New Comments : Good Ideas

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 23:36:51 PDT

Mention of this issue on the Guardian: http://bit.ly/cRjZkH

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 23:36:35 PDT

Additional information on this topic on the Guardian: http://bit.ly/cRjZkH

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 23:36:10 PDT

Nice new article on this topic on the Guardian: http://bit.ly/cRjZkH

Comment by Jim Cashel

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 07:36:32 PDT

Excellent! Here is an Amazon page for the book: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0582282411

Comment by Jim Cashel

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 07:34:25 PDT

Fantastic!

Comment by maspitz7

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 10:24:47 PDT

Sounds like good old 'corporate social responsibility'. My uncle, Carlton Spitzer, wrote a great book in the early 80's called 'Raising the Bottom Line'. Recently he included a portion of this book in his op-ed column about the efforts of Juanita Kreps in 1977... Would love to see this movement really stick this time.

Comment by davidsch

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 11:06:47 PDT

http://whatmatters.mckinseydigital.com/social_entrepreneurs/social-enterprise-it-takes-a-network, this is a good idea, promoting the power of networks among social entrepreneur ventures.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:28:36 PDT

NPR update on the failure of this program | NPR http://to.pbs.org/djNDql

Comment by Jim Cashel

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:54:30 PDT

New op-ed on the "prison-census" issue. NY Times http://nyti.ms/cguNiM

Comment by Jim Cashel

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:03:24 PDT

Nice update on this issue by Nicholas Kristof:
http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/21/rat-daddies/

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 15:58:05 PDT

Nice op-ed by Ezra Klein on the need to factor in externalities to the price of a gallon of gas. Washington Post http://bit.ly/9RLmBf

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 23:07:34 PDT

One way to address this challenge is to set up an "innovations" unit within the foundation, such as the Pioneer Portfolio at RWJF or Grand Challenges Explorations within Gates. You can also sent up a whole new foundation, such as Eurasia Foundation.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 20:36:21 PDT

This was voted as a "top ten" idea in the "Ideas for Change" contest on Change.org: http://bit.ly/ciKqmH

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 20:17:28 PDT

Another great essay on this topic "Foundations are Free to Innovate" http://bit.ly/aKNLnJ

Comment by paul.r.jacobs

Fri, 28 May 2010 16:27:22 PDT

Sorry. Just playing...

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 20 May 2010 06:09:22 PDT

New article on e-bikes on Economist.com http://ow.ly/1NAzT

Comment by Fred Smith

Wed, 19 May 2010 07:57:35 PDT

Government should use and contribute to open source initiatives. Unfortunately there are many terms of service, liability and other issues which hinder government participation. These obstacles are (slowly) being addressed. When government agencies can't turn to open source, they should at least investigate offering their data and content
through open APIs.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Wed, 19 May 2010 01:13:00 PDT

I do like the idea of getting employers involved in this. So long as employers essentially get a free pass, immigration control won't be possible.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Tue, 18 May 2010 01:38:21 PDT

New article in Boston Globe on low cost schools in India. http://bit.ly/bDmD6D

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sun, 16 May 2010 02:33:23 PDT

Nice (lengthy) review of the demise of GDP in NY Times Magazine http://nyti.ms/bpmWiV .

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 13 May 2010 17:42:57 PDT

This seems like a smart idea, a sort of non-profit mini-walmart? I'm not sure the prices in the end would be any cheaper, though (retailers have such tiny margins to begin with).

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 13 May 2010 17:41:38 PDT

I agree - some sort of pooled telecom resource seems to make a lot of sense, particularly in apartments!

Comment by Jim Cashel

Mon, 10 May 2010 17:06:06 PDT

I'm sure your skepticism is justified. I also have to say, though, that our current system of pumping toxic liquid from the earth, (trying not to spill it), and then burning it for energy also seems like a pretty crazy idea.

Comment by Mark Williams

Mon, 10 May 2010 09:39:12 PDT

I'm just not convinced on this type of thing. This and the power from waves/sea ideas just strike me as environmental noise. There are, I believe, better solutions that don't require 1000 foot cables that potentially cause problems for birds. Same reason I have hesitation for "wind farms".

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 02:38:36 PDT

You're right - as you dig into the details it gets a little complicated. I do say, though, that I like the conclusion - there is hope for us men!

Comment by cgray

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 18:08:49 PDT

Interesting (albeit somewhat troubling) article. I wonder about the strength of the correlation and whether they controlled for number and/or gender of siblings, birth order, or other possible confounding variables. In some of my undergrad research on marriage, seemed like such variables mediated the relationship in important ways. In any event, article took a very Darwinian approach to explaining why and how people chose mates. Not sure I always agree, but can appreciate the point of view. Thanks for sharing!

