I have just spent one very rewarding week in Israel. Between the 23rd and the 30th of November I have been part of a group of 9 entrepreneurs. The trip was organized and paid by ourselves. It was not a funded or sponsored travel.

I talkedMost important thing new connections and friends

But we came here to learn from the phenomenal energy of entrepreneurship and innovation in Israel. And we learnt a couple of things and above all, were inspired by Israeli entrepreneurship spirit.

Whatever we have learnt was shared with a community of over 400 entrepreneurs that are part of the #NASF community. During our stay in Israel they followed us on social networks (Twitter #NASF and the blog http://nasf.es).  Once in Navarra we are meeting up to tell them our experience first hand.

About the #NASF community

In November 2010 a group of 15 entrepreneurs from Navarra (a small province of Northern Spain of 500.000 inhabitants) travelled to Silicon Valley. The trip was called #NASF (Navarra-San Francisco). They had met on Twitter. Behind #NASF there was not the Chamber of Commerce, not a company, organization or institution. Exclusively entrepreneurs that wanted to learn first hand what entrepreneurship meant in San Francisco. They said no to public and private subventions.

The #NASF guys were so active on social networks that over 400 entrepreneurs joined their community. #NASF (http://nasf.es) became a community of people that  promote entrepreneurship and creative attitudes that issue from civil action.

#NASF people ACT a lot and DEBATE very little. Whoever proposes any new initiative to the community, has to lead it themselves. If you are a #NASF you may not say “Why don’t we do this?”, you just say “I am doing this, will you join me?”.

They meet up quite often and carry out several activities connected with entrepreneurship in their region. But #NASF is not an association. #NASF people define their movement as an attitude, a SPIRIT (their TWITTER id is @EspirituNASF “NASF SPIRIT”. There are only a few rules  they follow:

1)    It is about creativity and entrepreneurship

2)    People act always as individuals, not as organizations. Behind #NASF there is not any company, organization or institution.

3)    Just Lead!, don’t say “shall we do?”

4)    They don’t accept any kind of public money or private donations or sponsors.

After several months of hard work and fun, we are about to release Pulitzer, PULITZER[1]. Play and Learn English,  a Facebook-based social game that helps you learn English the fun way.  There is also a web based version of the game for those that will not use FB.

In the game, Joe Pulitzer is a journalist working for a news agency called Amazing News. Pulitzer has to travel around the world to obtain as much information as possible to publish his articles. The protagonist needs to complete successfully grammar exercises, maintain several dialogues and solve questions and enigmas in order to travel to the next city or stage.

Have a look at this video below to see the game in action. But let’s Show, don’t tell:

The first episode of Pulitzer (entitled The mysterious secret of Hugh Grand) is being released in November 2011. This episode requires 6 hours of playing and learning. It will be the first of a total of 18.

¿What do you think? We want to sell it all over the World, ¿would you give us a hand?

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[1] The name of the game is a homage to Joseph Pulitzer (April 10, 1847 -October 29, 1911) also known as Joe. J. Pulitzer is best known for the journalism prizes that bear his name. He was an American editor, born in Mako (Hungary), known for his fierce competition with William Randolph Hearst.

I paid a visti to Grütas Park (also known as Stalin’s World)  in Southern Lithuania. It is a surreal experience. It combines beauty, horror, morale and nostalgia.

Grütas Park is an open air exhibition of 86 statues of Lithuania’s Soviet-era, as well as hundreds of other relics from the times of the Lithuanian SSR: pictures of Lenin, Pioneer drums, communist flags, paintings, etc

It was founded in 2001 by entrepreneur Viliumas Malinauskas, a wealthy snail, berry and mushroom farmer. From 1989-91, during the restoration of Lithuanian independence, many ideologized monuments from the Soviet times were dismantled and were about to be destroyed, as happened in the neighbouring republics.

Grūtas Park and its founder Malinauskas won the 2001 Ig Nobel Peace Prize. The Ig Nobel Prizes are an American parody of the Nobel Prizes and are given for trivial “achievements” in scientific research. The self proclaimed aim of the prizes is to “first make people laugh, and then make them think”.

To enhance the surreal athmosphere, the park also contains playgrounds, a mini-zoo and cafes. On special occasions actors stage re-enactments of various Soviet-sponsored festivals.On the 1 of April each year Grūtas Park shows “live” characters of the Soviet period: Lenin, Stalin, pioneers, partisans, secretaries of the central committee, etc.

These slides below were originally shown at UPNA (Public University of Navarre. The small auditorium was incedentally full with Software Engineering Students).

The purpose of the presentation was to emphasize the window of opportunity that is opening for those developing contents using HTML5 for mobile devices.

The argument went a bit like this:

-The Internet becomes increasingly mobile. Month after month, Internet traffic on mobile devices grows, compared to the desktop web.

-There are many incompatible mobile operating systems: IOS (Iphone-IPAD), Android (Google), RIM (Blackberry) WebOS (HP-PALM), Symbian (Nokia), BADA (Samsung).

