Hello...
In these turbulent times some GOOD NEWS! Below you'll find four GOOD NEWS ideas to inform and inspire you, including...
Also a few LINKS to share...
I want to personally invite you to check out the links below --- the latest editions of our newsletter and our next ONLINE professional development class:
Scroll down to see my good news ideas #108 through #111.
-- Joel
Joel Barker
futurist, filmmaker, author
Joel Barker COLLECTION at the Global Dialogue Center
HEALTH
#108 - Silver Filter cleans Water Fast
Everyone knows how important clean water is to good health. And yet billions of people around the world do not have access to this precious resource.
Now, thanks to Yi Cui of Stanford University, there may be a simple, effective way to purify water. His process starts with an assumption that filtering out bacteria from polluted water is not enough. So his team added two elements to the filter design: the first is silver nano wires because silver is known to kill bacteria; second is a small electrical current running through carbon nanotubes which are part of the filter design.
The energy used is 80% less than is typically used by filtration systems and it can process a much larger amount of water in the same time. Key to commercializing the process will be the development of low-cost silver wire which will be driven by demand. A couple of big government orders could create just such a demand.
The Economist magazine: Oct 23, 2010, page 98
Google: "Water filter with silver threads"
PHOTO: Cotton fibers dipped in silver nanowires.
Credit: Yi Cui, Stanford University.
TRANSPORTATION
#109 - China Invents the "Straddle" Bus
How many times have you been stuck in traffic and said to yourself, "If I could just elevate my car and float over this mess!" Someone in China had the same idea and acted on it.
The idea is simple: the bus is elevated on side walls with wheels inside them so that it rides above the traffic. These vertical extensions are wider than the cars it straddles. While the cars stay in their lanes, the bus passes over them. Now, I see a couple of problems, like drivers wanting to change lanes as the straddle bus passes over them. But that can probably be dealt with by special lighting and sound signals from the bus.
What is important here is that the Chinese are creating another "lane" of traffic for buses on the already existing roadway. And, because they are just building their new highways, they can plan for this technology.
The Utne Reader, Nov-Dec, 2010, page 19
Google: "Straddle bus", "Shenzhen Hashi Future Parking Equipment Co."
URL: To photos and VIDEO source at this link:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1185605
AMAZING DISCOVERIES
#110 - Really Long-lived Bacteria
Bacteria on the Artic sea floor have been discovered that have been hibernating for up to 100 million years! They were found as part of a study of biological activity in sea sediment by the Norweigans. Their discover changes the paradigm on "long life" and access to ancient DNA.
New Scientist, Sept. 2, 2010, page 16
ENERGY
#111 - Better Batteries for Electric Cars
Batteries are so important to moving from fossil fuel to electricity because our major transportation modes of cars and buses and trucks will need better batteries to make the change. A researcher at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab has figured out a better way to make lithium batteries, so that they are safer, longer lasting and easier to manufacture.
The researcher, Hany Eitouni, has formed a company, Seeo, and is building a pilot factory to produce his new battery design. This could have positive effects for both transportation and energy storage of electricity produced by wind generators.
Technology Review, Sept/Oct 2010, page 56
Hello again, Ready for some more GOOD NEWS? Below you'll find five GOOD NEWS ideas to inform and inspire you, including... Also two LINKS to share... Iwant to personally invite you to check out two links below --- the latest edition of our newsletter and our next ONLINE professional development class: -- Joel
from Joel Barker and Debbe Kennedy http://tinyurl.com/2brqpwp
Why to SMART people say No! to your great ideas? Answer this question and discover how to change their response with 10 tactics and 3 success strategies. Join us on Thursday, SEPTEMBER 16
http://www.howtogetbuyinfornewideas.com
Scroll down to see my good news ideas #103 through #107.
Joel Barker COLLECTION at the Global Dialogue Center
GOOD NEWS IDEAS #103 - #107
MATERIALS
#103 - Dandelion Rubber?
Most of us think of dandelions as yellow weeds. But it turns out one Russian variety may be able to produce rubber as part of its growth cycle. If this turns out to be successful, it could be planted twice a year in good climates and be more productive than the rubber trees that presently provide natural rubber. Because it is a weed, it is tough and resilient. The trick will be to adjust its DNA to produce significant amounts of the rubber. Research is going on both in Germany and in America.