Comment by Jim Cashel

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 05:05:12 PDT

Another initiative, We-Care.com, allows consumers to make a small donation to non-profits of interest during purchase transactions.

Comment by Neal Ross Attinson

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 09:43:08 PDT

Well done, sir. Not reinventing the wheel is definitely a Good Idea.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:43:25 PDT

Now that's a fun idea!

Comment by Jim Cashel

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 17:35:19 PDT

More commentary on this topic in the NY Times: http://nyti.ms/dypnZh

Comment by Jim Cashel

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 17:46:53 PDT

San Francisco is now offering tours of the Tenderloin, the historic "ghetto" of the city. NY Times http://nyti.ms/9dn7R5

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 18:37:51 PDT

Why does it not surprise me that this research took place at NC State? :)

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 18:37:08 PDT

Such a great example of "be careful what you wish for"!

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 18:36:47 PDT

This post got a lot of play on Twitter, with a number of folks saying "what about Hieiary Clinton" or "Golda Meir"? True, there have been important women involved, but frankly too few and too peripheral to have much gender-impact on the dynamic.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 18:34:45 PDT

I think the pivotal piece of this issue is convincing people that "heavier" doesn't necessarily mean "safer". This is a very widespread perception.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 18:33:07 PDT

I'm also not clear why we haven't figured out how to securely do online elections. I can do many complex, sensitive transactions online. Why not vote?

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 18:31:36 PDT

I really like the sentiment of this idea. People often accuse social media of being vapid, but they don't accuse books or the telephone (or other general communications tools) of being vapid. The tools are what you make of them.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 07:28:27 PDT

Nice article on new tiles offered by Dow Chemical: http://bit.ly/9KkzZH

Comment by Jim Cashel

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 22:02:13 PDT

Nice review in The Guardian of a crowdsourced effort to make sense of Tony Blair's finances: http://ow.ly/1vSBN

Comment by tstraz

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 07:22:04 PDT

Possible perhaps, but should we teach boys that this is as important to us, as it is to them? We need to stop moving the bar down, and start putting our time and confidence in the ability of our children to reach up to the existing goal.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 07:20:44 PDT

I also read an interesting piece by Clay Shirky that is making the rounds called "A Rant About Women" | http://bit.ly/aygOCL

Comment by tstraz

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 07:19:17 PDT

You are right Jim. I just don't believe that distinction will matter to an eduction system that depends on federal dollars. Witness the Obama-mania that permeated schools during the election. Teaching children to sing songs about a candidate? I'm not accusing anybody of being a Nazi, but this reeks of Hitlers' brownshirt propaganda machine.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 07:19:10 PDT

I'm hard-pressed to think of any position that is expected to do so much volunteer work as the first lady (or first husband at some point). I'm sure she commands a multi-million dollar budget for staff, the East Wing, travel, etc. - but no salary.

Comment by tstraz

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 07:15:25 PDT

Read Deborah Tannens' work on cross gender communication. We all need to be bilingual, men and women. https://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/tannend/

Comment by tstraz

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 07:12:37 PDT

So do millions of volunteers! Should we pay the spouses of every CEO who gives their time?

Comment by tstraz

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 07:10:16 PDT

I only wish that were true Jim. Unfortunately work rules, protection against "wrongful dismissal" and any number of other ploys will allow bad teachers to keep their jobs. I believe that there are many excellent teachers and that they deserve to be compensated well. Unions stay in power by protecting the under-performers.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 00:40:11 PDT

Note that there is also an active debate about this issue on the Good Ideas Blog - check the comments: http://bit.ly/cvmEKP

Comment by Jim Cashel

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:26:51 PDT

Update on DC teachers contract negotiations which have some elements of this policy: http://bit.ly/9d7qOI

Comment by Jim Cashel

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 18:18:31 PDT

I like this, another example of "point of purchase philanthropy", similar to the travel industry's "Massive Good" campaign described here: http://www.goodideas.org/a/dtd/33913-6782 .

Comment by Jim Cashel

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 18:15:30 PDT

Are you a "donor" if you are compensated? We don't seem to have a problem with that concept :) .

Comment by Jim Cashel

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 18:14:42 PDT

The concepts of "Gross National Happiness" doesn't teach how an individual should be happy, it teaches what the government does to at least acknowledge that GNP isn't everything (health, education, vacation, and other government policies matter). I think there is a distinction?

Comment by Jim Cashel

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 18:11:55 PDT

Is it possible to have "quality literature" that is about monsters and explosions?

Comment by Jim Cashel

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 18:11:07 PDT

Wouldn't requiring teachers to forego seniority give up a key tenet of the unions? Do you think that having given up seniority, teachers would still be impossible to fire?

