A few days ago I posted about the value of prizes in innovation. Yesterday The Guardian published a story stating that the American Enterprise Institute is offering $10,000 “for articles that emphasise the shortcomings of a report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).” Later the article states that “the organisation had approached scientists, economists and policy analysts to write articles for an independent review that would highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the IPCC report.”

Now, these are two very different things, but let’s suppose for a moment that AEI is offering a prize to scientists who can refute the IPCC report. Given the recent New York Times article, isn’t this exactly the thing to do? No matter what you believe about climate change, you have to be sick of the unsupported carping by both sides. It’s been highly politicized and has become dogma for many. What we all should want, however, is to understand what can be supported by facts and research, and how credible that research is. A prize to refute the IPCC report would go a long way in doing that. Ten Thousand dollars is enough money that I don’t think (despite the article’s silly characterization of the organization) the AEI will hand it over for propaganda even if it wanted to. If a requirement of winning the prize is that the research must be accepted into a peer reviewed journal (etc., etc.), we could have an extremely valuable contest. The main problem I see is that the prize may simply not be enough. Any scientist entering the contest will be badly abused by the powerful climate change lobby and $10,000 may not be worth it. One Texas A&M prof, speaking a bit cryptically, says as much in the article. If Netflix can offer $1,000,000 for a better recommendation algorithm, can’t we find someone to offer the same amount to bring another side to the climate change debate? If you strip away the article’s righteous indignation that a) anyone could question the IPCC report and, b) that filthy lucre has been entered into the debate, you’ll see that this type of contest would go far to shed light on a subject that’s been too long in the shadows. C’mon all you dirty, filthy, corporate funded scientists - innovate your way to this prize, if you can!

From Chosun Ilbo (via PSFK) comes this story about techart designs. A combination of the words technology and art, the term applies to a category of products that combines high-tech function with an aesthetically pleasing look. Some of the items mentioned are the Hauzen air-conditioner from Samsung and LG Electronics’ Shine Designer’s Edition cellphone. The air conditioner is the work of Korean designer Andre Kim while the phone comes from fashion designer Lee Sang-bong and is imprinted with the famous poem “Night of Counting Stars” by Yoon Dong-joo. In the same vein, engadget noticed that PQI is producing a Chinese New Year version of its U510 USB flash card - the Limited Fortune Pig Edition Card Drive.

While this trend of bringing art to surfaces previously thought meant to be bare is not terribly new (start with plates and think on through umbrellas), this is further confirmation that it continues. Sometimes beautiful, often tacky, decorating a previously blank surface always forces a second look. Decorating larger surfaces, however, requires more daring because it’s always… just… there. If one day you decide you don’t like it, you’re in trouble. Daring is likewise required to decorate long-lived products that are often re-sold. Volkswagen addresses this problem with New Beetle Art which uses removable vinyl stickers to “customize” the exterior of your car.

After decoration comes customization followed by personalization. Volkswagen is at customization, so how hard can it be to allow customers to design their own vinyl stickers? We already see vinyl stickers for laptops so how about a vinyl refrigerator door skin that I design and fits my model exactly? But then, where would I stick the pizza guy’s phone number?

There’s a new entry in the “Mayonnaise to Tuna” file and it’s called WorldStreet. From its Web site:

A consumer products’ commercial complex anchored by an indoor “global direct marketplace” A consumer and tourist “destination.”

300+ showrooms and stores owned and operated by American and International exporters, boutique retailers, importers & wholesalers, manufacturers’ direct product showrooms and themed pavilions with product clusters and country-branding.

Including multiple restaurants, cafes, live theatre, “edutainment” attractions and ongoing special events and festivals.

Including:
• Flex-showroom and inventory replenishment facilities
• Integrated business support and logistics service providers
• Wireless telecommunications, E-commerce and T-commerce

Just in case you’re not quite sure exactly what that means, both your retailer and consumer customers will be able to head on over to WorldStreet and buy “your” products directly from “your” Chinese (or Indian, or Thai, or…) suppliers. WorldStreet will be located in Celebrate Virginia, in the southern corridor of metropolitan Washington, DC. Celebrate Virginia, by the way, bills itself as “North America’s Largest Retail Resort.” There are more trends coming together here than you can shake a stick at - direct sourcing, retail destination sites, the Green movement (there’s an Eco-Adventure Resort), active Boomers (there’s an active adult community), and the planned community/planned village trend. If you thought the direct sourcing battle was only fought on two fronts (supplier and customer), you’ll have to think again. With developers joining in, a frontal assault looks less and less likely to be effective. It’s time to figure out what you really do and probe for weakness. Is design your strength? Perhaps logistics, or customer service? Whatever it is, you’ll need to strengthen it and stop holding out hope that your vendors won’t sell your customers directly.

(Via NewMarketBuilders)