Innovation in Renovation and Improvement (Score 1)

Having read many of the threads on this topic, I see a regular pattern. Everyone seems to be focusing on new technologies to add to our current technologies. But innovation is not just about creating a new product to buy, it is also about improving the products we already have.

One thread lists energy efficient homes as a way to help reduce energy consumption. While this is a laudable goal, I think a better, more innovative technology would be a cheap, efficient way to dramatically improve the efficiencies of existing homes.

Another thread mentions building more public transportation. Public transit has proven to be inefficient in the American marketplace for many reasons, but the biggest is that Americans look on the car as an independent freedom. Only in areas where it truly is a hassle to maintain your own car, has the marketplace done well for public transit. Instead of building more public transit, why don't we concentrate on a method to make public transit an "independent freedom" that can still harness the efficiencies of moving a large number of people.

Finally, we come to the flying car. This is a dream that many people have harped on as an innovation. The truth of the matter is that, unless a significant amount of innovation is done in the simple management of traffic flows in general, flying cars will have to stick to the modern paradigm. That means that instead of being stuck in lanes of traffic on the ground, we would have people suspended above the ground, waiting for lanes of traffic to clear. While we would have many more lanes to work with in a 3d oriented environment, most people are not capable of visualizing their turn signals, much less making a 300 foot dive to get on the 1010103 express airway to Newark.

So in short, dreaming of the new product is wonderful and laudable, but let's not lose focus on the fact that innovation should also assist the existing, commonplace products we already have.