The Imagine Cup is an annual competition calling on students around the world to create technology applications that make the world a better place. There are video game and digital arts categories, but the one that interested me most was software design -- seven finalists from colleges and universities around the country competing to find ways to improve the environment, reduce carbon footprints, and make smarter use of natural resources.

And one of the participating students actually said it more concisely. "We're trying to do something that hasn't been done before, merging creativity with innovation and technology."

The Imagine Cup was part of a two-day, Microsoft-sponsored event in Los Angeles built around innovation and technology. Writer and PBS personality Tavis Smiley lauded this morning's participants and attendees for their ideas and contributions. "Courage, conviction, and commitment is what it takes to be an innovator," he told the audience, composed largely of local high school students. And most people never summon the courage it takes to risk failure. "The greatest ideas in this country can be found in graveyards," Smiley said, recalling something his grandfather often repeated. "Most people never act on their great ideas and take them to the grave instead."

That courage piece got forgotten later in a sidebar among some panelists over whether China and India are technology's new leaders, and which country is the most competitive. What I appreciate about competitions like this is the encouragement of risk-taking, where failure is a real possibility. It's a place where every country and culture could benefit.

I was really encouraged by the imagination of people and more so, people who dare to risk to succeed. It remind me of the person by the name Thomas Edison. He quoted this "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

I believe that is what it takes for people to go far not in terms of invention alone, but also in other areas. Everyday a person imagine of something new. But the question is how much risk are we taking for that imagination to become reality.