FutureLab.net: As recently covered in September's McKinsey Quarterly, small changes effectively integrated into almost any process can reap huge benefits in short order. John Caddell explains how one example in the report follows this principle: "Its central point, illustrated by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's campaign to save 100,000 unnecessary hospital deaths, is that the best innovations are often the simplest and most basic. In other words, a partial solution that is easy to communicate and to implement may bring far more value than a more complete solution that is more complex and difficult to bring into production." Such small and simple changes might include the use of checklists to ensure medical staff follow basic sanitation practices, which has proven to be invaluable in reducing the incidence of hospital-induced illnesses (and related deaths). The practice of following a set sequence of procedures to regulate the human capacity for error has shown itself to be an absolute necessity in other fields of critical path decision trees like piloting aircraft or running nuclear reactors. Does your business incorporate small, easy-to-implement changes to its methods? Scope out Innovation Made Easy... or Else and feel free to post any comments on this idea or add to the discussion.

ArsTechnica.com: The DVR (digital video recorder) has become a staple in tech-savvy homes of TV enthusiasts as it allows watching broadcast television shows when, and sometimes where, -ever the viewer chooses with the added benefit of being able to fast-forward through advertisements. Cablevision had high hopes of being able to implement its own version of this technology, although instead of using a set-top box that recorded shows on a local hard drive, the Cablevision model used remote servers to stream shows to subscribers on demand in a kind of remote control DVR system. This use of DVR technology raised the hackles of content owners and has spawned a number of lawsuits claiming infringement. Nate Anderson reports on the outcome of the primary case:  "Cablevision won in court this summer, as an appeals court found little functional difference between the system and a traditional DVR set up. Cablevision still requires customers to select shows for recording, rather than simply recording everything on a television and offering it up to users on-demand. As for the copies made in the act of buffering, the court found that a one second buffer did not meet an undefined 'duration requirement,' and it said that the temporary copies of video created in this way did not infringe on copyright." This judgment seems to have not satisfied a number of concerned parties and additional actions have been taken by some unlikely sources. Read Copyright Alliance to Supremes: hit rewind on networked DVR for the inside scoop on the players.

PEHub.com: As predicted, some fallout is already occurring in the venture capital business, with one industry heavy reporting large losses. Dan Primack's Blackstone Posts $502 Million Loss tells more of this torrid tale: "The firm reported a Q3 loss of $502.5 million, compared to a $299.2 million gain in Q3 of last year. This included -$68.3 million for its private equity portfolio, which was mostly attributed to a reduction in the carrying value of its portfolio companies. It also deployed about 35% less limited partner capital." In a prepared statement, Blackstone explains: "We are operating in a challenging and volatile environment. As evidenced in the third quarter, global equity and credit markets have declined substantially and we have lowered the carrying value of our fund investments. However, Blackstone has set up its businesses to not only weather such an environment, but to benefit from it. Given Blackstone’s strong balance sheet, scale and breadth of business and continued strong investment performance, we believe that the current market dislocations will alter the competitive landscape, position our firm to enhance our market position and enhance long term unitholder value." We'll see if the Group's strategic plan holds water in the coming months/years!

The Metric System: Numbers and data creep into almost any discussion of business and marketing with heavy emphasis placed on the interpretation of these figures as proof positive of success. Robert J. Moore writes about his quest to unearth the business behind a seemingly un-profitable proliferation of dating lawn signs in the neighborhoods around his home town and after after performing a private eye-style investigation into the matter, comes to a fascinating conclusion. Read Moore's lengthy, but very insightful, narrative on his hunt for the story behind an unlikely-business model in Single? Lawn Signs Conquer the American Landscape.

Xconomy - Seattle: Business method patents are all over the headlines of intellectual property (IP) blogs and with good reason. Of special note is the court case known as Bilski, which ended in a ruling that has turned the value of many companies' IP holdings head-over-heels. Gregory T. Huang reports on recent details of related legal action surrounding the contentious patent ruling: "Last Thursday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit rejected a patent application from a company called WeatherWise for a method of managing the risk involved with energy costs. The court ruled that in order to be patentable, a process must be tied to a 'machine or apparatus, or transform a particular article into a different state or thing.' That means abstract processes known as 'business methods' can no longer be patented. A classic example of a patented software business method is Amazon’s one-click process for on-line purchases." One CTO, Bill Baxter of Seattle-based startup Cozi, gives his opinion on the ruling's impact on patents: "'The patent process in the U.S. is broken,' he says. 'Too often patents are issued that should not be. It’s a great business if you’re a patent attorney or if you’re a company who creates nothing, just acquires patents and then litigates to create a business. I’m happy each time what is patentable is narrowed. The whole system requires an overhaul.'"
More on this sea-change in patentability in Ruling to Block “Business Method” Patents May Spur Innovation, Say Entrepreneurs and Investors.

And for a bit of Friday Fun, check out this innovative and mind-blowing new application for the Apple iPhone from Smule.com: the Ocarina. See it in video action here.