Topic: Business
When Andy Boutin couldn't find a wood-fired boiler compatible with the steam heating system in his new home, he decided to mate a pellet burner to the existing boiler. Now his company, Pellergy, has brought the solution to the market. In this interview with host Jon Udell, the former marine engineer and naval architect offers a unique perspective on the modern rediscovery -- and reinvention -- of residential heating with solid fuels.
At the beginning of the new year, Phil, Dion, Ben and Scott discuss new products and projects, including business startups, new computers and computing devices, and other upcoming activities. Beginning with the problems with funding new companies, they move on to talk about some of the new CES and Macworld devices. Finally they review the upcoming digital TV changeover.
Kathy Sierra and Tim O'Reilly discuss the principles behind "creating passionate users" and how this energizes and increases consumers. They discuss how in today's competitive marketplace, every business is looking for an edge. This typically forces business leaders to face the challenge of making their products different. However, that can be more difficult than it sounds and the business landscape is littered with the carcasses of companies who failed to differentiate themselves or their products.
In an age of consumer surplus, where people are encouraged to shop as "retail therapy," where does environmental sustainability fit in? In this panel discussion from the Commonwealth Club of California, leaders in business, design and innovation discuss why a deeper understanding of human nature will be central to a successful 21st century business strategy.
Craig Burton discusses innovation by reviewing three of his essays on the topic. He talks about how to distinguish innovation myths from realities, reviews how technology companies make mistakes with customer demographics, and how Novell created software infrastructure as a new software category.
Dr. Moira Gunn speaks with Judy Estrin, author of "Closing the Innovation Gap" and Cisco's CTO, about the state of the innovation ecosystem in the United States following the dot-com bust.
Recent fires, floods, and foreclosures may be clear signs that we are caught in twin crises: economic downturn and environmental devastation. In this panel discussion from The Commonwealth Club of California, Van Jones and Darrell Steinberg offer a unique solution to this complex set of problems.
Effective search engine optimization and search engine marketing is now crucial to the success of a modern business. Authors Mike Moran and Bill Hunt discuss their book Search Engine Marketing, Inc., giving the fundamentals of search engines as well as guidance on how organizations can better reach people through search engines.
Ben Rushlo of Keynote Systems discusses how organizations should work to make their websites better. He talks about the status of the web and reviews how perceived performance is often different from actual performance. He gives tips for better operation and gives a number of suggestions that companies can use to improve their sites.
Insurance expert Karl Susman discusses how bloggers and other Web 2.0 users are beginning to deal with and better minimize the financial risk of their activities. He talks with Denise about how the industry is now offering ways for people and businesses to protect themselves in this age of instant communications with its problems of rumors and sometimes incorrect information.