The Economist Magazine, January 2, 2010 p. 60
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/08/05/dandelion-rubber.html
ENERGY
#104 - Nuclear Waste Storage
Just as interest is heating up again for nuclear fission power reactors, so is the ongoing question of where to store the waste. Sandia National Laboratory has a new answer that is surprisingly simple--drill very deep boreholes and bury the waste two kilometers deep (about 1.2 miles) in hard, crystalline basement rock which is available in most of the United States. This means no long distance transportation and a wide dispersal of the waste materials. Why didn't we do this 25 years ago? We didn't have the drilling technology to go this deep. If this solution works out, it lowers the cost of storage as it makes it much safer.
New Scientist, April 6, 2010 Magazine Issue 2754, page 9
Drilling Deep Under the US to Dispose of Nuclear Wasteby Phil McKenna
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20627544.600-drilling-deep-under-the-us-to-dispose-of-nuclear-waste.html
TRANSPORTATION (2)
A Texas company named MileMeter is proposing a new way to purchase your insurance--based on the miles you drive. In a sense, you get what you need and no more. And, also, low mileage drivers aren't underwriting high mileage drivers. This idea is very interesting to me because it is also a potential model for how road taxes might be raised for electric cars, many of which will never need a single gallon of gas. Brookings Institute did research on this kind of insurance and found that it will probably lower driving miles by about 8% if it were adopted.
Illustration by Peter Arkle
Cliff Kukang, author, Fast Company, April 2010, page 32
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/144/insurance-by-the-mile.html
#106 - French Cars
Electric Motors in Each Wheel
Even as the first electric cars are rolling out (think Nissan's Leaf), new design ideas are flourishing. One area of focus is where to put the electric motor or motors. Michelin tire company is the leader in the concept of an "active wheel" in which both the electric motor and the suspension are located inside the wheel. That would mean four wheel drive and no need for a special place to put the motor which means more room for storage space and batteries. It looks like the French have done it again. By the way, be sure to watch the video at the site. It is very impressive!
http://www.gizmag.com/michelin-active-wheel-production-electric-car-by-2010/10489/
RESOURCES
#107 - Cleaning Water Cheaply
The present paradigm for cleaning water is to use a lot of complex expensive equipment to do it. But maybe not in the future. Research done on the cactus plant indicates that these plants have a very efficient way of removing both pollutants and bacteria from dirty water. Norma Alcantar at the University of South Florida and her team looked into the way the prickly pear cactus gets its water. They found that its "mucilage", a kind of gum it uses to store water, causes the impurities to clump together and settle out. The researchers will now look at the best way to apply this technology cheaply.
New Scientist, April 24, 2010, page 20
Cactus gum could make clean water cheap for millions by Helen Knight
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20627576.100-cactus-gum-could-make-clean-water-cheap-for-millions.html
Hello again,
Ready for some more GOOD NEWS? Below you'll find six GOOD NEWS ideas to inform and inspire you, including...
Also two LINKS to share...
I want to personally invite you to check out two links below --- our latest edition of our newsletter and next professional development class:Scroll down to see my good news ideas #97 through #102.
-- Joel
Joel Barker COLLECTION at the Global Dialogue Center
GOOD NEWS IDEAS #97 - #102
FOOD
#97 - Camel Steaks
Australia is looking to commercialize camel as a healthy, low-fat, tasty red meat for the rest of the world. Camels were introduced into Australia in the 1840's as pack animals, carrying goods across the outback. Some of them were released into the wild and now Australia has the largest wild camel herd in the world numbering around one million. Because they have no predators in Australia, the herd is doubling in size every decade.
This will be the second animal added to Australia's "wild meat" menu, with kangaroo the first. The two big challenges for both are: 1) harvesting them in a sanitary, safe manner and 2) convincing people to eat them. An interesting factoid is that kangaroos produce much less digestive methane than domestic animals, so harvesting and eating kangaroo instead of eating beef or lamb is good for the climate.
