WisconsInnovation

What better way to spread holiday cheer to those that need it most than downloading Google Chrome! Not what you expected? Well, Google Chrome has a new promotion that for every tab opened in Google Chrome between December 15th and 19th, they will donate to the charity of your choice (out of a given 5 options). This is a great opportunity for people to give without having to leave their couches and computers, but it's also an incredible marketing ploy for Google Chrome! This is something that other websites could take note of in order to increase webpage views, however, most don't have the extraordinary power that Google possesses. All in all, it's pretty impressive, so I hope some of you out there will try it out!

Many of you may have seen the Toyota commercial where a mother talks about how she is more confident with her son's safety playing football due to Toyota technology regarding head injuries. If you haven't, you can watch it here. This commercial is part of a new Toyota campaign called "Ideas For Good". There are 3 steps to becoming part of Ideas For Good. A contributor first picks from five different Toyota technologies. They then think of a creative way to improve our lives using that technology, unrelated to cars. The last step involves the users sharing their big ideas online to make the world a better place. I thought this sounded similar to something we might learn in class and it turns out the challenge is a collaboration between InnoCentive and Toyota. There is one winner for each of the five technologies, and they get to pick from a new 2011 Prius, Venza, or Highlander Hybrid. It's amazing to me that one of the world's most successful car companies is asking the general public to contribute in order to change the way we think about car technology. What do you think? Is Toyota Ideas for Good a step forward for the car industry?

I found this article very interesting and thought it was relevant to post it on the blog. RockMelt is the newest Internet browser (Safari, Firefox, IE, Google Chrome) and it offers some really innovative features. Instead of having the go to a social networking site like Facebook or Twitter, RockMelt has sidebars with these applications already built in. While you surf the Web at your leisure, you can simultaneously access all features of Facebook (chat, posts, photos, etc.) and Twitter. You can also subscribe to other websites like CNN or NYTimes. Whenever a new article is written, you receive a notification. RockMelt brings the media to you rather than you having to go out and search for it. I encourage everyone to check it out. Currently it is invite only, but send me (Evan Diamond) a Facebook message and I can send invitations. Thanks!

On October 27, 2008, a new video game called LittleBigPlanet was released on the Playstation 3 vidieo game console. Developed by an innovative group of developers at Media Molecule studios, this game took an entirely new approach to gaming by giving the players full control over their gaming experience. Players were given all of the tools that the developers at Media Molecule used to build the game so that they were able to create their own levels. In this manner, players were able to cater their gaming experience to their own tastes. Furthermore, by being able to share your creations with other players around the world, LittleBigPlanet created a sense of community that is unrivaled by any other video game--this community has already built over 3 MILLION LEVELS, and remember that this was purely for their own satisfaction and pleasure.

Textsfromlastnight.com is a wonderful reminder that user innovation can take place even when the contributors are operating at less then optimal mental capacity. Users send in their entertaining text messages to the sites editors, who then decide whether or not the text is worthy of publication on their site. The funny thing is, these texts are likely remembered far more clearly by the readers of the site than the people who originally sent them. The site has recently expanded into the t-shirt business, selling t-shirts bearing the text from last night that you wish. They have also put out a book showcasing the most profound texts. It looks like all the dumb things you say while under the influence do have value after all!

I remember we talked a little about digg.com in class. I recently stumbled across reddit.com and found it similar to digg. Users submit links that they find interesting and people upvote or downvote it depending on if they like it or not. The links with the most votes get moved to the top. Everyone can check it out at reddit.com

I came across a business news article that mentioned this site and decided to check it out. Blank-label.com is a co-creation site that lets users design their own dress shirts (at the moment, only men's shirts are offered, though). First, you pick the fabric of your shirt, and then the style of the cuffs, collar, placket, pocket and shoulders. Next, you can individualize buttons, create a monogram, and design a label. Finally, you get to individualize sleeve length, collar size and fit preference. Shirts start at $55 and add-ons cost and additional $2-$12.

Overall, the site is well-designed and the whole creation process is really easy and user-friendly. I think a great next step for the company would be to introduce a women's shirt as this is an idea that I could see appealing to a lot of women.

In my opinion, cooking is a form of innovation. I happened to stumble upon this concept of "incubator kitchens" while researching for a paper and it really reminded me of Sector 67. Incubator kitchens are kind of like the food version of a tech shop, where people pay for use of a commercial kitchen to produce things and innovate. Incubator kitchens help entrepreneurs to start up small food businesses by providing "on-demand" use of a commercial kitchen with kitchen equipment at an affordable cost. The incubators can also provide marketing and technical assistance to get products and businesses up and running. Madison doesn't currently have an incubator kitchen, but there are plans underway to develop one here.
I'm glad that there are toolkits available for ordinary people who might not have the resources in their kitchens or in their pockets to create wonderful (and edible) works of art.

Here's the link to the article

Imagine how many trees are cut down and sold to be decorated in living rooms across America every Christmas season. I recently saw a story on the news where companies across America are making it possible to buy a potted Christmas tree that can be picked up and replanted after the holiday. I can't think of anything better than helping the environment and not having dead pine needles all over the living room. Check out the short video on this "growing" trend.

