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…
I came across this interesting iPhone app today from the Innovation Engineblog, and thought I’d share. This is the future of mobile communications! An astonishing app uses an iPhone’s accelerometer to sense the location of a tap on any surface and translate it into typed letters on a keyboard. We have virtual keyboards, clip-on keyboards,…
The next generation of turbine wind blades may someday come from natural fibers and plant-based plastics from soybean, linseed, and other vegetable oils, instead of oil-based polymers. Here is the story from Fast Company: A world powered by wind sounds super clear, until you start having to replace football-field-sized turbine blades. But what if they…
Toys are getting a lot more sophisticated these days, and many of them have been innovated to solve a consumer challenge. Take the Hug and Dream Minnie Mouse toy from Japan, for instance. This new toy lulls little ones to sleep by simulating their breathing patterns. The dolls were made available worldwide from Japan Trend…
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…
Did you know that 150 million of people worldwide live in remote areas without any access to safe drinking water? A company in France, Eole Water, has pioneered a wind turbine able to create drinking water from condensed air. According to its website, the Eole Water’s mission is to provide these isolated communities with safe…
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…
I do a lot of traveling around the world. I mean a LOT of traveling. While I enjoy meeting with clients and working with global companies, I often wish the process of airport travel was lighter. So I am delighted to share this innovation with you: Hop. Hop is a suitcase that follows close behind…
