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We've long noted the need for data science types who can bridge between us. And now, to my utter delight, a new lab is emerging to complement our lab. The folks who are going to serve as the founding members of the new NYC lab are computer scientists, physicists, experimental economists, and data scientists. Many of them are interested in social network analysis and big data problems but - or shall I say crucially - they all see the value in collaborating with ethnographers. In other words, we're building a cross-lab team that'll create new possible interdisciplinary collaborations that make my heart go pitter patter. The new lab will become the thirteenth Microsoft Research office worldwide, but it is being heralded as a particularly significant addition, according to researchers who will work directly with the New York team. Danah Boyd, a member of Social Media Collective at Microsoft's New England site, says that new the new lab will complement the organisation's existing structure and help provide a bridge with her lab for future research:

t's spring break and summer is just around the corner, which means vacation season is upon us. From mobile apps to deal sites, people use technology more than ever to help find places to go. Technology also helps vacationers enjoy themselves after they reach their destinations. But just how much is technology changing the way we travel? Nearly one-third of social media users have used a mobile app to find good prices for flights and hotels, and 15% have downloaded an app specific to a certain trip, according to a survey by the market research company Lab42. And just because people are on break, they aren't necessarily taking a break from their devices. More than 80% of international vacationers use their smartphones while abroad. About 70% post photos to a social network while on vacation, and 46% use services like Facebook and Foursquare to check in to restaurants and other places they visit. For the full picture of how technology and social media are changing our travel experiences, check out the Lab42 infographic below. What role do tech and social media play in your trips? Let us know in the comments.

The MIT Media Lab is broken down into 26 different research groups. From "Macro Connections" to "Camera Culture," each team is focused on an innovative end goal. Throughout this past year, one group, "Viral Spaces," has focused on proximal networking, hoping to facilitate discourse between real people in real places. From Junkyard Jumbotron's large digital displays to Peddl's brand-new balanced marketplace, here's a look at 11 of the projects aimed at changing the way we communicate.

Exclusion et e-Exclusion: analyses, méthodes et outils pour maîtriser  le changement et promouvoir l'innovation sociale  et technologique

Thinking of truly embracing Google+ as your go-to social network of choice? The folks at Infographic Labs have put together a compelling infographic as to why the Google service is worth your time. From seamless integration with Google services such as Gmail, Google Docs and Picasa to better game integration, video chat Google Hangouts with friends and easy privacy setting enabling, Infographic Labs makes a good case for Google+.

BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, has revealed that it's launching a mentoring scheme for digital startups called BBC Labs. The official launch event is on June 22 at Google's Campus, a co-working space in east London. The six month programme is aimed at emerging digital media companies in the UK, with a view towards helping the selected startups gain traction and scale by working closely with them - the ultimate goal is to help them strike a commercial partnership with BBC Worldwide.

You might remember our last procrastination tool, the "No Chart." Now meet its more sophisticated cousin, "Make Your Own Infographic." We invite you to respond to your friends, family, or ridiculous news story du jour with a snarky pie chart or venn diagram. From the contents of the internet to the contents of your work life, any question can have a visual answer. Build your own pie charts and Venn diagrams, then share your own and your favorites made by others. "Make Your Own Infographic" is part of GOOD Labs, the corner of our site reserved solely for nonsense and procrastination. Now get to it.

(Entrevues avec des gourous de l'innovation) Les jeux vidéo et les algorithmes. Grâce à ces deux éléments qui caractérisent si bien Montréal, Louise Guay veut révolutionner le transport dans les grandes villes de la planète. Il ne s'agit pas de voeux pieux, mais de projets concrets qui seront mis à l'essai dès cet été et dont la commercialisation pourrait débuter dès 2013, soutient la présidente de Living Lab Montréal.

The next frontier of innovation is not solely about technology. Rather, it is about user experience and design-why and how customers interact with, and develop attachments to, products and services. Method Design Lab is the first accelerator to leverage this new frontier by taking a design-centric, user experience driven approach to innovation. We are creating huge value for both consumers and investors by focussing on design and user experience as true market differentiators. MDL is a powerful partnership between Method, a world-class innovation and design consultancy based in San Francisco, and London-based Central Saint Martins, one of the world's foremost design Colleges.

"The Hummingbird robotics kit is a spin-off product of Carnegie Mellon's CREATE lab. Hummingbird is designed to enable engineering and robotics activities for ages 10 and up that involve the making of robots, kinetic sculptures, and animatronics built out of a combination of kit parts and crafting materials. Combined with a cross-platform, very easy-to-use visual programming environment, Hummingbird provides a great way to introduce kids to robotics and engineering with construction materials that they are already familiar with. "

In a major new development in the world of health IT, the Data Privacy Lab in the Institute of Quantitative Social Science at Harvard University will soon unveil a health record bank (HRB) that allows anyone to own and manage a complete, secure, digital copy of their health records and wellness information with a free account. This is the first time that a prominent academic institution is hosting an HRB for use by the general public and communities nationwide. The service, called MyDataCan, is a secure and trustworthy technical infrastructure for receiving, storing and facilitating consumer-controlled access to personal information, including medical data. Its design is extensible to cover various forms of personal data, customizable through third-party applications, and benefits from a multimillion-dollar investment by Harvard.

They're called "glanceable" devices, and Massachusetts-based Ambient Devices has been developing them for over a decade. The company spun out of a project at MIT's famed Media Lab with the goal of integrating data points into our lives in a natural, organic way. Ambient's path to building a real business has been an unusual one, producing oddities likes the Orb - a glass sphere capable of glowing different colors to indicate a temperature, stock price, or anything else the user can dream up - and the Umbrella, whose handle would glow when rain was in the forecast.

In the current context of intensified competition, accelerated globalization and economic downturn, many companies are opening their innovation processes by integrating a large pool of partners - individuals, companies, research labs and public structures - in order to innovate more and faster. 'Open Innovation' is now a real buzzword that many companies and academics constantly refer to. To study the reality behind this trend, Accenture and the Institute for Innovation and Competitiveness i7, created by ESCP Europe, have investigated the current practices of companies that have been leveraging Open Innovation for several years to boost their overall innovation performance. They analyzed what Open Innovation changes in the way these companies build and handle external partnerships, organize and stimulate innovation internally. They then studied the perceived impact on innovation performance.

PopTech brings together a global community of innovators from many fields to share insights and work together to create lasting change. Our Fellows programs for social innovators and scientists identify and train some of the world's most promising talent. Our Labs bring together curated and diverse experts to work together on areas of critical significance. Our Initiatives incubate high-impact, collaborative and new approaches to some of the world's toughest problems. Our annual conferences and events are among the highest rated in the United States.

MIT and Harvard, two neighboring universities which often compete for top students, are now collaborating on free online courseware technology. Starting next fall, both schools will offer free courses using a platform based on MIT's previously announced MITx technology.  MITx enables the creation of online classes that knit together video segments, embedded quizzes, interactive feedback, online labs and student-ranked Q&A.

ous trouverez dans cette rubrique les dernières publications majeures de l'Observatoire technologique. Dans le cadre des mandats ou des groupes de travail initiés avec nos partenaires, nous avons mené nos réflexions en veillant à toujours suivre une démarche académique basée sur un travail de recherche approfondi. Une conception sociétale des technologies de l'information et de la communication doit également privilégier les échanges pluridisciplinaires. Nous veillons ainsi à cultiver un réseau de contacts dans des domaines variés, hors de notre champ de compétence, tels que la sociologie, le droit, l'éthique ou la pédagogie. La confrontation de ces visions plurielles enrichit le débat et permet d'éviter l'écueil d'une approche techno-centrique.