Searching for innovation

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:

XKCD Automation

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.

 

 

 

 

5,167 Comments

  1. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Instead of simply replenishing cells that are lost to HIV, the therapy can produce cells that cannot be invaded by the virus.

    FDA Approves Clinical Trials Of HIV Genetic Treatment
    https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/fda-approves-clinical-trials-of-hiv-genetic-treatment/

    Reply
  2. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Harvardin tohtoriopiskelija kohautti väittämällä, että 2+2=5 – perustelu mullistaa käsityksesi matematiikasta
    https://www.mtvuutiset.fi/artikkeli/harvardin-tohtoriopiskelija-kohautti-vaittamalla-etta-2-2-5-perustelu-mullistaa-kasityksesi-matematiikasta/7899176#gs.di1jok

    Entinen matemaatikko Kareem Carr aiheutti Twitterissä raivoa väittämällä, että ”2+2=5”. Popular Mechanics -lehdelle antamassaan haastattelussa hän kehottaa ihmisiä pitämään mielessä sen, mitä matematiikka käsitteellistää.

    Reply
  3. Tomi Engdahl says:

    First ever observation of ‘time crystals’ interacting
    by Lancaster University
    https://phys.org/news/2020-08-crystals-interacting.amp

    Reply
  4. Tomi Engdahl says:

    TIME CRYSTAL DISCOVERY COULD CHANGE THE FUTURE OF QUANTUM COMPUTING
    Researchers observed the interaction of a strange state of matter for the first time.
    https://www.inverse.com/innovation/time-crystals-quantum-computing-study

    Reply
  5. Tomi Engdahl says:

    “The good news is that it’s very small, and the bad news is that it’s probably not as small as you’d like it to be.”

    Robotic Tank Is Designed to Crawl Through Your Intestine
    https://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/medical-robots/robotic-tank-is-designed-to-crawl-through-your-intestine

    Let’s talk about bowels! Most of us have them, most of us use them a lot, and like anything that gets used a lot, they eventually need to get checked out to help make sure that everything will keep working the way it should for as long as you need it to. Generally, this means a colonoscopy, and while there are other ways of investigating what’s going on in your guts, a camera on a flexible tube is still “the gold-standard method of diagnosis and intervention,” according to some robotics researchers who want to change that up a bit.

    The University of Colorado’s Advanced Medical Technologies Lab has been working on a tank robot called Endoculus that’s able to actively drive itself through your intestines, rather than being shoved. The good news is that it’s very small, and the bad news is that it’s probably not as small as you’d like it to be.

    Reply
  6. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Agricultural scientist Bruce French has been cataloguing food plants for five decades with obsession to catalogue all of the world’s edible plants!

    In 54 years Bruce French has catalogued 31,170 edible plants, which is almost every edible plant from every country on earth.

    One Tasmanian’s 54-year obsession to catalogue all of the world’s edible plants to end malnutrition
    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-22/food-plant-solutions-malnutrition-farming-edible-plants/12580732

    Reply
  7. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Steal Steve Jobs’s Secret for Being More Creative at WorkIt worked for Albert Einstein too.
    https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/steve-jobs-albert-einstein-creativity-secrets.html

    Einstein wasn’t a desk-bound workaholic. In fact, the genius credits his ability to slack off with some of his most important ideas.

    A lifelong loafer, Einstein loved to take out a sailboat and float around aimlessly for hours. He was even stopped by the police in 1939 for wandering around a beach lost in thought. One of the last century’s great geniuses understood that the best ideas often come when you’re doing nothing.

    Slack your way to greater creativity
    Steve Jobs may not have upended our understanding of the universe, but he did revolutionize the way we work and play. And, like Einstein, he did it by allowing himself to do nothing sometimes.

    “The former Apple CEO relied on so-called procrastination, and taking breaks from his work, to generate his best product ideas, like the iPod,” wrote Tat Bellamy Walker and Shana Lebowitz in Business Insider, backing up their claim with a quote from Wharton professor Adam Grant.

