I’m back on the West Coast this week and it turns out that by coincidence while I am here there is going to be an impressive solar eclipse. Not only are solar eclipses uncommon, but when they do occur, they can only be seen from the few places on Earth where the actual path of…
I’ve been spending a lot of time on the road this year, and although it is sometimes difficult to be away from home, it allows me to learn more about different cultures and different approaches to everyday life. Beyond the major things like language, food and people, sometimes it’s the little things that make an…
If you’ve ever liked a photo online and wondered how and where you can find that must-have item, now there’s a new online tool to help people do that. It’s called CrowdSend, and it encourages users who find an item they like to “ask the crowd” where to buy it. Users need to set up…
I frequently talk to clients and business associates who don’t speak English, and that’s why I am very excited to see technology remove language barriers. A Japan-based company, NTT DOCOMO, has launched the Hanashite Hon’yaku app that allows speakers of two different languages to carry out a phone conversation by translating their speech in…
Inner-city or urban farming is becoming more inexpensive and efficient. Those who sell farm goods directly to consumers earn greater profits, but the exciting news is what it means for the produce buyers. One such urban farm called the FARM:shop in London is offering goods farmed on site, and now The Farmery is showing consumers in…
Often in a week or struggling economy, government funding for the arts is at risk of being cut off or greatly reduced. What a tragedy! The arts helps equip our next generation to think outside the box to come up with innovative solutions in many areas. A friend of mine, Jan Mirenda Smith, wrote the…
Earlier this spring a group of us from my community in northeast Wisconsin gathered as many innovators as we could from local business organizations and corporations for THINC Innovation. The event was sponsored by Insight On Business Magazine, and I was part of the planning Committee for the Forum. I wanted to share the video…
Could new medical technology help people with chronic pain get consistent relief? That’s what manufacturer Proteus Digital Health, Inc is hoping. The company is moving forward with its ingestible sensor for marketing as a medical device, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave the green light earlier this month. I am thinking it…
The exploration of nature and its processes to yield innovative solutions to complex problems is an interesting and novel approach that companies are starting to use as another way to “think outside the box” to identify business opportunities. As those of you who follow my articles know, I’m very intrigued with the idea of using…
In many industries, cutbacks and layoffs have created more and more pressure on the remaining personnel to do more work. Longer hours, making do with fewer resources, and taking advantage of new technology to improve productivity is commonplace in many industries. Journalism and news reporting is no exception. I recently read an interesting article about…