It is easy to turn away from these protein sources, but as human population continues to grow, we will have to expand our choices if we want people to have enough to eat.
"Outback Steakhouse," by Marina Kamenev, The Atlantic, April 2010, p 17
Google "Camel steak"
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/04/outback-steakhouse/7986
URL: http://www.slashfood.com/2008/02/01/um-camel-steak-tastes-like-beef
#98 - New Wheat Is Resistant to Dangerous Fungus
Although it did not make many headlines the last two years, there has been a global threat to wheat. A new kind of stem rust called Ug99 appeared in Africa and began to spread around the world. A world consortium of geneticists and wheat experts, funded largely by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, sprang into action and have found a new wheat variation that
is immune to Ug99 and, as an added bonus, has higher yields.
Without this discovery, the wheat crops throughout Africa, India and Asia could have been devastated in the next two years leading to world famine. Three cheers to the Gates Foundation and the scientists who worked so hard for this success!
Google: "Stem Rust Resistant Wheat"
URLs:
http://www.pi.csiro.au/enewsletter/PDF/PI_info_PyramidingRust.pdf
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20127004.800-resistant-wheat-to-tackle-destructive-fungus.html
MEDICINE
#99 - Medical Lab in Your Hand
I've written earlier about paper lab tests and cell phone connected lab tests. This arena of technology is exploding. April Popular Science reports on a micro-laboratory that is the size of a credit card costing only $1.00 that can test for dozens of diseases simultaneously. The "lab card" reader is the size of a book. Battery powered, this device costs $100.00 and replaces machines that can cost $100,000.00! The company behind this is Claros Diagnostics working with bioengineer Sam Sia from Columbia University. Great pictures and diagrams, by the way, at the Popular Science article.
"The Lab that Fits in Your Hand" Pop Science, April 2010, p.48-49
Google: Claros Diagnostics
URL:
http://www.clarosdx.com/documents/Start-Up-Claros-07.pdf
http://engineering.columbia.edu/diagnostic-chips-global-health
PUBLIC HEALTH
#100 - Cockroach Hell
Cockroaches have been the bane of humanity forever. They carry disease. They bite. They smell. They spoil food. And a lot more. The problem is they are also extremely hardy. In one space experiment, cockroaches were subjected to outerspace vacuum for hours and revived almost immediately when given oxygen. Now it looks like their pestering days are going to be over, at least inside human habitats. It looks like a pest control company, Rentokil, has found a non-chemical, quick way of killing the insects no matter where they are hiding. The do it with heat. The raise the temperature of the building to 56 degrees C, which leaves the household goods like furniture, drapes and bedding, unharmed. But the heat is lethal to insects at all stages of their life cycle from eggs to adulthood.
The challenge is to make sure all parts of the dwelling get heated to that temperature. But with thermal recorders as part of the process, that house can be monitored to make sure that happens. And some pieces of furniture, like mattresses, may have to have special treatment. Oh, the heat kills bed bugs, too.
"Anyone for Fried Cockroach?" New Scientist, March 6, 2010, p. 17
Google: Rentokil heat treatment
URL: http://www.rentokil.com/blog/turn-up-the-heat-for-cockroaches-and-bedbugs/
MATERIALS
#101 - Plastic Mud?
Researchers at the University of Tokyo have been experimenting with nano materials and found a very interesting concoction that may be able to replace plastic in many uses. Believe it or not, it is made up of a mixture of water and clay plus a tiny quantity of a thickening agent called sodium polyacrylate and an organic molecular glue. The material is transparent and elastic with significant mechanical strength even though it is really 98% water! It has one more amazing quality: if it fails, it can repair itself and regain the strength it had before the failure.
"Smart Mud Could Be the New Plastic" New Scientist, January 23, 2010, p. 17
URL:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527445.600-smart-mud-could-be-the-new-plastic.html
http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/ariel-schwartz/sustainability/smart-mud-new-plastic
http://featured.matternetwork.com/2010/1/petroleum-free-plastic-made-from.cfm
TRANSPORTATION
#102 - The Dirigibles Are Coming!
