Real Source of Wealth
“The real source of wealth and capital is the human mind, the human spirit, the human imagination, and faith in the future.”
-Steve Forbes
Great Spirits & Mediocre Minds
“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.”
-Albert Einstein
Getting Things Done
“Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving the non-essential things undone.” -Lin Yutang
Mind Reading
This was a really interesting piece that was just on 60 minutes concerning the latest in neuro-technology research. fMRI – functional MRI technology is starting to be able to identify thoughts.
Neuroscience has learned much about the brain’s activity and its link to certain thoughts. As Lesley Stahl reports, it may now be possible, on a basic level, to read a person’s mind.
Check it out…
Pretty cool, I have covered improvements in mind-computer interfaces on Tomorrow’s Trends for a while. Most recently, there was a post on additional mind-blowing neuro-tech concerning “The Dream Machine”.
…. That’s Professor Dave Barger
Congratulations to my frend Dave Barger, CEO of LunaWeb, who will be teaching a class on social media at the U of M.
Facebook… Twitter… LinkedIn… This course is a practical presentation on the various facets of Social Networking —including its current application in society and business. Topics include how to effectively use Internet-based applications such as blogs, wikis, instant messaging, chatrooms, and more. Find out what to and what not to put out there; learn how to manage the many incoming sources of data; figure out the best avenues to utilize to get the most of what you’re looking for, whether it’s job-related or purely social.
Has Silicon Valley Lost its Mojo?
BusinessWeek asks, has Silicon Valley lost some of its mojo?
Innovation and Jobs
Innovation often causes increases in productivity, which can temporarily displace jobs in an economy. This NYT article has some good points on innovation overall…
“If you invest in a technology that makes something more efficient, the fear is that people will be put out of work,” says Kevin Efrusy, the venture capitalist whose firm Accel Partners is the lead funder of several important Silicon Valley start-ups, including Facebook. “But it’s just the opposite. When anything becomes cheaper, we consume a lot more of it. The overall economic effect is, you create and expand entire new industries and employment goes up.”
According to a 1995 study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, periods of high productivity — often achieved through automation — were correlated with periods of high job growth throughout the last half of the 20th century. “Innovation leads to job growth directly and clearly,” says Robert D. Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.
Link: Unboxed – Innovation Should Mean More Jobs, Not Less – NYTimes.com
This is an old misconception. Yes, individual jobs are lost, but at the macro-level jobs are created and optimized in other areas.
Also, government can perhaps set up an innovation framework and not try to pick and choose who the winners should be.
“Innovation is the lifeblood of the American economy,” says Jim Hock, a spokesman for TechNet. “We’re only as good as our next innovation. TechNet believes we shouldn’t be picking and choosing technologies to back with a tax credit. We should be technology-neutral and create an atmosphere of innovation that will let a thousand flowers bloom.”
And, finally it is all about the messy world of innovation…
“America is probably the best culture in the world at failing,” he said. “We’re willing to navigate in a fog and keep moving forward. Our competitive advantage tends to be at the fuzzy front end of things when you’re still finding your way. Once the way has been found, we’re back at a disadvantage. So, yes, investing in innovation is critical.”
Four Ways for Detroit to Save Itself
THESE days, as we contemplate the future of the automotive industry, we would do well to remember the words of Henry Ford: “Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.”
For Detroit, there is plenty of failure. But there are also plenty of opportunities to begin again. In fact, there are many new technologies to make cars safer, cheaper, cleaner and more convenient. All these could be adopted by the automobile industry in the near future and without too much trouble.
Here are just four technologies that could be put on the road in the next several years. These technologies — some of which we invest in — are win-wins. They have the potential to improve energy efficiency, cut down on accidents, reduce pollution and make commuting more convenient. They might even help put the American car industry back in the driver’s seat.
I'm Will, a Principal within the Innovation group of a Fortune 100 company. I am a corporate entrepreneur and Innovation expert.
