Innovation is about finding a better way of doing something. Like many of the new development buzzwords (which many of them are over-used on many business documents), the concept of innovation originates from the world of business. It refers to the generation of new products through the process of creative entrepreneurship, putting it into production, and diffusing it more widely through increased sales. Innovation can be viewed as t he application of better solutions that meet new requirements, in-articulated needs, or existing market needs. This is accomplished through more effective products, processes, services, technologies, or ideas that are readily available to markets, governments and society. The term innovation can be defined as something original and, as a consequence, new, that “breaks into” the market or society.
Innoveracy: Misunderstanding Innovation article points out that there is a form of ignorance which seems to be universal: the inability to understand the concept and role of innovation. The way this is exhibited is in the misuse of the term and the inability to discern the difference between novelty, creation, invention and innovation. The result is a failure to understand the causes of success and failure in business and hence the conditions that lead to economic growth. The definition of innovation is easy to find but it seems to be hard to understand. Here is a simple taxonomy of related activities that put innovation in context:
- Novelty: Something new
- Creation: Something new and valuable
- Invention: Something new, having potential value through utility
- Innovation: Something new and uniquely useful
The taxonomy is illustrated with the following diagram.
The differences are also evident in the mechanisms that exist to protect the works: Novelties are usually not protectable, Creations are protected by copyright or trademark, Inventions can be protected for a limited time through patents (or kept secret) and Innovations can be protected through market competition but are not defensible through legal means.
Innovation is a lot of talked about nowdays as essential to businesses to do. Is innovation essential for development work? article tells that innovation has become central to the way development organisations go about their work. In November 2011, Bill Gates told the G20 that innovation was the key to development. Donors increasingly stress innovation as a key condition for funding, and many civil society organisations emphasise that innovation is central to the work they do.
Some innovation ideas are pretty simple, and some are much more complicated and even sound crazy when heard first. The is place for crazy sounding ideas: venture capitalists are gravely concerned that the tech startups they’re investing in just aren’t crazy enough:
Not all development problems require new solutions, sometimes you just need to use old things in a slightly new way. Development innovations may involve devising technology (such as a nanotech water treatment kit), creating a new approach (such as microfinance), finding a better way of delivering public services (such as one-stop egovernment service centres), identifying ways of working with communities (such as participation), or generating a management technique (such as organisation learning).
Theorists of innovation identify innovation itself as a brief moment of creativity, to be followed by the main routine work of producing and selling the innovation. When it comes to development, things are more complicated. Innovation needs to be viewed as tool, not master. Innovation is a process, not a one time event. Genuine innovation is valuable but rare.
There are many views on the innovation and innvation process. I try to collect together there some views I have found on-line. Hopefully they help you more than confuze. Managing complexity and reducing risk article has this drawing which I think pretty well describes innovation as done in product development:
8 essential practices of successful innovation from The Innovator’s Way shows essential practices in innovation process. Those practices are all integrated into a non-sequential, coherent whole and style in the person of the innovator.
In the IT work there is lots of work where a little thinking can be a source of innovation. Automating IT processes can be a huge time saver or it can fail depending on situation. XKCD comic strip Automation as illustrates this:
System integration is a critical element in project design article has an interesting project cost influence graphic. The recommendation is to involve a system integrator early in project design to help ensure high-quality projects that satisfy project requirements. Of course this article tries to market system integration services, but has also valid points to consider.
Core Contributor Loop (CTTDC) from Art Journal blog posting Blog Is The New Black tries to link inventing an idea to theory of entrepreneurship. It is essential to tune the engine by making improvements in product, marketing, code, design and operations.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Want to Learn “Anything You Want”? Neuroscience Says 7 Sessions Is All It TakesGood news: Research shows we all tend to learn at the same rate. The only difference is our relative starting points.
https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/want-to-learn-anything-you-want-neuroscience-says-7-sessions-is-all-it-takes/91272092
Maybe you think you don’t possess the talent for finance. For design. For programming. For learning any skill you want to possess.
