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The code...
More than 200 researchers from six countries
joined forces to map mutations in the human genome, using
DNA obtained from 269 volunteers. They have just released
the resulting genetic map, showing blocks of mutations --
known as haplotypes -- that are usually inherited as a group.
The New Zealand Herald reports that more than a million
small mutations have now been associated with a haplotype
block. Researchers say that the study will dramatically
reduce the time required to find the genes responsible for
disease.
Mars calling...
Vint Cerf has a vision of an expanding Internet
-- beyond the Earth. The solar system network -- called
InterPlaNet -- is a serious project that has had to address
such issues as signal delays, extraterrestrial domain names,
and the location of communication satellites. ICANN has
already set aside .mars and other planetary domains for
this purpose. NASA and the European Space Agency will use
future Mars missions to help move the vision forward.
Googling...
This year, the International Herald Tribune
says, Google's advertising revenue will be more than
$6 billion. Next year's revenues are expected to be $9.5
billion. The newspaper says that would make it number four
in total ad sales by an American media company. Google
already tailors web advertising to viewer interests. It
will soon do the same for Internet-delivered television.
Google recently filed an application to
provide free wireless access to the Internet in San Francisco.
Analysts speculate that the company may support the service
through online advertising that knows where users are located
within the city.
Google's controversial plan to digitize
books and make them available online is now facing competition.
The German book trade association will provide selective
access for search engines to books scanned by publishers.
It may eventually allow readers to "borrow" books
online. Reuters quotes Matthias Ulmer, the project leader:
"We don't want Google to hold the texts in its servers;
we want the publishers to keep them." In the United
States, the Internet Archive and partners celebrated an
open-source initiative to digitize books and make them widely
available. The Archive will only scan books that are in
the public domain.
The new literacy...
"Older forms, such as the book, are
not defunct," a report issued by the Qualifications
and Curriculum Authority in the UK says, "but readers
need to acquire new literacy skills." Technology is
changing the way we use language, it says, in new forms
such as text messaging and multimedia.
Social change...
US News profiles Bill Drayton: Harvard,
Oxford and Yale graduate; social entrepreneur; and founder
of Ashoka. Created by Drayton in 1980 with $50,000, the
philanthropic organization has a budget of more than $30
million today, and supports 1,600 "fellows" in
60 countries. Within five years, Drayton says, more than
half of these fellows change national policy in their countries.
His latest project is Youth Venture -- based on the belief
that children are a powerful force for changing society.
Climate change...
Harvard Medical School, Swiss Re and the
United Nations Development Programme have released a study
describing scenarios for global climate change. Human health,
the environment, and the economy are all at risk. The study
outlined effects on the distribution and spread of infectious
diseases; the frequency of extreme weather events; and impacts
on forests, agriculture, water and marine habitat.
New scenarios...
Shell International's latest scenario planning
exercise -- now published as The Shell Global Scenarios
to 2025 -- explores three dilemmas currently at play
in the world: the simultaneous search for market efficiency,
social cohesion and justice, and security. The report examines
the trade-offs between these three objectives, and describes
the resulting scenarios: Low Trust Globalization,
Open Doors, and Flags.
Innovation inside...
In their new book, Insourcing Innovation:
How to Transform Business as Usual into Business as Exceptional,
David Silverstein, Neil DeCarlo and Michael Slocum show
organizations how to make innovation a core competency --
by internalizing it and making it routine.
David Forrest
we welcome your comments and feedback at mail@innovationwatch.com
SCIENCE
U.S.
Military Wants to Own the Weather - [Space.com] military
officials and weather modification experts could be on the
verge of joining forces to better gauge, react to, and possibly
nullify future hostile forces churned out by Mother Nature.
Titan's
Long-Sought Sea Revealed by Radar - [New Scientist]
The first sea discovered on any surface other than Earth's
may have been found on Saturn’s moon Titan. New radar
images from the Cassini spacecraft, which made its eighth
close approach to the moon on 7 September, have revealed
what appears to be a very distinct shoreline, fed by meandering
channels carved deeply in the surrounding terrain.
