How a Contest Can Encourage Ingenuity

In Taiwan, for two days, people whose name was “salmon” (and five of their friends) got all-you-can-eat sushi. Offered by a sushi restaurant chain, the promotion created “salmon chaos.” Because you just needed an identity card that included “gui yu” (the…

The Mystery of the Disappearing Auto Industry Jobs

GM targeted 2035 for going all electric. Ford said the same for 2030 but only in Europe. Now Volvo tells us that it will sell battery only cars by 2030. To buy one, we have to go online where price…

The Colors That We Care About

By standardizing color through a number for each hue, one firm boosted accuracy for millions of businesses and consumers.

What Space Travel Brought Back to Earth

In 2017, the three winners of NASA’s Poop Challenge shared a $30,000 prize. Instead of diapers, NASA needed a device that would withstand zero gravity, accommodate up to 6 days of poop, urine and menstruation, and enable walking, bending, and…

Three Kinds of Irresistible Tech From the Consumer Electronic Show

Last year in Las Vegas, 171,000 (or so) attendees could have looked at 4,400 new technology exhibits at CES (the Consumer Electronic Show). This year it was all digital and somewhat overwhelming. So, as always, I am depending on the…

Where You Can Live On The Moon

Researchers at Purdue University are designing a moon habitat whose surprising location makes it resilient and safe.

How the Pandemic Ended Peak TV

Before COVID-19, we thought that peak TV was a rising number as more original shows were written and produced but the industry has changed.

The Trouble That Is Brewing for Tea Drinkers

A small innovation that made a big difference, the teabag has remained pretty much the same for more than a century.

How the Tesla (Factory) Is Like the Model T (Factory)

Separated by 100 years, mass producing Teslas and mass producing Model T Fords reflect the innovation that makes an invention available.

Why a Paper Towel Is Like a Toyota

Pre-coronavirus manufacturing efficiencies were beneficial until a pandemic spike in demand led to paper towel shortages.