Comment by lenal

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 14:15:30 PDT

Are you a volunteer if you are compensated?

Comment by tstraz

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 11:46:49 PDT

Can we pay teachers more if they are better teachers? This proposal misses the core issue of unions controlling the fate of our children's education. Do we honestly believe that giving up seniority will open the door to remove bad teachers?

Comment by tstraz

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 11:23:26 PDT

Anybody think it's a good idea to write more books about dolls and pink ribbons for girls. Children deserve quality literature not mass produced comic book interpretations of society.

Comment by tstraz

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 11:21:29 PDT

This practice would lead to national indoctrination of students to be happy about what the education establishment feels is good. This falls into the category of things you should learn from your parents and through your own experience.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 06:35:36 PDT

Nice new article from NYTimes on the Eureka Fund, a crowdsourced effort supporting scientific research. NYTimes.com http://ow.ly/1v5Mj

Comment by Jim Cashel

Mon, 05 Apr 2010 18:45:02 PDT

New article about Google (and others') efforts to enlist US Government support for these ideas. http://bit.ly/cme2mm

Comment by Jim Cashel

Mon, 05 Apr 2010 02:49:21 PDT

Another good article on this topic: 6 million tons per year, a "ridiculous waste": http://bit.ly/aWp0pi

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 08:37:14 PDT

Another strategy some authorities use is to use the "mosquito", a box which emits a high-pitched sound annoying to youth but inaudible to most adults. http://bit.ly/ciBmZO

Comment by ni.perla

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 00:02:51 PDT

Great idea! I can't imagine any sector that is well run and based on seniority. It defeats all the research we know about effective organizations.

Kudos!

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 05:10:07 PDT

There are so many costs and so few benefits to higher speed limits. This idea doesn't seem politically feasible at the moment - but should be!

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 05:09:22 PDT

This idea makes me cringe - although I used to work in hospitals and often saw the pathetic communications challenges due to language barriers. More Americans should be poly-lingual, but short that, maybe the iPhone is better than nothing.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 05:08:01 PDT

I volunteer!

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 05:07:46 PDT

This idea strikes me as one of the most important - and not understood - concepts in this database. Scientific research is based on "statistical significance" - which is in itself an arbitrary term.

Comment by mike

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 06:32:06 PDT

Not sure. What happens to them? What's the point?

Comment by Jerry Michalski

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 09:34:47 PDT

Yes, look at David Korten's work, as well as POCLAD, the Program on Corporations, Law and Democracy.

The Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) has posted a Model Brief to Eliminate Corporate Rights, which has been used successfully in a couple of communities. Implemented widely, it could bring about a big shift.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 00:19:31 PDT

This is an impressive idea! Is there a body of literature or research somewhere addressing this? Or do you have a suggested Google search string?

Comment by Jim Cashel

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 18:13:43 PDT

Nice article on current efforts to revive securitization | Economist.com http://bit.ly/8ZLfri

Comment by Jim Cashel

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 06:01:37 PDT

Nice NYT article on new agreement for 600 million doses of pneumococcal vaccine http://nyti.ms/9V1jXs

Comment by Jim Cashel

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 18:46:57 PDT

Providing matching grants, performance reports, and publicity also can help grantees raise funds from elsewhere. So can supporting "core costs" since raising program funds is usually easier.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 18:45:39 PDT

Who can argue with transparency? One issue I have, however, is that I think the philanthropic sector faces a bigger problem than transparency: overall foundations are too image-conscious and risk-averse. If there is any organization that can take risks, it should be an endowed foundation, but they typically don't (especially if the benefactor is no longer alive). My concern is that a focus on transparency in fact increases risk-aversion because of concern about amplified scrutiny.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 08:05:28 PDT

And if the prize isn't claimed (after a ton of publicity), the philanthropist can create another prize!

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 08:03:41 PDT

I think this is a really interesting development in philanthropy. The dynamic I'm interested in watching is the relative effectiveness with small vs. large awards. Ashoka gives small awards, yet gets very active participation. Pepsi gives very large awards, which might encourage more "gaming" behavior. We'll see!

Comment by Jim Cashel

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 17:39:48 PDT

Here is another glowing article about Costa Rica, this time from the Christian Science Monitor: http://bit.ly/9A1bRW

Comment by Jim Cashel

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 17:38:20 PDT

This seems so sensible, it's a little amazing that it isn't happening already. (Although it is also amazing we don't have a "health care budget" in this country like we do budgets for other items).

