How does one “go green” with only 420 square feet of living space? The founder of Treehugger.com and VP of Interactive Media at Discovery’s Planet Green is getting media attention this week for engaging hundreds of thousands of people in a contest that resulted in some truly innovative architectural solutions. Graham Hill launched the contest…
I’m just back from Scottsdale, Ariz., where we held our CoDev conference! Thanks to new friends and old for your participation. This was our tenth year at CoDev and each year seems more exciting and engaging than the last. More than 300 attendees from all over the world came to take in the newest ideas…
During the CoDev 2011 conference in Scottsdale, Arizona, I was impressed with a speech given by a local CEO, John (“Jay”) Rogers of Local Motors in Chandler, Arizona. This small company designs exciting new vehicles using design contests that are open to the public. “Crowdsourcing” is one of the trendy new approaches to innovation, but it’s more than just a buzzword. When managed with smart tools, good incentives, strong respect for the participants and a strong brand, it can add a vast amount of energy and brilliance to an innovation pipeline.
Local Motor’s rapidly growing community (12,000 participants so far) contributes designs and feedback to help in the selection of potentially successful aesthetic concepts for automobiles that Local Motors will then build locally in a microfactory, with final customization of the appearance being achieved with an environmentally friendly and durable vinyl wrap that eliminates the need for paint and gives the owner freedom to have a unique look. The final assembly is done with hands-on help from the new owner, who becomes intimately familiar with the vehicle and with its maintenance.…
CoDev is celebrating a decade of innovation! The 10th annual conference on Co-Development and Open Innovation: Accessing Networks & Knowledge to Create Business Value is happening right now in Scottsdale, Ariz., and I could not be more excited. This year more than 250 of us are convening in the brand new Talking Stick Resort. This…
Here’s an interesting innovation for your kitchen: an oven that is so automatic, it seems to have a brain. Actually, it does have a brain, sort of. The IChef is a touch-controlled computer that has an icon-driven touch screen. The oven is manufactured by European appliance-maker Gorenje. This unique computerized oven was featured this past…
As Americans, we’re beginning to adopt green and sustainable fads like reusable shopping bags and refillable water bottles as everyday ordinary lifestyle habits, and that’s a trend that is expected to continue for years to come. Today’ savvy “green” consumers are paying attention to the green marketing being pitched at them–everything from online data storage services, cookware and pet…
If you are a software development entrepreneur, the hottest trend in the next few years appears to be the gaming industry for social media platforms. I’ve not played too many games on social media, but I know a lot of people who do. And this year social gaming is predicted to become a $1 Billion industry.…
I am an avid follower of consumer trends, and I advise my clients to be as well. Here is a terrific video I found on YouTube from JWT. It has several interesting elements I found particularly comforting, like the fact that human downtime and relationships still matter even as we become more and more attached…
Media in emerging markets is changing the way people in what we often call “third-world nations’ consume technology. I’m seeing some of the major trends mimic what we’ve experienced in the United States, while other media trends seem to be going in a different track. An article titled Global Media Habits 2010, by Greg Lindsay,…
Cheryl Perkins: On the Leading Edge of Innovation BizEd Magazine, January/February 2011 If innovation is the go-to strategy of the decade, Cheryl Perkins wants to be the go-to consultant on the topic. She’s founder and president of Innovationedge, a consulting firm based in Neenah, Wisconsin, that helps companies and individuals develop innovations and business solutions.…