The New York Times: Is innovation an organic, untempered process that performs best when unfettered by any outside influence, governmental or otherwise? Or is it a definable series of policies that can be implemented more rigidly to produce repeatable results? One group of innovation experts from around the globe pondered those questions at a recent, private meeting outside of San Francisco, California. Steve Lohr captures some of the goings-on at this "unusual gathering" in his recent article, Can Governments Till the Fields of Innovation? Lohr writes on a Scandinavian point-of-view that suggests innovation could use a little help:

CLEARLY, the innovation meeting in California was a gathering of enthusiasts. One view not heard was that innovation policy itself is a mistake — government meddling in decisions best left to the marketplace — as free-market purists contend.

Lars Aukrust, executive director for innovation at the Research Council of Norway, answered that criticism by comparing a nation with a large corporation. "If you are going to run a big company,” he said, “are you going to leave it all to serendipity or make some strategic choices?"

"Innovation policy is a probability game," Mr. Aukrust added. "You can improve the odds of success."

Be sure to check out the rest of Lohr's piece for more global viewpoints on the policy of governmental innovation guidance.

Core77: As the population of the United Stages ages, there are more and more people struggling with long-term and potentially debilitating diseases that make it difficult for people to self-administer injectable drug treatments. OXO, a company famous for their very user-friendly product designs has created a novel and innovative syringe with the aim of helping people with rheumatoid arthritis take better care of themselves. OXO gives Universal Design a shot in the arm by "hipstomp" provides a few details on this ground-breaking design that might be eventually used in any number of treatment plans should it prove to be effective and popular. Also enclosed is a history of the hypodermic needle that helps show how innovative OXO's design truly is. Nothing like looking back to see the way forward with more clarity, nu?

Vator.TV: Chris Rock is famous for his comedy, but did you know he is also something of a economist? Well, at least he played something of a price point expert in "I'm Gonna Get Your Sucka" according to John Greathouse in his related piece, The Chris Rock school of entrepreneurship "How Much For A Rib?" I recommend you visit the site hosting Greathouse's post and check out the referenced video snippet and read his complete analysis of price point economics, but here's an executive summary if you're in a hurry:

The essence of Chris Rock’s cameo in "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" became a watchword at Citrix. Whenever we encountered a prospect who attempted to nickel-and-dime us with an unreasonable request, we referred to them as "wanting a rib."  In other words, they were a prospect that was unlikely to become a profitable customer.

As Chris Rock runs from the ribjoint, chased by Isaac Hayes, actor Bernie Casey enters the scene and admonishes Isaac Hayes’s character by saying, "Don’t do it. The customer is always king." Experienced entrepreneurs know this is simply not true. Some would-be customers, such as those who are unwilling to pay an equitable price for your solutions, should be sent fleeing, just like Chris Rock’s character. If they are not, it just may be you who is gonna get it, sucka.

Good stuff and injecting a little humor into each day is a good thing, don't you agree?

FutureLab.net: How important is place/history to an impression? Quite, according to one expert's recent post the subject. Neuromarketer Roger Dooley's A Sense Of Place encourages you and your business to consider the value your customer places on the story behind your product or service and offers a few examples to make the point stick. "We all tend to do the same thing, to varying degrees, when we come in contact with places or objects of great personal or historic significance. If I handed you an old brick, you might be rather non-plussed. If the director of Mount Vernon opened a velvet-lined walnut box and handed you a brick, telling you that it had sat on George Washington’s desk as a paperweight for 20 years, you might be more affected. Holding an object so intimately associated with the founder of our country would, for many people, be a moving experience. Once again, though, our experience is shaped by our belief about the object rather than some intrinsic power of that object." The mind can be a strong influencer of the emotional experience your customers feel when they purchase or use your product or service, so why not follow in the footsteps of some brilliant efforts by generating an honest and uplifting back-story to help generate a sense of place and history?

OPEN Forum: Are you interested in learning "how to dramatically accelerate the development of business relationships to drive sales, spark innovation, and create team cohesion"? You should be, if you're not. Especially if you're a C-level exec at smaller business, according to a recent interview featured by Guy Kawasaki with author and CEO Keith Ferrazziof Ferrazzi Greenlight. Here's a one of the more pertinent Q&A examples to get you pointed in the right direction:

Question: Why do people fail to perceive how badly they are performing?

Answer: People tend to fall victim of what scientists call “self-serving” bias. This means that when we succeed, we congratulate ourselves. When we fail, we blame someone else. Therefore, we learn less from our failures than we could or should, and that’s why we need people to help us complete the feedback loop.

These helpers are "buddies" and importantly, they are not yes men, but rather people with whom you have a long-term relationship established and who will advise you honestly when you need it most. Ferrazzi suggests one method that has worked for him to help get a buddy lifeline relationship off on the right foot: "I'm a big believer in making that deep connection in person during a time dedicated to relationship-building—like a date, but not a romantic one. I call that a "long slow dinner."After that, technology is a great way to keep the relationship going." Priceless knowledge and well worth the price of a click or two.

Bonus piece of the day: Mike Speiser's Cargo Cult Management at Gigaom.com.