Innovation is about finding a better way of doing something. Like many of the new development buzzwords (which many of them are over-used on many business documents), the concept of innovation originates from the world of business. It refers to the generation of new products through the process of creative entrepreneurship, putting it into production, and diffusing it more widely through increased sales. Innovation can be viewed as t he application of better solutions that meet new requirements, in-articulated needs, or existing market needs. This is accomplished through more effective products, processes, services, technologies, or ideas that are readily available to markets, governments and society. The term innovation can be defined as something original and, as a consequence, new, that “breaks into” the market or society.
Innoveracy: Misunderstanding Innovation article points out that there is a form of ignorance which seems to be universal: the inability to understand the concept and role of innovation. The way this is exhibited is in the misuse of the term and the inability to discern the difference between novelty, creation, invention and innovation. The result is a failure to understand the causes of success and failure in business and hence the conditions that lead to economic growth. The definition of innovation is easy to find but it seems to be hard to understand. Here is a simple taxonomy of related activities that put innovation in context:
- Novelty: Something new
- Creation: Something new and valuable
- Invention: Something new, having potential value through utility
- Innovation: Something new and uniquely useful
The taxonomy is illustrated with the following diagram.
The differences are also evident in the mechanisms that exist to protect the works: Novelties are usually not protectable, Creations are protected by copyright or trademark, Inventions can be protected for a limited time through patents (or kept secret) and Innovations can be protected through market competition but are not defensible through legal means.
Innovation is a lot of talked about nowdays as essential to businesses to do. Is innovation essential for development work? article tells that innovation has become central to the way development organisations go about their work. In November 2011, Bill Gates told the G20 that innovation was the key to development. Donors increasingly stress innovation as a key condition for funding, and many civil society organisations emphasise that innovation is central to the work they do.
Some innovation ideas are pretty simple, and some are much more complicated and even sound crazy when heard first. The is place for crazy sounding ideas: venture capitalists are gravely concerned that the tech startups they’re investing in just aren’t crazy enough:
Not all development problems require new solutions, sometimes you just need to use old things in a slightly new way. Development innovations may involve devising technology (such as a nanotech water treatment kit), creating a new approach (such as microfinance), finding a better way of delivering public services (such as one-stop egovernment service centres), identifying ways of working with communities (such as participation), or generating a management technique (such as organisation learning).
Theorists of innovation identify innovation itself as a brief moment of creativity, to be followed by the main routine work of producing and selling the innovation. When it comes to development, things are more complicated. Innovation needs to be viewed as tool, not master. Innovation is a process, not a one time event. Genuine innovation is valuable but rare.
There are many views on the innovation and innvation process. I try to collect together there some views I have found on-line. Hopefully they help you more than confuze. Managing complexity and reducing risk article has this drawing which I think pretty well describes innovation as done in product development:
8 essential practices of successful innovation from The Innovator’s Way shows essential practices in innovation process. Those practices are all integrated into a non-sequential, coherent whole and style in the person of the innovator.
In the IT work there is lots of work where a little thinking can be a source of innovation. Automating IT processes can be a huge time saver or it can fail depending on situation. XKCD comic strip Automation as illustrates this:
System integration is a critical element in project design article has an interesting project cost influence graphic. The recommendation is to involve a system integrator early in project design to help ensure high-quality projects that satisfy project requirements. Of course this article tries to market system integration services, but has also valid points to consider.
Core Contributor Loop (CTTDC) from Art Journal blog posting Blog Is The New Black tries to link inventing an idea to theory of entrepreneurship. It is essential to tune the engine by making improvements in product, marketing, code, design and operations.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
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In the late 1990s, Sony was perfectly positioned to lead the digital music revolution. They had the technology, the brand recognition, and even early MP3 player prototypes developed by their engineers. But despite their head start, Sony chose not to release them. The reason? Internal conflict. Sony wasn’t just a hardware company, it also owned one of the largest music labels in the world. Executives feared that embracing MP3s, which were easily pirated and often shared illegally, would cannibalize CD sales and hurt their music division’s profits.
This hesitation gave room for competitors to rise. In 2001, Apple launched the iPod, a sleek and user-friendly device that made digital music portable and appealing to the masses. It was supported by iTunes, which allowed users to legally purchase and organize music in one place. Where Sony saw a threat, Apple saw an opportunity. The iPod became a cultural icon, redefining how people consumed music. Meanwhile, Sony scrambled to catch up with its own line of digital players, but by then, the momentum had shifted firmly in Apple’s favor.
Sony’s misstep is now often cited as one of the biggest missed opportunities in tech history. Despite inventing the Walkman and dominating portable music for decades, they let fear of disrupting their own business block innovation. Apple, with no music catalog to protect, took bold steps and reaped the rewards. The iPod paved the way for the iPhone, helping Apple transform into a tech giant. And Sony? It learned the hard way that sometimes, playing it safe is the riskiest move of all.