Comment by Jim Cashel

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 05:19:30 PDT

Here is a nice article on nurturing "the wilderness of childhood". New York Review of Books http://bit.ly/bpHHmg

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 08:04:45 PDT

Agreed! I could imagine having a web interface which could have quite a few rules / options (such as, if my boss is sleeping in, I want to too?)

Comment by anna

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 21:22:46 PDT

This is pure brilliance. It's my day to run and the wind is howling or it's below 32 degrees F. Even if I decided to hit the pool instead, I'd have to scrape my windows. Do NOT wake me, alarm clock.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:20:38 PDT

Good points, Christen. There is not question that Churches to a great deal of social good. But so do many organizations that don't receive tax breaks. Are social services of churches as or more effective as non-profits dollar for dollar?

Comment by Jim Cashel

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:18:28 PDT

Here are two more nice references on this topic:
Economist (premium): http://bit.ly/atVJGv
PLoS one: http://bit.ly/byteTV

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:21:36 PDT

This is a truly remarkable research finding that merits broader review and publicity. Michael Pollan would be impressed?

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:20:54 PDT

I suspect this is the only time that Glad Valley, South Dakota has made the national news?

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:20:25 PDT

Prediction: this will be many users very favorite idea of all!

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:19:43 PDT

This one strikes me as a startling research result that would be nice to verify, no?

Comment by Christen Bouffard

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:14:24 PDT

I have to disagree. I've seen a number of church programs feeding homeless, mentoring young children, and generally improving living conditions for members and non-members alike in various ways. Some of these "programs" are very small, are coordinated by only a handful of people, and receive a limited budget from their larger parent organization (the church). These small, local efforts are possible due only to those handful of people volunteering to attend to their home communities' needs - where coordinating federal, state, or municipal dollars to achieve the same outcomes might literally require an act of Congress (not always, I realize).

If this freedom and flexibility to work at a grassroots level to improve one's own local community and help one's neighbors is due in part to untaxed dollars, then I'm all for it. Managed money is slow. The way I see it, tax deductible donations encourage giving and that means potentially more money to work toward a greater good (regardless of the organization be it a church, a chamber, or a civic league).

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:43:29 PDT

This one seems to be just begging for a nice web site "TurnThatMusicDown.com" or something -- for all those frustrating times when there is loud noise but nothing can be done.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:42:20 PDT

The thing I like about this idea is that prenatal care is very "timing" dependent: mothers really need to be doing certain things at different stages of their pregnancy. A smart mobile app can have built in alerts and education.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:40:59 PDT

I love this idea - maybe the best I've seen this week! The MobileActive.org site really is loaded with interesting case studies and ideas.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:40:42 PDT

Nice HuffPo piece by Josh Ruxin on developing world tourism here: http://bit.ly/c3JHIV

Comment by Jim Cashel

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:39:37 PDT

Interesting post about how we increasingly constrict the lives of our kids: http://bit.ly/9k4MQb

Comment by Mark Williams

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:34:14 PDT

I saw these in Peru a few years ago and loved the idea. I noticed this weekend that Cirque du Soleil was using these in their porto-pottys.

Ron's idea is good too, but I wonder if you can do that without electricity.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:27:07 PDT

Any comments on business models? Even if driven by volunteers, there are still costs.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:25:04 PDT

Excellent, excellent. Have you seen any early models out there by chance?

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:24:12 PDT

My kids are currently enrolled in a Waldorf school here in Chengdu (a good choice for foreign kids). Waldorf education puts a lot of emphasis on nature and aesthetics. Their school, though modest, has a lake, garden and orchard. It's quite sweet.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 08:36:31 PDT

I like this idea a lot (although maybe hard to audit). If we get (at least a little) tax credit for giving away our old clothes to a non-profit, why not get at least some credit for our time?

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 08:35:11 PDT

Credible point - it will be interesting to see how many people agree!

Comment by Jim Cashel

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:22:25 PST

Interesting. I wonder if companies could qualify for an additional tax deduction for renting at "below market" to a non-profit. It also seems there could be a website (or maybe tag on craigslist) for something like this.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:46:49 PST

New York Times coverage of this issue is here: http://nyti.ms/aR1MZr

Comment by Jim Cashel

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:14:19 PST

New BBC article on electric bikes: http://ow.ly/1gRRx

Comment by Jim Cashel

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:44:08 PST

The thing that amazes me about this idea is that nearly all parents would agree with it, and nearly no parents do it. Harder said than done!

Comment by Jim Cashel

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:42:19 PST

I love this idea. I remember reading one of your posts in Playborhood.com that challenged people to think of their fondest 10 memories from childhood. You predict that some of them probably involve a fort, and none of them involve parental supervision.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:34:08 PST

Sweet! Educate your employees and delight your clients in one quick step! Nice one.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:33:05 PST

This one seems like an obvious idea -- that I've never seen groups do. Good one.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:31:05 PST

Interesting - rank ideas on more than one dimension. Innovative? Impactful? Unrealistic?

