Innovation or New Ideas?

Innovation or New Ideas?
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Ken Hilving
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703989304575503730101860838.html_____The Web link reads "The Origins of Good Ideas", but the article is titled "The Genius of the Tinkerer". In it, Steven Johnson explores the value of idea networking with some very interesting examples.One example in particular is telling. The ill fated Apollo 13 spacecraft, and the critical need to solve air purification with limited parts available to the astronauts. Deke Slayton, head of flight crew operations, tosses a jumbled pile of gear on a conference table: hoses, canisters, stowage bags, duct tape and other assorted gadgets. He holds up the carbon scrubbers. "We gotta find a way to make this fit into a hole for this," he says, and then points to the spare parts on the table, "using nothing but that."The article ends with an excellent thought."The trick to having good ideas is not to sit around in glorious isolation and try to think big thoughts. The trick is to get more parts on the table."
Private Reply to Ken Hilving
Manohar Bhatia
Ken,Yes, very true.Two years ago,a project was launched by google.com to come up with innovative ideas has resulted in 1,50,000 ideas from 170 counties.Incidently, I state very humbly that I was also in those 1,50,000 ideas...... my idea being able to develop a software for deaf people wanting to learn and play instrumental music.Although,I did not mention any details of my project,I did tell them about my idea.Now, google vice-prersident,Lorraine Twohill and her team has zerroed in 16 'big' ideas and when the public voted online, the best 5 were selected by the Mountain View California based firm.These are the 5 ideas where google will give away US$10 million to the enterpreneurs.________________

1)Non-profit Khan Academy will get $2 million to open up its free online library of educationl videos and translate core works into the world's most widely spoken languages.

2)From Cape Town comes "The African Institue of Mathemetical Sciences" to promote graduate-level math and science study on African continent....award offered $2 milion.

3)Non-profit FIRST group that promotes science and math study worldwide through team competitions will get $ 3 million to start a robotics program for sudents.

4)Google.com will give $2 million to public.resources.org to make United Stats court documents,statutes,legal forms and other government documents easily available online.

5)Final award of $1 million went to New Zealand start-up, Shweeb to develop and test a transportation system based on personal monorail pods powered by by pedalling the way one does while riding a bicycle.

Google believes that these ideas will change the world and are as excited about these projects as the world citizens.
Thumbs up and 3 cheers for google inc.!!!!!!!
****Source____ The above info is from DNA newspaper titled:::::: [Google puts $10 million into ideas that can change the world]
Manohar Bhatia.