Thursday, October 26, 2006

Tuesdays@FUTURE Social Network Maps: Connecting Brainpower



I-Open maps social networks built at Tuesdays@FUTURE forums. Maps are courtesy of Valdis Krebs, social technology entrepreneur and Inflow software. Learn more about Valdis' work at Orgnet.com here.

Each map provides a picture of emerging connectivity between entrepreneurs. Depending on the levels of trust, new opportunities will emerge at different rates. Social network maps offer a visual picture of the growth or death of networks. Maps not only help us to track the exchange of information between individuals, but allow us to visualize emerging communities of interest around forum topics presented at FUTURE.

Our opportunity as a group is to act as "connectors" - to close the gap between individual or team need and resources and capabilities.

For a close up view of the maps go here.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

LIVE BLOG: The Creative Economy: Building innovation in creative digital media

A well filled room for the NEO Gaming Initiative. Attendees include educators, game entrepreneurs, technology

console games thousands of games on the market
China emerging large market; certain country requirements with advancing local requirements such as the display/not of blood, customization

Machinima - using a game engine to create films; George Lucas have used game visualization to play out sets and story

The NEO Game Initiative is focused on education and especially for high school level. Dan is working on a proposal to support game incubators and game desing in the schols. There are 2 (?) companies in town who supply game camps teaching game design. Many contacts are offered with connections in Collinwood...and various community centers

Dan also started a game development centers/labs

Talk with Kristen Baumlier and Knut - what about assigning faculty with these labs to work with the students?

Another large project has involved the Third Frontier project for pre-seed early stage funds. Require a min $500,000 matching funds for work over a 10 year period. The RFP is due Nov 7th.

"Simulation" is a word that is accepted better by investors than "gaming".

Events: Winter Game Expo (December 2) to show off some of the projects currently being done in town; simulations; student projects and FUTURE incubator entrepreneurs. Summer Game Festival offered in conjuction with Ingenuity 07'. Projected 5000 people attending - this is a successful model offered in other parts of the country and Europe; including game events, boot camp, provider expos, and concerts/rock band .

With funding of the Civic Innovation Lab...what is the best company structure: non-profit or non-profit?
What will happen if pre-seed funds are not awarded?

What can be done to move this initiative forward? Questions and brainstorming...

Company Structure
-Non profit of For Profit? Hybrid?

Pre-seed Alternatives
-Intermeidary/Consultant

Other Local Partners
-Hyland
-American Greetings
-NASA
-Others?

What about seeking funds from NorTech? They are into clusters...and should be addressed.

What about new language? What is the definition of gaming: the 30 -40 year old definition is casinos. Today, teaching how to use computers, etc. is all a part of the gaming industry.

[Many contacts are offered in private industry who might be helpful to gaming entrepreneurs]

Q: Are game designers very collaborative? A: Game palyers are!

When approaching schools, get the instructors on board first, put together a formal presentation, and schedule far in advance...the schools have lost more good ideas die to scheduling...what about forming/connecting with School Clubs? You need a good contact to develop good relationships....put labs in the community schools for use during the day and open access for the school kids in the evening.

Focus on the available lab space.

End of E 4th space is being held for gaming labs space. Mentor on the Lake...David Buster's is getting more involved in providing gaming abilities. ISP, computer vendor and equipment supplied. This is not a sustainable model...what about building a partnership with vendors?

We encourage strengthening these new industries in NEO. What

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Live Blog: THE CREATIVE ECONOMY - BUILDING NEW GLOBAL MODELS

[in process] I-Open Forum October 17

An energizing discussion about Open Source Economic Development, learning how this cutting edge practice accelerates innovation and new business development in the creative industries transforming Northeast Ohio's regional economy.

participants introduced themselves and the initiatives they are passionate about and/or are involved in:

  • WIRED grants Indiana
  • WT Tyler Complex
  • FUTURE
  • NEO Video Game Initiative
  • Ingenuity
  • Visual Design
  • Information Design
  • Developing new collaborative business models: It is difficult to locate support professionals (lawyers, accountants, etc.) who are flexible enough and knowlegeable in dealing with new businesses developed using a more open source model.
  • Skateboarding Due to local community involvement and innovative minds, the Lakewood skate park is attracting skateboarders from all over the county. It is a quality connected place that is attracting new businesses (coffee shop) to the area.
  • Attracting people to Lakewood vs keeping people from leaving: "Making Lakewood Sticky"
  • Cleveland Museum of Art
  • Freelance writing
  • Serial entrepreneurship
  • Business-to-business marketing assistance, Chinese translation, and cultural advice about China: see The Wu Way here.
  • STA
  • Waterloo Arts District
  • I-Open Impact Survey measuring changing behaviors and metrics associated with those changes. Your stories and comments are important to us as we move forward. Complete survey here.