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:27:07 PST

Nancy Birdsall of the Center for Global Development is now advocating Advance Market Commitments for things other than vaccines - such as green technologies. http://bit.ly/9S1zdt

Comment by Jim Cashel

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:29:02 PST

'Excellent "create a customized song" service at http://www.instasong.com. was merged with this idea.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:17:27 PST

I'm not sure the algorithm IdeaScale uses for related ideas. It definitely uses the tags, not sure which other keywords.

Comment by daniel.laliberte

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:11:56 PST

Guess I missed the "related" ideas on the pages I was looking at. Looks like it is related based on the terms in the idea, which is fine, especially when there is little else to go on. But other ways of finding similarity or relatedness can be useful as well.

Comment by ksetzekorn

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:35:36 PST

Another opportunity for disintermediation is in academic journal publication. Professors are judged by the number and perceived quality of their peer-reviewed publications, so they're incented to publish research for no additional remuneration, as a (necessary not sufficient) condition of employment. They also review (and supervise the review of) other professors' research to judge its quality and worthiness of publication. They do this for professional status.

Also, by the time an article is published on paper, the ideas are pretty old. An online publication would be much more timely.

Consequently, academic journal publishers only deal with the mechanics of putting ink on paper. Most academics prefer to have access to searchable online articles instead of shelves and shelves of paper journals. Journal subscriptions cost a lot, so their publishers are candidates for disintermediation if the issues related to professional status can be ironed out.

Comment by Matthew Simmons

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:21:35 PST

Interesting. I wonder if the use of Kindles will preclude using "used" books.

Comment by ksetzekorn

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:18:50 PST

Yes-- I heard a presentation at the International Conf. on Info Systems a couple of years ago where U of Denver MIS Professor Richard Scudder and U of GA MIS Professor Alan Dennis were spearheading an effort to provide free digital texts (contributed by professors) for 3rd world students.

Currently, profs receive very small royalites for writing texts, while students are paying $200+ per textbook. Publishers often bring out new editions with very few updates -- I've even had MIS texts changed twice in the same academic year. This means students are unable to re-sell and buy used texts. They anticipated the use of $200 "digital readers" like Kindles that would hold lots of texts.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:39:31 PST

The site does a pretty good job of presenting similar ideas (click around some of the categories). It doesn't make an effort at "similar people", although I could imagine that would also be interesting as the community grew (I know Twitter has a few services like this).

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:36:48 PST

Interesting. I agree. I think the platform needs to be more "person focused" than it is now (photos, profiles, links to others -- as you suggest).

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:34:21 PST

I agree with this. I'll suggest this to the ASP.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:31:39 PST

I'm curious - have you seen models of this? Is it realistic to expect professors to self-publish?

Comment by daniel.laliberte

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:56:10 PST

People don't usually want to fight anyway, and this is especially true of the supposed enemy includes several of your friends. So yes, more Facebook means less faceless war and violence.

Comment by daniel.laliberte

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:41:48 PST

Or in other words, for the same light, LEDs only require 1/50 the power of incandescents.

But LEDs and PVCs are still fairly expensive. Costs will come down as production scales up. Also need batteries to store energy for use when it gets dark, the whole point of artificial lighting.

Comment by daniel.laliberte

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:28:32 PST

The science might say otherwise. The permafrost thawing is releasing methane, which speeds the warming, So methane is an issue. Furthermore, the warming further releases more CO2 as well. But methane does react with other molecules much more readily than CO2, and it is the long-term persistence of CO2 that is an ever-growing problem.

Still, it seems worthwhile to investigate this idea.

Comment by ksetzekorn

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:27:59 PST

Why not also disintermediate textbook publishers? Professors can self-publish textbooks (online or otherwise) and direct-sell more current info to students for much less.

Comment by ksetzekorn

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:42:25 PST

Doesn't air travel enlarge our carbon footprints?

Comment by ksetzekorn

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:27:05 PST

Are there issues with chemicals leaching from the plastic bottles into the drinking water?

Comment by Jim Cashel

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:21:27 PST

I completely agree - this one is tricky. There are a billion people on the planet living on less than a buck a day. If they were next door to you, you'd probably help. How can folks really have empathy if they don't witness reality?

Comment by Jim Cashel

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:19:15 PST

Excellent - thanks for the links.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:18:43 PST

Excellent!

Comment by Jim Cashel

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:18:21 PST

I'll definitely raise this with the ASP. It's odd - it seems like there is a place for a photo in the user profile, but it doesn't seem to work. I'm looking into it.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:17:05 PST

Good point - no need to leave home to be useful.

