Innovation Toronto » target

‘The Amazing Race,’ as Played in the Lab

ron — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:27:58 +0000

WHAT do reality TV shows like “Survivor” and “America’s Next Top Model” have in common with an insurgent method of stimulating useful innovations around the world?

Commuter Cars

The Tango, an entry in the automotive X Prize contest for vehicles that can get 100 miles a gallon.

It may be hard to believe that watching Tyra Banks drive aspiring models to the breaking point can provide insight into how to accelerate technological change.

Well, pinch yourself.

Popular reality shows indeed provide a way to understand the logic behind a new wave of contests in technological innovation. Both types are driven by head-to-head competition among unknowns. And the winner takes all — and is celebrated in the process.

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Turning Glare Into Watts

ron — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 02:16:55 +0000

BOULDER CITY, Nev. — At first, as he adjusted pumps and checked temperatures, Aaron Boucher looked like any technician in the control room of an electrical plant. Then he rushed to the window and scanned the sky, to check his fuel supply.

Mr. Boucher was battling clouds, timing the operations of his power plant to get the most out of patchy sunshine. It is a skill that may soon be in greater demand, for the world appears to be on the verge of a boom in a little-known but promising type of solar power.

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A New, Global Oil Quandary: Costly Fuel Means Costly Calories

ron — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 20:12:19 +0000

KUANTAN, Malaysia — Rising prices for cooking oil are forcing residents of Asia’s largest slum, in Mumbai, India, to ration every drop. Bakeries in the United States are fretting over higher shortening costs. And here in Malaysia, brand-new factories built to convert vegetable oil into diesel sit idle, their owners unable to afford the raw material.

This is the other oil shock. From India to Indiana, shortages and soaring prices for palm oil, soybean oil and many other types of vegetable oils are the latest, most striking example of a developing global problem: costly food.

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From 10 Hours a Week, $10 Million a Year

ron — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 16:28:46 +0000

MARKUS FRIND, a 29-year-old Web entrepreneur, has not read the best seller “The 4-Hour Workweek” — in fact, he had not heard of it when asked last week — but his face could go on the book’s cover. He developed software for his online dating site, Plenty of Fish, that operates almost completely on autopilot, leaving Mr. Frind plenty of free time. On average, he puts in about a 10-hour workweek.

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Digital Tools Help Users Save Energy, Study Finds

ron — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 22:39:39 +0000

Photo by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Jerry Brous of Sequim, Wash., participated in a study to determine whether giving people more information about their electricity use and costs will prompt them to save energy.

Giving people the means to closely monitor and adjust their electricity use lowers their monthly bills and could significantly reduce the need to build new power plants, according to a yearlong government study.

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