Month: October 2011

What’s innovation good for?

Originally published on Battle of Ideas. Past innovations spawned whole new industries such as television, nuclear power, even fledgling bio-tech, capable of creating millions of new jobs and truly transforming society. Elsewhere, innovation has driven huge increases in productivity and revolutionised infrastructure. While UK manufacturing has recently been growing at its fastest rate for 15 […]

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Success is more than counting clicks

 Today things are reversed. Out: politicians with conviction; businesses who innovate with products and services. In: politicians who interpret opinion polls; businesses who make sure everything is ‘tested-to-death’ so it works technically.Voting by clicks offers engagement with a button not a political idea. Similarly, businesses who chase their customers for ideas will end up in […]

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What’s the big idea?

Consider the new committee charged with making parliament more accessible to the masses. A specially designed website, chaired by once-radical MP Peter Hain, asks three questions: 'How could the Palace of Westminster be made more visitor-friendly? How could proceedings in parliament be made easier to follow? Does parliament adequately reflect the concerns of ordinary people?' […]

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Taking a shortcut around the digital divide

Nine other local government finalists were also awarded monies, all of whom, we are told, provided clear evidence of ‘cross-Government, cross-sector’ collaboration. Sunderland won, however, because it was ‘recognised as an example in how ICT technologies can be used to tackle social exclusion’. It had proposed ideas including ‘e-Champions’ designed to help vulnerable groups access […]

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Don’t curb design enthusiasm

Originally published in the Guardian. The idea of sustainable design is an oxymoron. Design is about exploring limits, not about imposing them. Energetic design … Tom Dixon’s New Light installation for the London Design Festival in Trafalgar Square last week. Last week’s London Design Festival showcased some great examples of contemporary design, with many exhibitions and events illustrating new […]

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