    Reply
  8. Tomi Engdahl says:

    PREDICTED ‘INFORMATION CATASTROPHE’ MAY BE CAUSED BY FIFTH STATE OF MATTER
    Turns out our late-night tweets may have consequences after all.
    https://www.inverse.com/innovation/information-could-be-a-fifth-state-of-matter

    ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHES US THAT THERE ARE FOUR TYPES OF MATTER: solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. But a new theoretical study says that the fifth form of matter has been lurking right under our noses and has the potential to cause a worldwide crisis if left unabated.

    No, not an element and not a young woman named Leeloo. This proposed fifth form is information.

    In a new study, researcher Melvin Vopson predicts that the weight of this information could equal that of half the Earth by the year 2245, creating what the study calls an “information catastrophe.”

    But before we cower in the face of this new singularity, there are a few important caveats to consider.

    In the findings, published Tuesday in the journal AIP Advances, Vopson, a senior lecturer in physics at the University of Portsmouth, turns to a thermodynamics principle proposed by physicist Rolf Landauer in 1961 to explain the relationship between bits — the tiniest parts of information that make-up everything from how we send texts to how quantum computers are coded — and energy.

    In a nutshell, Landauer proposed that destroying a bit of information requires a comparable dissipation of energy. With this principle in mind, it stands to reason that the creation and destruction of more and more bits of information would require the use of more and more energy.

    And this is precisely the problem, says Vopson.

    “The growth of digital information seems truly unstoppable,” Vopson explains. “According to IBM and other big data research sources, 90 percent of the world’s data today has been created in the last 10 years alone. In some ways, the current COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated this process as more digital content is used and produced than ever before.”

    Reply
  9. Tomi Engdahl says:

    What’s been going wrong for Intel?
    By Jacob Ridley 13 days ago
    https://www.pcgamer.com/what-went-wrong-intel/

    Here’s a brief summary of the trials and tribulations of the original chipmaking giant

    Reply
  10. Tomi Engdahl says:

    56 Percent Of Americans Don’t Think We Should Teach Arabic Numerals In School
    https://www.iflscience.com/editors-blog/56-percent-of-americans-dont-think-we-should-teach-arabic-numerals-in-school/

    If you grew up in America, you’ve probably used Arabic numerals pretty much every day of your life in some way. Same if you’re English, French, or from most other countries.

    Even in China and Japan, where other numerals are used
    Arabic numerals are still regularly employed. Unless you’re reading this in ancient Rome, you probably use them too.

    Nevertheless, a survey conducted by poll company Civic Science has found that 56 percent of Americans would like Arabic numerals (which are the numbers 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, and 9, used in every number right up until infinity) banned in schools. America, your prejudice is showing.

    Reply
  11. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Google’s Plan to Disrupt the College Degree Is Absolute GeniusGoogle’s new ‘career certificate’ program is just the right thing, at just the right time.
    https://www.inc.com/justin-bariso/google-career-certificates-plan-disrupt-college-degree-university-genius.html?cid=sf01002&fbclid=IwAR0K7RK85Ov4O4U–dNS9O0wmq1pfHTsBQ2VwJlLGKYos-uem8emwbKkBLA

    Google made waves recently by announcing its new program, “Google Career Certificates,” a collection of courses designed to help participants get qualifications in high-paying, high-growth job fields without attending university.

    The courses should take about six months to complete, and will cost a fraction of a traditional college education.

    As Kent Walker, senior vice president of global affairs at Google, succinctly put it in a blog post:

    “We will consider our new career certificates as the equivalent of a four-year degree for related roles.”

    Old idea, different package
    Those who commented or reached out included professionals, employers, and especially students who were happy to see an alternative to what many consider a broken educational system–one that leaves many burdened with student debt for years while leaving them unprepared for the real world.

    The truth is, traditional higher education may be necessary for some career paths, but for others it is neither necessary nor practical. Google’s alternative not only costs a fraction of a traditional college education, it can also be completed in far less time–and can better equip graduates for the jobs they’re seeking.

    Of course, what Google is offering isn’t exactly new. In some ways, the new program resembles other types of training that have existed for years, like vocational education or apprenticeship programs. The difference is, since Google is a household name, its certificate can be easily recognized and accepted across companies and industries–much like a degree from a major university.