Genetic
Defect May Help Predict Schizophrenia Risk - [Daily
News Central] Researchers have learned that a gene that
regulates dopamine levels in the brain is involved in the
development of schizophrenia in children at high risk for
the disorder, according to a study published in Nature Neuroscience.
Genetic
Map that Could Unlock Secrets of Human Life - [New Zealand
Herald] Whereas the human genome -- the basic genetic blueprint
-- showed that everyone shares 99.9 per cent of their genes,
it is the 0.1 per cent difference that can hold the clues
to illnesses such as asthma, diabetes, dementia, heart disease
and cancer. Scientists have completed the first phase of
an ambitious project to tease apart these minute differences
to begin to explain why some people develop serious diseases
while others with a similar lifestyle remain healthy.
Comets
Blasted Early Americans - [USA Today] A supernova could
be the "quick and dirty" explanation for what
may have happened to an early North American culture, a
nuclear scientist said.
Trigger
Discovered that Causes Stem Cells from Embryos to Start
Developing into Organs - [News-Medical.net] Scientists
have apparently discovered the chemical trigger that causes
stem cells from embryos to start developing into organs,
raising the possibility of parts of the body being able
to repair their own damage.
Wild
Gorillas Spotted Using Tools for First Time - [MSNBC]
Two female gorillas have been photographed using sticks
as tools to get through swampy areas, the first time the
apes have been seen doing so in the wild, researchers reported.
TECHNOLOGY
Vint
Cerf on the InterPlanet - [TechScape] In the second
of TechScape’s three exclusive interviews with Vint
Cerf, Bill Robinson investigates the story of the InterPlanet
-- or Interplanetary Internet as it is sometimes called.
Search
Engines for the Forgetful: New Firms Zero In on Tracking
Items that Get Mislaid - [San Francisco Chronicle] Researchers
are looking at using RFID and GPS technology that would
make real-world objects as easy to locate as a casserole
recipe on Google -- though such services will appear in
the distant future, if ever, experts say.
Tokyo's
Take on the Cars of the Future - [The Independent] Dog
space in the dashboard, sideways parking, a front that becomes
the back... John Simister on Japan's new wheezes.
Future
Smart Cars Could Help to Cut Accidents - [MSNBC] Whether
it is wafting lavender or citrus scents to calm drivers
and keep them awake, or vibrating seat belts to get them
to slow down, smart cars in the future could help reduce
road accidents.
Snowboarders
Stay Connected with Wireless Winter Wear - [PCMag] Embarking
on a long term wireless integration collaboration, Burton
Snowboards and Motorola Inc. recently revealed plans to
launch a collection of Bluetooth-enabled winter gear for
snowboarding tech types that want to stay connected.
A
Virtual Dylan Dylan Thomas - [i-Newswire] Through the
medium of 3D computer animation, Wales' favourite poet,
has been recreated in virtual reality, performing his most
popular poem to an audience in his home town of Swansea,
on the anniversary of his death.
Interface
Lift - [IEEE Spectrum] Sources for interface metaphors
abound. In the past, we leaned heavily on the world of the
office and its folders and desktops, because we thought
we were building interfaces mainly for office workers. But
today, information work and information workers are everywhere.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
Globalisation
Can Bust the Boom Cycle, says Roger Bootle - [The Guardian]
When it comes to the long-term, Roger Bootle is a thorough
optimist. He believes the truly global economy in prospect
as the reach of the internet expands and China and India
take their place in the world's markets, will allow division
of labour on a grand scale.
Google
Wants to Dominate Madison Avenue, Too - [International
Herald Tribune] This year, Google will sell $6.1 billion
in ads, nearly double what it sold last year, according
to Anthony Noto, an analyst at Goldman Sachs. That is more
advertising than is sold by any newspaper chain, magazine
publisher or television network. By next year, Mr. Noto
said, he expects Google to have advertising revenue of $9.5
billion.
