I was mentioning in a previous post the Technology Quarterly section of the most recent Economist edition. In that same section The Economist is announcing this year’s innovation awards. Below the excerpts describing my favourites among the winners:
Computing and communications: Janus Friis and Niklas Zennström of Skype, for the development of internet file-sharing and telephony using peer-to-peer technology, which allows millions of computers to link up over the internet without central co-ordination. In 2000 Messrs Friis and Zennström launched KaZaA, which became the dominant means of sharing music and video files, despite attempts by the entertainment industry to shut it down. Skype, launched in 2003, lets users make free phone calls over the internet, forcing traditional telecoms operators to slash their prices.
[and]
No boundaries: Pierre Omidyar, founder and chairman of eBay, for the development of electronic marketplace technology and his promotion of access to markets as a tool for social change. Mr Omidyar set up eBay in 1995 with the aim of creating a marketplace accessible to any internet user. The business was profitable by 1996. People all over the world buy and sell items in 45,000 categories; some even make a living trading on eBay.