    Google Has a Plan to Disrupt the College DegreeGoogle’s new certificate program takes only six months to complete, and will be a fraction of the cost of college.
    https://www.inc.com/justin-bariso/google-plan-disrupt-college-degree-university-higher-education-certificate-project-management-data-analyst.html

    Reply
  12. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Elon Musk Says First Demo Of His Brain Chip Is Coming This Friday
    BY : LUCY CONNOLLY ON : 26 AUG 2020 12:15
    https://www.unilad.co.uk/technology/elon-musk-says-first-demo-of-his-brain-chip-is-coming-this-friday/?source=tech

    The news comes a little over a month after Musk announced his latest start-up, Neuralink, was in the process of developing a brain-computer interface that allegedly has a life-changing range of benefits – including the ability to stream music straight into your brain.

    Now, Neuralink, which has already received more than $158 million in funding, will be demonstrating a working device this coming Friday, August 28, at approximately 6.00pm ET (11.00pm BST).

    Reply
  13. Tomi Engdahl says:

    A four-inch wafer of silicon has been turned into an army of one million microscopic, walking [robots](https://www.cnet.com/tags/robots/), thanks to some clever engineering employed by researchers at Cornell University in New York.

    A team of roboticists detail the creation of their invisible army of robots, which are less than 0.1mm in size (about the width of a human hair) and cannot be seen with the naked eye. The robots are rudimentary and are reminiscent of Frogger, the famous 1980s arcade game. But they take advantage of an innovative, new class of actuators, which are the legs of the microrobots, designed by the team.

    Reply
  14. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Interview: The NDB team on its revolutionary nano-diamond batteries
    https://newatlas.com/energy/nano-diamond-battery-interview-ndb/

    A cheap, safe, self-charging battery that delivers high power for decades without ever needing a charge? That’s a game changer. California-based company NDB is making some outrageous promises with its nano-diamond battery technology, which could completely disrupt the energy generation, distribution and provision models if deployed at scale.

    Reply
  15. Tomi Engdahl says:

    2020 Mind of the Engineer survey reveals distinct design cultures
    https://www.edn.com/2020-mind-of-the-engineer-survey-reveals-distinct-design-cultures/

    For instance, while most engineers prefer to conduct circuit design and simulation at work, European designers are happy to do circuit design and research remotely. Beyond how COVID-19 is reshaping the workplace, what’s most important to note is the continued merging and melding of engineering disciplines.

    Reply
  16. Tomi Engdahl says:

    How design engineers can effectively engage with technical documentation
    https://www.edn.com/how-design-engineers-can-effectively-engage-with-technical-documentation/

    You start a project with a clear vision of your design needs, project goals, and a successful, on-schedule launch. Maybe you’re a leading Internet of Things (IoT) product developer creating a new family of wireless sensors. Maybe you’re building a drone for a project outside of work. You have chosen the hardware and software development tools you will use, and you are confident in your ability to learn the rest along the way.

    Reply
  17. Tomi Engdahl says:

    An incredible new robot inspired by vines can grow 25,000 times its original size.
    https://www.facebook.com/groups/2600net/permalink/2816407421915698/

    Reply
  18. Tomi Engdahl says:

    The proof is computerized and verified by another computer, indecipherable by humans.

    Humans Couldn’t Solve This Math Problem for 90 Years. Computers Did It in 30 Minutes.
    Psh. Beginner’s luck.
    https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/math/a33820013/keller-conjecture-old-math-problem-solved/?utm_medium=social-media&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=socialflowFBPOP

    The last dimension of Keller’s conjecture has been proven using a computer algorithm.
    The conjecture involves the way hypercubes in different dimensions share sides when tiled.
    The proof is computerized and verified by another computer, indecipherable by humans

    Reply
  19. Tomi Engdahl says:

    These Mathematicians Think the Universe May Be Conscious
    https://futurism.com/the-byte/mathematicians-think-universe-conscious

    Scientists are doubling down on a peculiar model that attempts to quantify and measure consciousness.

    The model, known as Integrated Information Theory (IIT), has long been controversial because it comes with an unusual quirk. When applied to non-living things like machines, subatomic particles, and even the universe, it claims that they too experience consciousness, New Scientist reports.