I have been watching and waiting for the return of lighter-than-air ships--blimps and dirigibles--and two projects are moving this technology closer to reality. Ohio Airships is planning in the coming year to build a big lifter that can carry 22 tons and deliver it where there is no air strip or significant infrastructure. This could be good, not only for businesses, but also emergency relief situations like Haiti. And, while Ohio Airship is working on their design, Lockheed Martin is also designing a 21st century hybrid airship, the P-791. Their funding comes from the military, but it is clear that there are many commercial applications awaiting this technology
"The Floating Freighter" Popular Science, March, 2010, p.30
"Dirigible Dreams" by Lane Wallace, The Atlantic, April 2010, p.27
Google: "Ohio Airships", "P-791
Photo Credit: Lockheed Martin EMV Concept
URL:
http://www.military-heat.com/91/p791-hybrid-airship-project/
http://airshipworld.blogspot.com/2009/10/interview-with-robert-rist-from-ohio.html
Hello again, Ready for some more GOOD NEWS? Below you'll find nine GOOD NEWS ideas to inform and inspire you, including... Also two LINKS to share...
Scroll down to see my good news ideas #88 through #96.
-- Joel futurist, filmmaker, author
Joel Barker COLLECTION at the Global Dialogue Center
Good News #88 - #96
TRENDS
#88 - The Decade's Top 10 Technology Trends for Consumer Electronics
There is a little known magazine, "Invention & Technology," that regularly produces in depth stories on new ideas and the history of old ideas. For their 2010 Winter edition, they created a very interesting list of consumer electronics trends between 2001 and 2010. Here is their top ten. See how it matches with your own:
1. Cellphone cameras
2. Applications for cell phones(primarily the iPhone)
3. Digital music
4. DVD/Blu-ray
5. GPS
6. Social networking
7. Laptops
8. Digital video recording
9. E Books
10 Big flat screen TV's
It is easy to forget all of that happened in only the last 10 years.
ENERGY
#89 - Paper Batteries
It is the revolution of battery technologies. I have written about new kinds of batteries several times. Now, up comes the most interesting one--a battery based on paper!
Researchers at Stanford University took regular old copier paper, painted it with a coating that contained carbon nanotubes (nano technology is becoming mainstream!), dipped the combination in lithium solutions and some other chemicals and, eureka! -- a paper battery.
The paper's acts as both as a structural element and a collector of the electrical charge. And making batteries this way could reduce their weight by 20%. These paper batteries also have another very important property: they can release their energy rapidly which is a requirement for electric car batteries.
Clearly, this is the beginning of a new battery paradigm.
URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8401566.stm
#90 - Lotus Leaves and Solar Cells
In my book, Five Regions of the Future, I write about a technology domain I call Nature Tech. It uses technology that Nature has developed to improve human designed technology. Researchers at Stanford University have copied a texture from lotus leaves (nanoscale domes that look like eggs touching one another) and applied it to solar panels.
The results are dramatic reductions in solar energy reflected back into the sky by the solar cell (from 35% to only 6%) and, a surface that is self-cleaning. This makes the solar cell more efficient and reduces maintenance at the same time. What a deal!
New Scientist, November 28, 2009, p. 25, including photo
URL: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427366.500-lotus-leaf-solar-cells-soak-up-more-power.html
Visit Five Regions of the Future self-learning exhibit at the KNOWLEDGE GALLERY at the Global Dialogue Center.
#91 - Power Lines That Protect Themselves From Ice Storms
Having lived in Minnesota most of my life, I have seen ice storms come through the state and coat power lines with ice that ultimately breaks the line. Power goes out in the middle of winter and that is very dangerous.
Now a professor of engineering at Dartmouth College has developed a de-icing system that could stop the damage. He has figured out a way to get the cables to heat up enough to melt the ice off the power cables before they break. It takes between 30 seconds and 3 minutes for the process to work and uses less than 1 percent of the energy running through the lines to achieve this.
This is a revolutionary way to protect the power grid. It saves both money to repair the lines and all the costs of not having power to keep your house warm or your business running during the storm. China is looking at the system to protect their new national electric energy grid.
