Tagged with Research …

Sep 24 2011
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Reviews

Book Review – Radioactivity : A History of a Mysterious Science

Radioactivity: A History of a Mysterious Science, written by Marjorie C Malley, is a non-fiction detailing the history of Radioactivity and how it captivated the imagination of the scientific community as well as the industry, politicians, and the general public.

Radioactivity was not just another scientific phenomenon. It created a new branch of study in itself, had a profound impact on the society, international politics, war, business and industry and medical sciences.

This is a very geeky books with lots of scientific jargon which a non-technical person nay not be able to understand without considerable effort. However, readers who have relevant technical background will find it a good and interesting read.

I loved the portions of the book which contained the stories of the researchers, even more than the technical stuff. I was interesting to know  Keep Reading…

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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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Feb 15 2010
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Entertainment, Random

Why Engineers are Good at Analytics

This study done by jointly by University of Amsterdam, Jacobs University Breman, and University of Groningen analyzes the influence of feelings related to romance and sex on creative and analytical capabilities.

The study proves that thinking about romance increases long term focus and improves creativity. The reasoning given is that that when in love, people typically focus on a long-term perspective, which enhances holistic thinking and thereby creative thought.

On the other hand while thinking of sex boosts up your analytical capabilities. While thinking of sex the focus is totally on what is there right now (short term focus), resulting in better analytical capabilities.

So, while going for an analytical test -you know what should you be thinking about. BTW, now I fully understand why all engineers are good at analytics!

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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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Jun 18 2009
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Technology

Scientific Research – Seriously?

I always had a great respect for scientific research. Basic research builds the platform for technological innovations and development, which in turn improves the standard of living. The quality of life today is much better than 50 years ago, the credit for which goes entirely to scientific research.

However, these days I find so many news articles/reports about research projects which seem useless at the best, and more often are ridiculous and purely stupid. Sample this: This research studied the response of a cockatoo towards more than 1000 videos and inferred that animals can indeed dance!! Another one proved that fleas living on dogs Keep Reading…

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