Protos

wired.com has a story named “Virtual Rape Is Traumatic, but Is It a Crime?”

I am not really sure what to think. Mostly it seems to me that the comparison between rape and cyber-rape is offensive in it self, which Regina Lynn actually writes:

But I have a hard time calling it “rape,” or believing it’s a matter for the police. No matter how disturbed you are by a brutal sexual attack online, you cannot equate it to shivering in a hospital with an assailant’s sweat or other excretions still damp on your body.

but goes on:

That’s not to say I dismiss the trauma a person suffers after being raped online. Virtual rape is not just a prank, one the target needs to get over or expect as part of a role-playing world. (And if you are inclined to pooh-pooh this, first read author Julian Dibble’s chapter about a rape that occurred in a text-only MOO in the early ’90s.)

A virtual rape is by definition sudden, explicit and often devastating. If you’ve never immersed yourself in online life, you might not realize the emotional availability it takes to be a regular member of an internet community. The psychological aspects of relating are magnified because the physical aspects are (mostly) removed.

Well, it’s just a very very odd article… Maybe people are just taking the whole on line think a bit to seriously.

I haven’t read wired for a while (since I don’t like to pay for 50% adds…) and I find that the quality of the product has dropped.

Businessweek has published the top innovative companies for 2007. The results are by the BusinessWeek-Boston Consulting Groups survey of senior executives on the 2007 Most Innovative Companies

Once again, we surveyed senior executives worldwide to develop our list. While many of the names, such as Toyota, IBM, and Starbucks, make repeat appearances, there were also big changes. These include Honda’s eco-fueled leap from No. 23 to No. 12; Disney’s soar onto the charts, thanks in part to the Steve Jobs halo effect; and Dell’s precipitous fall, as its reputation for business model innovation continues to lose ground to competitors’ new product designs. Take a look at the top 50 most innovative companies on our list.

It is however not 100% how these companies was rated…? the criterion’s chosen are not clear (http://www.businessweek.com/)

Anyway all 50 honorable mentions: @ businessweek.com

Here is the top 7:

1. Apple
2006 rank: 1

As our first-place innovator for the third year in a row, Apple reigns again. The iPod creator is a master of superb product, store, and experience design. Now that it’s invading the living room and the cell-phone market, will it continue the winning streak?

I disagree with this. I think it’s mostly branding. What was their innovation in 2007 that should make them number one? They promised a phone that haven’t made it to the market yet…?

Sure they have nice products, but did they innovate products or branding. IMHO branding doesn’t count in a survey on innovation. Maybe the Ipod is so easy to use that even senior executives worldwide can be impressed?

2. Google
2006 rank: 2

Google didn’t invent search advertising but lifted it to its lucrative heights. Its famously chaotic product development process, in which engineers spend 20% of their time on projects of their choosing, has plunged the search giant into everything from radio ads to online office software.

They should have been number one. The shear volume. Most notable for 2007: Putting the office suite in a browser and their entering into small to mid-size business collaboration solutions is reason enough.

3. Toyota Motor
2006 rank: 4

Toyota’s dominance in hybrids has led to gas-electric cars for its Lexus brand and could bring the first plug-in electric hybrid within the next four years. The carmaker’s famous continuous improvement process—its own unsexy but effective approach to innovation—is being copied worldwide.

Toyota has sold more cars than GM in the US market this year, they have surpassed BMW in quality. I think they did more than Apple.

4. General Electric
2006 rank: 6

GE’s “imagination breakthroughs,” CEO Jeff Immelt’s name for growth opportunities of $50 million to $100 million, are now increasingly focused on emerging markets and green tech. The Six Sigma conglomerate is making senior teams take innovation courses at its famed Crotonville (N.Y.) campus.

I have no idea what GE really does. I should pay more attention :-)

5. Microsoft
2006 rank: 5

To some, Microsoft is more fast follower than bleeding-edge innovator. Still, the software giant’s multibillion-dollar R&D generates everything from handwriting-recognition software to sharper font resolution. While not flashy, such creations help ensure Windows and Office hegemony.

w00t…

6. Procter & Gamble
2006 rank: 7

The consumer product giant’s “Connect & Develop” approach to product development has become an influential strategy for a new era. With its focus on finding creative external solutions, P&G is mapping the innovation strengths of regions around the world.

I have no clue…?

7. 3M
2006 rank: 3

Everyone knows the legendary story about the Post-it Note, but that’s only one of 55,000 creations from 3M, which makes everything from dental fillings to roofing shingles to air purifiers. Next on its list: diagnostic tests for infectious diseases.

I can only say I love every product they make that I use. In my mind they are high quality. Also I really like the add they did for security glass:

But these puzzle me why is IDEO at place number 28 tied with IKEA – both those companies rate higher in my mind?

28: IDEO (Tie)
2006 rank: 15

IDEO redefined good design by helping companies create customer experiences, innovative organizational cultures, and design services, not just products. It’s now drawing consumers back to biking with an open-source design project with bicycle component manufacturer Shimano.

tied with IKEA

28. IKEA (Tie)
2006 rank: 19

Ikea single-handedly democratized design for the masses from Shanghai to Salzburg. Want an IKEA home for your IKEA wares? The Swedish inventor of the flat-pack is rolling out its BoKlok homes across Europe while churning out thousands of new product designs each year.

Anyway – it’s a matter of taste I guess.

I just had 12 fantastic days in California (Palo Alto and San Jose).

First I had had meetings with SAP, Google and IDEO – and had talks on innovation and technology. This certainly gave me new insight.

Then I attended Persuasive07 which was held at Stanford by the Persuasive Technology Lab. It was the second time that the conference was held, and the first time that I attended.

I found the conference to be very interesting and very inspiring. Prior to attending I had read Professor B.J. Fogg’s book titled: Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do. I liked it a lot since I am working to bridge Rhetoric and UCD and the book is giving me a head start.

Also I was relived to find that there is actually a smaller crowd of skilled scientists that are working with technology from a perspective that fits into my PhD project. At the conference I met several scientists from Aalborg that also have a communications perspective towards technology.

Finally I attended my first ever CHI (Computer Human Interaction). This was also a true learning experience. The worlds leading scientists gave talks on papers on Interaction, new modes of interaction and on topics such as collaboration and mobility – how does humans get the most benefit from computers? How do we design systems more efficient and better?

A few pictures seems fair:

Weekend at Healdsburg – Imagine to have that perfect view!

Weekend at Healdsburg – Young and reckless

Weekend at Healdsburg – Professor B.J. Fogg with a the giant soap bubble maker.

San Jose from the Marriott 12′TH floor

The railway tracks in San Jose (and Rilla Khaled).

The Persuasive Technology Lab at CHI. Dean Eckles and B.J Fogg pushing the new book on mobile persuasion.

1 of 2.000.000 slides I saw at CHI :-)

Another slide of 2.000.000 slides I saw at CHI :-)

Kristian Tørning at the pacific ocean – Half Moon Bay

You got to admire Sears boldness =)