Popular Science, November, 2009
URL: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2009-10/ice-breaker
INFRASTRUCTURE
#92 - Inflatable Bridges
The old paradigm of bridge building required two months to put up a 28-foot bridge strong enough for cars and trucks. The new paradigm makes it happen in 11 days using inflatable forms. The idea is to inflate 32-foot carbon fiber tubes and then bend them using a frame to create an arch. The the tubes are coated with a resin that hardens in four hours, creating a form that is two times stronger than steel.
You take the arches, put them in place arcing over whatever you want to bridge, cut a hole in them and fill them with concrete. Now you have a concrete tube inside a very strong fabric tube. You arrange the arches across the space you want to bridge. You put a small rustproof, salt-proof surface on top of the arches. Add fill to road level and coat it with asphalt or concrete. Eleven days after you started you are done!
These bridges are faster to install, much stronger and safer that the previous bridges, and built to last 100 years, twice as long as the bridges they are replacing. The end result is a better bridge, faster to assemble, and 50% cheaper in the long run.
By the way, 25% of the nation's bridges need to be replaced or repaired.
URL: http://www.compositesworld.com/articles/bridge-cost-cut-with-inflatable-arches.aspx
Popular Science, December 2009, p18
TECHNOLOGY
#93 - Cleaning Your Jeans
It is easy to get all excited about Gee-Whiz technology like flying cars and solar cells. But technology developments in other areas are also important. For instance a company named Xeros has developed a way to clean clothes with 90% less water. Its secret is plastic beads mixed with a little water and about 1/3 of the usual amount of detergent.
The beads act as scrubbers and collectors of dirt and grime. And instead of using 8 gallons for a 4 1/2 pound load of clothes, you use less than one gallon.
Because water use is becoming a key limiting factor in the growth of cities, this technology could make a big difference.
Popular Science, November 2009, p 30
URL and Photo Credit: http://www.xerosltd.com/
HEALTH CARE
#94 - Medical Lab on a Cell Phone
One of the biggest problems in the developing world is being able to do a quick blood test when you are out in the field. This problem is about to go away because of the ingenuity of scientists who are working with FrontlinesSMS:Medic. This group is bringing cheap, effective medical testing to places that cannot afford standard care.
Using a technology developed at UCLA by Professor Aydogan Ozcan and his team called LUCAS, a picture of a blood sample can be sent via cellphone to a global data base that compares it to other images and offers a diagnosis within minutes.
Ironically, while this technology will appear first in very poor countries, it can also reduce costs of health care in the most developed countries.
Google: FrontlinesSMS:Medic, LUCAS, Ozcan, Cell phone lab
IMAGES OF THE FUTURE
#95 - Rebuilding America!
It's no secret that I am a big fan of Popular Science and Popular Mechanics because they are constantly reporting the leading-edge of new technologies and innovations.
The February Popular Science has a wonderful illustrated article on fixing everything that's wrong in the USA. They focus on transportation, water, energy, communications, and sewage. Each topic has several very positive examples of how to make it right.
Lots of good pictures, by the way, so you may want to buy this magazine for your children so they can look at what could be done. I invite the editors to, once a quarter, pick another set of topics and do the same thing. Great work!
URL: http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-01/heres-what-future-infrastructure-might-look
A great video - High-Speed Trackless Train Technology:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK5H92RHYfk
OUTER SPACE
#96 - Big Gun to Shoot Stuff into Space
What would be the cheapest way to get materials into outer space...stuff like food, oxygen, water, parts,etc? John Hunter, a physicist turned entrepreneur thinks it is with a gun. His company's name is "Quicklaunch."
His gun is enormous -- 3,300 feet long. To make it manageable, he floats it in the ocean using its buoyancy to suspend it in the water at an angle, with the barrel pointed toward space. The 1000 pound "bullet" carries a package of materials to be "shot", for instance, to a space station. The bullet is expelled from the 3300-foot tube using hydrogen heated to 2600 degrees F. As the expanding hydrogen gas pushes the bullet up to tube, the bullet accelerates to 13,000 mph. A small rocket engine fires to finish the trip to orbit.
This could reduce cost of delivery to orbit from $5000 per pound to $250 per pound, a huge cost savings. One caveat, however: this is not a ride for anything alive since the acceleration generates 5000 G's of force.
