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:
Arguing About Controversial Topics Uses More Brain Activity Than Agreeing
https://www.iflscience.com/brain/arguing-about-controversial-topics-uses-more-brain-activity-than-agreeing/
Disagreements seem to be an unavoidable part of life, occurring everywhere from comment sections to courtrooms. A new study from Yale researchers, published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, took a peek into people’s brains while they were discussing controversial topics. The results suggest that “it just takes a lot more brain real estate to disagree than to agree,” said lead author Dr Joy Hirsch in a statement. Dr Hirsch also explained that when two people are debating a topic, “There is a synchronicity between the brains when we agree, but when we disagree, the neural coupling disconnects.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Superconducting Microprocessors? Turns Out They’re Ultra-Efficient
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/computing/hardware/new-superconductor-microprocessor-yields-a-substantial-boost-in-efficiency
Tomi Engdahl says:
SCIENTISTS CONFIRM THAT LIVING CELLS CAN REACT TO MAGNETIC SIGNALS
https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-confirm-living-cells-react-magnetic-signals
For the first time, scientists have observed living animal cells respond to a nearby magnetic field.
While researchers have suspected for a long time that some animals like birds, bats, whales, and potentially humans navigate using the Earth’s magnetic field, they’ve never been able to probe the underlying cellular mechanism in a tangible way. Now that’s changed, New Atlas reports, as University of Tokyo researchers were able to demonstrate exactly how cells respond to magnets at a chemical level.
While researchers have suspected for a long time that some animals like birds, bats, whales, and potentially humans navigate using the Earth’s magnetic field, they’ve never been able to probe the underlying cellular mechanism in a tangible way. Now that’s changed, New Atlas reports, as University of Tokyo researchers were able to demonstrate exactly how cells respond to magnets at a chemical level.
Scientists had already surmised that magnetoreception works when a nearby magnetic field influences the electrons of certain molecules. These fields can alter an electron’s spin state, which in turn influences the speed of certain chemical reactions.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.iflscience.com/physics/rare-quasiparticle-observed-for-the-first-time-inside-a-nextgen-energy-material/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Unusual Quantum Phenomena: Physicists Observe Competition Between Magnetic Orders
https://scitechdaily.com/unusual-quantum-phenomena-physicists-observe-competition-between-magnetic-orders/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/01/a-curious-observers-guide-to-quantum-mechanics-pt-2-the-particle-melting-pot/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.iol.co.za/ios/news/is-quantum-physics-linked-to-consciousness-49e55e51-aa1a-42b2-8751-2fef1448ccfd
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.iflscience.com/chemistry/researchers-discovered-a-new-state-of-matter-liquid-glass/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Maybe ‘dark matter’ doesn’t exist after all, new research suggests
Observations of distant galaxies have seen signs of a modified theory of gravity that could dispense with the invisible, intangible and all-pervasive dark matter.
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/maybe-dark-matter-doesn-t-exist-after-all-new-research-n1252995
Tomi Engdahl says:
Robots Made of Ice Could Become Extraterrestrial or Arctic Explorers
Exploration robots just got a whole lot cooler, literally!
https://www.hackster.io/news/robots-made-of-ice-could-become-extraterrestrial-or-arctic-explorers-8a1a5e19f676
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.edn.com/the-evolution-of-test-and-measurement-instruments/
Tomi Engdahl says:
There is no dark matter. Instead, information has mass, physicist says
https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/dark-matter-theory
Is information the fifth form of matter?
Researchers have been trying for over 60 years to detect dark matter.
There are many theories about it, but none are supported by evidence.
The mass-energy-information equivalence principle combines several theories to offer an alternative to dark matter.
Tomi Engdahl says:
‘Time is elastic’: Why time passes faster atop a mountain than at sea level
The idea of ‘absolute time’ is an illusion. Physics and subjective experience reveal why.
https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/time-perception
Tomi Engdahl says:
Asking is one of the best ways to learn better and faster, and to “go” further.
The Power Of Asking
https://liberationprojectonline.com/the-power-of-asking/?fbclid=IwAR2WjHaOxOkZWpheJQdzqJIvC09vastYjeI3dA9s6Iq8fT6mFxt7oiomUP4
Asking for help is one of the most powerful things we can do in our lives.
Not only it helps us make progress, in whatever it is we want to make progress in, but it helps us connect and build relationships with other people, which is by itself a very powerful thing, whether this person can act as a mentor to us or simply encourage us.
Furthermore, asking questions, is one of the best ways to help you learn better and faster. I’m sure you can think of, at least, one instance where your engagement with the learning process / material, your increased participation, made your learning experience much easier, more enjoyable and more efficient.