That said, I live in a city of 10+ million here in China, and I see very few foreigners. The other day I was in Guangzhou International Airport (next to Hong Kong), with a main terminal bigger than any I had ever seen anywhere - and basically no foreigners. It's kind of cool when visiting - but also concerning: how are we going to understand one another if we hardly meet?

Comment by Jim Cashel

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:13:34 PST

Good point about voting being key.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:12:13 PST

Good point - that is possible (with a little work). Thanks for the suggestion!

Comment by sharakarasic

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:35:33 PST

Not sure how I feel about slum tours. Kind of poverty porn. I'll never forget someone in Indonesia showing me his rattan hut with dirt floor and holes in the walls telling me "tourists love the broken home." But I guess if the tourists contribute to the local economy, that's fair...

Comment by sharakarasic

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:29:22 PST

Here are lists of iPhone apps for social good from Beth Kanter (Beth's Blog) and Katrina Heppler (envisionGood.tv):

http://www.appolicious.com/curated-apps/57-apps-for-social-good
http://www.appolicious.com/curated-apps/38-apps-for-social-good

Comment by sharakarasic

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:22:16 PST

That's how I became fluent in Indonesian. ;-)

Comment by klrmlpm

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:52:04 PST

First, get US laptop-toters to concern themselves with domestic media bias and unsupported blog misinformation. Learn to get a reasonable dialogue going, then off to
China or Britian or you name it.

Comment by klrmlpm

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:47:10 PST

Slogans sound like commercials for products. The vote mechanism is a key feature. Something like: "Vote Here For or Against Ideas!"

Comment by anna

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:24:20 PST

Right up there with www.etsy.com. Love it!

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:36:27 PST

I got a suggestion from one reader:

"Good Ideas: Read 'em and Leap!"

Comment by mlees

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 12:54:49 PST

I had a briefing last week with a company getting into that space, too. I can't mention the company yet, but their technology also requires a separate download. That hurdle for them and Readability will prevent adoption. They need to get their apps built into the browser.
I love the concept, though, which is kind of a head slapper, since it's so obvious. If customer experience is what you're after, it's a no-brainer.
Content publishers will push back, as their ad revenue will be (probably greatly) diminished, but that road isn't leading to salvation anyway.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:07:21 PST

Excellent point! Sounds like you should run to the patent office with that one! :)

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:05:00 PST

Agreed - very meaningful (but hard to know how to improve!)

Comment by Ron Casalotti

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 06:32:23 PST

We just spoke about this at work yesterday as being the most meaningful metric in social media in a world where the leading measurement companies cannot agree on standards.

Comment by Ron Casalotti

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 06:30:55 PST

Better, a "smart toilet" that, based upon starting and ending volume displacement, would calculate the amount of water needed without human intervention (well, except for the volume displacement of course)

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 19:05:52 PST

Kaboom talks about these projects in this blog post: http://bit.ly/60owiq

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 06:10:47 PST

Nice review of Advance Market Commitments and other health financing innovations in Economist Magazine: http://bit.ly/5cBGLz

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:50:48 PST

This is really a wonderful video. It probably will spur many other good ideas. I also like how Volkswagen is sponsoring the effort in a form of "cause marketing". Smart.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:48:48 PST

This strikes me as an interesting idea - but couldn't we come up with a solution more elegant than changing the plastic wrap on the handle after every use? Seems wasteful.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:47:26 PST

Looks like Apple has patented something along these lines. http://bit.ly/7hppzU

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:45:55 PST

This idea seems like a plug for a commercial service (I guess it is - although I have no connection to these guys). It's just a really clever and well-implemented service.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:45:06 PST

I'll be interested to see how many people "vote down" this idea. :)

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:44:20 PST

I like this idea a lot: design assistance for the poor generally involves providing new devices (solar ovens, water pumps, etc.). I seldom see designers trying to improve devices the poor already use. What a great place to start!

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:42:47 PST

I'm sure the teachers' unions love this idea. I'm sure the secret will be adding more opportunities that teachers seek rather than more responsibilities they don't (and potentially compensating for the added time).

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:41:16 PST

This idea is invariably highly controversial, as it can be perceived as turning slum residents into a spectacle. This is a valid concern. At the same time how else are rich people going to see first hand how very poor people live?

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:40:00 PST

This strikes me as an ingenious idea - and a perilous one as well. In the real world, it is important to make decisions based on facts and a shared view of reality. In the online world anything goes. If we start applying online norms to the real world, what does that imply?

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:37:33 PST

The Center for Global Development does a great job in introducing a more sensible, if nuanced, way to thinking through global AID programs. Hopefully they influence policy (it appears they do).