    Reply
  20. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Deep tech – what is it and why does it matter for tackling the coronavirus pandemic?

    New wave of medical ‘deep tech’ can help coronavirus response – but there’s resistance
    https://horizon-magazine.eu/article/new-wave-medical-deep-tech-can-help-coronavirus-response-there-s-resistance.html#utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=deep_tech

    The development of new medical technologies based on cutting-edge discoveries has accelerated during the coronavirus pandemic and is helping us respond to the health crisis. But for these technologies to flourish, attitudes and scepticism among investors still need to change, say researchers and start-ups.

    ‘Deep tech’ describes companies working with technologies such as advanced material science, artificial intelligence or biotech to bring completely new scientific discoveries or engineering breakthroughs to businesses. For example, deep tech includes pharmaceutical companies using the ultra-fast processing power of quantum computers to simulate complex chemical reactions to discover new drugs, or using artificial intelligence and machine learning to build navigation systems for self-driving cars.

    Deep tech is often based on ‘fundamental’ research driven by scientific curiosity about new, untested theories – rather than ‘applied’ research, which improves existing technology.

    Although the term is new, the approach has been around for decades, says Jonathan Wareham, a Professor of Information Systems at the ESADE Business School in Barcelona, Spain.

    ‘History has given us many examples of how deep technologies have diffused into clinical products or medicines that have been tremendously helpful,’ he said. He gives the example of how Paul Dirac’s theory of antimatter evolved from a theory that even Dirac didn’t believe to being the science behind modern PET scanners.

    New wave

    As the coronavirus spread through Europe in early 2020, many deep tech companies adapted their technology to help with the response.

    The coronavirus pandemic has given deep tech funding an opportunity, Dr Krisch says. ‘(European research infrastructures) have become very receptive to accelerating processes and mechanisms to allow result-driven research and innovation which is not their typical timescale.’

    ‘That initial process of (deep tech) R&D is done by taxpayers. It’s almost a gift for investors.’

    Prof. Jonathan Wareham, ESADE Business School, Barcelona, Spain

    Potential

    Nonetheless, there are intrinsic problems with deep tech that continue to affect it, says Prof. Wareham. Since deep tech uses new concepts such as quantum technology, it can take years for investors to fully appreciate its potential. Deep tech start-ups looking for early investment are at a disadvantage when talking to sceptical investors.

    ‘The problem with this in terms of selling it in the public imagination is that cause and effect is difficult,’ he said. ‘You’re not talking about a car sharing app. You’re talking about something that could take maybe 10 years before it piloted, tested, produced and commercialised.’

    According to BeSure cofounder Olga Chumakova, the difficulty of trying to reach European investors during lockdown became obvious immediately.

    Collaborate

    Dr Krisch thinks that researchers need to collaborate better too. There is room for further improvement, according to him, but the current crisis has also created an unexpected opportunity.

    For Prof. Wareham, better communication of deep tech’s low-risk potential could be better. ‘You have to convince people that the benefit that deep tech has is that researchers develop the technology. They test it, they operate it and scale it. That initial process of R&D is done by taxpayers. It’s almost a gift for investors.’

    The breakthrough science that deep tech uses can also be reinterpreted for a second life as another new technology, says Dr Krisch. Having different disciplines work together can help that happen.

    ‘You put a physicist together with an architect and psychologist, and they have three completely different angles. And in the end, you come up with a smart idea you didn’t think about as a physicist or psychologist on your own,’ he said.

    In the future he hopes that bringing investors closer to fundamental research will help create deep tech businesses that respond to future crises, like climate change.

    ‘I think one of the strongest common denominators (between the pandemic and climate change) is early detection,’ Dr Krisch said. ‘One of the lessons to be learned is how we can use deep tech to prevent future crises.’

    Reply
  21. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Elon Musk, Richard Branson, and Sara Blakely’s best advice on how to become fearless.

    3 Billionaires’ Best Advice for Getting Over Your Fear of Failure
    https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/elon-musk-richard-branson-sara-blakely-failure-advice.html?cid=sf01002

    Elon Musk, Richard Branson, and Sara Blakely on how you can dare to chase your wildest dreams.