Despite that, we are often hesitant, even afraid, to ask for help. We feel that it might make us look “bad”, as if we haven’t tried hard enough, or, maybe, we haven’t been focused enough, we haven’t paid the necessary attention; and God forbid that people might think us lacking in intelligence. Oh, you may say, but it’s none of that, I simply don’t want to bother anyone.
Tomi Engdahl says:
‘Male’ vs ‘Female’ Brains: Having A Mix Of Both Is Common And Offers Big Advantages – New Research
https://www.epanorama.net/blog/2014/07/25/searching-for-innovation/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/male-vs-female-brains-having-a-mix-of-both-is-common-and-offers-big-advantages-new-research/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why Technology Hasn’t Boosted Learning—And How It Could
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nataliewexler/2021/01/21/why-technology-hasnt-boosted-learning-and-how-it-could/
Technology has been hailed as the key to improving education. But that won’t happen as long as our use of technology is based on mistaken beliefs about how people learn.
Especially over the last ten months of remote schooling, technology has become deeply intertwined with education. Even in the before times, classrooms often featured not just a bank of computers but a digital device for every student and an interactive white board that left the old overhead projectors in the dust.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://liberationprojectonline.com/the-power-of-asking/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Completely Changing Careers—and Still Coding
https://spectrum.ieee.org/geek-life/profiles/completely-changing-careersand-still-coding
“All engineers should anticipate that they will have to make big domain shifts in their careers,” says Carl Howe, who has worked on everything from electronic music to large-scale networking and parallel processors. “The life cycle of technologies going from adoption to obsolescence has been shortening over the last century. New engineers should expect to go through at least 10 technology boom-and-bust cycles—your career will likely outlive the industry you now work in.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://veryfinnishproblems.com/blogs/news/the-incredible-history-of-finnish-baby-box
Tomi Engdahl says:
After You Die, Microsoft Wants to Resurrect You as a Chatbot
We’ve seen that episode of Black Mirror.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/robots/a35165370/microsoft-resurrects-the-dead-chatbots/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Top ten European tech stories of 2020
https://www.thelocal.com/20201230/top-ten-european-tech-stories-of-2020-invest-stockholm-tlccu
Tomi Engdahl says:
Backed by Vint Cerf, Emortal wants to protect your digital legacy from ‘bit-rot’
https://techcrunch.com/2021/01/22/backed-by-vint-cerf-emortal-wants-to-protect-your-digital-legacy-from-bit-rot/
Tomi Engdahl says:
New Discovery May Have Solved A 100-Year-Old Mystery About Cancer
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/new-research-has-solved-a-100yearold-mystery-about-cancer/
Tomi Engdahl says:
New research has found a way to use EEG to actually track our thoughts and see whether they are focused or wandering. It turns out mind-wandering is an important cognitive process.
New Science: Why Our Brains Spend 50% Of The Time Mind-Wandering
http://on.forbes.com/6183HjTat
Cognitive scientists are currently in a debate about whether mind-wandering is good for us or not. Until recently, the evidence has suggested that mind-wandering is actually bad for us and makes us unhappy. Yet mind-wandering is such a natural part of how our brains work, that our thoughts wander about half of the time. It defies logic to think that our brains would actually be spending that much energy on something bad for us.
Now new research led by UC Berkeley has found a way to actually track our thoughts and see whether they are focused or wandering. Based on their findings, the researchers concluded that mind-wandering is an important cognitive process. In other words, it is good for us and can lead us to new ideas or innovations.
Tomi Engdahl says:
“The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.”
19 Signs You’re Intelligent — Even If It Doesn’t Feel Like It
https://www.iflscience.com/brain/19-signs-youre-intelligent-even-if-doesnt-feel-like-it/
Stupid people tend to overestimate their competence, while smart people tend to sell themselves short. As Shakespeare put it in “As You Like It”: “The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.”
That conventional wisdom is backed up by a Cornell University study conducted by David Dunning and Justin Kruger. The phenomenon is now known as the Dunning-Kruger effect.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Find Out Who Received a 2021 IEEE Major Award
https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-institute/ieee-news/find-out-who-received-a-2021-ieee-major-award
Here are the recipients of the 2021 IEEE medals, service awards, honorary membership, corporate recognition, and technical field awards.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.edita.fi/ajankohtaista/blogi-temperamentti/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://thenextweb.com/eu/2021/01/21/why-we-need-to-start-looking-at-europe-as-one-tech-ecosystem/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Home care: Why we urgently need to implement tomorrow’s technology today
https://www.develcoproducts.com/news/home-care-why-we-urgently-need-to-implement-tomorrow-s-technology-today/
Worldwide changes in demography are causing an increase in the senior population and in patients with special care needs. According to The World Health Organization’s (WHO) ‘Global health and aging’ report, the number of people aged 65 and above is projected to roughly triple, from 524 million in 2010 to almost 1,5 billion in 2050. This will have considerable socioeconomic consequences for societies around the world.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://newatlas.com/science/lucid-dream-communication/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ensimmäinen koskaan löydetty musta aukko pyörii lähes valon nopeudella – ja on 50 % raskaampi kuin luultiin
Tuomas Kangasniemi19.2.202113:55|päivitetty19.2.202113:55AVARUUSTIEDE
Cygnus X-1 on myös yksi lähimmistä mustista aukoista meistä katsoen, vain noin 7200 valovuotta.