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:36:13 PST

Anybody that figures out cheap desalination deserves a Nobel Prize (or several).

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:34:49 PST

This one strikes me as a smart attempt by Coca Cola to get an awful lot of publicity very cheaply. It is similar to the recent "best job in the world" competition held by Murphy-Goode Winery in Napa. http://bit.ly/7h34gi

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:32:15 PST

When I was in medical school, I often puzzled over the fact that diagnosis via stethoscope seemed so subjective. (This was true with many other forms of diagnoses as well, such as reading films or even interpreting EKGs.) It's nice to see some supplemental computing assistance brought to bear.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:20:20 PST

I admit I am surprised the Obama administration hasn't renamed this program, given the "p" in PEPFAR originally referred to President Bush. I guess they have more important things to worry about.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:17:47 PST

A big challenge for marketing (marketing anything) is having something timely to talk about. A playoff system, even if contrived, provides plenty of marketing fodder.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:16:42 PST

There is a great deal written about opt-in vs. opt-out policies for organ donations (wikipedia for starters: http://bit.ly/5PMEGg). There is no question that opt-out policies greatly increase the supply of organs - although raise a number of ethical issues).

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:07:05 PST

I feel a little guilty posting this idea, despite its providence, since my wife co-wrote a book called "Securitization". http://bit.ly/85P2aE

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:04:47 PST

I read today that a Kindergarterner on average will have watched 5000 hours of television (and 80,000 advertisements) before entering school. Yikes. http://bit.ly/4EnZDd

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:01:51 PST

The increases in salary proposed by DC in exchange for giving up seniority were quite staggering - it apparently is a very valuable concession to administrators.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:01:00 PST

I love this idea, mostly because it attempts to keep everyone happy. Why not change rates annually, and codify in the notion that we don't want inequality to increase (or decrease...)?

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 05:59:50 PST

It took me a while to figure this one out - but it is true that small changes in SUV mileage make a big difference, precisely because SUVs use so much fuel. For example, if an SUV moves from 12 mpg to 16 mpg, it will save about 208 gallons in 10,000 miles. If a Prius gets 50 mpg and the driver gives up driving altogether, it will save only 200 gallons in a year.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 05:55:09 PST

I currently live in China. It is clear that my Chinese friends, despite spending many hours per day online, are not familiar with VPNs, anonymous servers, or other (fairly easy) means for getting free access to the global internet. US college students would quickly figure this out and help their new-found Chinese friends.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 05:53:11 PST

I believe that offering heads of state a financially secure and dignified departure from office is one of the most important (if overlooked) aspects of a successful democracy. Otherwise, why should they leave?

Comment by Jim Cashel

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 05:51:21 PST

Yikes. I found myself today explaining Advance Market Commitments to my 10 year old daughter. She did an admirable job feigning interest for her policy-interested father.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:20:53 PST

I confess I love this idea mostly because of the idea of using 3 foot long rats. How awesome is that? Could I get one for a pet? Don't tell my wife.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:19:47 PST

I've tried this service and love it.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:18:35 PST

I unfortunately traversed the Alzheimers saga with my father. Although his final care facility was very good - clean, happy staff, many activities - it was nonetheless depressing to visit. His friends really wouldn't go. The idea of having an adjacent pub with some noise and laughter - plus we could hand the guy a beer - seemed totally sensible. I know he would have preferred visits their over a sterile "visiting room".

Comment by Jim Cashel

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:15:39 PST

We use the "net promoter" score at our company Forum One. We don't use it alone, however - we imbed it in client follow-up surveys. The challenge in using it alone is that if the score comes back low, you have no way of knowing why and need to follow-up (we'd prefer not to bother clients twice).

Comment by Jim Cashel

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:13:25 PST

This idea, believe it or not, was the one that got me thinking about a good ideas web site. I saw my first half-flush toilet a few years back. It had a small button and a big button. I knew immediately what it meant, it made sense, and I thought that every flush toilet on the planet should be similar. It was a really good idea I wished more people knew about.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:05:41 PST

This idea is a painful one in America: it makes a great deal of sense, it is adopted successfully by most developed countries, yet it is politically completely out of bounds.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:02:47 PST

Worrying about "happiness" is an easy notion to dismiss. Even current indexes of national happiness feel incomplete (is everyone really going to move to Costa Rica?). So it's nice to see Joseph Stiglitz and the government of France take this idea seriously - it's a truly great idea.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:00:23 PST

It feels silly to use "Facebook" and "World Peace" in the same sentence. Nonetheless, Facebook has become one of the planet's biggest "countries", and it is essentially transnational in nature. If world peace requires (in part) communications and mutual understanding, shouldn't Facebook have an important role to play?

