Everyday Inventions
Saul Griffith offers a glimpse into the future with this compelling overview of his works-in-progress and materials-in-progress. The award-winning inventor shares the inspiration (a droplet of water) behind his low-cost prescription lenses, produced by a machine the size of an inkjet printer. Other projects include Howtoons and Instructables (comics that show how to build things [...]
Simplicity Sells
New York Times technology columnist David Pogue opens his talk with a rousing musical number about the trials of customer support, then launches into some sharp commentary on “The Software Upgrade Paradox” (“Improve a piece of software enough times, you eventually ruin it”). Next he takes on the worst interface design offenders, the causes of [...]
There’s Innovation Ahead
The dot-com boom-and-bust is often compared to the 1849 Gold Rush, and Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos offers historical evidence showing how similar they were: from the riches made by pioneers to the media hype that attracted luckless speculators. But a better analogy can be found in the early days of the electric industry, he says. [...]
