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Scott Smith

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July 4, 2010

SO Links: Week 26

Slow research week, but the pace is picking up.

China Stimulus Spending Created Infrastructure Projects That May Not Be Needed [Washington Post] - Smaller Chinese cities and regions building subway systems and airports to nowhere to stimulate economy.
Danone Expands its Pantry to Woo the World's Poor [WSJ] - Global company tries different strategies to tap consumers at the base of the pyramid.
China Pushing the Envelope on Science, and Sometimes Ethics [Washington Post] - Chinese entrepreneurs and smaller innovators moving fast, but not always following the Western innovation blueprint.
Bharti Expects Wireless Turmoil [WSJ] - Indian mobile operator sees consolidation ahead, saying smaller operators with innovative services may not survive competition.

Filed under // BOP China Danone food India infrastructure links mobile science technology

Posted by Scott Smith

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May 31, 2010

SO Links: Week 21

Took last week off. Here are a few items from this past week's research:

InfoLadies of Bangladesh Revolutionize Rural Life [Boing Boing] — Ladies on bikes with netbooks travel through the countryside of Bangladesh assisting development.
Dell Bets on Smartphone Sales in India [WSJ | paywall] — US technology giant takes its smartphone push to India, hoping to time the forecasted burst of growth in smartphone sales there.
China Aims to Become a Supercomputing Superpower [BBC] — Not content to develop homegrown technology for PCs and mobiles, China tunes its own supercomputer as a sign of development. Its Nebluae supercomputer is now second fastest in the world.
Brasilia [Monocle] — Monocle Magazine's May issue focused on Brazil's rise as a global power, culturally and economically.
OLPC—Android, Meet Mr Negroponte [ZDNet] – the OLPC's creator is now aiming for a sub-$100 tablet powered by the Android OS.
Russia Takes a Big Step into Technology [New York Times] —NYT covers new investment in Infograd, Russia's attempt to develop its own Silicon Valley as a hedge against over-reliance on oil wealth.

Filed under // Android Bangladesh Brazil computing Dell OLPC Russia science smartphones technology Women

Posted by Scott Smith

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February 18, 2010

The World is Flat, but in a Different Way

New Scientist today carries a report on how scientific research is surging in areas such as the Middle East (notably Turkey and Iran), as well as in Asia, which passed North America last year in total scientific papers published. Judging by total published papers is at best a simple metric, but it indicates an important shift in knowledge production—itself an indicator of innovation overall.

As I wrote about with regard to Chinese IT and the long-term implications of its growth, these weak signals point to a future where the roles of innovators and copiers may well shift and swap. Science and technology driven by these emerging regions will change the cultural mix of global S&T and will certainly over time take away the West's perceived birthright as the engine of global technology. Flat worlds run both ways.

(Thanks for the link goes to @mgorbis)

Filed under // Asia innovation Iran science technology Turkey

Posted by Scott Smith

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SO Links: Week 26

SO Links: Week 21

The World is Flat, but in a Different Way