-Html5 offers the opportunity to have a standard for creating graphical content for mobile internet friendly, running on any device: iPhone, Android, Windows, Blackberry, etc.

-Moreover, being html mobile content indexed by Google and can be analyzed by tools like Google Analytics.

A Feedback Conf is an event organized by NASF, a non profit group that carries out actions supporting entrepeneurship, mostly in our home region Navarre.

A Feedback Conf is a gathering of people who will share knowledge. People present business projects to an audience that is willing to help by giving feedback. It is therefore a form of crowd sourcing, a way to benefit from the wisdom of many.

It all was concieved during the trip of the founding NASF parents from Navarre to San Francisco in december 2010. NASF actually stands for NAvarre-San Francisco. I wanted to tell my fellow travellers about the entrepreneurship projects in which Marque is involved, so that I could make the most of the wisdom and generous attitude of my fellow travellers. It was eventually imposible to find the neccessary time to get together and have one hour.  I was suggested to do it when back in Navarre. An so did I. I presented FeedBack Conf to an audience of 200 people at the first official meeting of NASF on December the 21^st

We are making confs regularly on the last Thursday of every mont. On the 31^st of March we are gathering for the 3^rd FeedBack Conf. The experience of the previous confs, my word, was extremely positive. See posts about our first conf and the second feedback conf.

Win-win

What I find most appealling of the Feedback confs is the fact that it is a win-win event.

Personally, I firmly believe that being open about  your innovations is much more beneficial than to keep it in the bottom of your heart so that nobody steals it from you. I act accordingly and find unvaluable feedback and profitable connections about everywhere.

As for the Feedback Conf – Feeders (the ones presenting their business projects) they benefit obviously from the feedback, they learn to present their projects in public, find some business collaborations (investors, suppliers, partners, employees, employers) and make public the “ownership” of their projects. I mean “let the world now that I am the one working on that”.

As for the feedbackers (the audience giving feedback), we learn from the new projects, we learn to develop analytical skills and to speak in public, and we obviously learn from the enriching suggestions of the fellow feedbackers.

There is also beneficial networking for both Feedbackers and Feeders.

Incidentally, for those of you who are not close to Pamplona during the events, there are streamed live from Feedbackconf.com

This is the video (by 601) shown at the ceremony of the CLUSTERTIC AWARDS 2010. I explain the innovation areas we work on: Virtual worlds, Augmented Reality,  Facebook applications (including games) and Smartphone applications (including html5). One post some weeks ago explained all this stuff: http://eduardovalencia.com/2010/12/02/about-our-innovation-methododology/

We have been awarded the CLUSTERTIC 2010 “Most Innovative IT Firm Award”. The Councillor of Innovation, Business and Employment of the Government of Navarre, Mr. José María Roig Aldasoro handed out the prize.

I could hardly conceal the joy of the moment. A number of Family and Friends (and Fools) were cheering enthusiastically at the moment

My job at MARQUE is dedicated to devising, developing and marketing innovative solutions for the Internet Communication and Marketing.

I don’t belong to the kind of IT entrepreneurs that can be linked to one single area of development.

Though most people would warn you against such a non-focused approach, we are trying to develop innovative solutions on a variety of technologies. These include nowadays virtual worlds, applications for social media (i.e. Facebook), augmented reality and smart-phone applications.

Providing innovative communication solutions on the ever-changing Internet demands fast learning. Personally, I would get rather bored if I had to stay ages working with one single technological environment.

Our innovation way

1. FEEDING

On a daily basis I will read about 500 blog posts. These feeds are certainly the main source of knowledge and inspiration. I would star (select) some of then on READER and bookmark and tag others on delicious. Good ideas arise when well fed. An instance of an innovation by Marque: a. Serious gaming grows. b. Facebook Social Gaming rules. a+b: Why don’t we attempt to add social gaming mechanics to learning games on facebook?

2. VALIDATING and ADDING VALUE

Whenever inspiration arrives, it is time to share the new innovation proposal with our colleagues at Marque. We will discuss the benefits and devise a number of new approaches that will add further value to it: Language learning might be a ripe field for Facebook learning games. We might develop a graphical adventure instead of a classical building game, such as Farmville, FrontierVille and the like. It may include visiting many real cities with real venues…

3. PROTOTYPING

Designing and programming a working demo is a must for making customers understand what it is about.

4. MARKETING

A plan is needed, it includes identifying customers, financing, communication and commercial efforts. The plan is then taken into action.

5 . MEASURING

Okay. I have to admit that we are just beginning to come to terms with the necessity of measuring the results of our innovating efforts. In general , it takes at least 18 months to be ready to asses the results of any innovation, from prototyping to fully marketing.

What we are working on right now

As for the READY-TO-MARKET environments we are strong mostly at virtual worlds, augmented reality and mobile geolocation.

As for the innovations NEEDING further financing

1. The checkin Company.

Definition: Tailor made checkin applications. You name it we make it: games, foursquare-like, tourism oriented location reach applications, etc.

Customers: tourism, non profits,

When: working on it since January 2010.

Needs: partners, investors or customers.

