Even though we try to solve them with analytic, divide-and-conquer approaches, diseases and well-being are multi-scale phenomena. They operate at genomic, cellular, immune system, body/mind, family, community and global scales simultaneously. Tom Munnecke has been wrestling with these issues for a long time, from his years helping architect what is…

The Recovery Act of 2009 (ARRA) brought with it some new health information regulations that extend HIPAA. The new rules have many implications for US health care delivery. As a result, the health care industry is likely to undergo traumas and transformations. Feisal Nanji of Techumen has been pondering these outcomes. With Feisal, let’s discuss: W…

Picture the many waves of immigration that constitute the United States. Put yourself in their shoes for a moment. When do they feel that they’ve “arrived”? What achievements or signifiers help them feel this way? What obstacles are in their way? That’s what got José Quiñones to found the Fondo Popular de la Misión, also known as the Mission Asset …

The advertising business has come a long way online since the first online banners back in 1993. Simulmedia CMO Brian Wieser is just back from an annual ad festival in Cannes. With Brian, let’s discuss: What’s happened to advertising since the Net and mobile phones showed up? How are ad-industry players positioning themselves? Who has the most leve…

Between new service launches, IPOs, country IPOs (Initial Public Outcries?) and a bit of voicemail hacking, there’s been plenty going on lately. Surely all this raises some questions for you. We’d love to know what they are. Together, let’s discuss: What questions would you love to have answered these days? How are you endeavoring to answer them? W…

Last week we talked about Google+, which with Facebook and a torrent of other sites is raising the volume of unstructured data in the world. At the opposite end, for highly structured data, we have databases. What about what’s in between, especially when communities of practice are collaborating to curate it? One nifty answer is Wagn, a platform th…

A UFO landed in everyone’s yard this week: a social web-thing with Circles, Hangouts, Sparks and Huddles. It’s like Facebook, but not like Facebook. Though invites aren’t openly available yet, Google+ (or GooglePlus, if you prefer to write it out) got a great reception this week. Dan Gillmor gave it a B+; the Journal seems to like it. Together (and…

Few cities are as iconic of America’s industrial and civic fall as Detroit. Dewayne Hendricks grew up in Detroit and left. Recently he returned, to see where and how he might help revive his city. If we can sort out what’s wrong in Detroit, he figures, we may sort out larger issues, too. To start, as part of the upcoming Maker Faire Detroit, Dewayn…

To help US fighter pilots win the Korean War in the air (and to help US fighter plane developers design fighters that weren’t inferior to their opponents), Air Force colonel John Boydinvented the OODA Loop: Observe, Orient, Decide and Act (more here and here). Whoever gets through this loop the fastest wins. It’s called getting inside the opponent’…

Brazil has had its ups and downs, including dictatorships and hyperinflation. Now, though, it seems to be in a solid upward cycle. I’m just back from a trip to Brazil, with stops in Sao Paulo and Curitiba, a city that has become a popular case study of urban reinvention (my photos and videos are on Flickr here and here). It was an eye-opening trip.…