https://www.tekniikkatalous.fi/uutiset/ensimmainen-koskaan-loydetty-musta-aukko-pyorii-lahes-valon-nopeudella-ja-on-50-raskaampi-kuin-luultiin/ac730664-97ec-4d14-b179-073f73dc8518
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.iflscience.com/brain/elon-musks-neuralink-allows-monkey-play-video-games-mind/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Scientists teach pigs how to play a video game, and pigs are good at it
Hamlet, Omelette, Ebony and Ivory aren’t rescuing Princess Peach just yet, but they did show a remarkable ability to learn and operate a game.
https://www.cnet.com/news/scientists-teach-pigs-how-to-play-a-video-game-and-pigs-are-good-at-it/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-institute/ieee-history/how-lasers-and-mirrors-proved-gravitational-waves-existed
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.iflscience.com/environment/ancient-legends-and-myths-that-were-later-proven-true-by-science/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Scientists confirm quantum response to magnetism in cells
University of Tokyo scientists observe predicted quantum biochemical effects on cells.
https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/scientists-confirm-cells-quantum-response-to-magnetism
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://science.time.com/2013/07/25/how-the-moon-messes-with-your-sleep/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/youre-not-lazy-you-have-a-high-iq-study-suggests/
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://uk.businessinsider.com/best-age-for-everything-2017-3?r=US&IR=T
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/your-sweat-could-reveal-your-stress-hormone-levels-and-risk-of-burnout/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://scitechdaily.com/a-magnetic-twist-to-graphene-could-offer-a-dramatic-increase-in-processing-speeds-compared-to-electronics/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.iflscience.com/editors-blog/breathtaking-video-reveals-humanity-took-over-world/
Tomi Engdahl says:
New Science: Why Our Brains Spend 50% Of The Time Mind-Wandering
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisonescalante/2021/01/28/new-science-why-our-brains-spend-50-of-the-time-mind-wandering/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/how-lunar-phases-affect-sleep-and-menstrual-cycles/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/this-is-what-your-feelings-look-like-according-to-science/
Tomi Engdahl says:
13 SEXTILLION & COUNTING: THE LONG & WINDING ROAD TO THE MOST FREQUENTLY MANUFACTURED HUMAN ARTIFACT IN HISTORY
https://computerhistory.org/blog/13-sextillion-counting-the-long-winding-road-to-the-most-frequently-manufactured-human-artifact-in-history/
Scientists and engineers achieved the alchemist’s goal of turning low-value material, in this case sand (silicon), into gold with the invention of the MOS (metal-oxide semiconductor) transistor. According to historian David C. Brock, their creation also produced the most frequently manufactured human artifact in history.1
MOS transistors are microscopic electronic devices that serve as the fundamental building blocks of silicon computer chips. Millions could fit inside the period at the end of this sentence.
In 2014 industry analyst Jim Handy estimated that 2.9 sextillion transistors had been manufactured by the industry since
Tomi Engdahl says:
Plasmonics: A New Way to Link Processors With Light
https://spectrum.ieee.org/nanoclast/semiconductors/optoelectronics/plasmonics-a-new-way-to-link-processors-with-light
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Mother of All Demos, presented by Douglas Engelbart (1968)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJDv-zdhzMY
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kemistit löysivät niin mahdottomana pidetyn sidoksen, ettei sille ole edes nimeä: Miten kaksi samanmerkkistä ionia voi sitoutua toisiinsa hylkimisen sijasta?
Tuomas Kangasniemi24.2.202107:30TIEDEKEMIA
Sidos ei ollut yhtä vahva kuin varsinaiset kemialliset sidokset, mutta silti riittävän stabiili, että positiivisten ionien toisiinsa sitoma kompleksi pysyy koossa ongelmitta.
https://www.tekniikkatalous.fi/uutiset/kemistit-loysivat-niin-mahdottomana-pidetyn-sidoksen-ettei-sille-ole-edes-nimea-miten-kaksi-samanmerkkista-ionia-voi-sitoutua-toisiinsa-hylkimisen-sijasta/f0c5d7e3-3fd8-462d-bc28-492651d77160
Nämä ionit ovat tavallinen hopeaioni Ag⁺ ja epätavallisempi jodoniumioni I⁺.