I took the kids to the Vancouver Maker Faire this past weekend. It was pretty much what I expected. My summary of the event would be “overpriced, under good, but worth going to”. There are so many things I want to love about Maker culture but I can’t get past the fact that the majority [...]
Archive | Technology
I’m Looking for Funding
Creativity Design Design Thinking Innovation Kijani Technology Personal Thoughts TechnologyWhile I may be underrated, I am nowhere close to where I want to be yet. I have visions of building something bigger than me. I recently left the company that I helped build over the past 8 years to tackle the world on my own…quite literally. Twelve years ago, I travelled to Africa for [...]
Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
Design Thinking Innovation Personal Thoughts TechnologyI had my first up close and personal confrontation with an electric vehicle charging station this past weekend. Having lived in Vancouver and having Ballard Power Systems be the darling little tech company that could change the world….and hasn’t…yet….leaves me with a wee bit less optimism than I would have otherwise had when it comes [...]
Design Thinking: How it Applies to Business
Creativity Design Design Thinking Industrial Design TechnologyDesign Thinking…..it is cropping up everywhere. I have accounting firms asking me about it. The Standford d.school and IDEO have harnessed the term into something of a cliche. I had an experience recently as to what it is that has always rubbed me the wrong way about the hubbub over Design Thinking. If you’re not [...]
Design and Policy Management
Design Design Thinking Personal Thoughts TechnologyI’ve been considering the thoughts around the curation of the design industry for a couple years now. It started about 2 years ago when I got involved in the International Council for the Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID). I’ve been using the word “curator” because it seems that the design industry requires someone that can [...]
Plant Some Shit
Creativity Design Design Thinking Goals Kijani Technology Personal Thoughts TechnologyRon Finley provides, hands down, the most inspiring presentation I’ve seen that speaks to how we can contribute to “unfucking the world”. This topic of “unfucking the world” is huge in my mind right now. I’ve said to many people lately that I’m a doer. I am the kind of personality that needs a mission. [...]
Are Metrics the Foundations for Success?
Design Design Thinking Industrial Design Personal Thoughts TechnologyQuantifying progress. It’s a thought process that I’ve always been on board with, but I’ve always struggled with when it comes to the discipline required to log the data that tracks success over time. I meet the deadlines, or other targets, but at the end of the day, I don’t really have any way of gauging how [...]
RIM/Blackberry Just Jumped the Shark
Creativity Design Personal Thoughts TechnologyIf you’re standing, please sit down before you read this. If you’re part of the tech world, you know that RIM has officially changed their name to Blackberry. You also know that they have just released their latest smartphone on the Blackberry 10 OS. They have two immediate releases they are calling the Z10 and [...]
Google Provides Colossal Win for Design
Design Design Thinking Industrial Design Personal Thoughts TechnologyIf you don’t believe design is an important part of your business, here’s exhibit 1 why you should be running for the Mayor of Wrongville for holding on to those beliefs. Design, no matter how you design it, is about the creation of a culture within your company. So many companies run around bragging about [...]
Internet of Things and How It Is Being Used
Creativity Design Design Thinking Industrial Design Internet of Things TechnologySome call it Machine-to-Machine (M2M), others call it The Internet of Things. Either way you say it, it is about a critical mass that is occurring in the tech industry. Physical size of wireless hardware, increased battery capacity in conjunction with low power components, and the ubiquity of Internet connectivity (both wired and wireless) is allowing for a [...]