    Perhaps one of the oldest and most oft repeated chestnuts in the startup world is that you shouldn’t fear failure.

    “Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough,” Elon Musk told SpaceX employees in the company’s early days, for instance.

    Or how about this classic from Thomas Edison: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

    Entrepreneurs are bombarded with the message that getting over your fear of failure is essential for success, probably because it’s true. But that doesn’t make it easy. Failure feels terrible for most normal humans, and it’s natural to worry about the social, economic, and business costs of falling on your face.

    But just because fear of failure is hardwired into us, it doesn’t mean we can’t overcome it.

    “Something that can be helpful is fatalism, to some degree,” Musk explained. “If you just accept the probabilities, then that diminishes fear. When starting SpaceX, I thought the odds of success were less than 10 percent and I just accepted that actually probably I would just lose everything. But that maybe we would make some progress.”

    Calling failure “one of our greatest learning tools” Branson recommends those in the grip of anxiety think about all the things a seemingly negative experience is teaching them.

    Switching your lens in this way will shift your focus from the short-term discomfort of failure to the long-term gains. That should boost your courage.

    Self-made Spanx billionaire Sara Blakely has made a similar observation about failure: While it feels horrible, it often leads to wonderful things down the road. It’s just hard to remember that in the moment. Blakely suggests a short writing exercise can help remind you of this truth.

    Next time you’ve experienced a setback and it stings, get out a pen and paper and try to write out all the positives that are likely to come out of the experience.

    Reply
  22. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Only One In Ten Medical Treatments Are Backed By High-Quality Evidence
    https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/only-one-in-ten-medical-treatments-are-backed-by-high-quality-evidence/

    When you visit your doctor, you might assume that the treatment they prescribe has solid evidence to back it up. But you’d be wrong. Only one in ten medical treatments are supported by high-quality evidence, our latest research shows.

    https://www.jclinepi.com/article/S0895-4356(20)30777-0/fulltext

    Reply
  23. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Richard Branson Thinks Everyone Should Read This Book Right NowThe world is full of challenges. This book will give you the hope to conquer them.
    https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/richard-branson-nelson-mandela-literari-mandelas-way.html

    “Hope is not a lottery ticket you can sit on the sofa and clutch, feeling lucky. It is an axe you break down doors with in an emergency,” essayist Rebecca Solnit wrote back in 2004. In 2020, it’s a quote that seems more relevant than ever.

    Reply
  24. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Lightweight and thin solar cells, created by inkjet printing, can offer an alternative way to power electronic devices.

    Thin-skinned solar panels printed with inkjet
    https://discovery.kaust.edu.sa/en/article/1016/thin-skinned-solar-panels-printed-with-inkjet?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=cpub-2020Q3

    Efficient, yet exceptionally light organic solar cells created entirely by inkjet printing.

    Reply
  25. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Engineer’s perspective of the future of engineering applications
    What’s next for industrialization as the industry begins to prepare for Industry 5.0.
    https://www.controleng.com/articles/engineers-perspective-of-the-future-of-engineering-applications/?oly_enc_id=0462E3054934E2U

    Reply
  26. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Does your engineering firm need a tech stack?
    Learn how to develop or fine-tune an integrated tech stack at your engineering firm
    https://www.csemag.com/articles/does-your-engineering-firm-need-a-tech-stack/?oly_enc_id=0462E3054934E2U

    Reply
  27. Tomi Engdahl says:

    NEURALINK: 3 NEUROSCIENTISTS REACT TO ELON MUSK’S BRAIN CHIP REVEAL
    https://www.inverse.com/innovation/neuralink-neuroscientists

    With a pig-filled demonstration, Neuralink revealed its latest advancements in brain implants this week. But what do scientists think of Elon Musk’s company’s grand claims?

    Reply
  28. Tomi Engdahl says:

    You Can Stop Apologizing for Your Sick Sense of Humor
    A new study tries to figure out who finds dark humor funny.
    https://bigthink.com/robby-berman/you-can-stop-apologizing-for-your-dark-sense-of-humor

    Reply

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