via coolmaterial.com
Friday, February 25, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
A Day Made of Glass... Made possible by Corning.
via youtube.com
I'm not sure I want my phone to be a small piece of clear glass, but the other stuff looks cool.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Why groups hinder innovation
Innovation: Group dynamics can stifle a great idea
Mitchell Osak February 8, 2011 – 10:55 am
For most companies, conventional wisdom says that collaborative teams offer the best path to generating compelling innovation. Behind this notion is that high-performance and diverse groups are best suited to cope with technology complexity, commercialization challenges and as well as stick handle through management gates such as securing buy-in and resources. In fact, I have argued this point in my blog on a number of occasions. A recent Wharton research paper suggests that other innovation strategies could be more effective.
Professors Christian Terwiesch and Karl Ulrich contend that common group dynamics are anathema to developing breakthrough products, unique ways to save money or revolutionary business models. Instead, they believe the next Facebook, Twitter or iPad could best be germinated by an inspired innovator with plenty of time to ponder and experiment. If this approach sounds familiar, it has been the modus operandi for some of the most famous inventors including Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers and Steve Jobs.
The researchers undertook a series of experiments to understand which of two different innovation processes – the conventional team-centred model and a hybrid individual/team approach — delivered the greatest number of high quality new product ideas. In the traditional model, peers were encouraged to collaborate to produce new ideas. With the hybrid approach, individuals were first encouraged to brainstorm and refine new ideas by themselves and then to present them to a group for vetting and elevation.
The study concluded that the hybrid process resulted in three times more ideas than the team-based process. More importantly, the findings also showed that the hybrid approach generated (on average) significantly better quality ideas, including the most preferred idea in the experiment. These findings run counter to current innovation best practice which stresses team-focused models.
A hybrid process is more successful because it can mitigate the harmful effects of group dynamics and catalyze more “out of the box” thinking. According to the authors, group dynamics can harm the innovation process in many ways. For example, in brainstorming sessions several people can quickly dominate a conversation often restricting the sharing of all potential ideas. In other cases, individuals may think less critically about a problem because they are happy to let others do the heavy lifting. And, those people who lack confidence or internal credibility are more likely to practice self-censorship within peer groups. Finally, groups can be a breeding-ground for organizational barriers such as cultural norms and management bias that limit creativity and critical thinking.
Multi-functional collaboration among diverse, smart and passionate individuals remains an important means to filter and refine the most exceptional ideas. To minimize the negative effects of groups and organizational dynamics while still encouraging collaboration, firms can deploy a number of powerful methodologies and tools. These could include innovation tournaments – where ideas compete for attention and resources within a transparent and objective process – as well as an “online suggestion box” where ideas can be independently and anonymously evaluated.
The research’s conclusion is not to eliminate collaboration. Rather, it suggests that an individual’s creativity needs to be fostered and protected early on in the innovation process before group dynamics can limit choice and quality. It will be interesting to see if these conclusions are supported by actual business experience.
Mitchell Osak – Strategist to the C-Suite
Mitchell Osak is Managing Director of Quanta Consulting Inc. Quanta has delivered a variety of winning strategy and organizational transformation consulting & educational solutions to global Fortune 1000 organizations. Mitchell can be reached at mosak@quantaconsulting.com
Posted in: Executive Tags: Brainstorming, Creativity, Facebook, Fostering Innovation, Group Dynamics, Innovation, Innovation Strategy, iPad, Mitchell Osak, Performance Improvement, Twitter
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In short, brainstorm by yourself first, then share and refine for the best results.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
The Renovo Bicycle - Renovo Hardwood Bicycles
The Real Beauty of a Renovo is the Ride... the Looks Are a Bonus:
It's the smoothest bike you'll ever ride, stealth quiet, lightweight and responsive, stiff as you want. Renovo hollow wood and laminated bamboo frames will forever change your understanding of what a bicycle should be, and how brilliantly these natural materials perform when designed to their strengths.
Badash 29er MTB, hickory and padauk
Hoodoo Time Trial / Triathlon bike raced at Ironman World Championships, 2010
Renovo R4 Pursuit
Renovo R3, purpleheart, sapele
Renovo R1, laminated bamboo, ash
Pandurban Commuter, Laminated Bamboo
Why Wood?
