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Aug 07 2011
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Innovation

An Engineers’ Selection of Most Creative Google Doodles

It all started in the year 1998, when the Google Founders, to indicate their attendance in the burning man festival, added a stick burning man figure to the Google logo making the first Google Doodle, . With time, Google Doodles have become the most potent and eagerly awaited expression of creativity on the internet. Sergey Brin even got patent on the concept of Doodles (Titled – Systems and method of enticing users to a website). Google Doodles are based on a variety of topics ranging from festivals, political/non-political events, famous personalities, etc. However, I find the once related to scientific inventions as the most creative and intelligent ones. Below is my list of five most creative as well as intelligent doodles.

  • Number Five – On the 50th Anniversary of understanding the structure of the DNA

Google Doodle on 50th Anniversary of Understanding DNA

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Jan 04 2011
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Innovation

Alfa Bravo Charlie for Technologists

In my last company, most interactions with clients and potential clients used to happen on phone or thru emails. We were a technology company and wanted to demonstrate our geekiness and technology-centric thinking to the listeners. Avenues to do that over a phone are quite limited (unless you are willing to bore the listener to death by launching a long “about us monologue”). We developed a very innovative way to position ourselves during client calls  - our own version of the Alfa Bravo Charlie phonetic alphabets – using science and technology related terms – see the sample below -

A as in Aeronautics

B as in Biotechnology

Keep Reading…

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Nov 22 2010
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Innovation, Technology

Never imagined Facebook would be used for this!

After Facebook being used in a variety of scenarios like match-making, dumping your wife, election campaigning, recruitment, novel writing, SOS, even writing a suicide message, here is the latest stuff - Facebook is being used to connect women, whose babies need supplemental milk, to lactating women who have extra milk (see full story here). A search cannot be more focussed (its a unique combination of needs and availability) and localized (both the recipient and the donor needs to be in the same locality). Forget you and me, even Zuckerberg could not have imagined this!!

PS – Just came across this piece, Israeli Military is using face book to catch hold of females avoiding serving the army by giving false information about their religious background. This is interesting!

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Feb 14 2010
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Entertainment, Innovation, Random

Geeky Gifting Ideas – Be Different this Valentines Day

Geeky gifting ideas for mechanical engineers: How about choosing these two “mech inspired” pendants for your lady engineer!

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Jan 09 2010
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Innovation

InnoCentive – A Case Study on the Open Innovation Model

About Open Innovation

Open Innovation, i.e. the practice of being open to external sources for fulfilling ones R&D requirements, has been identified as an important management innovation of the past decade and it is also accepted to be a key trend which can influence business and management in the coming decade. Open Innovation is a more efficient, effective and fair way of innovating. It is faster, cheaper and more efficient. Big companies like P&G. Nestle, Orange, Tesco, GSK, Eli Lilly, Virgin, etc. have embraced this model. Some of them have even come up with successful products like P&G (Olay Packaging, Oral B Pulsonic Toothbrushes) and GSK (Aquafresh White Strips)

Open Innovation approach to managing innovation calls for a paradigm shift in the way R&D divisions work. Keep Reading…

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Jan 03 2010
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Innovation, Technology

Waterless Washing

A company Xeros have developed a system to wash laundary using less than 10% of the amount of water as compared to currently available methods. This is done by the use of small polymer beads. These beads pull off stains from clothes and lock them into its molecular structure. Moreover, these beads can be used again and again … upto hundreds of washes. This process was invented by University of Leeds scientist Stephen Burkinshaw. The technology on which the process is based is explained in this published patent application.

Not only clothes, there are now products in market which allow “waterless shampooing of hair”. Details can be found here.

 

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Dec 30 2009
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Innovation

Open Innovation Model: A Collaborative Approach to Managing Innovation

Introduction

‘No matter who you are, most of the smartest people work for someone else‘ 

 - Bill Joy, Sun Microsystems

You cannot hire all the smart people – there will always be some who are not working for you. When it comes to innovation, loosing out on these smart people can make a lot of difference.

How to tap on the potential of these smart people? How to develop a strategy that will ensure that good and innovative business ideas from these people are used to the benefit of your business? How about the case when some of these people have already developed a solution to the problem you are looking at? How to involve and collaborate with these people?

The answer lies in ‘Open Innovation’ – a business model characterized by encouraging people outside your organization to innovate and generate solutions for your specific problems, acquiring these solutions, and using them as if they were generated internally by your R&D team. Keep Reading…

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Dec 08 2009
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Innovation, Technology

From DNA to Design (and loads of Money!!)

Winning ideas are amazingly simple.

They are always there; just that no one noticed it. Until a maverick comes and finds it out, nurtures it, builds it into a winning business enterprise – and leaves you wondering – Oh man, why didn’t I think about it.

Have you ever seen a DNA gel electrophoresis. It is basically a dull black and white Keep reading…

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Jul 16 2009
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Innovation

Another Fab. Design Innovation – A “To-Do” Clock

To-Do Clock

To-Do Clock

Talking about innovations, the most elegant ones are also the most simple. I was browsing thru this design blog, where I found this clock which also has a “To-Do” feature. I just loved this design. For someone like me who is not very comfortable setting reminders on mobile phones, this clock is an excellent tool to organize and plan a day. 

 

PS: Read my previous post on another interesting and innovative Clock Design here

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Jul 01 2009
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Innovation

Clock for ‘9 to 5’ers

Ever wondered by almost all clocks have the hours 3, 6, 9 and 12 highlighted? Something to do with symmetry I guess. But, why not highlight any other hour? And why not highlight based on functional aspects rather than aesthetic aspects?

9-5 clock Probably this was the question in the mind of the designer who came up this amazing design of a clock which has 9 (the time at which one should come to office) 12 (lunch time) and 5 (time to go) highlighted in the clock. Out of box thinking at its best!

HR Managers: if you are looking for something to gift to your employees – search no more – this is the perfect gift you can give to your employees!

And when I start working, I definitely want this clock in my office.

Source: I.D. Magazine

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