Applied Creativity
                                                    An E-/Bulletin from
                            The Centre for Leadership in Creativity
                                  in association with Nesta
                                               Edited by John Whatmore                        
                                                        January 2012

   After the Christmas Quizes, it’s the New Year Forecasts

 *            Twelve Innovations for 2012: Nesta’s forecasts span many fields

 *            The US Consumer Electronics Show: always interesting because
             the leading area for, and source of innovations

 *            The fascinating possibilities in the analysis and integration of ‘big data’ 

 *            Solving wider-ranging problems with the integration of data:
             an approach of IBM’s

 *            Where Angels will tread – in 2012

 *            The World Economic Forum has focused on three risk-scenarios
             facing the global system over the next ten years; new kinds of
             thinking are essential

 *            Three Black Swans in 2012: unlikely yet remotely possible events

  
                                    *                                    *                                    *

 Twelve Innovations for 2012: Nesta’s forecasts span many fields
Opportunities galore – in all sorts of fields. Nesta taking the risks where organisations should be more enterprising; and taking the lead where issues fall outside to-day’s boxes. While a number of trends are clearly identifiable, specific innovations have to battle their own way forward.
(http://whatmore.posterous.com/95910614)       

             The US Consumer Electronics Show: always interesting because the leading area for, and source of innovations.
The US Consumer Electronics Show is dominated this year by several companies simultaneously offering new TVs – that can access live and recorded material from lots of sources. Mac Book Airs and Kindle me-toos were also notable among the thousands of new products launched – and likely to disrupt one industry after another. (http://whatmore.posterous.com/95918478)

The fascinating possibilities in the analysis and integration of ‘big data’ 
With the greater integration of data that is forecast, it will be possible when you are visiting a colleague or a customer in Bristol or Bath to find out who in their neighbour-hood is interested in the same things as you, and to see their recent postings; or to arrange to meet them at a coffee shop or at the conference in Glasgow or Gdanzk to which you are both going. But issues of privacy stand in the way.
(http://whatmore.posterous.com/95920719)

               Solving wider-ranging problems with the integration of data: an approach of IBM’s
One approach to innovation – adopted by IBM’s UK Laboratory – has been to select a project that epitomised a promising field of application for emerging technology and to work on that with and on behalf of a leading-edge company. Sometimes this has led to the development of fully-fledged software, at others to valuable developments of the technology, and at others to surprising new directions. At present it has led to an overwhelming interest on the integration of real-time data from multiple sources – for multiple users. 
(http://whatmore.posterous.com/95921323)  

              Where Angels will tread – in 2012
Angel investing has grown considerably, and while its infrastructure lags this progress, processes for developing ideas for new businesses into marketable propositions (‘Accelerators’) are evolving rapidly. Among highlights for 2012: apps for people on the move’s Smartphones; ‘analytics’, enabling organisations to make even more use of search engines for selling; and businesses made possible by the ability of mobile devices to enable people to share and exchange things.(http://whatmore.posterous.com/95922035) 

              The World Economic Forum has focused on three risk-scenarios facing the global system over the next ten years; new kinds of thinking are essential
The disparity between living standards and expectations is fomenting social unrest; the ways in which we control and manage the complex systems on which global prosperity depends are lagging behind their accelerating complexity; and we are blissfully unaware of the risks inherent in our dependency on connectivity and the Internet. Radically new thinking is needed but there are few signs of it.  
(http://whatmore.posterous.com/95922998)

                Three Black Swans in 2012: unlikely yet remotely possible events
 *    A plane crashes when a freak flash triggers all the public control
      systems of air, road and rail networks in the UK to fail simultaneously.
*     The lights go out as members of parliament discuss the future role of
      nuclear energy in electricity supply.
*     Gangs go on the rampage in the streets of Moscow after President
       Putin is assassinated.

 The Centre for Leadership in Creativity (a ‘virus for creativity’) carries out research
and provides consultancy and peer-to-peer learning for organisations where
creativity and innovation are vital. 

 The Centre for Leadership in Creativity            138 Iffley Road, London W6 OPE           
Tel/fax: 020 8748 2553                           E-mail:  john.whatmore@btinternet.com