#DigitalShift #Sony #WittyHistorian
Tomi Engdahl says:
How the Grateful Dead built the internet
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250618-how-the-grateful-dead-shaped-social-media?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR7MVj8PK0Bd_KSpfVkGJwmvSIhhFqKSirDkHCWxIWNOUcYWCdQSgl5NEYA7Ig_aem_uRQs1rHJ-iy2Y-IHFF1onA
Before the the internet took over the world, psychedelic rock band The Grateful Dead were among the first – and most influential – forces at the dawn of online communication.
The Grateful Dead weren’t just a band. They were a lifestyle. Originally a local blues outfit known as the Warlocks, they soon ascended to the rank of house band for author Ken Kesey’s “Acid Tests”, and by the late 1960s became a force to be reckoned with on the national touring scene. The Dead, as many call them, helped define San Francisco’s characteristic counterculture, fusing folk and Americana influences with Eastern spirituality – as well as forward-thinking experiments with futuristic tools.
But the Dead shaped far more than rock, psychedelia and ’60s drug culture. Thanks to a group of music-loving tech enthusiasts, the Dead popularised what some call first real online community. Generations later, the ideas formed in this pioneering digital space still reverberate through our daily lives.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Scientists have built a silent sound beam that lifts and moves objects—without touching them
At a precision acoustics lab in Denmark, researchers have engineered an invisible tractor beam made entirely of sound waves. It allows them to levitate, rotate, and steer small solid objects through mid-air—without any wires, magnets, or contact. What’s even more astonishing is that the system works silently, operating below the human hearing threshold.
The beam works by generating complex 3D acoustic fields using phased arrays of ultrasonic speakers. These waves interfere in specific patterns, forming pressure pockets that act like invisible “hands” in space. The object—be it a droplet, a piece of metal, or a micro-sensor—is trapped inside and gently moved by adjusting the wave field.
Traditional acoustic levitation is limited to simple up-and-down hovering. But this new design creates dynamic vortexes and knots in the air, allowing researchers to move objects around corners, rotate them in 3D, and even stack them—all in complete silence. The system is precise down to millimeters and works with solid, liquid, or even some gel-like materials.
This technology could revolutionize sterile environments where touch is dangerous: handling fragile cells in biomedical labs, assembling microchips without contamination, or even manufacturing in space, where gravity complicates handling. Since it’s non-contact and uses no magnetic or optical components, it’s safe for delicate biological systems.
In future versions, multiple beams could work in concert like fingers, allowing true mid-air manipulation of tools or tissues. A no-contact robotic hand—built from sound and physics.
We’ve always touched the world to move it. Now we can do it without a single touch.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Diabetic Woman No Longer Needs Insulin After Single Dose of Experimental Stem Cells
Talk about an upgrade.
https://futurism.com/neoscope/diabetic-woman-stem-cells-insulin
A Canadian woman with type 1 diabetes spent nearly a decade dependent on her glucose monitor and insulin shots — but after a single dose of manufactured stem cells implanted into her liver, she’s now free.
In an interview with CTV, 36-year-old Amanda Smith of London, Ontario described how it felt to be part of such a groundbreaking experiment that has allowed her body to once again produce its own insulin.
“I remember, like, being scared and excited,” Smith said of the study, “and it’s history now.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Synthetic Diamonds Made In Minutes Not Days Could Upend Gemstone Economics
The new low-pressure method could drastically cut the cost of producing synthetic diamonds.
Stephen Luntz headshot
https://www.iflscience.com/synthetic-diamonds-made-in-minutes-not-days-could-upend-gemstone-economics-73965?fbclid=IwY2xjawLPHZJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHrBWGqC6e2bLeRfyXv_ZXnf6u1Gkb-3heYAwMieQ0oLAcxis4npkUzc8mHZU_aem_aZUEtHJBKqz3v0AC2SkjAQ
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.iflscience.com/miracle-bioplastic-reflects-99-percent-of-suns-rays-massively-reducing-building-energy-use-79769?fbclid=IwY2xjawLPIEdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHtQnscjXS5ojkdhIHeLW2WMhAqvJ6oKaaK4FsD1pcmAvyScJVj9J1AnQqfBs_aem_ckhHFq0VQ3oy3cCkAF5BWg
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.iflscience.com/is-a-cat-poop-parasite-decapitating-human-sperm-contributing-to-rising-infertility-79777?fbclid=IwY2xjawLPIRtleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHkfD5JEuLIxIB28Bv-JvwxiyYn_MoQIKp94Oi5V_fx73-LCGZcgf_fdh8L52_aem_4belmkBx2fskGHV6poBvqA