Innovation (Human Evolution)

The folks at OfficePOD believe the ability to work from home is a trend that’s here to stay.  I think their product is ideal for writers with a backyard and who are in need of "space" to write.  You wouldn’t think twice about a shed for housing the lawn tools, a greenhouse, or playhouse for the kids, so why not an office pod?  So often writers find themselves carving out work space at the kitchen table or on the couch - only to be interrupted by the kids, the dog, the telephone or solicitors banging down the front door.

There’s lots of benefits for corporate too, such as reducing commute time, more focused employees, etc, however the OfficePOD would be absolutely ideal for writers seeking solitude and a special place designated solely for the depositing of their brain droppings. The OfficePOD is energy efficient and designed in great part with recycled or recyclable products. Each pod is delivered and constructed by a specialist team and measures approximately 7′ x 7′.  To date, this brilliant idea is only available in the UK for £14,950 ($24,273).

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I came across an interesting blog article while doing research into multi-touch interfaces.  Joshua Blake, a .NET, SharePoint, and Microsoft Surface Consultant for InfoStrat is petitioning the World Wide Web to participate in what he’s calling The MOADtouch Project.  If you’re one of the many folks (like me) who are scratching your head as to how multi-touch computers can apply to your everyday experience, Joshua feels your pain. Why smudge the screen when you can quickly point and click?  Today’s computers were designed to be interfaced with using a mouse, a keyboard or a digitizer (tablet PC).  

Essentially, Joshua is wanting to help reinvent the way humans interact with a computer and he’s asking all to participate. "Pretend touch was the only acceptable input device to the mass market. Forget the Windows, Icons, Menus, Pointers. Forget the rectangles. Start with your fingertips and design out from there," Joshua says.  OK Joshua, you’re on…

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Writers are really entrepreneurs at heart.  Our mantra is, If I write it they will come.  As the co-founder of a literary development software company, maybe that’s why Kiva tugs at my heartstrings.  However, I think the real reason is their forward-thinking and use of technology and the web to help put an end to poverty.  Kiva helps entrepreneurs in impoverished countries help themselves.

Charities have been around since the dawn of mankind.  Do they work?  To some extent, but charities mostly serve as a band aide.   Say it with me - "Give me a fish, I eat for a day. Teach me to fish, I eat for a lifetime." The latter is Kiva and I love it!  Kiva uses the web to help third-world entrepreneurs get their businesses up and running by connecting them with average people willing to lend a few dollars.  Their mission is simple: To connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty.  In short, the cost of an average trip to the grocery store here in the states helps a REAL PERSON in an impoverished country make great strides towards economic independence.

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MSRP $929.99
 

The Society for Information Display (SID) 2008 Conference was hosted at the Los Angeles Convention Center this year, and LitCentral was there to check out the latest in display technology.

What does SID mean for writers?
SID is a collective gathering of companies around the world dedicated to improving the way information is displayed. Yes, that would include kiosk displays, cell phones, TVs,  3D and 4D graphics, etc. but it also comprises e-readers, e-books, Tablet PCs and flexible displays.  The latter are technologies LitCentral is interested in with regard to the marketing, reading and analyzing of screenplays and manuscripts.

In a perfect world every writer who ever wrote anything would at least get the chance to be read…to be considered.  There are over 100,000 screenplays submitted to the entertainment industry annually, and manuscripts are at least 10 x that amount for the publishing industry.  Execs are inundated, and because most are still using antiquated methods to read and analyze submissions there are less and less new writers that make it through the pipeline.

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Got Writer’s Bump?
That’s the ugly piece of skin that sits up like a pillow on your middle finger – the all-pervading callus of writers.  If you use a pen on a daily basis or conduct long journal writing, you know what I’m talking about.  The “comfort factor” in pen technology has seen little advancement in technology since the Sensa, and lefties are always out of luck.  Until now…

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