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 23:57:53 PST

Gridlocked government represents an enormous obstacle to progress in America (and in my state of California, in which it is worse). Senate filibuster rules were never intended to require a permanent supermajority vote. Democracy throws up a lot of challenges to progress. Let's not compound the problem with rules which gridlock government.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 23:51:14 PST

This idea strikes me as a "forehead slapper": do we really need to do these two activities in series and take an extra seven months? Lovely innovation.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 23:49:58 PST

This strikes me as a lovely idea except for one obvious drawback: the bottles cost about $100. I expect the technology could be used at a larger, less expensive scale, but am not aware of good examples.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 23:47:22 PST

I live in Sonoma, California. The high school in our town is representative of national averages (about 1/3 of students take the SAT, for example). If you ask the high school administration for data concerning college admissions, they have almost nothing to offer (nor is it their responsibility). They absolutely have no data regarding college success. It is hard to improve something you can't measure, thus the importance of current proposals to for the first time gather these critical data.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 23:41:16 PST

The rich are able to become rich in America thanks in part to education, health, security and other programs of the government. This should confer great obligations to the wealthiest, a fact too often lost on them. Thank you to some very responsible wealthy for starting Responsible Wealth.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 23:38:27 PST

This is arguably the best current idea in the world. Unfortunately it represents a pure public good, is hard to quantify benefits, and therefore lacks the funding or attention it merits. Great kudos nonetheless to MIT for taking very bold steps and demonstrating the reach and power of free online education.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 23:36:24 PST

Foundations can be frustratingly risk-adverse (especially foundations in which the founders are no longer living). Foundations should be in the best position of any organization to take risks - but seldom in fact do.

The Gates Foundation deserves great kudos for launching Grand Challenges, a program that they know will lead to many failures and probably periodic ridicule. An excellent effort worthy of emulation.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 23:33:45 PST

Advance Market Commitments is one of the best examples I've ever seen of smart theory translating into practical policy. Great credit goes to Michael Kremer at Harvard, a number of researchers at the Center for Global Development, and funding from the Gates Foundation and support from the World Bank and WHO.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 23:26:46 PST

Almost half the world lives on less than $2 a day (and nearly a billion people are at half that level). Only the tiniest fraction of people in developed countries ever witness that level of poverty. Without seeing something it is hard to empathize with it.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 23:06:35 PST

I am currently living in China with my family. One thing that is striking about China is that basically everyone is slim (at least everyone between ages 20 and 50 -- the young kids are showing signs of an early obesity challenge).

There are lots of explanations for the lack of obesity here (small plates, chopsticks, more walking, fewer elevators) - but the main factor seems to be straight out of Pollan. People eat mostly fresh food from local markets, portions are small, and are dominated by grains and vegetables with relatively little meat and dairy.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 23:02:31 PST

On the surface this idea seems like a no-brainer: CO2 emissions are hard to contain, methane emissions somewhat easier, and they have roughly the same impact on global warming. Methane however appears very far from the public dialog on global warming, so some innovative social marketing (as well as science) needs to take place.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:59:22 PST

There are two enormous advantages to spend-down foundations:

* They spend a lot more money: moving from, say, a 5% payout to a 7.5% payout is a 50% increase. This helps solve problems now, not a century from now.

* They have a sense of time urgency: even if they plan to be around for another 90 years (like the Gates Foundation), there is a huge psychological difference between thinking "90 years" and "forever".

These two factors help move foundations away from their greatest pitfall: serving as shrines to their founders rather than serving the public interest (most of the money in foundation endowments is pre-tax "public" money, if factoring in both corporate and inheritance taxes).

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:52:40 PST

Micronutrients as a cost-effective global health intervention has gotten a lot of attention. The Copenhagen Consensus identified it as the most cost effective global health intervention http://bit.ly/7pxbr1 and the idea has also received recent attention from the Economist Magazine http://bit.ly/6c2djf and Nicholas Kristof http://bit.ly/6dGCwI.

The puzzling thing is it seems that no large private, national or multilateral aid agency has pushed this to the very top of the agenda. This seems like an imminently solvable problem given appropriate conviction.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:31:01 PST

At our company, Forum One, we have found this rule to be extremely useful. It is hard to apply quantitatively, but useful even if applied qualitatively. Being clear about prioritizing main activities, but carving out and guarding time for more speculative efforts, is very helpful.

Comment by Jim Cashel

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 03:54:38 PST

Nice op-ed by Nicholas Kristof pointing out that Costa Rica tops three recent happiness studies. Much of the credit is probably due to the 1949 decision to abolish the army and invest instead in education. http://bit.ly/8DV4pq