That may be because you confuse talent with skill. According to HubSpot co-founder Dharmesh Shah:
Talent is the rate at which you can acquire a particular skill, while
Skill is something that’s learnable
According to a study titled “An Astonishing Regularity in Student Learning Rate” published by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, students improve in academic performance at the same rate with each study/practice session.
“Whereas initial knowledge varies substantially across students,” the researchers write, “we found learning rate to be astonishingly similar across students.” The real difference tends to lie in initial knowledge, or talent: With practice, any student can reach mastery level.
How long does it take to master a particular knowledge component? On average, about seven sessions.
Tomi Engdahl says:
From machine learning to voting, the workings of the world demand randomisation, but true sources of randomness are surprisingly hard to find. Rolling dice, flipping coins and even using seismic activity to generate random numbers are all flawed.
Now, quantum mechanics has provided a way to create truly random numbers, and you can even try the quantum random number generator for yourself.
Read more here: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2494268-weve-finally-cracked-how-to-make-truly-random-numbers/
Image: Phillip Harris
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://futurism.com/neoscope/heavy-drinking-brain-research
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-x-rayed-single-atom
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://futurism.com/the-byte/supercapacitor-theory-discovery
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://phys.org/news/2025-12-image-sensor-optical-limits.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.sciencealert.com/theres-a-surprisingly-easy-way-to-remove-microplastics-in-drinking-water
Tomi Engdahl says:
He invented Walkie-talkie
Ah, the bs headlines keep rolling. Is it cool? Of course it is.
Is there really anything special apart from being built out of trash with namibian resources? of course no.
Technically a two-way radio, but… The fact he made it out of junk is still pretty cool
“Simon Petrus, a student from Namibia, built a phone that doesn’t need a SIM card, airtime, or a mobile network. Using only spare parts, he managed to make calls through radio frequencies; entirely on his own.
No big tech, no investors, no lab, just pure curiosity, skill, and determination.”
Simon Petrus, a Teen from Namibia, Invents “Sim-less” and “Free-to-Call” Phone – Good Black News https://share.google/PUR6ufIB6M0XEEEai
Africanews | No sim nor airtime needed for calls, Namibian student builds this phone from scrap https://share.google/cxOebE219El8vcgJ5
Tomi Engdahl says:
Quantum entanglement speed is measured for the first time, and it’s too fast to comprehend
https://www.earth.com/news/quantum-entanglement-speed-measured-for-first-time-using-attoseconds/
In the world of quantum physics, incredible events unfold at mind-boggling speeds. Processes thought to happen instantaneously, like quantum entanglement, are now being directly measured in the tiniest fractions of a second – attoseconds.
Together with a team of researchers from China, Prof. Joachim Burgdörfer and his colleagues from the Institute of Theoretical Physics at TU Wien are measuring these fleeting moments to understand how quantum entanglement actually happens.
These scientists aren’t focused on the existence of quantum entanglement, but are keen on uncovering how it begins – how exactly do two particles become quantum entangled?
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://woodgrow.fi/2026/01/06/kvanttijarjestelma-alkoi-ensimmaista-kertaa-tuottaa-mikroaaltosignaalia-vastoin-fyysikoiden-odotuksia/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Gen Z Arriving at College Unable to Read
“It’s not even an inability to critically think. It’s an inability to read sentences.”
https://futurism.com/future-society/gen-z-literacy-reading
As the final waves of Gen Z — the youngest of whom are currently around 14 — make their way through high school and into colleges and trade schools, some higher education instructors are noticing a severe lack of reading comprehension skills in their students. Schools, in turn, are finding the only path forward is to drastically lower their expectations, for better or worse.
