The Power of the Prize They gave the world guns and butter -- specifically, the AK-47 and margarine. They sent Charles Lindbergh's The Spirit of St. Louis from New York to Paris and Burt Rutan's SpaceShipOne almost 70 miles above the earth -- twice. They are innovation prizes -- think, X Prize -- and from their origins in the Age of Discovery in the 1500s, they've come roaring back to life in recent years, with foundations, governments, and businesses alike rewarding fantastic achievements. This spring alone, , , and MIT are expected to announce the winners of major business-idea competitions. Some economists -- and some CEOs -- believe that public contests have the ability to usher in a new era of progress by leveraging R&D resources to capture diverse imaginations and tackle everything from Web widgets to massive global challenges. But what's the real return on a prize? A contest broadcast outside a company can stimulate far more value than the cost to stage one. Karim R. Feedback: kamenetz@fastcompany.com
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Can’t play, won’t play | Hide&Seek - Inventing new kinds of play I like neologisms. We need new words because we have new ideas, and ideas are the only things that break the law of the conservation of energy. Where once there was nothing there now is something, and the history of the neologism is a history of those moments of pure creation. ‘Gamification’, that said, can go take a long walk off a short pier. ‘Gamification’, the internet will tell you, is the future. That problem being that gamification isn’t gamification at all. Games manage to produce all these drivers by being complex, responsive mechanisms. Games give their players meaningful choices that meaningfully impact on the world of the game. And living or dying is important. It’s crucial that we stop conflating points and games. Firstly, because it devalues points. But secondly, because it misrepresents games. Gamification is the wrong word for the right idea. So, in summary: Or, in other words: Games are good, points are good, but games ≠ points. Picture by R J Malfalfa.
Homepage - AOL On Up next 0:34 0:45 2:03 1:30 1:01 0:59 0:48 0:56 0:35 1:18 1:12 Caption Languages English Background Transparency Jessica Simpson rocks same Gucci pencil skirt she wore 19 years ago: ‘Remember this?’ Jessica Simpson rocks same Gucci pencil skirt she wore 19 years ago: ‘Remember this?’ Jessica Simpson is not a one-and-done wearer. 0:34 0:45 2:03 1:30 1:01 0:59 0:48 0:56 0:35 1:18 1:12 Expertview - Bringing clarity to investment decisions Pawned. - coding conduct Pawned. Pawned. Gamification and Its Discontents. Presentation, Playful 2010, September 24, 2010, London, UK. Foursquare, Gowalla, Bunchball, Badgeville – it seems like the badge measles have taken over the Internet. This talk gives a brief tour through the »gamification« trend, to then insert some caveats, complications, unintended consequences, and hopefully, plain common sense. Short link: Note: This is more or less a companion piece to a previous talk where I point out the potential of games for interaction design: »Just add points?
Types of Skills Everyone Should Know – Video – Top 100 Important Skills 3. Split Firewood Seasoned splitters use a maul, not an ax, to prep firewood. (With its slim taper, an ax head often gets stuck in the end grain.) Don't use a chopping block—it reduces the arc of the swing, which decreases power. Instead, place the log on the ground, 5 in. closer than the length of the maul handle. Michael Lewis