Tag: Innovation
Lighter-than-air furniture
It's probably fair to assume that when Lionel Richie sang "Dancing on the ceiling", he was on an altogether different trip to William A. Calderwood of Peoria, Arizona, author of US patent 4888836 (1989) - "Lighter-than-air furniture".
Elevator Pitch: Cool Mobility
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Check out Cool Mobility's the YouTube video
MOVING AND GROOVING
COMPANY NAME:
COOL Mobility Pty Ltd
FOUNDERS:
Colin Johanson & Moira McEwan
ORIGINS:
Company set up 2007 after five...
Cane and able (to party!)
BI-GOODNESS is a bi-monthly column dedicated to the quirky, generally funny and often dangerously impractical inventions and business concepts that occasionally come our way....
Hi-tech beer mat
BI-GOODNESS is a bi-monthly column dedicated to the quirky, generally funny and often dangerously impractical inventions and business concepts that occasionally come our way....
Crazy inventions: Chindogu
It's time to reach beyond the wayward solitary invention of a wayward solitary inventor to embrace an entire conceptual school of wayward invention: the artful Japanese science of Chindogu.
Solo-operable seesaw
Inventors are lone wolf types, too often misunderstood and under-appreciated. So is it any wonder that their inventions sometimes reflect their sense of isolation and defiant self-reliance? It speaks to the credo: ingenuity conquers all (love is overrated).
Good idea
Have you ever stopped to think about how many ideas you have each day? Probably thousands. Ideas like 'I'll take the dog for a...
Sun towel mask
Illustration: Sam Griffin
BI-GOODNESS is a bi-monthly column dedicated to the quirky, generally funny and often dangerously impractical inventions and business concepts that occasionally come...
Victorian Technology Profiles Dec/Jan 06/07
With much of Australia in the grip of the most serious drought in modern memory, technology promoting the efficient consumption of our most essential resource is most welcome. A key part of any water management strategy includes a precise and consistent method of monitoring water consumption.
Innovation: Disruption in the first degree
"Innovation" is a woolly beast. It has many disguises and aliases. To get face-to-face and down and dirty with innovation is no mean feat.
Book reviews
James Tuckerman reviews THE GOOGLE STORY and HOW TO TURN YOUR MILLION-DOLLAR IDEA INTO A REALITY
Big brands in search of a Second Life
Newsflash! Virtual Reality has arrived. If you think it's still the domain of pasty-faced geeks in bulky black goggles slaying digital dragons or bedding impossibly voluptuous sprites, brace yourself.
Cordless jump rope
BI-GOODNESS is a bi-monthly column dedicated to the quirky, generally funny and often dangerously impractical inventions and business concepts that occasionally come our way....
How to win at classifieds
First off, let's be clear. We have to kill the phrase 'online classifieds'. At best, it has the weary note of strained metaphors, like moving staircases and horseless carriages. At worst, it's symptomatic of a dated way of thinking about the world. These days, winning in classifieds really means winning in markets. And that, dear readers, is a much tougher job.
For miracle sales, get a halo
It seems like every bus shelter you pass features a back-lit silhouette of a dancing girl or boy with wires coming out of their ears. You don't have to read the logo to know that it's another ad for iPod. But did you know that the ad is doing wonders for Apple PCs?
The full package
About four years ago I took a break from my day job and went to Hollywood to chase Australian actors and filmmakers. The idea was to write a piece for Rolling Stone Australia on the lives of Aussie expats working in the entertainment industry. It was a similar project to one I had done a year earlier looking into the lives of expats in the technology equivalent of Hollywood - San Francisco's Bay Area.
Built to flip
Some companies are built to be sold. The intellectual property and business processes are bedded down and bundled into a transferable package. Find a market gap, identify potential buyers, build it, drive home the value and make the trade sale. And then, if you enjoyed the ride, do it again.
Victorian Technology Profiles Oct/Nov 06
The path from start-up to success story can be a challenging journey. These two Victorian innovators are taking the path less travelled, turning good ideas into profitable international businesses, and they're not looking back!
Legal: Business method patents
One of the great misconceptions about patents is that they can only be obtained on an invention of a tangible item. However, patents can also be obtained for how a business function is performed, provided certain criteria are met. These patents are known as "business method patents".
Relax on the run
Illustration by Sam Griffin
Are you under the pump at work? A soothing massage could be just the ticket, if only you could find the...