As Pepperdine University literature professor Jessica Hooten Wilson told Fortune in a recent interview, “it’s not even an inability to critically think. It’s an inability to read sentences.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kahvista löytyi yhdisteitä, jotka säätelevät verensokeria diabeteslääkettä tehokkaammin
https://tekniikanmaailma.fi/kahvista-loytyi-yhdisteita-jotka-saatelevat-verensokeria-diabeteslaaketta-tehokkaammin/
Kiinalaistutkimus on paljastanut paahdetusta kahvista aiemmin tuntemattomia yhdisteitä, joilla on vahva yhteys verensokerin säätelyyn.
Nyt löytyneiden yhdisteiden havaittiin estävän tehokkaasti alfaglukosidaasi-entsyymiä, joka osallistuu hiilihydraattien pilkkomiseen ruoansulatuksessa. Koska tämä entsyymi vaikuttaa suoraan siihen, kuinka nopeasti sokerit imeytyvät vereen, löydös viittaa mahdollisiin uusiin toiminnallisiin elintarvikkeisiin, joilla voitaisiin tukea tyypin 2 diabeteksen hallintaa, tutkimustiedotteessa kerrotaan.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://tekniikanmaailma.fi/miksi-jotkut-tulevat-humalaan-ilman-alkoholia-selitys-loytyi/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Scientists mimicking the Big Bang accidentally turn lead into gold
The physicists made an unexpected breakthrough
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/big-bang-large-hadron-collider-gold-b2903961.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ihmisiä vituttavat eniten toiset ihmiset. Tunne voi lisätä sydän- ja verenkiertoelimistön kuormaa ja olla näin ollen riski sydänsairauksille. https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000011771634.html?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Toimitus&utm_campaign=is_echo&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1769331402
Tomi Engdahl says:
Gen Z Arriving at College Unable to Read
“It’s not even an inability to critically think. It’s an inability to read sentences.”
https://futurism.com/future-society/gen-z-literacy-reading
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tämän piti olla ”mahdotonta” – kemistit kumosivat sadan vuoden säännön
https://tekniikanmaailma.fi/taman-piti-olla-mahdotonta-kemistit-kumosivat-sadan-vuoden-saannon/#google_vignette
rgaanisen kemian tunnetuimmat ”säännöt” eivät olekaan niin rikkomattomia kuin aiemmin luultiin.
Kalifornian yliopiston tutkijat ovat onnistuneet luomaan outoja, häkkimäisiä molekyylejä, joissa on vääristyneitä kaksoissidoksia. Tällaisia rakenteita on pitkään pidetty ”mahdottomina”, perjantaina julkaistussa tiedotteessa kerrotaan.
Tiedote kertoo, että vuonna 2024 Kalifornian yliopiston kemisti Neil Gargin johtama tutkimusryhmä kumosi niin sanotun Bredtin säännön, periaatteen, joka oli ollut voimassa yli vuosisadan. Sääntö väittää, että molekyylit eivät voi muodostaa hiili-hiili-kaksoissidosta ”siltapäässä” (sillan muodostavan kaksipyöräisen molekyylin rengasliitoksessa).
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://futurism.com/space/earths-lower-orbit-rapidly-collapse
Tomi Engdahl says:
Experts finally settle whether dishwashers or hand washing uses more water
Whatever you choose may have serious implications for your wallet
https://www.foodbible.com/news/uk-food/dishwasher-vs-washing-up-water-energy-cost-comparison-618566-20260112
It’s a debate that’s previously stumped eco-friendly warriors and budgeters alike: which uses less water, washing dishes in the sink or loading them into a dishwasher?
In October, the consumer champion published a guide, revealing that hot water and energy usage varies massively.
Which? stated that on average, you can effectively wash one place setting by hand in 4.5 litres of water, or two in nine litres.
However, according to research, dishwashers can wash the same amount of crockery in just one litre.
Moreover, washing 14 place settings by hand would use 63 litres of water, compared to an average of 12.96 litres when using the main wash cycle on the 33 dishwashers sampled by Which?
The advisory board added that if you switched to eco mode, that drops down to around 696 millilitres per place setting; just under 10 litres for a 14 place settings.
So while Which? stated that dishwashers use less water, is it the same when it comes to energy usage?
