Innovation: The Who's Where's and How's

Lack of Leadership and Innovation thinking continues...watching the debate last week was a painful experience for me. Besides the total lack of respect that McCain exhibited to his counter part, there is so much to say about the lack of intellectual rigor that was so evident from our septuagenarian candidate. How can we still be talking solely about spending and framing the debate in a spender and not-spender polarity? Have our leaders so diluted the message – and ourselves - that we cannot develop the debate past the spending, no-spending mantras? Do we have to rescue everyone from celebrity-induced trances (including our supposed leaders) in order broaden the debate and make them understand that education and our children are NOT “expenses”. Have we become so deficient in understanding this? Education is an INVESTMENT and not an expense. Healthcare is an investment in our people and not an expense. Broadband connectivity is an investment in our knowledge infrastructure and not and ex...

Please, please, to all those with the power to create, affect change and inspire; to all those powers - be them metaphysical or spiritual- please give us real leaders and please give us the capacity to understand what real leadership is. Give us the capacity to think deeply and with great care. Give us the capacity to get past our self imposed celebrity filters and stop the analysis at: “she seems nice.” Give us the analytical mind-sets to be able to connect facts and not fiction. Give us the critical thinking skills and the brain power to go back and see what a disaster immature and arrogant un-leadership has been laid on our door step and that of the World. Give us the strength to not react to emotional triggers. More importantly, however: Give us the strength to look in the mirror and say to ourselves, I am responsible for the mess this country is in due to my own flaccid and indifferent participation. Let’s get active and demand more. Let’s demand an idea revolution and do nothing ...

In discussing Innovation and Information Technologies the other day with the Founder of Technology think tank, it occurred to me that we have a "branding" problem with IT and in general Technology. The fact is that the major economic expansions are driven by innovations in technology. Witness the 90's boom. While it led to a crash, it nevertheless created immense wealth for many. This fact however, does not seem to be known by the populace. Why? I theorize that it is because people have a hard time "connecting" the benefits of technology with their daily lives and their jobs. It is an imperative that we do a better job of making these connections for our customers. Apple is a great example of a "technology company" that has figured out (for now) how to translate technology into customer experience, i e., where technology meets the road, if I can borrow and change a known aphorism . The more important point here is the following: If we do a better job o...

So here is the deal, I need to buy a new car because – well - because my lifestyle is forcing me to. I have to have a car in order to survive in the suburbia-induced car culture that I have created for myself and family. It does not help that public transportation in Northern Virginia is as rare as a bicyclist hitting a bear and survives to tell about it. This actually happened in Montana yesterday. You don't believe me? Check it out: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/custom/offbeat/sns-ap-odd-bicyclist-vs-bear,0,26902.story The car that I have chosen to purchase is a Honda Fit, an environmentally-aware car responsive to the new world order consisting of high prices, a warming environment and immature politicians. It is actually a ULEV (ultra low emissions vehicle) car rapped in a small, sporty and utilitarian package. And, but of course, it is a Honda, a car of supreme quality. If you want to read about the car, click here: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_lists/car_shoppi...

Another great voice from the silent -but becoming louder - Innovation movement is raising the alarm. This time not from someone raised and protected in academic or think-tank circles, this time it is from someone that has been in the technology and innovation trenches for her entire career. Her name is Judy Estrin and was former CTO of Cisco and an entrepreneur , founder of four technology startups . Please check out the article below. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/01/technology/01estrin.htm?_r=1& adxnnl =1& oref = slogin & adxnnlx =1220620493-Tb12 xYB 2 EfoxHkvGFog ++w There has been an innovation slowdown. It is fact . Why? I do not really now. I theorize that it has to do with economic cycle maturity (in that we may have reached our economic and creative zenith), or our lack of attention and focus on the core issues, those being education, infrastructure and health-care . Maybe it is has been caused by the "crowding effect" an economics term that describ...

I hate to say it...but I told them so... The scene was a digital event in Hollywood about 1 year ago when I ventured the comment that there will come a time when digital technology will allow the making of entire movies without actors. The responses from the audience ranged from a resounding "no way" to "it will never happen" to "you are crazy" It never ceases to amaze me how dismissive people continue to be regarding the power of digital technology. It is a form of willful ignorance. Not unlike that displayed by our politicians that refuse to adopt new ideas becuase they simply do not understand them. So, here we are a year later and a new technology/product called Aguru Dome offers exactly what I postured 1 year ago; the ability to make real-life digital doubles so real that we are almost there in terms of not needing actors. Interestingly enough, I have no seen a lot of the traditional media carry this news item. I actually found it on a BBC web site ...