Value of Creative Industry (see I-Open Creative Cleveland website here

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Live Blog: INGENUITY FESTIVAL

I-Open Forum October 10-

The attendees updated the group on their own activities.
  • Industrial real estate WT Tyler Building
  • Indie music - creating a Cleveland voice
  • Ingenuity celebrating creativity and technology
  • Teaching cognitive sciences and visualization
  • Bike stations - Cleveland Bikes
  • NE Ohio Video Game Initiative - video games supporting math and engineering - working on funding for a digital media initiative
  • Startup Ink & Digital media Incubator FUTURE
  • Open Source Economic Development
  • Cleveland Public Schools vocational schooling & visual arts
  • Neighborhood development in Collinwood & Waterloo - ethnic artisan & crafts initiative
  • Waterloo Arts community- growing the neighborhood
  • game design -teaching digital art
  • teaching drawing
  • collaborative innovation networks
  • Business Innovation Factory Collaborative Innovation Summit in Rhode Island
  • Nortech Innovation Awards

Midtown Brews is scheduled for December 7 -

Thursday 4pm October 12 recption at Idea Center at Playhouse Square: Steve Dietz, curatorial expert on Digital art (click here)

What can we do together that will be transformative?

Creative Economy Online click here or go to: www.creative.org.au

Collaborative innovation SummitLink click here or go to : http://www.businessinnovationfactory.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=461&Itemid=199

Rich Weiss of Ingenuity:
Ingenuity Festival celebrating arts inspired by technology, technology inspired by the arts. attendence of 80,00 despite weather, construction, and negative admonitions from the radio media. The existing image of Cleveland is often an older image: burning river, steel plants. The festival is moving from lower Prospect to Playhouse Square for 2007.

In Cleveland there are wonderful new initiatives:

  • reanimation of paralyzed muscles- helping people walk again, use arms and hands again
  • hydraulic delivery systems new ways of trucks delivering goods
  • exercise programs for astronauts- collaboration of Cleveland Clinic and NASA
  • LCD books
  • Cancer solutions

How do we leverage the arts – utilizing our cutting edge arts to promote the area, sharing creativity.

Celebrating brainpower – there are cool things going on in Cleveland.

In 2007 there is a new partnership with Cleveland State University.

Discussion:

There is a lack of vision of value of community benefit. The festival needs a crital mass of participants as well as attendees. Other cities are watching and waiting. Issue 18 should be helpful to support the festival.

Next steps: keep in touch with Rich Weiss with ideas on how, using strategic doing, Ingenuity may be moved forward.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

LIVE BLOG: DIGITAL AIRPORT INITIATIVE

On October 3, 2006 at Tuesdays@FUTURE, those at the table participated in a discussion of the Digital Airport Initiative (http://digitalairport.pbwiki.com/) which is a local organization attempting to bring innovative communication to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. (http://www.clevelandairport.com/)

The goal of this initiative is a public/private economic development collaboration that transforms the airport into an ultra high-speed high-tech communication venue for regional activity in Northeast Ohio. The airport is visited by 11.5 million passengers annually. These are the people who bring money into the community. Also most often these are the decision makers in their businesses. There is limited exposure by travelers to Cleveland with most exposure at the airport, then on the freeways and hotels.

This new initiative is designed to embrace the technology revolution. There is frustration with the same old technology, same as other airports. It provides for free standing displays in food courts, in baggage areas, and wherever people are standing around waiting.

What is particular to this initiative is its local ownership and direction which provides a greater degree of openness to local stories. The current airport contract is with a French company which provides much the same advertising at airports nationwide. This initiative not only would provide more local stories and content but also will provide income and taxes feeding the local economy. The new contract will be for a period of ten years.

Some of the activities of the initiative are:
Dynamic collaboration
Unique experience within airport
Self sustaining and revenue building (not non-profit)
Phase 1 Cle-TV Network: narrow cast network
Touch screens
Kiosks- engagement w/travelers
Short form content
Stories: clusters, universities, non-profits, virtual tours, what makes Cleveland distinctive
USB port downloads connections to maps, hotels, events
Phase 2 Idea-Port Interactive : Digital environment assets
Unique display applications
Early stage technology incubator for display applications
Video

A great presentation of the initiative may be found at http://www.iq-digital.com/airport/