They wrote that, of the dishwashers used in the experiment, the average energy expenditure per wash was about 1.12kWh of energy.
Based on the October 2025 energy price cap of 26.35p per kWh, that costs roughly 29.5p per wash.
Comparing that to the energy used when you switch on an electric immersion heater, and you’re in for a shock.
Which? says that electric immersion heater’s use that’s 3kW to heat up water, meaning it will cost around 11p to heat up a nine-litre washing-up bowl.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tablet News
Children Starting School Are Trying to Swipe Books Like They’re Phones
This is grim.
https://futurism.com/future-society/children-schools-books-like-phones
Tomi Engdahl says:
Roope Mokan mielestä älypuhelimet ovat K-18
Tutkijan mielestä suomalaiset luottavat liikaa teknologiaan. Hän sanoo, että älypuhelimilla paikataan Suomessa huolenpidon vajetta.
https://yle.fi/a/74-20206052
Juttu tiivistettynä
Keskustelu lasten älypuhelinten käytön rajoittamisesta kiihtyy. THL ei suosittele puhelimia alle 13-vuotiaille.
Tulevaisuudentutkija Roope Mokka on samoilla linjoilla, mutta veisi ikärajan jopa 18 vuoteen saakka.
Mokan mukaan älylaitteet eivät ole enää työkaluja, vaan ne aiheuttavat riippuvuutta ja heikentävät oppimista.
Hän katsoo älypuhelinten myös paikkaavan yhteiskunnassa olevaa huolenpidon vajetta.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Finland sets tougher guidelines: No social media or smartphones for under-13s
“We’ve had an uncontrolled human experiment going on,” says an associate professor in adolescent medicine.
https://yle.fi/a/74-20205877
Tomi Engdahl says:
Study suggests bamboo has ‘superfood’ potential
ARU research finds host of health benefits linked to world’s fastest growing plant
https://www.aru.ac.uk/news/study-suggests-bamboo-has-superfood-potential
Tomi Engdahl says:
Carbon dioxide turned into starch: China’s new lab-based process boosts productivity by 10x
This new enzymatic process turns CO₂ into starch, offering an alternative to corn-based industrial production.
https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/carbon-dioxide-turned-into-starch-china
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hopea voi tarjota läpimurron kiinteän elektrolyytin akkujen kehityksessä
https://tekniikanmaailma.fi/kolme-nanometria-hopeaa-voi-mullistaa-akkuteknologian-tutkimus-esittaa/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Spraying kerosene over the DRAM inferno, US commerce secretary suggests memory chip makers could face 100% tariffs unless they commit to increased US production
News
By Nick Evanson published 19 January 2026
2025 was full of tariff talk. Now it’s 2026′s turn.
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/memory/spraying-kerosene-over-the-dram-inferno-us-commerce-secretary-suggests-memory-chip-makers-could-face-100-percent-tariffs-unless-they-commit-to-increased-us-production/
Tomi Engdahl says:
A New Theory Says Gravity May Come From Entropy—Which Could Lead to a Unified Theory of Physics
Mind=blown.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a70060000/gravity-from-entropy-unified-theory/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Maailman hitain tieteellinen koe lähestyy huippuhetkeään – päättyykö sadan vuoden odotus?
https://tekniikanmaailma.fi/maailman-hitain-tieteellinen-koe-lahestyy-huippuhetkeaan-paattyyko-sadan-vuoden-odotus/
aailma vaatii meiltä yhä enemmän yhä nopeammin. Onneksi sentään vielä on asioita, jotka sitkeästi vaativat oman aikansa.
Maailman pisimpään yhtäjaksoisesti käynnissä ollut laboratoriokoe on kestänyt jo lähes sata vuotta, kertoo Science Alert. Kyse on niin sanotusta pikitippakokeesta, joka etenee australialaisessa Queenslandin yliopistossa äärimmäisen hitaasti. Silti se vaatii jatkuvaa tarkkailua.