No the picture to the left is not a sports car pumping gas, it's actually the new Tesla Roadster 2.5 hooked up to an outlet. The Roadster is a high performance fully electric car being rolled out in the near future. The car gets over 200 miles in a single charge, and can go from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds!

When going through the course recap one thing really struck me. What I believe all of us really enjoyed, and definitely something we will all take away from MKT 440, are all of the stories that we heard about. This could be a form of innovation discussed in class, or more likely, a cool innovative product that we watched a video of or discussed. It really makes one realize how many creative people there are out there, and that not all good ideas have to come from the corporate sector. In fact, it seems that many of the best ideas come from innovative individuals who identify a problem they have in their own lives and seek out a way to fix it. Here's a link to a website that has photos of what are definitely consumer created products. And while I don't know what the functionality of many of them are, and realize that many will never hit the market, it's refreshing to see all of these creative ideas, and I got a kick out of it.

There has been a lot of controversy of late about refereeing and umpiring in professional sports. Let's look at baseball specifically. In 2010, Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers had a perfect game ruined on an obvious blown call by umpire Jim Joyce. Joyce called the runner safe, when instant replay clearly showed that he was out. However, according to the rules implemented in 2008, instant replay in baseball can only be used to determine: whether a home run was fair or foul, whether the ball actually left the field, or whether the ball was subject to fan interference. This week was the annual Winter Meetings in Orlando, Florida and instant replay was certainly discussed. If commissioner (and UW-Madison alum) Bud Selig decides to implement instant replay on safe/out or ball/strike calls, it will be truly innovative to the National Pastime. Personally, I like where the game is at. Baseball should not have a replay system but, that is just my opinion. What do you think? Is it time to innovate baseball?

After listening to a presentation in one of my other classes about 3D TV, I googled the topic and came across this...a 3D Camera?! Personally, I like my standard TV and camera, but this invention seems to open a whole new realm of possibilities! In the article it talks about how these devices would allow users to do the impossible and gives examples of its users being able to "walk on the soccer field" and "stand where the goalkeeper is."

Confused? I was too while reading the article, but check out the video because it clearly explains how the gadget works and what it will be able to do.

Typically, the equipment necessary for performing DNA diagnostic testing would cost about $500,000. However, a small company called Ion Torrent has developed a "desktop" DNA sequencing chip that sells for around $50,000. I found it very interesting that the inventors essentially modified or "tinkered" with semi conductor chips that are already able to be mass produced cheaply, in order to make an affordable machine. The article mentions that at this new low price, money-strapped hospitals around the world will now be able to afford these machines and perform DNA diagnostic testing. It is also mentioned that the semi conductor chip used in the machine is proprietary. If the chip is eventually made open-source, I would imagine the price of this technology would quickly plummet further as more and more individuals could collaborate on the design.
Check out the article for yourself!

This subject is particularly relevant for most the students on this blog because we are either looking for jobs/internships or have been recently hired...

I found an article at www.bankrate.com about innovative job search strategies. One of the strategies that was mentioned was using Facebook to connect with potential employers. One freelance writer placed an advertisement on Facebook in which she simply said 'I want to work for Harper Collins, can you help me?' Along with the ad she included a link that took the reader directly to her resume. Although the writer didn't get a gig with Harper Collins, she did get connected with about 100 people in a 2 week span, and even received a job offer from one. Instead of searching for someone who would take her, she instead had potential employers doing the work and looking at her qualfications and connecting her.

I think that the article and innovative strategy to find a job is thought provoking. Obviously this is not the most direct way into a specific company, but it is a creative way to potentially meet someone in the industry, or network with people who know people. At the very least it shows that perhaps trying something new in the job search and wandering off the beaten path can be a good thing, as it is a way to sepate yourself from the other 100 resumes in a dusty pile in the Recruiting Directors office.

I stumbled across this site recently and found that it is similar to Threadless.com They have users contribute artwork to be made into T-shirts and then there are contests to see which T-shirt well received. The pricing is pretty similar to Threadless. Also, Woot.com sells other products such as toys, daily deals, and wine. I believe the wine is mostly made by users, trying to promote their brand.

This article relates to our class because it talks about LEGO, and the challenges the company created by changing strategies throughout the years. One point in the article describes how Lego let its designers and customers "run free" with designs, only to find that these new designs required additional capital in new parts and were far from "kid friendly". LEGO needed to realize its customer and strategy, and has managed to revive its brand by doing so.

Although this is the first story I have read about the IPhone acting as a safety device, apparently it is becoming a common thing. The article points out how it taught a basketball coach along with a Haitian earthquake survivor how to save a life in a pressure packed situation. This could lead to a lot more individuals learning activities such as CPR due to the accessibility and not needing to take a class. This will hopefully lead to even better apps and hopefully make the world a safer place.

Global For Me is an interesting idea - a website that provides 'crowd sourced news'. How it works is that it allows users to post story ideas. The stories can be able anything (within reason) that a user is interested in being reported. Once a story is suggested and approved, a reporter is commisioned to seek out the information on the story, and publishes a full report within 30 days on the story.

