-Ray players, and surround-sound speakers. Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D, opening today, exemplifies Hollywood’s best hope for luring people back to the theater: lots of action, big stars–and the option of full 3-D. But as the first feature-length, live-action digital 3-D film, Journey posed an unprecedented technical challenge. Today’s 3-D movies are a far cry from those of the 1950s, commonly considered the golden era of 3-D.
Read the full article here
Share This
Published by rwatstein July 12th, 2008
in innovation, technology and disabilities.
Web technologies and mobile devices have created many new ways for sight and hearing-impaired consumers to find information and connect with friends. But as entertainment and communications tools increasingly take digital form, some people with disabilities feel left behind. Online videos are not required to have captions, for example, and ticker-style emergency messages are not narrated
Read the full article here
Share This
Published by rwatstein July 5th, 2008
in innovation and software.
Scientists studying a colony of rare penguins on a remote South African island are using sophisticated object-recognition software to identify and track individual animals–an approach that they believe could transform conservation fieldwork. The software involved–originally developed for recognizing individual human faces–has developed rapidly in recent years. But so far, the so-called Penguin Recognition Project, run by Bristol University, in England, is the first large-scale attempt to use this technology to catalogue and monitor an entire population of animals in the field.
Read the full article here
Share This
The Fort Collins, Colorado Bike Library plans to quadruple the number of bikes available to loan by next spring, after finding itself dramatically and happily oversubscribed. The library permits anyone with an ID and an e-mail address to borrow a bike for a week at a time. The library started with 50 bright red bikes this spring, and is now down by two, officials said. “We are a victim of our own success,” said Jeff Morrell, president of Bike Fort Collins. “There’s a waiting list every week.”That’s sort of an understatement: The manager of the Old Town Square branch said people have actually darted away from half-eaten meals in the plaza to snag a newly returned bike. Another woman was so reluctant to return it that the police were nearly called, he said.
Read the full article here
Share This
The American Library Association (ALA) will launch an innovative project to track and measure the impact of gaming on literacy skills and build a model for library gaming that can be deployed nationally. Funding for the project will be provided by a $1 million grant from the Verizon Foundation. “Gaming is a magnet that attracts library users of all types and, beyond its entertainment value, has proven to be a powerful tool for literacy and learning,” said ALA President Loriene Roy. “Through the Verizon Foundation’s gift, ALA’s gaming for learning project will provide the library community with vital information and resources that will model and help sustain effective gaming programs and services.”
Read the full article here
Share This
Published by rwatstein July 5th, 2008
in innovation and internet.
Vint Cerf said recently that he never intended to seriously propose that the U.S. government should nationalize the Internet. But he does think the Internet is seriously broken, with an economic system that discourages competition and innovation and encourages harmful monopolistic practices. He argued that the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which governs Internet service providers, is obsolete and needs to be revised.
Read the full article here
Share This
Published by rwatstein June 29th, 2008
in future, innovation and internet.
Technology Review magazine asked technology innovators, luminaries, and users what the Web might be in five to ten years.
Read the full article here
Share This
Published by rwatstein June 21st, 2008
in innovation and technology.
Your IRS tax rebate check can buy more tech fun than you think. A search for goodies from Apple, Asus, LG, Magnavox, Garmin, and others turns up computers, flat screens, a Blu-ray DVD burner, and more.
Read the full article here
Share This
Published by rwatstein June 21st, 2008
in innovation and technology.
John Foley writes “Pittsburgh is known for its sports teams, three rivers, steel-manufacturing heritage — and increasingly for its technology innovation. The Penguins’ championship bid just ended and the Pirates are in last place, but there are other reasons for “the Burgh” to cheer. A startup incubator has just opened on the city’s South Side, and the Gates Center for Computer Science is under construction to the east.”
Read the full article here
Share This
Published by rwatstein June 21st, 2008
in innovation and corporations.
Innovation is proving to be a defining factor for successful corporations. Drawing from the magazine’s annual survey, the newly-launched S&P/BusinessWeek Global Innovation Index tracks the performance of 25 of the world’s most innovative public companies. Since 2 of our top 25 are privately held, AT&T and Samsung Electronics (Nos. 26 and 27) moved into the index.
Read the full article here
Share This
Published by rwatstein June 21st, 2008
in video games, innovation and technology.
Cardiac surgeons have borrowed a 3-D stereoscopic imaging technology from the video-game industry to help them guide their tools during intricate beating-heart surgeries. In tests of the new imaging device, a surgeon was able to more accurately navigate into pigs’ hearts and then to more quickly repair the hearts’ torn walls. Eventually, the stereoscopic system may make beating-heart surgery more efficient and less dangerous, perhaps expanding its use into relatively complicated heart repairs.
Read the full article here
Share This
Published by rwatstein June 21st, 2008
in innovation and technology.
The problem with to-do lists and schedules is that you need to fill them out. Now, a new generation of free online schedulers promises to end that drudgery. These new Web applications use natural-language processing to interpret spoken commands and ordinary written sentences to build calendars and personal organizers.
Read the full article here
Share This