<![CDATA[What's Next Consulting]]> http://www.freewebs.com/whatsnextconsulting/blog.htm Freewebs <![CDATA[Blog has moved]]> http://www.freewebs.com/whatsnextconsulting/blog.htm?blogentryid=3148377 This blog has moved. The new blog can be found here:

http://www.whatsnext.fi/blog/

]]> http://www.freewebs.com/whatsnextconsulting/blog.htm?blogentryid=3148377#topBox http://www.freewebs.com/whatsnextconsulting/blog.htm?blogentryid=3148377 Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:47:00 +0200 <![CDATA[Robots are coming...]]> http://www.freewebs.com/whatsnextconsulting/blog.htm?blogentryid=3001599 Robots are something that I, as an engineer, am very interested in. I do have one robot at my home: a vacuum cleaner, but to be honest, it does not work well (bloody cheap copied models!). But I am very fashinated about the idea of vacuum cleaner that is really doing the job for you. That is something that they should be. Well, maybe I will wait for some yars to by my robot vacuumcleaner 2.0 that would really work.

I have an understanding that Asian people are fashinated with robots too. When following a couble of Asian and robotic blogs I have found interesting applications in the field of robotics.  There are a robot for carrying luggage in the airports, a violin playing robot, skateboarding robot, child robot and even robot goats,  Specially I am fashinated about androids: how real they do  look (at least in photos). Kokoro-Dreams have manufactured their Actroid Der 2 robot that looks like young Japanese woman. Still there is moch to do until we have possibility to confurs robots to human beings, but the first stes have been taken to that direction (see the video) 

]]> http://www.freewebs.com/whatsnextconsulting/blog.htm?blogentryid=3001599#topBox http://www.freewebs.com/whatsnextconsulting/blog.htm?blogentryid=3001599 Sat, 23 Feb 2008 13:46:00 +0200 <![CDATA[Creative Foresight Spaces]]> http://www.freewebs.com/whatsnextconsulting/blog.htm?blogentryid=2948928 Professor Sirkka Heinonen from Finland Futures Research Centre is very interested in creative foresight spaces-- as I am as well. We are currently writing an article about that topic. Creative foresight spaces are spaces that enhance creativity as well as foresight practises. When Prof Heinonen was working at VTT, we piloted the Futures Window as tool for creativity and foresight practises.

A couple of days ago I happened to visit Joensuu Science park. They had a new creative working spaces there for rent for freelance workers like me. They charged on hourly bases for the use of the spaces. The spaces are called netWork Oasis. In those office spaces there existed various rooms for warious types of working process. They had small silence rooms, rooms with beds, cafeteria type of networking space, innovation rooms and my favourite: a panic room. An of course, when being in Finland there also existed sauna. I took a couple of pictures form those spaces and share them here with you.

Entry of netWork Oasis. The users use their electronic key that start counting the time.

Overview of the spaces

Brainstorming room: (see to "tools": lego blocks and moulding wax)

 

My favourite: the panic room with drums, relaxing chair and soft walls

Maybe this is the future of working? 

]]> http://www.freewebs.com/whatsnextconsulting/blog.htm?blogentryid=2948928#topBox http://www.freewebs.com/whatsnextconsulting/blog.htm?blogentryid=2948928 Thu, 14 Feb 2008 06:06:00 +0200 <![CDATA[Oulu (City in Northern Finland) aims to be the first intelligent city]]> http://www.freewebs.com/whatsnextconsulting/blog.htm?blogentryid=2894944 Oulu is a city in northern Finland that is famous from its dedication to technology. Now Oulu is currently a test bed for a pilot project for SmartTouch technology, which means using mobile phones to "read" tags that contain various information. With mobile phones you can for example order meal in restaurant, bay your bus ticket, order taxi, see some further information (video) for example from thathre play-and only by touching with your mobile various tags. See the News video here (in Finnish, but easy to understand for foreiners too...).  And read some more details about the project here.

]]> http://www.freewebs.com/whatsnextconsulting/blog.htm?blogentryid=2894944#topBox http://www.freewebs.com/whatsnextconsulting/blog.htm?blogentryid=2894944 Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:51:00 +0200 <![CDATA[Elina Hiltunen starts blogging in these pages...]]> http://www.freewebs.com/whatsnextconsulting/blog.htm?blogentryid=2889032

Since my payed blogging days are over at Talous Sanomat I have decided to start blogging here, in What's Next Consulting's pages- and this time in English - or more precisely in Finglish (Finnish + English). In my last blog Heikot signaalit I discussed about weak signals (Heikot signaalit is weak signals in Finnish) i.e. strange things that I happen to spot from internet or from real life.  

The first weak signals in this blog is a strange observation from highway Helsinki-Lahti. This spotting happened last friday, when an awful winter storm (snowing, heavy wind) happened to strike Finland. I stopped for a break and met a group of motorists! It appeared that this group included German tourists that were driving to Savonlinna (=many kilometers ahead of them) for a motorist meeting. I really have to ask them that did you know that in Finland even nowadays winters can be quite demanding for motorcyclists? They knew that and showed a row of stickers in their bike from winter motorists meeting in Finland from various years in the history. Well, maybe my first weak signal was not a "real" weak signal, but at least it was something strange that a weak signal enthusiast has to report about.(Not every German tourist come to Finland with cosy coaches and aim to North Norway.)

 

]]> http://www.freewebs.com/whatsnextconsulting/blog.htm?blogentryid=2889032#topBox http://www.freewebs.com/whatsnextconsulting/blog.htm?blogentryid=2889032 Sun, 03 Feb 2008 11:07:00 +0200 <![CDATA[TrendWiki software under development]]> http://www.freewebs.com/whatsnextconsulting/blog.htm?blogentryid=2749585 What Next Consulting and Data Rangers have joined their forces to develope TrendWiki software that is aimed for organizations for collecting weak signals. The tool will be easy to use for all the employees in organizations and by using it valuable futures information is collected for various purposes. Data Rangers's Text mining tools are efficient to extract trends from vast amount of data collected by employees in the organization.

For the first two years we offer TrendWiki for your organization for special price: you get two years licence for one year's price. If you are interested, please contact Elina Hiltunen whatsnext@luukku.com for more details.

]]> http://www.freewebs.com/whatsnextconsulting/blog.htm?blogentryid=2749585#topBox http://www.freewebs.com/whatsnextconsulting/blog.htm?blogentryid=2749585 Sat, 05 Jan 2008 14:16:00 +0200