Global For Me definitely seems like an interesting and innovative idea, though from searching the site it seemed that there are some inherent problems with it. First of all, it requires the submitter to provide compensation for his story. This makes me wary that it may be some sort of internet scam, or that a user may end up paying for a story that is subpar. Additionally, the website seemed to indicate that a group of users could work together to commission a story they are interested, though when I clicked on a link to past stories, I was given an error message.

Though Global For Me may not turn out to be 'the one,' the idea is intriguing and certainly has value. Most everyone reads some sort of news (be it entertainment, sports, finances, local, etc) in a variety of forms (newspapers, online, magazines). One problem though is that all this news being published is selected by the major companies for the most part! This gives a voice to each and every user, and lets them have the ability to say what stories are important to them. This is beneficial to everyone, as people will be more interested in reading a news source that addresses their interests, which in turn makes the publishers bank accounts more full. Hopefully Global For Me or some other company can figure out the right business model to take advantage of this idea

Google recently launched a new television platform (Google TV) that will replace channel surfing with Google searching. Google TV allows users to search their available television programs and the web at the same time. There are currently three ways to buy Google TV. Sony has come out with an internet TV and an internet Blu-ray player. The third way, and my favorite is The Logitech Revue. The Revue has a full keyboard equipped with a mouse pad.

Oprah loves it, Google wanted to buy it (for 6 billion dollars), and it may be the fastest-growing company ever. Groupon is a two-year old company that offers a different deal-of-the-day to registered users of Groupon.com. The deals that Groupon offers are typically for 50% off at a local retailer; whether or not the deal is offered depends on how many users sign up for it. The interesting part is that Groupon keeps about half of all revenues from sales and by utilizing Groupon, retailers are often giving away their products at a loss. For example, if Groupon offers a $200 credit to a local retailer for only $100, that retailer only gets only $50.

So why would a retailer want to use Groupon? According to this article, there are three reasons: 1)When you get someone inside the door, they're likely to spend more than the Groupon value. 2)People bring their friends. And 3) first time customers are likely to become repeat customers.

Although Groupon's business model isn't particularly innovative, the company is innovating the way retailers reach new customers and markets. Groupon mainly works with small businesses that don't yet have a solid customer base, so reaching new customers is essential to their success--even if it means taking on a bit of a loss.

Given Groupon's massive success and easy-to-copy business model, similar sites have been quick to emerge and are eager to offer consumers even better deals than Groupon. It will be interesting to see how long Groupon can maintain its success and whether or not they can continue to innovate relations between retailers and consumers.

An interesting example of artists utilizing a community to co-create art was recently featured in Esquire magazine. A project entitled "Ten Thousand Cents" paid 1 cent to 10,000 individuals, working in isolation, to draw a fraction of the overall project. However, the individuals did not know what the end project was supposed to be. The end result, as you can see, is a pretty good looking $100 bill!

Two key factors helped the project succeed. First, the 10,000 "artists" who worked on the project were sourced through Amazon Mechanical Turk. Mechanical Turk is based upon the idea that even in a world of incredible computing power, humans are still better at performing certain tasks. Examples include identifying pictures, transcribe audio recordings, or in this case, creating art. Mechanical Turk allows users to submit projects they need help with (the Requestors) and others to be compensated for completing the tasks (the Workers), in a model reminiscent of InnoCentive's brokering strategy.

The other crucial part of the project was that the 10,000 artists utilized a toolkit that provided online drawing capabilities (basic brushes, paint buckets, color swatches, etc.) to assist those lacking artistic abilities, enabling them to contribute. Overall, this project was a interesting look into the power of crowdsourcing, noting that some projects can be performed faster, cheaper, and more efficiently utilizing a large number of users working in isolation. Ten Thousand Cents really embodies an adage we all know: "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."

My mom is a painter, and for that reason the colors of the walls in my house change almost as often as the season. It certainly keeps things interesting, but not everyone has their own personal stash of Sherwin-Williams color fans. If perhaps you're looking for a new fun and funky color scheme for whatever reason, this website has just made your life a whole lot easier. You can also see what the color scheme would look like to all your color blind friends. Maybe someday you'll be able to find and compare colors online and have them sent straight to the paint store?

Do you currently own a smartphone with a camera? You probably use that camera to send picture messages to friends or post photos to Facebook. What if you could use your camera to instantly search for any information about an object, product, or location?

Google, Amazon, and many other companies are currently working on a new technology that could revolutionize the way we search for information. The idea is that you could snap a picture and instantly be able to access search information about the objects in the picture. For example, you could be on a vacation and take a picture of a monument to instantly view information on the name and history of the monument etc. You could also be in a store and take a picture of a pair of shoes to instantly see product ratings and other online vendors selling the same item.

What do you think about this technology? Do you think this would change the way you search for information?

A lot of people have issues finding a good not too personal but not too generic holiday gift for their bosses. The Wall Street Journal wrote an article featuring Young Yun from American Express and tips for how to find the perfect gift.