Monthly Archives: July 2011

Ten crazy ideas that might not be so crazy…

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Richard

1. Emotionally aware automobiles 2. Roads with no signs or markings 3. Childcare robots 4. Real time car insurance 5. Volunteers that hold your hand during surgery 6. Exercise robots 7. Merging aged care with eraly years education 8. Flat … Continue reading →

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Show me the Monet

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Richard

I might be imagining this, but I somehow remember writing that one day it would be proven without a doubt that art had health and healing benefits. Enter, stage left brain, an artist called Alexander Melamid. He has just opened … Continue reading →

Posted in Healthcare & Well-being | Leave a comment

Demographic realities

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Richard

Almost 33% of the US workforce will be aged 50+ by the year 2012. Ref: The Economist In the mid 1950s 9% of adults were single in the US. The figure is now 44% Ref: Innovation Watch In Australia 25% … Continue reading →

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How to buy friends and influence people

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Richard

Here’s a good one. A partner at a major law firm in London recently ‘sold’ a work placement position for £1,150 at a charity auction. This was despite the fact that the firm has a policy on social mobility and … Continue reading →

Posted in Work | 1 Comment

The Future of Post Offices and Postal Services

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Richard

First it was office mail. Then it was music and photography. Then it was newspapers and books. Now it’s public libraries and post office services. The digital revolution has rapidly created a number of new industries, but it is also … Continue reading →

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The brand leading the bland

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Richard

There’s a new book out called I’m Feeling Lucky: The Confessions of Google Employee Number 59. Sounds pretty dull, but there is a quote from an engineer that I rather like: “Brand is what’s left over when you stop moving … Continue reading →

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Giving up technology (is difficult)

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Richard

A study by of 1,000 people by Intersperience, a customer research firm, has found that 53% felt upset when denied access to computers and other devices connected to the internet for a single day. A further 40% found that they … Continue reading →

Posted in Digital culture, Internet | Leave a comment

World’s smallest computer

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Richard

The prediction that computers will one day become so small and so cheap that we’ll sprinkle them on almost everything is not taken very seriously by some people. However, news that researchers at the University of Michigan (US) have created … Continue reading →

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Facebook fatigue?

Posted on July 20, 2011 by Richard

6 million people in the US and 100,000 people in the UK have given up using Facebook according to the website Inside Facebook. The Social networking website currently has around 690 million users worldwide, but some commentators worry that its … Continue reading →

Posted in Digital culture | Leave a comment

More answers than questions

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Richard

Everyone is focused on what’s happening. But let’s for a moment consider what isn’t happening. Why aren’t Alastair Campbell and Piers Morgan coming forward with comments on what one would think would be an area of interest? Where is the … Continue reading →

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