Company
Bids to Build Ad-Based Wireless Net for San Francisco
- [ABC News] As with many municipal area network projects
in the US, about a dozen companies -- from telecom companies
to traditional Internet service providers -- have submitted
proposals for the City by the Bay's planned network. But
Google's plan, some industry watchers speculate, could bring
about a new business model: a free network centered around
online advertising that knows where users are within the
city's limits.
German
Publishers To Scan Books Online - [925M] The five-member
German book trade association, Börsenverein, plans
to build a digital indexing project called Volltextsuche
Online. According to the International Herald Tribune
report, the German project’s plan is about providing
access to titles that still have a valid copyright instead
of what other search engines have been trying to do which
is digitizing out-of-copyright materials. The German association
also hopes to at some point create its own search engine
where readers can even borrow books online.
An
Open-Source Rival to Google's Book Project - [ZDNet]
When it comes to digitizing books, two stories appear to
be unfolding: One is about open source, and the other, Google.
Or so it seemed at a party held by the Internet Archive
on Tuesday evening, when the nonprofit foundation and a
parade of partners, including the Smithsonian Institution,
Hewlett-Packard, Yahoo and Microsoft's MSN, rallied around
a collective open-source initiative to digitize all the
world's books and make them universally available.
Indian
CEOs More Optimistic About Globalisation Than Others
- [domain-b.com] Are American executives, who once relished
being regarded as bruising street fighters, beginning to
have second thoughts about globalisation? Timorous Indian
executives, however, who just five years ago appeared to
baulk at global competition arriving at their door step,
now seem to be more gung-ho about it. This seems to be the
finding of the McKinsey Global Survey of Business Confidence
2005.
More
Employees Set to Opt for 'Binge Working' in Return for Extra
Time Off - [Scotsman] More people are set to indulge
in "binge working" -- undertaking a huge session
in return for more time off, a report predicted. Workers
will also only work when they are at their most productive,
such as late at night or early in the morning -- known as
"deep time", according to the study from Standard
Life Bank and the Future Laboratory, which looked at 1000
workers and found many fed up with long hours.
SOCIETY
English
'Must Reflect Technology' - [BBC] English in schools
must adapt to reflect the use of text messaging and communication
via new technologies, a report says.
Debt
of Gratitude - [The Star] As blogging gains popularity
in the country, a new trend is fast emerging -- blogging
for charity.
Who
Will Take Care of an Older Population? - [USA Today]
Americans are living longer and better than ever. The Census
Bureau predicts the nation will have more than 1 million
centenarians in 2050, up from 71,000 today. That's the good
news. Now the bad: The cost of health care and retirement
benefits of an aging population threatens to bankrupt the
nation unless dramatic changes are made.
Baby
Boomers Flex their Political Muscle - [The Guardian]
The ageing of Britain, as the 'baby boomer' generation hits
retirement, could cost Labour 10 seats at the next election,
according to a new analysis. The liberal generation, raised
on free love and Vietnam protests, is now worrying about
binge drinking among young people, immigration and the decline
of discipline, according to the report by Age Concern.
Can
Immigration Save the Cities? - [EMagazine] Wausau, Wisconsin
may seem like the furthest thing from a global mega-city,
but the forces in play in this small city are echoes of
the worldwide issues of population and immigration. Over
the past decades Wausau has received a large influx of Hmong,
a nomadic Laotian hill people.
Groups
Target Human Trafficking in US - [ABC News] Trafficking
is a stubborn problem and a staggering one worldwide, affecting
an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 victims a year. Federal
officials say 14,500 to 17,500 of them are trafficked to
the United States, where the myriad forms of modern-day
slavery present an elusive target for those trying to eradicate
it.
Paint
Company Shows Off Car Colours of the Future - [Mail
and Guardian] Only a handful of people know what new vehicles
will look like in 2009. But automotive paint supplier PPG
Industries already has a good idea what colours those vehicles
will be.
GLOBAL POLITICS
Entrepreneur
For Social Change - [USNews] Through his global nonprofit,
Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, based in Arlington, Va.,
Bill Drayton aims to find change-making leaders around the
world, provide them with support and modest "social
venture capital," and watch as they transform ingrained
institutions and improve lives exponentially.
