Forum for Innovation

Stats wunderkind Nate Silver put together the only chart you’ll ever need on runaway government spending (and the role of entitlements).  Here’s his unforgettable ending:

“The declining level of trust in government since the 1970s is a fairly close mirror for the growth in spending on social insurance as a share of the gross domestic product and of overall government expenditures. We may have gone from conceiving of government as an entity that builds roads, dams and airports, provides shared services like schooling, policing and national parks, and wages wars, into the world’s largest insurance broker.

Most of us don’t much care for our insurance broker.” 

Introducing the Robot Restaurant, a restaurant in Hardin, China where 20 robots cater to your every dining need. Is this a sign of the future (and a need for more outside-the-box thinking)?

“Upon arrival, Usher Robot welcomes customers to the restaurant and directs them to the seating area. Patrons can then place their order, which is relayed by humans to one of the four the robot chefs who are able to cook various styles of dumplings and noodles. The robot chefs even determine the temperature and ingredients for each dish and usually take about 3 minutes to prepare the average order. These robot chefs are no slouches either. The kitchen staff is able to prepare a menu of over 30 dishes–perfect for a family dinner.” 

Is a reduction in sleep the next great source of economic growth? A (likely sleep deprived) student blogger at Oxford University seem to think so, and Garett Jones at EconLog says sleeplessness will drive up wages too. 

GE is out with their new Innovation Barometer; according to their Ideas Lab, the “results call for greater risks from business leaders and more openness from governments.”

Dylan Matthews at Wonkblog cites a McKinsey report that found that the world needs more than $57 trillion in infrastructure spending between now and 2030.