Innovation CHEF

Special offer for the readers of InnovationChef.

The Performance Corporation is probably the most innovative theatrical group working in Ireland. Their current production Power Point is running in the Camden Court Hotel until September 19th.

Here is the Offer

POWER POINT
By Tom Swift

Camden Court Hotel

Until Sept 19^th at 8.30pm (excluding Tuesday), matinee on Sept 19^th at 3.30pm.

Special offer for matinee Sept 19^th – 2 for 1 (€13)

Special offer for all evening shows – concession price (€16) for tickets bought on the door.

Book online

http://dublinfringefest.ticketsolve.com/shows/8527768/events

or by phone
1850 374 643 (FRINGE)

or in person at the Box Office at Filmbase, Curved Street, Temple Bar.

Please check it out.

Ryanair, the Irish based low cost airline is thinking about introducing “Vertical Seating” on some of it’s planes. By removing four rows, passengers in that area would have stools of something similar to lean on. Ryanair spokesman Stephen McNamara said Ryanair was in discussions with Boeing ‘in relation to adapt the aircraft to allow people to travel in vertical seating’.

Chinese carrier Spring Airlines is in discussions with Airbus about a similar plan.

The Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, in response to what he calls “the worst global recession of our lifetime” has announced an Innovation Task force to  ensure Ireland is well positioned for ” the global upturn when it comes.”

The idea is that this top team of advisors will create options for the government to ensure an increase in Innovation and Entrepreneurship and have Ireland positioned as an international Innovation Hub with the fabled Smart, Green Economy.

“The Ireland of the future will be a smart, high-value, export-led economy. It will have some of the world’s leading research-intensive multinationals, a number of which will be Irish-owned. It will have thousands of innovative small and medium enterprises,” the Taoiseach said.

Innovation taskforce: membership

• Dermot McCarthy , secretary general, Department of the Taoiseach (chairman)
• Lionel Alexander , vice-president general manager of Hewlett Packard (Manufacturing) Ltd and chairman of the Government’s Enterprise Feedback Group
• Prof Don Barry , president, University of Limerick
• Dr Hugh Brady , president, University College Dublin
• Damien Callaghan , investment director, Intel Capital
• Michael Carmody , president, Institute of Technology Tralee
• Dr Steven Collins , co-founder chief technical officer, Kore Virtual Machines
• Ned Costello , chief executive, Irish Universities Association
• Joe Harford , chairman of the Government’s High Level Action Group on Green Enterprise
• Dr John Hegarty , provost, Trinity College Dublin
• Dr Chris Horn , co-founder of Iona Technologies
• Dr Brian Kelly , founder chief executive, Celtic Catalysts
• Dr Burton Lee , director, European entrepreneurship programme, Stanford University; managing partner, Innovarium Ventures
• John Lynch , chief executive, Merrion Pharmaceuticals
• Tara MacMahon , IP lawyer
• Dan MacSweeney , chief executive, Carbery Group
• Bryan Mohally , vice-president of supply chain operations Europe, Johnson and Johnson
• Mark O’Donovan , director, Raglan Capital
• Barry O’Sullivan , senior vice-president, Cisco Systems
• Dr Paul Roben , president, Celtic Consulting
• Anna Scally , partner, KPMG

Innovating is often a result of really wanting to do something and having a different approach from everyone that has tried it before. I heard a few keen go-getters with diverse stories this evening on the radio.

I very much enjoyed the Global Village show on Newstalk this evening. It is a bit of a recent find for me but one I enjoy a lot.The program is a warm hearted embrace of those that have come from other places to make Ireland their home.  The website claims 188 nationalities have made their home in Ireland, my own family can claim three of those, so I have an interest.

The presenter Dil Wickremasinghe is enthusiastic and lively and engages with her guests in a warm and relaxed way. The mix of backgrounds and personal histories is always fascinating.

This week is the first in a series of chats with local election candidates who have immigrated to Ireland over that last number of years. Listening to their ideas, excitement and eagerness to get things done for their communities has been the only thing that has snagged my attention in this campaign so far. The issues they are facing are the same ones that have always been present: homelessness, injustice and the sustainable growth of a community.

Fresh Thnking and perspectives get my vote.

Check out the Global Village, Saturday nights at 9. Dil is also managing director of  Diversity & Equality Works which is worth a look too!

The 24 Hours of Innovation is a non-stop, online marathon of innovation initiatives around the world. The event takes place during a full day and night on May 15-16 from 10.00 am to 10.00 am (CET).  The InnovationChef Blog will be contributing a special post to the  “My half time pep talk for 2009″ blog action.  We will also be contributing our talents to the program as well as trying to take in as many of the innovations on display. This should be a great event. You can confirm your interest and participation on the LinkedIn event page.

The 24 hours are divided in time slots, each one featuring an exciting innovation ranging from an innovation award to creativity sessions, an innovative auction, start-ups, and interviews with global thought leaders. Everyone can follow and join the 24 Hours of Innovation on www.boardofinnovation.com, from where theevent will be covered cross-media on blogs, traditional media, twitter, slideshare, ustream, coveritlive, flickr, scribd, vimeo,…

A new Irish Innovation is going to bring Viking ghosts back to life on the streets of Dublin. The NDRC has a exciting hyperlocal game in development called Viking Ghost Hunt. In the game players equipped with Google Android phones will track down ghosts to real locations in the city and become realife ghostbusters.

image:informatique

Locations will be found using google maps and using the camera on the phone as a window into the spirit world, ghosts will appear on the screen. Communication with the ghost will be also possible through the phone.

This kind of blended reality has a lot of practical uses too but could really change the nature of MMRPG games.

Quoting from the project page:

The technology developed by Viking Ghost Hunt will allow mobile phone users to play games that are based upon a player’s physical location in, for example, Dublin City. The game itself will be an engaging mystery adventure, bringing users through some of Dublin’s most exciting and historically significant Viking sites. Compared with traditional gaming, which is essentially sedentary, a central aspect of the project will be to evaluate the health benefits arising from users movement around the city.

It is fantastic that this kind of creativity and development is getting a chance to grow. All the best to the project team.

You can listen to George Hook getting his head around the idea here:

The Right Hook Technology Podcast