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Embedding Workers in User Interfaces

May-11-11 By Aminda
Amazon’s Mechanical Turk has become commonly known as the platform that has an interface which allows job-posters to have a job divided into small parts and distribute it among multiple workers for completion. Now developers are asking if that same, human-powered system can be refined as a software application along the same lines as Microsoft spell-checker.

Call for Innovation Writers

May-09-11 By Aminda
The European Alliance for Innovation (EAI) is developing a series of books and other print material on innovation that will utilize principles of open access to distribute the material in as free and open a manner as possible.
According to the website, “EAI publications utilize novel collaborative concepts to achieve shorter “time to market” with higher-review-quality publications, while providing a significantly increased impact by utilizing web technologies to obtain massively-connected diffusion systems.”

Making Farm Fans

May-06-11 By Aminda
A UK nonprofit dedicated to conservation has launched a unique campaign that has brought international attention to their work.
Capitalizing on the enormous success of the Facebook game Farmville, where players run a virtual farm, the National Trust is allowing participants to discuss and vote on what to buy and plant on a real 2,500 farm which is currently home to cattle, pigs, sheep and crops.

Call for Nominations Open for Spike Awards

May-05-11 By Aminda
 Join the ranks of Eli Lily and Kimberly Clark as a winner of a Spike Award, recognizing companies using social strategies, processes and supporting technologies to improve innovation, product development and product management.  Nominations are now being accepted for the 2nd annual award presented by innovation consulting firm Kalypso.

New Practices in the News Industry

May-04-11 By Aminda
The newspaper industry knows innovation – it has had to transform itself over the past two decades to adapt to the internet age. Now, in the age of smart phone technology and even faster communication, journalists are again figuring out how to embrace change and use it for good.

The State of Open Innovation?

May-03-11 By Aminda
Doug Berger, of Innovate LLC, has published a thought provoking article at Innovation Management on the state of open innovation. In it he addresses areas where open innovation has been valuable, where executives still find it lacking, and presents action steps that can be taken to achieve those desired results.

Crowdsourcing Better Cities

May-02-11 By Aminda
Several recent news reports have highlighted what organizations around the world are doing to enlist citizens in making their communities and cities better places. Here are some examples.
Cleaning up Grafitti
An innovative New South Wales, Australia website is using crowd sourcing to log incidents of graffiti and forward reports to the appropriate authorities for cleaning up. Currently, when an incident is reported an alert of the damage is sent to local Rotary clubs, which dispatch volunteers to paint over the mess. The website also stores a record of the graffiti or tag, so if an offender is apprehended there is photographic evidence of the damage he or she has done.

Innovating Change out of Tragedy

Apr-29-11 By Aminda
2011 may be remembered for its global disasters; from the New Zealand earthquake to the Japan Tsunami’s to the southern U.S. tornadoes this week. If there is any light amidst the tragedy, it could be the developments and improvements that arise from aid efforts.

Transforming Medicine

Apr-28-11 By Aminda
Where does the future of medicine and medical practice lie? There are plenty of opinions and suggestions but the future looks wide open.

American Express Advancing IP Marketplace

Apr-27-11 By Aminda
According to research from financial services provided American Express, U.S. historical data show that only a small fraction of commercially viable IP is being monetized. In response to this pessimistic finding, they have created an Intellectual Property Zone (IP Zone) designed to promote the advancement of the intellectual property (IP) marketplace, including patents, trademarks, software and other IP products.