2. Offline 3D ready offline AR browser

Definition: Augmented reality browser. 3D + 2D. It works offline-online. Good at 3D rendering.

Customers: tourism, archaeology, museums, natural parks, real estate, public works

When: working on it since January 2010.

Needs: partners, investors or customers.

3. Facebook multilingual fan pages

Definition: Multilingua Facebook pages using automatic translation plus user editing.

Customers: medium to big firms wanting to have a multilingual Facebook page where all users read in their chosen language.

When: working on it since January 2010.

Needs: customers.

4. Social Serious game for language learning (Spanish – English – Other…)

Definition: Facebook based social game for task oriented language learning.

Customers: tourism, archaeology, museums, natural parks, real estate, public works

When: working on it since May 2010.

Needs: content partners, investors or customers.

I had a chance to review live the state of the art of  Language learning in Virtual Worlds at Eurocal 2010 in Bordeaux  (8-11 september). The V-lang consortium, to witch we belong, is  developping a virtual world designed for language learning in OpenSim and a specific methodology for language learning in virtual worlds: http://eduardovalencia.com/2010/03/10/11/

EUROCALL (the European Association for Computer Assisted Language Learning) aims to provide a European focus for the promulgation of innovative research, development and practice relating to the use of technologies for language learning.

5 projects of Virtual Worlds for Language Learning

This year in Bordeux Virtual Worlds for Language learning were one of the areas of the Conference.

I had the chance of listening to the presentations of as many as 5 different Virtual Worlds projects that have dealt with Language Learning.

• LSE Second Life exhibition Déjà Vu? http://eurocall2010.u-bordeaux4.fr/docs_en/PCW8.htm
• 3D world environments for second language learning: An evaluation of SIMiLLE http://chimera69.essex.ac.uk/SIMiLLE_Project

• NIFLAR (Networked Interaction in Foreign Language Acquisition and Research). http://www.niflar.eu

• AVALON. http://www.avalonlearning.eu

• Vocabulary Development in a Virtual World. Learning Chinese vocabulary in Second Life (sorry I got no link)

Featured projects: Déjà Vu and NIFLAR

I was particularly impressed by two projects: LSE Déjà vu and  NIFLAR. Both are very strong at developing task oriented language learning in virtual worlds.

LSE Second Life Exhibition: Déjà vu is a virtual exhibition in Second Life that has been developed jointly by students learning French at the LSE (London School of Economics).

The LSE project consists of an art exhibition by the French artist Michel Herreria, where students participate by leaving their written notes and oral recordings with their comments on the multimedia works by Michel.

On the other hand they learn to build objects in Second Life (note cards, images for creating posters/clothing, etc). This creative experience is carried out in the target language (French).

NIFLAR is also a task based project. It runs both in Second Life and in Open Sim. Students have to carry a number of  different activities in their virtual world, such as 1) They visit a virtual apartment: they have to discuss what they like and dislike in it. They also decide on what to do next: go to the cinema or pay a visit to Valencia, or a museum. 2) They visit to a rather bad Hotel. They have to complain at the reception. 3) A quizz contest on cultural subjects.

Conclusions by most projects

Though projects differ in their methodologies, there are some points on which they all agree.

a. Virtual worlds have a great potential in Language learning and teaching

b. Projects turn out to be motivating both for the students and instructors

c. Task based activities are favoured over other methodologies

d. Virtual worlds are not likely to go mainstream for a while, mostly because of the high technological requirements (graphical boards and the like…) and the hard user interface.

There is more to Layar that simply adding rounded Points OF Information (hence POIs) and linking web pages. It is true that georeferenced POIS ant web content are most useful. But Layar offers more than that.  Marque, my firm, is an official Layar Developper.

1. 3D content

Since December 2009 you can add 3D objects on Layar.  This feature is most useful to show to the world whatever doesn’t exist yet or  what no longer exists, i.e. the past and the futre. As for the past, we could see a Roman building on a spot where now we can just see a number of 10 cm-tall ruins. As for the future, imagine a bridge that is to be built in 2 years or your new house. These 3D objects may have web pages linked to them so that further information can be read on the subject.

2. Audio or video

Both audio and video can be played directly in the Layar application.

3. Proximity triggers

Proximity triggers define an action that will occur when the user comes in proximity to a location.  This feature enables LAYAR as a platform for AR Gaming.  We maydeveloping a nice SCAVENGER HUNT: your hidden object only appears  when you are within 10 meters of it, it may take you to a website containing tips for finding the next spot.  See this code search campaign created by Euro RSCG 4D to promote parties throughout Europe and – more specifically – the new Volvo S60. More info on www.amsterdamadblog.com:

4. Log-in allows checkin

It is possible to personalize the Layar experience by letting users log into their service enabling for instance check-in services.

5. New exciting features of Layar 4

On June 18ht Layar celebrated  the first anniversary of the Platform.

Major announcements on the anniversary included a strategic partnership with Kooaba for image recognition, and the introduction of AR messaging with Floaticons. Layar adds AR messaging with cool 3D Floaticons

http://www.vimeo.com/12767231