Category: Technology

The new iMac makes a leap

Apple has released a new iMac generation that has a couple of more powerful features that you may have overlooked by it’s visual design: HD video and internal hard drive capacity of 1 terabyte in size. And built-in support for optical digital audio too.

I’m not sure anyone else is shipping a consumer system with these features…it’s their high end configuration but clearly demonstrates the penetration of these features for ‘home’ users. My first Mac shipped with 512K RAM and NO internal hard drive…How about your first computer?

Well today moving forward its 1 Terabyte capacity. Yup…Terabyte.

Tags: imac, HD, terabyte, design, innovation, trends

Design Education Globalization Technology

The new way of learning

Post author By Don Kasprzak
Post date August 1, 2007

MIT has posted a free online course on the engineering and design aspects for 2.993 Special Topics in Mechanical Engineering: The Art and Science of Boat Design, taught in January (IAP) 2007. This class seems like a great opportunity for MIAD students to engage in further learning. This course is another example of the OpenCourseWare movement available from colleges across the globe.

There is a small number of schools in the US that are participating in this Consortium. The mission is to share knowledge. There are 12 colleges in the USA while China has 30 colleges. It feels very much like Tom Friedman’s book The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century.
What can There are new opportunities for educators and students from around the world to freely participate in classes taught at MIT or Notre Dame, for example. And if you speak a foreign language…the world can really open your eyes. to new educational and cultural experiences.

Tags: OCW, OpenCourseWare, MIT, Design, innovation, trends

Design Education Globalization Technology

Hey Intel, play nice

Intel received a lot of negative PR (rightfully so) when 60 minutes aired an interview with Nicholas Negroponte from MIT. He has worked to produce an affordable laptop for children living in third world countries. This project is called One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) and is a great example of people making the world a better place.

olpc Following a lot of positive press on how he was helping change access to technology Intel announced they would begin selling an almost identical laptop to the same audience.

Bad move Intel.

As a very successful company Intel missed an initial opportunity to not only give away their chips to this project but “selling” a computer in this situation…very bad. And to a large extent the 60 minutes interview allowed Intel to reconsider.

As you may have learned, yesterday Intel buried the hatchet with Nicholas and has joined the OLPC program. At this point — its never too late — they are now helping OLPC make this world a better place. Nice ending.

Tags: OLPC, One Laptop Per Child, Nicholas Negroponte, Intel, Globalization, technology

Design Education Globalization Reading Technology

Latest read: A Whole New Mind

Post author By Don Kasprzak
Post date July 14, 2007
1 Comment on Latest read: A Whole New Mind

Daniel Pink’s second book A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future is a great, easy read for everyone. In today’s very competitive business market, college or non-profit Dan’s new views on tapping creative minds will ensure success moving forward.

There are several examples of how business must change in order to not just compete…but survive in today’s globalized economy.

It was somewhat refreshing to basically see Tom Friedman‘s influence from The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century stitched into Pink’s writing. And he could not be more accurate.

GM’s well publicized struggles continue. But their struggle is not against Japan. They have new competition on the automobile producing block…from India and China.

Why? Well lets start with the fact that both India and China can begin building state of the art robotic assembly plants with cheaper labor resulting in India producing brand new cars for only $2,500.

This actually points to another Friedman reference from The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization where we learned only a small handful of humans produce Lexus cars…robots do the rest. So India and China can move past the hurdle of long standing contract, benefit and retirement costs bogging down GM to win the race to sell their products on the American marketplace.

Tags A Whole New Mind, Daniel Pink, Design, learning, right-brain, trends

Design Education Globalization Reading Technology

Latest read: The Ten Faces of Innovation

Post author By Don Kasprzak
Post date July 12, 2007

This book by IDEO‘s found Tom Kelley is a good, interesting and fairly quick read. In his book The Ten Faces of Innovation Kelley has outlined the opportunity to identify, empower and reward the ten types of employees you may have in your company.
10 Faces of Innovation Who can make your organization think differently and succeed in today’s marketplace or school?

This is a refreshing look at the demands of today’s aggressive business climate — regardless if your in a Fortune 100 company, small non-profit or educational institution.

While some elements are a bit over-hyped (examples are IDEO’s clients — surprise!) the basic message is to look and empower new thinking.

I was surprised to learn his brother knew about .mp3s before Napster….but so did millions already on the internet finding them in newsgroups.

Tags Design, Innovation, learning, Ten Faces of Innovation, Tom Kelley, trends