Victoria, Australia makes the decision to support local innovation.

ANALYSIS, Global — A lot of people keep telling me they dislike religion because it leads to war.
There are a plethora of voices in the media crying for atheism in the Left, on the other hand the Right, have stated that anyone who doesn’t worship God in the prescribed manner is unpatriotic to their country.

The prosaic reality is that modern wars are about trade, power balances, resources like oil and water, or land for expanding populations.
Further, the reality is, in short, that imbalances create war. Imbalances in resources (and …

ANALYSIS, Global – Very few people actually understand capitalism, or economics. Even those charged with regulating economic free trade.
But most people understand sport, say European football (or soccer in other countries). And economics at a macro, international level is similar conceptually.
So here’s an easy explanation of the main argument between economics and ‘free trade’; and the practice of regulating markets.

You may think who is ‘right’ about economics and free markets is too complex to understand, but this analogy makes it straightforward.
I know a few politicians who could do …

ANALYSIS, Global — In many Western countries, as well as elsewhere in the world speeding has become popular.
It gets dangerous when aggressive drivers speed in suburban streets where young children play. It is playing dice with school-children’s lives.
And I have lost count of how many times I have almost been run over in the city. Especially by aggressive taxi drivers.
My aging mother has also been almost hit by 4 wheel drives 3 times in a 6 week period last year crossing at a zebra crossing.
In Melbourne, Australia, aggressive driving is …

COMMENT, Melbourne — You may not know this but Melbourne is about to approve genetically modified crops. GMO food. Canola to be precise.
This is based on economic benefits, and the current advice of leading scientists.
I say current advice, as scientists often change positions. Scientists criticized Pasteur’s theories and penicillin. In the 19th century, many surgeons ridiculed the idea that clean environments reduced infection.
And politicians are often wrong too. Many thought World War I would be a short war (forget about foreseeing World War II, or preventing it at Versailles).
Am I …

ANALYSIS, Melbourne, Australia — We have to look at technology as something to utilize for a practical outcome.
Australia needs new ICT policies.
Why we don’t have an ICT Export industry!
According to the AIIA, domestic production of ICT is worth between 4 and 5% of GDP.
ICT exports were once around $7.8 billion per annum, in 2000, according to AIIA.
Now, under Howard, these have declined to $5.4 Billion according to Austrade.
There’s no reason we cannot more than double ICT exports in 5-10 years through government policy.
Canada is a country closes to Australia in …

COMMENT, Melbourne – Yet another Yarra Tram crash today. 4 people injured.
At the same time, on 3 occasions today I have seen ticket inspectors, and been asked for my ticket.
What may I ask are we paying for?
Unsafe, unclean and unreliable transport.
The woman behind me had the same idea. She told the ticket police, why did we have to have tickets, given the trams weren’t running this morning again?
Melbourne’s citizens are getting increasingly hostile to the transport inspectors, and the failling of another tram.
We the citizens of Melbourne, need a …

Or why the Pen is still mightier than the sword!
COMMENT, USA & Australia — The modern world of business and politics run on words. It has ever been thus.
The importance of words will only increase in a world of information, services, creativity and increasing automation of the means of production.
It has been my experience dealing with governmental and business leaders that the primary separating factor between those who got the ‘good’ jobs, and those who didn’t was self-expression with words. (Remember I have consulted or educated people at all …

COMMENT, Global – 24/7 may be good for some individuals, but the majority of us still work some version of 9 to 5.
Our sleep and lives cannot help be impacted by the people around us who work night-shifts.
Society’s need some standards. Rampant individualism impacts the whole.
In last nights hotel I was woken by round-the-clock traffic not there 10 years ago.
At home, in the space of 3 years, there has been a rapid increase in the amount of traffic going to and from work at all hours. Our formerly quiet place …

COMMENT, Melbourne – 3 Breakdowns in 1 hour in a 2 kilometre stretch of the busiest tram route in Melbourne, St Kilda Road, as of 10.15 am today.
There was a recent crash on St Kilda Road on Monday, in the same spot 3 breakdowns occured in one hour today.
This is happening very frequently, almost EVERY day, so as a majority of people who catch a tram to work are or meetings, study or family are inconvenienced every day.
It is seriously impacting lives, and forcing people to drive even …

[ratings]COMMENT, Melbourne — Yet another traffic accident. See the Age here: here’s a tip: Drivers will be blamed again. Yet more proof the current state government do not have the ability to deliver decent public transport.
As Sylvester would say
“Thufferin’ Thuccotash ! we need a Bracks-yard Britz! to fix the Thystem!”

