I love this humorous TedTalk presentation. It reminds me of my ongoing struggle as a parent of 3 girls, to stay on top of ever-increasing amounts of information to 'watch' for ideas and trends.

Comment (0)

I have heard a lot of positive comments about the amount of creativity and innovation in the American no-frills airline - Southwest Airlines. They are mentioned regularly by practitioners of Spiral Dynamics as a company that has managed to innovate, while at the same time respecting the pillars of sustainability - Profit, People, Purpose, Planet, Principles and Trust - which is more than I can say for Ryan Air.

This video clip drives the point home, showing how Southwest Airlines empower staff, allowing them to do their job, with a touch of personal flair.

Thanks to Anecdote for the link.

Comment (0)

 

In this video, Clay Shirky, author of Here Comes Everybody provides an overview of how social networks are empowering people to self-organise in order to challenge traditionally slow-to-respond organisations,  and facilitate change.

Comment (0)

 Kacie Kinzer at ITP is running a project called Tweenbots

Tweenbots are human-dependent robots that navigate the city with the help of pedestrians they encounter. Rolling at a constant speed, in a straight line, Tweenbots have a destination displayed on a flag, and rely on people they meet to read this flag and to aim them in the right direction to reach their goal.

Given their extreme vulnerability, the vastness of city space, the dangers posed by traffic, suspicion of terrorism, and the possibility that no one would be interested in helping a lost little robot, I initially conceived the Tweenbots as disposable creatures which were more likely to struggle and die in the city than to reach their destination. Because I built them with minimal technology, I had no way of tracking the Tweenbot’s progress, and so I set out on the first test with a video camera hidden in my purse. I placed the Tweenbot down on the sidewalk, and walked far enough away that I would not be observed as the Tweenbot––a smiling 10-inch tall cardboard missionary––bumped along towards his inevitable fate.

The results were unexpected.

[Invalid video specified]

What I love about this project - aside from the cute cardboard robot - is the way it highlights how an innovative approach can cometimes open the door to new possibiltie. I n this case, instead of having to build a robot with advanced mechanisms for steering and climbing steps or curbs, the environment (in this case people) is used to help the robot achieve its goa.

So here's a question for you:

 What resource already exists in our system that we might (willingly) harness to help achieve our goal?

Comment (0)

In this video clip from the 1960's physicist Richard Feynman presents students with a simple equation that I think we could all do with remembering.

Comment (0)