MIT's Technology Review, May 2004

I posted Nathan P. Myhrvold's article [PDF] from the May 2004 issue of MIT's Technology Review last month. The May issue of the magazine focused on invention and the power of innovation. Here are other articles of interest from the magazine.
  • Woz Goes Wireless [PDF] -- Steve Wozniak is combining wireless technology with the global positioning system -- the results? You'll be able to find anything, anywhere -- including the needle in the haystack.
  • Kurzweil's Rules of Invention [PDF] -- Ray Kurzweil has invented many a things, and has come up with the seven stages in the evolution of technology: precursor, invention, development, maturity, false pretenders, obsolescence and antiquity. Inventions become successful not by the inventor knowing this stages, but knowing the right time to introduce your invention.
  • The Sound War [PDF] -- meet Ed Norris and Joe Pompei. They've both invented the same thing independently -- a way of localizing sound waves so that speakers can direct sound directly at you, without people around you hearing it. Who's invention will become common place? and who will the world forget?
  • Why Big Companies Can't Invent [PDF] -- why can't corporations invent? Yes, they have large research labs, and drop billions in them, but they hardly seem capable of coming up with the next big thing. Smaller startups with no budget seem to beat them at the finish line repeatedly.
  • Microsoft's Magic Pen [PDF] -- the magic pen, an invention of Jian Wang of Microsoft's Beijing research lab. The lab was established just a few years ago, yet it's surpassing all expectations of its output. Why? Could it be that the lab is indeed quite different from research labs of big corporations?
  • 5 Killer Patents [PDF] -- TR presents 5 patents from 2003 that they think will revolutionize computing, medicine, communications and security.
  • Global Invention Map [PDF] -- this is a beautiful piece of work -- it's a graphical representation of the global capacity for innovation. There are some surprises on the map. The US is #1, and Canada #12 -- what's startling are the countries that make up the top 10. Not what you'd expect.

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