This article previously appeared in the Harvard Business Review. The type of disruption most companies and government agencies are facing is a once-in-every-few-centuries event. Disruption today is…
Valid question…
Source: Steve Blank Why Companies and Government Do “Innovation Theater” Instead of Actual Innovation
Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robot is now a gymnast, writes Engadget. As with earlier robotic innovations, this again is a performance beyond impressive.
The Demoscene, which is born at the heart of the home computer revolution, has been showing how skills and creativity can be stimulated and implemented in a dynamic cultural practice adopted to digital contexts. Many of its techniques and mindsets became core techniques and influences of the digital change, and are still vibrant today.
Having been part of the demo-scene for many years myself, this is – at least to me – big news. Starting with the arrival of computers and first commercial software, crackers started copying others intellectual property and made an effort overcoming copy protection. Groups formed to not only solve the technical difficulty to ‘crack’ these systems, but also distribute the results. Soon, pretty presentations were included with these files, to advertise the group that managed to overcome copy protection. Shortly after, these presentations turned into their own discipline, giving programmers, music- and graphic artists an opportunity to compete in artistic demos.
The first demos I remember include 42 by halcyon, 4 kings by orange or daze by urinate. Given the first exposure to the hardwares limits, these were fascinating productions that never failed to amaze me. A close friend from the mailbox scene pointed me to the immortal ‘Second Reality‘ by Future Crew, that finally blew my mind.
Among my peers, this demo was the starting point for many people that I spent a lot of time with and some of whom I am still proud to call my friends. The years following I had the opportunity to not only attend many demo parties but actively contribute my own work to competitions and learn fundamental technology from idols I was lucky to meet at these events.
Now recently, Andreas Lange & Tobias Kopka have started an initiative to bring the demoscene onto the list of the UNESCO intangible world cultural heritage. The initiative advocates the mindset and innovation this scene has developed, contributing technology to culture and leveraging technology to create art. It will likely take a long time to proof this influence and all that I have seen in the past twenty years is well worth bringing this scenes achievements to a broader audience.
As one of the top technology hubs in Europe, Munich is an economic powerhouse, hosting the presence of international corporations, strong VC support, top universities and of course, the Oktoberfest. Many startups choose to make the city their headquarters each year – and here are 10 of the most promising Munich-based to watch in 2019.
Source: 10 Munich-based startups to look out for in 2019 and beyond
A playlist of TED Talks for Product Managers. Great option for your Sunday evening.
Should you be working in Product Management, this may well be a good selection for Sunday evening to watch:
As a product manager, you’ll want to continuously be seeking out new ways to learn, new information, fresh ideas, and inspiration. It’s a constant learning process, and it’s important to stay open and stay motivated. While there are many resources out there, including books, blogs, podcasts, influential people on social media, and tons of online publications, there is something we love about TED Talks.
Amazon seems to become serious about their drone delivery program. At Re:Mars the company announced a hexacopter that shall start deliveries in a few months. Does this go into “Tech” or “Business”? And would a drone be able to deliver to your property?
Source: A drone program taking flight
Digitalisierung ist als Schlagwort allgegenwärtig. Trotzdem bedeutet es nichts anderes als grundlegende, marktwirtschaftliche Kunden- bzw. Marktorientierung. Lediglich die Geschwindigkeit, die notwendig ist, als Marktteilnehmer mit sich ändernden Marktsituationen auseinanderzusetzen stellt besonders große Organisationen vor eine Herausforderung.
Organisation wird in der Regel mit dem Ziel gebildet, um ein Produkt oder einen Service einer breiteren Kunden-Gruppe anbieten zu können und damit Skaleneffekte zu erzielen. Ein fertig entwickeltes, bestehendes Angebot wird in der Regel industriell gefertigt, von einer horizontal skalierten und auf das Angebot geschulten Salesforce vertrieben. Alle Abläufe zu Herstellung und Vertrieb genau dieses Produktes können gemessen und hinsichtlich Kosten und Gewinn optimiert werden. Das ist auch, was anerkannte Business Schulen in der Regel lehren.
Innovation dagegen findet häufig in einem technischen Zusammenhang statt, mit einem herangehen, in dem zwar die Idee und das Ziel feststehen, noch nicht aber alle Schritte feststehen die zu diesem Ziel führen können. In einem kreativen Chaos, das es erlaubt, werden auf dem Weg kurzfristige Richtungsänderungen umgesetzt, das Ziel stets vor Augen.
Es ist nicht in das Korsett starrer “Business Prozesse” eingebunden. Die bestehenden Prozesse sind in der Regel auch langsam entstanden, führen aber zu anderen Zielen. Organisation und Innovation finden mit unterschiedlichen Zielen statt.
Digitalisierung fordert aber beides von Wettbewerbern, die im Markt bestehen wollen und Ihren Kunden passende, innovative Lösungen anbieten möchten. Das fordert ein Umdenken in beiden Bereichen.
Solche Zitate sind ja häufig schwierig. Fehlt grade noch, dass es auf einem GIF geschrieben steht, vor einem Landschaftsbild, das überhaupt mit dem Inhalt nichts zu tun hat. Aber das hier ist schön:
Elektrisches Licht wurde nicht durch die Verbesserung der Kerze erfunden.