This week’s iHonor Role podcast features social entrepeneur Alex Steed. Steed is doing groundbreaking work to shape the world through socially-conscious urban music with his new organization, Hip-Hop Without Borders. Steed is changing the world using the universal language of young people and iHonor Role host John Pederson speaks with him at the proverbial ground floor. Download iHonor Role to learn more.

–Erin [ erin.canty@brainreactions.com]

No Comments | BrainReactions News | Email Article | Share on Facebook | del.icio.us | digg this

Five teens from a Philadelphia-Area high school recently developed an automotive breakthrough. In an auto-shop course, the students created an engine which goes from 0 to 60 MPH in four seconds, and can get up to 50 miles to the gallon. What’s the big deal? The engine runs on soybean oil!

This story has been noticebly absent from the news, either because alternative fuel news is not exactly “above-the fold” worthy. If anything however, this story reaffirms the simple truth that young people are just as, if not more innovative, creative, and imaginative. If five teenagers in an auto-class can change the entire automotive industry, imagine what a group of strategically selected imaginative college students can do? BrainReactions is in the business of finding out.

To check out the article on the students, courtesy of CBS News, click here.

No Comments | BrainReactions News, Generation-Y wants, New Concepts & Ideas | Email Article | Share on Facebook | del.icio.us | digg this

Fortune Magazine released their list for Most Admired Companies for 2006. At the top of the list overall is General Electric.

Fortune also divides the list into Best and Worst for Innovation. At the top of this list, up from number three last year is Apple. Apple consistently designs groundbreaking products at competitive prices. Their most recent initiative is including Intel chips in their computers, a move that is already shaking up the personal computer industry.

On the worst list, there are companies from many industries. One stand out however is the United States Postal Service. It is not surprising USPS is on this list. They have a business everyone knows about with few direct competitors. There is probably not much motivation for them to innovate. They are probably working from the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it model.”

BrainReactions works well with clients lacking a clear innovation goal. With a problem in hand, the group of brain stormers can work on product development or improve existing goods and services. The United States Postal Service desperately needs to update and streamline, and that process begins with consumer research. With our team of imaginative, unrestrained college students at work, USPS could dramatically shift their innovation ranking form worst to first.

–Erin [erin.canty@brainreactions.com]

No Comments | BrainReactions News, Corporate Innovation | Email Article | Share on Facebook | del.icio.us | digg this