Tag: new technology

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What you think is the most precious substance in a country?

When in doubt paddle out.

Any guesses?

If you do a quick Internet search, you will find all sorts of things valued in grams such as saffron, gold and even drugs.

Something that is far more valuable than all of these is the creative person.

I was surprised when I learned that the Tesla corporation has surpassed Ford and GM in market capitalisation. Imagine that. These companies were pioneers in automobiles and at one stage were some of the largest companies ever created. Continue reading “What you think is the most precious substance in a country?”

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Enviroentrepreneurs come up with new ideas to make money

English: Thin plastic shopping bags Polski: To...
English: Thin plastic shopping bags Polski: Torebki foliowe – foliówki (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When you look at the streets, they are filled with plastic bags. Drive out on the highway – more plastic bags. Even drive along a country road and you’ll see plastic bags. Walk along an inner city river and the banks are festooned with plastic bags.

Many years ago environmental authorities introduced a concept to reduce the number of plastic bags used by shoppers. The idea was simple: place a levy of a few cents on the plastic bag. Some years later everyone or almost everyone seems to have forgotten about that. Plus if you go into how the levy was used sadly all you will find is mismanagement on a bizarre scale. No one likes to admit it but it was an idea that failed horribly. Continue reading “Enviroentrepreneurs come up with new ideas to make money”

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How would you solve this business challenge?

Photo credit: Wikimedia commons
Photo credit: Wikimedia commons

It’s everything you want. You’ve got a new idea and it holds great potential but you don’t know how to turn it into a viable business. What you do?

A skateboard maker Ted Hunter, a 62-year-old furniture design Professor at a Canadian university and founder of Roarockit Skateboard Co. with his wife, Nora Jackson, has come up with a new way to shape wood veneer. He found a way to “punch” layers of wood veneer to make them ripple like the surface of the ocean but at the same time strengthening the product and still preserving the flat, rideable side of the board. The conventional process involves inserting pieces of veneer to create contours. Although he has patented the pinch process in Canada and the United States, Ted has to work out how to use this new process. He wants to start manufacturing but doesn’t have a lot of cash. He could also use the process in furniture and housewares. Continue reading “How would you solve this business challenge?”

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Smart lessons from “stupid” cellphone

Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Bluescan sv.wiki
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Bluescan sv.wiki

A recent cover from Bloomberg Businessweek depicted some relics from the past with a tongue-in-cheek approach. The cover showed a “fearsome weapon” dating back to 2000 BC, which was a stone arrow from the Americas. Another depicted a sun-shaped disc, dating back to 3600 BC, from the Nile Delta. In the right bottom corner of the cover was a belt-fixed messaging tool, dated 2010 A.D., from Canada. Continue reading “Smart lessons from “stupid” cellphone”

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What you need to know about age and innovation

Ideas at any ageA reader asked me this great question a week or so ago:

QUESTION: I’ve read about all these innovators below the age of 30 forming new businesses, mobile apps and Internet businesses. What chance has someone got if they are older? Is it too late after a certain age to innovate?

CHESNEY: Right off I’d say that age doesn’t matter at all. But at the same time who’s going to argue that youth doesn’t have a strong head start? Especially when it comes to energy and drive. And the reason why so many young people are making it especially in the online world is because they have grown up with the technology.

Continue reading “What you need to know about age and innovation”