ANALYSIS, Sydney & Melbourne, Australia –
An open letter to visiting President Bush.
Mr Bush is in Sydney Australia at current for the APEC summit, this was written just after his joint speech with Mr Howard today.
Dear Mr President,
You spoke at the APEC Summit with our Prime Minister, Mr Howard.
I agreed with your remarks Sir, about freedom and human rights being critical to the world’s future.
But the Oil War is not the way to spread freedom.
This war is deeply unpopular because the people ‘get’ it was not an honest war.
Another’s freedom …

COMMENT, Melbourne – In Melbourne broadsheet paper The Age, today there was a neat reminiscence on ‘trains’ from staff writer, Peter Hanlon.
“WE’RE on our way home for Dad’s funeral, his grandson and I. It’s good that we’re going by train; Dad worked 35 years for the railways, back in the days when human beings sold tickets, and machines that accepted only correct change were a dream for the future.”
He goes onto say…
“Whoever wins the next tender to run the state’s public transport would do well to acknowledge that there …

ANALYSIS, Melbourne – With the recent tense stand-off in British relations, intelligent people are underestimating Russian power, when Russia has traditionally (even under the Tsar) been a pole of power in Europe.
The Russian Bear has always viewed the concept of diminished power as rather misleading, hence the recent ‘strong-man’ photos of Putin fishing as well as renewed nuclear force deployment and military investment.
Russian & America: Mein Freund?
US discussions on a missile shield in Poland/Czech republic were ostensibly to protect Europe from ‘rogue’ states.
Of course, no one in the US really …

COMMENT, Melbourne, Australia — First of all let me say I am not partisan. I vote right, I vote left.
Personally, I think Giuliani, Gore, Clinton and McCain would all make good presidents at different times. Professionally I think Gore, Giuliani and Clinton may all lead to good outcomes for innovation.
The Left/Right divide is increasingly irrelevant, in any case. In a prior analysis from 2thinknowTM I made the case that the real contest is between Engaged and Not Engaged. See: Election innovation: why Left & Right don’t matter.
How Bush happened:
The people …

ANALYSIS, Melbourne –I loved rail as a kid. That trip from the small town I lived in to the ‘big smoke’ always took a 5 hour bus and a train trip.
And there was something inspiring about the rattle of that train.
Nostalgia aside, railways now are once again are on their way to leading the innovation zeitgeist in transport.
Railways – Back-to-the-Future Innovation
In cold hard fiscal terms railways have a bright future with some caveats.
Most importantly, trains have a very long-term future mainly due to the fact that trains carry more passengers …

ANALYSIS, Sydney, Australia – Too often too much of what we buy is too disposable.
The innovation zeitgeist is to be found in returning to an old paradigm.
Innovation is the old sensible paradigm
Buy goods that last and are reparable. That is the paradigm.
For environmental and quality of life reasons, this is now an emerging innovation trend in the infancy stages of innovation.
But I’m not saying that this is now easy.
Remember our grandparents repaired what they bought?
Our grandparents saved and purchased long-term value goods. We may think we are wealthier, but …

OPINION, Melbourne, Australia — The ‘do-nothing’ leader of Victoria Steve Bracks has resigned from State Parliament, in a surprise announcement.
The Premier of Australia’s second most populous state, and home to Melbourne and Australia’s leading agricultural regions, today resigned. Good riddance.
Remember it’s not personal, it’s outcomes. We don’t vote our best mates, we vote in the best leader. That’s the theory, more observed in the breach ….
True innovation vs. Do-nothing
Since his surprise win over the true innovator Jeff Kennett, Bracks has single-handedly done nothing for the future of the state.
In the …

COMMENT, Sydney, Australia — Network goods are an economic term. Basically they mean the more people on the network the greater the value of the network.
Myspace is an obvious one. Telephones an older example. The internet a modern-ish example. Airports.
Anything where building more users/locations/access points or effectively nodes, increases the value of the network.
Network goods: the concept that explains the value of your life

The web of interrelationships that is your or my life, is a web of intersecting networks. In our published research to be released soon, we will be …

ANALYSIS, Sydney — Prague proves the point. Culture determines innovation.
Markets do not, not in isolation.
The Czech Republic has one of the least basket-case economies in Eastern Europe and key investment destination of the former Eastern European business investment destinations.
Walking the streets of Prague, we can see all the consulting firms, and major corporations, who have established offices here.
Remote analysis is useful, but research-including-walking-around and observing is often invaluable in pointing out flaws in statistical analysis.
The Balkan problem with Innovation – dogma
Croatia, a very beautiful place, and Slovakia its former sister …