The
Envy of Europe - [International Herald Tribune] European
leaders want to know how Sweden and its Nordic neighbors,
so heavily laden with cradle-to-grave welfare systems, float
high above the struggling economies of much of the rest
of the Continent.
Piggy
Bank To The World - [Business Week] In a new paper,
Kotlikoff and his two German co-authors, Hans Fehr and Sabine
Jokisch, find that a flood of Chinese savings over the next
40 years could turn the anticipated capital shortages into
capital gluts instead -- not just in the US, but in Europe
and Japan as well.
The
Failed States Index - [Foreign Policy] About 2 billion
people live in countries that are in danger of collapse.
In the first annual Failed States Index, Foreign Policy
and the Fund for Peace rank the countries about to go over
the brink.
It’s
the Illicit Economy, Stupid - [Foreign Policy] Fifteen
years ago, the trade in pirated goods was almost insignificant.
Today, it is valued at $400 to $600 billion a year. No insurgency
anywhere in the world seems to have much difficulty procuring
the weapons it needs, which is one of the reasons that the
illegal arms trade is worth $10 billion. International human
trafficking comes to another $10 billion. Stolen art, according
to Interpol, is worth $3 billion a year. In the last decade,
all of these illegal international trades have grown in
size and scope.
Why
the Americas Have Drifted Apart - [Christian Science
Monitor] Small trade blocs have formed as many countries,
including Brazil and Argentina, resist what they say would
be a US-dominated trade area. Neither are democracy's roots
growing stronger, and in some countries they are threatened,
warn some officials and experts.
China’s
Latin American Motives - [The Globalist] China’s
recent forays into Latin America haven’t gone unnoticed
by the countries of the region -- or the hemisphere’s
traditional superpower. In this Globalist Document, Alvaro
Vargas Llosa explains that, while China’s moves have
been met with equal parts fear and hope, China’s goals
are purely economic -- and any attempt to find any deeper
connection is off base.
ENVIRONMENT
German
Nuclear Phase-Out - [BBC] As Britain gears up for a
debate on the future of its nuclear industry, outgoing German
environment minister Jurgen Trittin, a member of Germany's
Green Party, explains to the BBC News website why he believes
his country should consign atomic energy to the past.
Overfishing
Imperils Hawaiian Ecosystem - [ABC News] Commercial
fishing has sharply depleted numbers of several species
in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and threatens the health
of the pristine island chain's ecosystem, according to a
private study.
Dutch
Design Lets Homes Float on the Floodwaters - [Christian
Science Monitor] After hurricane Katrina flooded the Gulf
Coast, many US hydrologists, architects, and city planners
looked to "the low countries" for water-wise guidance.
But instead of continuing their prohibitively high-cost
war against the sea, some Dutch architects are designing
ways to live on, instead of fighting against, the rising
tide.
Europe
Study Shows Climate Risks - [BBC] Mediterranean and
mountain regions of Europe will be hardest hit by the changes
set to affect the continent's natural resources this century.
Study
Shows Escalating Climate Change Impacts on Human Health,
the Environment, and the Economy - [Science Daily] The
Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard
Medical School, along with co-sponsors Swiss Re and the
United Nations Development Programme, released a study showing
that climate change will significantly affect the health
of humans and ecosystems and these impacts will have economic
consequences.
G20
Climate Summit Pushes Technology Not Targets - [World
Business Council for Sustainable Development] The industrialised
and developing nations that emit the most greenhouse gases
have pledged to work together to develop and deploy 'clean
technologies' to tackle climate change.
New
Turbine May Boost Wind Power - [Wired] Recent howling
winds have been like sweet music to one local company, which
says its new vertical wind turbine is substantially more
efficient than traditional propeller designs.
THE FUTURE
The
New Shell Global Scenarios to 2025 (PDF) - A tool to
explore the many complex business environments in which
companies work. Building on the 30-year track record of
Shell's scenario teams, they open a path to deeper understanding
of the trends, forces and tradeoffs that drive change and
development.
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