Google: "Quicklaunch, John Hunter"
URL: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17931-blasted-into-space-from-a-giant-air-gun.htm
Hello again!
Here is something special to welcome you to 2010, the beginning of new decade...
Every once and a while someone combines so many things in such interesting ways that it cannot be described in a few sentences. I think you'll be impressed.
Pranav Mistry:
The thrilling potential of SixthSense technology
Learn more: http://www.ted.com/speakers/pranav_mistry.html
-- Joel
www.innovationattheverge.com
How to Get Buy-In for NEW IDEAS
...an ONLINE professional development class
that teaches you how to get your ideas accepted
with Executive Instructors Joel Barker and Debbe Kennedy
Learn more and register for MARCH 4, 2010...
www.howtogetbuyinfornewideas.com
Hello again,
Ready for some more GOOD NEWS? Below you'll find seven GOOD NEWS ideas to inspire you, including innovations in energy, nutrition, recycling, materials, and green farming.
Scroll down to see my good news ideas #80 through #86...
-- Joel
www.innovationattheverge.com
Joel Barker COLLECTION
2010 CLASS Schedule - How to Get Buy-In for NEW IDEAS
...a professional development class that teaches you how to get your ideas accepted.
ENERGY
#80 - New Sources of Natural Gas
American ingenuity rears its happy head again. American energy companies have developed a system for tapping natural gas in previously unusable shale geology.
Why is this important? Because, for one it looks like there is more than double the amount of natural gas in these kinds of geological structures in the United States than has been found so far in standard natural gas reserves. And second, natural gas has half the carbon dioxide molecules per energy unit produced than coal or oil, so it is a transitional fuel for power companies to use instead of coal. It can also be liquefied and used by vehicles, cutting down the total carbon released into the atmosphere.
Of course, this is only a bridge to truly non-carbon-based energy sources, but it is very important because it changes the economic calculus of energy location, production and costs. And it reduces the leverage the Middle East has on the rest of the world through its near monopoly or large oil resources.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/10/business/energy-environment/10gas.html?_r=1
#81 - More on Nuclear Power
There is a great debate going on in the energy arena. Very smart people like Amory Lovins are making a strong case for no need to go nuclear. Yet, there is a concern about putting all of our energy eggs in the wind/solar/hydro basket. A useful article on nuclear power can be found in "Discover" magazine, June 2009. The emphasis is on safe nuclear reactors that cannot overheat and become dangerous. I have described other nuclear efforts in earlier comments, so this will give you an added insight into the debate.
Discover Magazine: June 2009 pages 53-57
Also see, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute - Safe Nuclear Reactors
Photo Credit: RPI
http://www.rpi.edu/research/computation/report/safereactors.html
#82 - A Listing of New Technology for Cooling the Planet
It is no surprise how often I am citing "New Scientist" magazine. In their Oct 30th, 2009 edition, pages 36-39, they have a wonderful list of positive solutions to help cool the Earth.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427281.400-better-world-top-tech-for-a-cleaner-planet.html
NUTRITION
#83 - Eating Like a Squirrel
Squirrels like nuts. Well, squirrels are on to something that we should copy. USDA researchers have found that your brain benefits significantly from just seven to nine whole nuts a day. Improvement in balance, coordination (think of that squirrel up in the tree jumping from limb to limb), and memory are all positively influenced by eating nuts. It is the micro-ingredients in nuts that help our brains so much.
Prevention Magazine: Oct. 2009, page 45
http://prevention.coverleaf.com/prevention/20090910?pg=47#pg47
RECYCLING
#84 - Garbage Tubes in Sweden
The Swedes are testing out a new way to handle garbage efficiently. In the "eco-neighborhood" of Hammarby Sjostad in Stockholm, they have installed pneumatic tubes for sucking away the material to be recycled. The tubes are located in various places in the neighborhood. You bring your garbage and recyclables and send them down various tubes depending on what it is. The organic material gets converted into energy. The paper and metals re-used. And because it is sorted before it goes "down the tube", it is much more useful at the other end. The biogas that is created from the garbage is used to fuel buses, taxis and gas stoves.
