From coins to keys to gewgaws, we dig LaCie's multiple takes on the flash drive for their sheer variety of forms and amount of thought they've put into the devices. The coins in particular make the perfect currency metaphor for data, with the numerical capacity indicated on its face, and we love the way the interface emerges from the housing:

Then they've got this little 69-ish DataShare device, which cleverly recycles your old SD cards:

Each side uses an SD card inserted into its slot as its storage, and it's broken into two halves--distinctly different red and white--so you can keep your personal data on one, and public data on the other.

The Ars Electronica Center is the second main location of Ars Electronica 2010. This so called "Museum of the Future" can't be missed due to its striking architecture. The center along the Donau river showcases new technologies to its visitors in order to create insights and learn more about how technology affects our everyday lives.

In front of the Deep Space room, people can't wait to meet with ASIMO, Honda's state of the art humanoid robot who is making its Austrian debut this weekend. Especially the lucky visitors which have been chosen to "play" with ASIMO on stage.

Lots of flashlights when ASIMO says "Hi". Even though the developers say ASIMO has no gender, most people consider him as a him as a little boy (being 130 centimeters tall). After introducing Honda's robot history, a short dance and kicking a soccer ball ASIMO needs to leave the stage for a power refill.

More ASIMO after the jump.

The Department of Energy just selected 20 Universities to compete in building a solar-powered house and Parsons School of Design made the cut for the 2011 competition.

Parsons is teaming up with the Stevens Institute of Technology to provide solar-powered Habitat for Humanity housing for residents of the low-income Deanwood neighborhood of Ward 7 in Washington, D.C.

The design consists of two modules that unite to form a functioning solar duplex. Each module is sustainable on its own, but they achieve peak efficiency when joined together. Module One will be assembled in Deanwood, and Module Two will be displayed on the National Mall for Solar Decathlon 2011. After the competition, the two modules will be connected to form a duplex that can house two families.

According to Parsons, "the duplex's primary power is generated using hybrid photovoltaic thermal cells, which produce electric energy and collect thermal energy to boost overall efficiency."

The dean of Parsons, Joel Towers, tells me that the Solar Decathlon projects involves dozens of classes in architecture, urban planning, design and technology.

When I began the Most Innovative Companies annual survey with BCG's James Andrew, nearly all the top 50 companies were American. This year, more than half of the most innovative companies in the world came from Asia and Europe. Despite all hoopla and blah-blah about innovation among CEOs in the US, the actual building of the rituals and processes that produce innovation is increasingly taking place outside America. With the S&P 500 stuck at 1999 levels, the profit proof is in the pudding. There has been an innovation mirage in the US over the past decade, perhaps two.

The new story lies in the BRICs--China, India and Brazil. Last year Greater China (including Taiwan) was 46 out of 50 in the survey. This year it is tied with Japan. Lenovo, BYD, Haier, China Mobile and HTC are on the list.