"Big" projects are not happening anymore

If you see the video, the gist of it is that from 1900 to 1968 there were incomprehensible advances that exceeded what the imagination thought possible. The atom's nucleus was discovered and its power was harnessed. Machine-based flight was invented and we reached the moon. From 1968 to 2012, no such advances were made. Everything has been a step up from technology that was arguably already available. The first satellite had been launched into space, supersonic travel was possible, DNA had long been discovered, wireless data transmission existed, and computers existed. You would expect advances in what these technologies can do in 44 years, and they have advanced a lot, but we haven't exceeded the dreams from 1968 (see Star Trek and other media from the time). Nothing big has happened. What is wrong?

Mobile technology's life-saving potential

Innovating for society is not hard, it's a question of method and identifying needs.

For instance, emergency care you want while you're unconscious—sure, you can put a DNR order on your wallet or clearly state your blood type, allergies, etc. but all that is old-fashioned and still leaves space for mistakes.

What are your needs? Accuracy, respect for your beliefs/wishes, no harm.

Besides the odd case when someone else has your cellphone, why doesn't it give doctors your information? How about having a passive RFID chip with this information under your skin? Either way, the doctor could scan your data, input what medicine he's planning to give you and a red alert would pop up if you're allergic to something or opposed to invasive methods. Simple and nearly foolproof. Of course, the law should clearly state that any information accessible from such technology is protected under doctor-patient confidentiality and inaccessible for other purposes.

How about disaster relief? Your only need in that case is to be found quickly. Why don't all cellphones have a trigger that can be remotely activated so they preserve battery life and/or signal their location? Considering that even in 3rd world countries a significant number of inhabitants have mobiles, considering a near 1 to 1 use of mobiles this could speed up rescues efforts significantly. Forcing all cellphones in an area to screech unless a button is pressed doesn't violate anyone's privacy and a feature like this could be activated as soon as rescue teams are prepared. It also avoids some of GPS's shortcomings (like being under rubble).

I know that these are only ideas, far from perfect, but I only brainstormed for needs, by myself, for 5 minutes. If you find a need, you can find a solution and iterate from there. What's important is to find a need; even if you don't have the skills to build a solution by yourself, a clearly identified need is like a vision and mission and its importance should never be underestimated. Where there's a need, somebody will find a way.

Google's Hangout Blitz and g+ advantage

Many people have been saying that g+, Google's social networking platform, will never measure up to facebook and that it's a failure. This month, Google has been stepping it up and shown how bright its platform can shine. It's a great showcase of good innovation coupled with amazing marketing.