This year's Core77 Design Awards are in full swing and there are some great entries. One area that we take particular interest in is the Social Impact category. Designing for social impact is an exciting field and is gaining interest as it uses design thinking to address global challenges. The professional winner, Biolite homestove, is a wood burning stove that can also charge a mobile phone. 

A large proportion of the global population do not have access to broadband or even reliable 3G networks but this could change with some out of the box thinking from Google. Google is currently exploring several innovative ways to deliver internet services to connect more people to the internet which include blimps to television airwaves. Loon is right up there with crazy ideas that could just work. Loon is being piloted right now with a network of balloons 20 kilometers above New Zealand. If Google can make Loon work globally, expect big changes in the near future.

Acumen, specialize in investing in projects that have potential to alleviate global poverty and recently announced +Acumen online leadership academy. The courses are free and are aligned with Acumen's vision to empower more people to gain new skills and tools to change the world. Four courses are available right now, Lean for Social Impact, Storytelling for Change, Acumen Leadership Essentials and Human-Centered Design for Social Innovation which is in partnership with IDEO.

Evernote, a company that produces note and archiving software, is making plans to be around for a while, a hundred years at least. Fast Company has an interview with Evernote CEO Phil Libin, who believes that for a 100 year startup to succeed, a culture of design is essential. This culture is essential because it ensures that any product delivered is tested and improved before launching while maintaining motivation. Recommended reading for anyone who is building an innovative culture. 

Big news from Apple this week; not only has vice president of Design, Jonathan Ive, played a big role in the new iOS7 operating system but there is a new Mac Pro desktop computer. The aesthetics of iOS7 have shifted away from imitating real materials such as leather. The result is a slicker software experience that is better aligned to the beautiful hardware. The new Mac Pro, shown above, is a big leap in re-imagining the desktop computer, the cylindrical machine is unlike anything on the market today and we imagine that there will soon be many imitations of the form.

The Index Awards is a biennial event that celebrates designs that improve life. 60 Finalists were announced last week from over 1000 nominations from 73 countries. This year sees a wide range of entries in themes such as Food, Money and New Value, Environment and Climate Adaption, Mobility. Lifestyle and Education. While there are sophisticated products such as Google Glass or Ekso™, many entries address the needs of the developing world. Our favorites include Sanergy, a system which turns waste into energy, Mine Kafon, a wind powered mine clearing product and d.light, a company building affordable solar lights.

Demand for 3D printers is growing with a new factory being opened by MakerBot in Brooklyn, New York. This demand is not only good news for New York, but also the rest of the world and there are signs that 3D printing could be another example of leapfrog technology in Africa. While the continent does not have a strong manufacturing economy, this could change if more entrepreneurs harness the possibilities of small scale custom making.

 The Gordon Institute of Business Science in Johannesburg is hosting an open evening later this month. The MBA/PDBA Open evening will take place on the 27th of June where the different programs will be explained by students and lecturers. The MBA program at GIBS is interesting because it has a choice between General Management and Entrepreneurship tracks. If you are thinking of starting your MBA pop along to GIBS. You might even bump into Tasos; he is a guest lecturer on innovation, technology, entrepreneurship and design at GIBS. 

Working as an intern at Google is probably the first choice for many young people. While not everyone will get the opportunity, you can get a glimpse a Noogler’s a-Google-intern's-first week by watching this video. Enjoy. 

Dezeen has an interesting article that explores 3D printing in fashion. While the article is mainly about fashion designer Iris van Herpen, it also looks at how not only haute couture, but also streetwear is influencing the industry. The above image is a bow tie by Monocircus. 

While many of us have good habits like using the first hour of the day productively, an important part of work today involves having a great team. Marina Kim has some good advice on how to enable a team in this Forbes article, Leading For Longevity: 4 Tips To Build Teams That Last. Kim co-founded Ashoka U in 2008 and works in a small but very productive team. The four key takeaways from the article are ownership and accountability, space and flexibility, regular team retreats and year-round feedback. An interesting concept is working vacations or workations as they are known, which is when you get work done in an exotic location.

Seth Godin, the author of great books such as Linchpin, Tribes and The Icarus Deception recently published his 5000th blog post. This is an impressive feat that has taken him 10 years to accomplish which means that he is posting at least once or twice a day. The great thing about Godin’s blog is that everything he writes is interesting and useful. We are looking forward to the next 5000 posts.

With Tesla Motors paying off a very substantial US Department of Energy loan 9 years earlier than expected and with sales of the Model S challenging established brands it seems the company is on a winning streak. So why has Tesla been able to go from near bankruptcy to paying off over 450  million dollars? It is most likely a combination of the leadership of Elon Musk, the tipping point of EVs and design. Core77 has an interview with Javier Verdura, Director of Product Design & Project Management at Tesla Motors that gives insights into the importance of design, Supercharging and working with Elon Musk.

Every now and then we come across a design that is super useful. The August Smart Lock is one of those. The lock replaces conventional keys with with a smart phone app and a cylindrical device which covers the deadbolt. August opens doors in two ways, it works with Bluetooth, so when you approach the door it opens or works via remote and opens the door even if you are not close to home. This means you can open your house if you are not home. August is another great design by fuseproject. 

While drones make many people think of weapons, a few South Africans have come up with a better idea. Darkwing Aerials have developed a prototype octocopter that can deliver beer. The idea will be used at Oppikoppi, a music festival in South Africa. People will be able to order one free can of Windhoek beer through an app, which will be delivered by the octocopter to within 1 meter of the thirsty recipient. See one of the first prototypes here. Via Springwise. 

While many of us already know several of these designers, we think Design Giants, 13 talks curated by TED is worth seeing by everyone. We recommend Yves Behar and John Maeda if you can’t watch all of them.

BRCK is a battery powered internet router developed by Ushahidi. BRCK aims to serve areas with limited availability to power by creating a wifi hotspot anywhere. The Ushahidi team have experience in getting data, now they are moving into supplying internet connectivity. BRCK’s motto “if it works in Africa, it will work anywhere,” helped define the rugged design of the innovative product, we think it will be a huge success. 

While designing our Arivi Eva stove we gained an appreciation of well designed stoves, our latest favourite is the Baker Stove. Claesson Koivisto Rune, a Swedish architectural and industrial design studio collaborated with Top Third Ventures to produce a wood burning rocket stove. The stove is more efficient than traditional three stone fires and has lower emissions. It is set to retail for $59, which seems expensive, but using the product results in a 69% savings in wood use. The Baker Stove is currently fundraising on Indiegogo.

We are currently reading inGenius, A crash Course on Creativity by Tina Seelig, a book that explores ways in which everyone can be more innovative. Seelig is Executive Director of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program. InGenuis uses learnings from the d.school curriculum and has excerpts from the book at Fast Company. The first one, How Reframing A Problem Unlocks Innovation looks at how changing our perspective make it is possible to find innovative solutions. The second article, 5 Ways To Innovate By Cross-Pollinating Ideas includes tools that are useful for people in organizations who want to be more effective and innovative.

While many people may not be aware of opportunities in the huge pet product market, the people behind Petcube know that by combining pets and technology they can create interesting products. Petcube is a camera and laser pointer that you can control with your smartphone. Which means you can be sitting in your office and play games with your cat. Sounds weird, we know, but we think the idea has potential.