Apparently Fujitsu introduced palm vein biometrics (vascular recognition) in Japan in 2004 and this is widely used in ATMs in Japan. Here is an interesting example from one of the early adopters - a Scottish school. The technology is also being used at GMAT test centers. Soon I hope we can dispense with cards and mobile phones for payments and just use our hands. Here is a POS solution from PulseWallet.
The European Commission recently released the 2011 EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard, which details R&D spending by Top 1000 EU & Top 1000 non-EU ‘big spenders’. I know we’ve been cautioned against using patent applications or R&D spending as metrics of innovation but it’s certainly interesting data to play with.
You Rise of Asia pundits out there will be pleased to know that, while the USA & Japan continue to top the Non-EU list, spending growth is slowing compared with the Asian tigers and rising powers.
· USA – 467 companies –160bn in R&D spending, up 10% on 2010
· Japan – 267 companies – 99bn, down 9.7%
· Taiwan – 50 companies – 7.5bn, up 17.8%
· Korea – 25 companies – 13.5bn, up 20.5%
· China – 19 companies – 7.6bn, up 29.5%
· India – 18 companies – 1.8bn, up 20.5%
· Hong Kong – 8 companies – 1bn, up 28.7%
· Singapore – 6 companies – 0.47bn, up 10.8%
Of course it’s debateable whether any of this means anything.
- sezflom
Same problem, different cause: crowd sourcing.
An Australian man saw his daughter listed as dead on Google's disaster relief website... except.... she's not. (H/T Reuben)
- sezflom
WIPO has released its 2010 tally of patent applications. Year-on-year change from 2009:
- China: + 56.2% (now ranks #4))
- Rep of Korea: + 20.5%
- Japan: + 7.9%
- "Six out of the top 10 applicants are from East Asia. In addition to the Chinese two, three are from Japan and one is from South Korea."
- India is not in the top 15, but has experienced a 15% increase (albeit from a low base)
- Most Western countries have continued their downward trend, including the US (which is nonetheless #1)
- sezflom