5 Comments so far:

I am not in your field expertise but I was for many involved in industrial relations and negotiations and have a great interest in history.Innovations often arise as a result of an urgent need or when someone very high up is pushing for progress.If you look at the 20th century the prime example was the space race or the need for change produced in times of war.The early days of television when the new medium was beginning saw innovation and experimentation.But the biggest things you missed were education and drugs.The drug problem took and is still taking the best most creative people of a generation.The second problem was in education.When was the last you saw really well drafted simple technical instructions on anything to do with computers.Courses do not teach the importance of clarity anymore..

Depending on what you consider it's start date, the internet is the biggest innovation the world has seen in the last 30 years and it has caused the start of one of the most important paradigm shifts in history.

Information is no longer expensive or difficult to publish, diseminate and copy. This will have a huge impact on cultures around the world and civilization as we know it.

The problem is that old industries don't want to accept it, but it's a revolution whose time has come.

I read with interest this blog, and note the comments above talking about innovation, and education.

 What about taking existing products/innovations and using them in new ways? Is that innovative, rather than "inventing" the wheel again.

In Thailand I see repetition constantly, Government wants a E-Learning software and rather than using existing companies sets up a local company to "re-invent" the e-learning software at a greater cost, and less efficiently.

 Thats bad in my books. It's better to be innovative in the use of technologies rather than copy and re-invent search engines etc.

 What Sat-Ed does is take Video on Demand IPTV technology, we marry it with Satellite Multicasting ability, and now I have Video on Demand in small rural villages using it not for Disney, but rather learning how to use a computer, sow rice better etc.

 Am I innovative or a copier?

 John

John, you are definitely an innovator - my original article was targetted at the large companies - the Googles and Yahoos who seem unable to do anything other than a "metoo, same as the other guy, but with my brand on.".

This week is hectic (moving house) but would love to continue discussion about what you are doing - I designed the IPTV project for a major telco here, and have been involved in the scoping of elearning for a) medical students, and b) general secondary students - it's an area dear to my heart. 

Peter 

For a living I do system architecture for Telco - mostly Satellite, though in Australia I tried to introduce digital cable in '97, then in '99 PVR using DVB-T and pushing content to the box.

All the time though I really wanted to work in rural areas, hence Sat-Ed  being established. Till now we survive by selling gear to Telco, Sat Operators, providing our own systems, (VOD software, Middle Ware) and  trying to launch what we do best, aggregating content and delivering technology that works.

I liked what you wrote about Project Management. Recently ThaiCom launched the worlds first High Def IPTV PVR using Satellite to push to the box, Sat-Ed system managed the project, and ironically it was a extension of what I tried to do in Australia in '99.

Interestingly when we meet with VC's, they want a "Innovative" idea to the point that unless it's totally unique it's not funded. I have virtually no patentable technologies in my business, but I am able to create a self sustaining business model out of providing to rural areas not just access to education for everyone (most farmers regardless what Gates and IBM say, will never use a PC, hence the importance of VOD) but services. 

That's worshiping innovation to the point they fund only one idea. And I get zero funding. (We don't even bother with VC's anymore) 

Back on topic, we don't NEED VOD in Brisbane, but in Sakon Nakorn it's building new farms and teaches kids English faster.

Do you have VOD yet in Brisbane :) ? I love to tell big telco's when they do trials, "I did that, 2 years ago, in a poor village with no phone lines and it MAKES money!" 

 Look at my web site you'll get an idea what another "Churchie" boy is doing. We create "Mini Telco's" virtual telco's serving no more than 7 villages.

hawkerj@sat-ed.com