This week’s Thought You Should See This update for my friends at Doblin:

A couple of themes emerged from innovation land this week: how to design the spaces in which we work, and how to think about innovation frontiers. In particular, a new report from the Brookings Institution called for the government to fund a water sciences innovation center—and a “regional clean economy consortia initiative,” whatever that means.

Also this week on Thought You Should See This:

Andrew Cogan, CEO of furniture maker Knoll, talks about innovation (and the evolution of design) within the workplace.

John Hagel and John Seely Brown ask what it might mean to redesign work systems to focus on the flow of people and ideas.

Author Frank Rose looks at the time it takes for new mediums to reach maturity. His new book, The Art of Immersion, describes a “new grammar of storytelling” that’s native to the internet and the networked world.

The creative co-option of everyday technology is beautifully demonstrated in the trailer for a new animation feature, Henry Waltz.

Electronic Arts bought PopCap Games for a deal that could reach $1.3 billion. Veteran investor Bill Gross confesses that the speed of change within the gaming industry has stunned him.

Two Danish authors make the case that the U.S. sucks at sustainability precisely because of its focus on innovation.

Zipcar co-founder Robin Chase outlines why carsharing might just solve the world’s transportation issues.

Napster’s Sean Parker explains why he’s so excited that music service Spotify just arrived in the United States. He also refers to the “record business,” which is adorable.

And finally, London digital design outfit the Light Surgeons created an outrageously beautiful typographic installation for the National Maritime Museum in London. Talk about an immersive experience.

This week’s Thought You Should See This update for my friends at Doblin:

Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg outlines her nuanced attitude to women in the workplace—and her own approach to her career.

Tesco’s South Korean chain Home Plus converts the walls of a subway station into a virtual supermarket, allowing commuters to zap QR codes on pictures of food they want to buy… and expect a delivery by the time they get home.

Teague creative director Tad Toulis outlines his thesis that competitive collaboration is the means by which robust business of the future will be built.

As Facebook and Google announce their latest videochat capabilities, The Atlantic‘s Alexis Madrigal describes the introductions as “the cupholder of social networking.”

Nasahn Sheppard of Smart Design writes a bizarre piece defending the design and strategy decisions of the Flip camera, recently shut down by Cisco.

And finally, a good piece in Fast Company looks at a new service innovation proposition from Blockbuster which includes a late fee that’s not a late fee and is a great example of how to misjudge the tone of a marketing campaign.

This week’s Thought You Should See This update for my friends at Doblin:

Google provided the stories of the week, with a flood of stories following the launch of Google+, the company’s latest stab at helping users to organize their digital lives. Tech veteran Dave Winer wrote a pointed piece arguing that “you can’t make revolution with employees,” neatly outlining a critical challenge facing the leaders of all large companies. A must-read.

Also this week on Thought You Should See This:

Also from Google, announcements that its much ballyhooed healthcare and energy initiatives, Google Health and Google PowerMeter will be retired.

Usability design expert Jared Spool weighs in on the thorny topic of how to get executives to understand the value of user interface/experience design.

Professor Renata Saleci narrates an excellent animation video looking at the challenges of increased options in The Paradox of Choice.

Animation duo Soandsau create a glorious music video in which the singer is a lifesize Bunraku puppet and the visuals form an extravagant homage to tribal African masks.

The Natural Resources Defense Council publishes a report estimating that TV set-top boxes consume $3 billion in electricity in the United States every year. There are real opportunities for innovation in addressing that “always-on” state.

A profile of Alison Cohen, president of Alta Bicycle Share, outlines the importance of building a robust network, thinking of suppliers as partners rather than vendors.

Processing coding language inventors Ben Fry and Casey Reas describe their tongue-in-cheek mission statement, which has underpinned their digital design work for the past decade.

Writer Justin McGuirk looks at the sustainable design movement, and finds it sorely lacking. Sustainability, he writes, “suggests the flatlining of human ambition.” The challenge here is not about products or even services; it’s systemic.

The 11th Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, a “garden within a garden” in the grounds of the London art gallery, was designed by Swiss architect, Peter Zumthor.

Tim O’Reilly flags a story outlining Hewlett-Packard’s R&D initiatives in China. “So much for the idea that we do the innovating here [in the U.S.],” he commented.

British design leader Paul Priestman outlines a new concept for travel which involves trains that never stop. “We’re trying to run a 21st century service on an 19th century infrastructure,” he says.

The Eyeo Festival lured the great and the good from the world of data visualization to Minneapolis. At the heart of the discussion: how to marry the science of data with the artistry of design.

That’s it for this week. As always, send feedback, tips to me at helen_walters@doblin.com.

Apparently there’s some holiday in the U.S. this weekend. No idea what that’s about (says the Brit, as she ducks.) Regardless of your nationality, have a wonderful weekend!

I’ve been putting together updates detailing the posts I’ve written that week for Thought You Should See This and been sending it round to the good folks at Doblin. Thought I might start collating these notes here too, with a view, I suppose, to developing a more formal newsletter at some point (if there’s interest.) So, TYSST this week:

Kudos and hat tips this week to two Doblinistas. Erik Kiaer sent word of a slightly alarming piece in which the author claimed that innovation shortcuts are there for the taking. Hogwash, of course, though the writer’s slightly more nuanced point, that innovators might think to be open and alert to what’s around them, is well taken.

Meanwhile, Henry King flagged this month’s Nature profile of Erez Lieberman Aiden. The molecular biologist and applied mathematician wears many hats, including as researcher and developer for Google, where he created the Books Ngram Viewer. It’s a super story, well worth the read.

Also this week on Thought You Should See This:

Simple loveliness from British architect, artist and designer, Asif Khan, who created a whimsical installation for this year’s Art Basel event.

Scott Cook, co-founder of Intuit, details the company’s internal innovation process–and has advice for those looking to learn from customers.

Fun creative virtuosity over at YouTube, where user OHAD122 mixed a Radiohead track using only existing video clips.

IBM celebrates its one hundredth anniversary; The New Yorker celebrated the company’s design consciousness.

Flickr co-founder Caterina Fake pre-announced her new venture: “something consumer-facing, something social.”

“Open Cities” artfully demonstrates the trend for using the fabric of the city as creative canvas.

The CEO of Storytree writes a couple of thoughtful posts about “The Designer-Driven Startup.”

Rob Gifford of NPR looks at the challenges of supporting or nurturing innovation in China–along with the thorny topic of intellectual property rights there.

Ford announces new font design on interior controls in Ford Edge and Explorer crossovers.

Former Mozilla CEO John Lilly reveals some of his leadership and management tricks, in an excellent Q&A in Fast Company.