We chose wood not because it's different, not because it's sustainable, but simply because we believe its engineering properties suit the requirements of most bicycle applications better than any other material. The performance of wood in applications more structurally demanding than bicycles has been well proven over many years. The most successful fighter bomber of WWII was the all-wood 400 mph British Mosquito, of which some 7500 were built. The all-wood unlimited hydroplanes Slo Mo Shun, Miss Budweiser and their brethren pounded through the water at well over 150 mph for many years through the '70s, and the fastest unlimited hydroplane ever at 511 mph is all-wood. Finally, we mustn't forget the world's largest airplane, the all-wood H-4 Hercules, commonly known as the Spruce Goose. Yes, yes, I know it only flew for a mile or so, but it's an engineering marvel which is simply an amazing example of what can be done with wood, and you should see it if you can, it's stunning.
But over the years, wood in high performance applications has mostly been replaced by metals and plastics because wood is far more costly to work with. Designing is difficult because it's properties vary among species, and woodworking is demanding and difficult, so mass production is generally a non-starter. But where production is limited, and the properties of wood are matched to the product, it is difficult to surpass.
A Renovo bicycle frame offers:
- Lightweight; a frame weighs from 3.5 to 5.5 pounds--bikes, 16.5 to 20 pounds.
- The smoothest ride of any bicycle, thanks to wood's unique ability to absorb shock and vibration--you feel the difference immediately.
- Stiffness? Oh yeah. As stiff as carbon or better if you wish, but most importantly, we tailor the stiffness and ride quality to your riding style and weight, so the bike is designed for you, ?not some theoretical average rider.
- Rain? C'mon, these things are made and ridden in Portland Oregon. They're sealed inside and out with epoxy, then finished with linear polyurethane, the same coating used for modern wooden boats.
- Tough. Most woods used by Renovo are stiffer, stronger and harder than axe handles or baseball bats. The frames easily withstand impacts that ruin butted metal or carbon frames.
- The fatigue life of wood rivals carbon and is substantially longer than aluminum or steel.
- Heirloom quality. The Renovo is tough, durable, and can be easily refinished in 100 years to look new again. Take a look at some really old frames here.
- The Renovo frame is environmentally friendly, with sustainable woods, bamboo and low VOC finishes.
- See our customer's comments here.
But, we don’t claim wood is the solution for everything, or even very much for that matter. As a lightweight structural material we know it’s also good for airplanes, boats, and a few other things. We're often asked to make wheels, handlebars, forks and more, but these each have practical or engineering drawbacks. So, while we may make something in addition to bicycle frames, it will be just as conservatively designed and engineered.
Renovo Frames are Made Completely In Our Shop In Portland, Oregon, Often With Oregon Woods
Renovo frames are a sublime blend of high-tech magic and fine craftsmanship. They're created on computer and machined by a computer controlled machine. But the majority of time in a frame is handwork; the real beauty is revealed only by caring craftsmanship wielded by computer-age people with a deep commitment to fine craft and fine bicycles.
Functional Art Then...
On her 800 mile tour in Germany, Brigitte parks wherever...
Some folks view these frames as works of art, too nice or delicate for daily use, but they aren't your mom's dining room table. We chose wood for it's ride quality and sustainability, and got beauty as a bonus; but it's not a weakness. An impact that will dent and ruin a butted metal or carbon frame merely bounces off the Renovo frame leaving a small dent.
Wood is tough stuff; from axe handles and baseball bats to the walnut stocks of the 1903 Springfield rifles, the U.S. Infantry rifle from WW1 through the Korean conflict. These rifles were thrown from trucks, dragged through sand, rivers and hell, used as pry bars, clubs, crutches and still functioned as rifles. After the wars, civilians bought these battle-scarred relics and refinished many of them into gorgeous sporting rifles.
A Renovo Frame Will Outlast You and Still be Looking Good
Like the Springfield gunstock, or any bicycle frame, a Renovo can be dented and scratched. But, like those gunstocks, and unlike other frame materials, the Renovo is easily refinished, because it's wood all the way through, not just a paint layer. And the best news--a dent or scratch won't escalate into a frame-terminal crack as with other bike frame materials. So really, if you want a beautiful bicycle as your daily driver, the Renovo is your best bet, and yes, between rides many owners park their Renovos in their living rooms or offices as art they can enjoy between rides.
Unlike Any Other
The Renovo is custom made with select woods chosen by the owner, and, thanks to the color, grain and figure of wood, each frame is completely unique, even if made from the same wood as another Renovo. Compact geometry in six sizes ranging from 51cm to 61cm fit nearly anyone.
The woods, adhesives, and finishes are probably not what you're familiar with, so please visit 'What You Don't Know About Wood' for an overview.
Patents are pending on the Renovo hollow frame.
via renovobikes.com
These are gorgeous.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
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