Time: August 31, 2009, page 49 - Photo: Time
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1917732,00.html
See VIDEO of story:
http://www.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,31679239001_1914454,00.html
MATERIALS
#85 - Nanofibers get long!
The problem with carbon nanofibers is they are so short. No longer. A company in New Hampshire, Nanocomp Technologies, has figured out how to make it by the mile. I am exaggerating a little bit, but it looks like they can make it in very long lengths.
This is important because by mass producing the material, its price drops dramatically. Which means it can be used in more ordinary things like cars and planes and buildings and wind generators and ships and bridges and so many things. Nanofibers are made from carbon and are incredibly strong. This is where oil and coal should be used--as a base for carbon fiber materials which can change the world. Very exciting!
#86 - Farming in a skyscraper
Designers and engineers are getting serious about an idea that Dickson Despommier, a professor at Columbia University, proposed years ago: farming inside high rise buildings. In an excellent article in Scientific American, the professor explains all the advantages both for humans and for the environment. Here are a couple: no long transportation needed when the food is grown "in town." You can use human waste to fertilize the system after you sterilize it. You can use recycled water to water the plants instead of irrigating with river water. You can control the weather inside the building and minimize damage to the plants. And it goes on and on.
We humans are taking up more and more of the natural world to grow food. Maybe it's time to change the paradigm.
Scientific American: November 2009, pp 80-87 (great pictures)
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-rise-of-vertical-farms
URL: http://www.verticalfarm.com/
Photo: verticalfarm.com
Hello again,
There is so much going on to support the need for GOOD NEWS. Below you'll find eight more GOOD NEWS ideas to inspire you.
RELATED: ONLINE Professional Development Class
HOW TO GET BUY-IN for NEW IDEAS
October 15 - 1:00 pm - 2:30 p.m. EDT
Executive Instructors: Joel Barker and Debbe Kennedy
In the last three INNOVATING in HARD TIMES webinars that Debbe and I have held this year, how to get buy-in for new ideas has been a top issue all around the world. Here's why: when you have an innovation, it is a 50-50 proposition. 50% is the idea. 50% is in how you present it. If you blow the second 50%, you can have a great idea that never gets accepted. Our October 15 webinar is designed to give you detailed guidelines and detailed examples that demonstrate how to get your ideas accepted. It is high-value content for those of you that are internally or externally working in your organizations to get acceptance for a new idea (e.g, new strategy, new product, new service, new offering, new organization, or a change initiative). Both, Debbe and I have dealt with this issue for the last decade helping organizations and individuals spread the good news for their new innovations and we are excited to share what we've learned. Tuition is significantly discounted for everyone if you register before October 1, as well as discounts for groups, seniors, and students.
To learn more about the class and to register CLICK HERE
or go to http://tinyurl.com/y984hn2
Hope you can join us!
Scroll down to see my good news ideas #72 through #79...
-- Joel Joel Barker
futurist, filmmaker, author
www.innovationattheverge.com
TRASH
#72 - Converting Trash to Energy
What if you could take all the trash that is being produced every day and turn it into fuel for trucks and cars? And clean up the environment at the same time?
Several companies are working hard at doing exactly that. They are commercializing a new process that can turn the filthiest waste into clean and green energy. How does it work? Using plasma gasification, a kind of controlled, giant lightning bolt, which takes household waste and, at very high temperatures of up to 10,000 degrees celsius, converts the material into a gas that can be burned. This gas, "syngas" as it is called, can be converted to ethanol and synthetic diesel at costs that can compete with petroleum. Instead of ash as a waste product, any remains turn into a kind of glassy solid which could be used as a filler material in various products.
The plasma process kills two birds with one lightning bolt: it gets rid of the waste and produces useful fuel. If you consider the mountains of waste Americans produce each year, this is a good deal.
There is also a smaller, simpler, cheaper gasification system that can be used by small towns to produces gas without needing the plasma process.
As we keep innovating new ways to produce energy and get greener at the same time, we can see a pathway to a world where living the good life doesn't mean messing up the environment.
Google:"IST Energy", Inentec
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_arc_waste_disposal
TRANSPORTATION
Tiny cars are catching on. Designed in the UK, the "Riversimple" hydrogen powered urban car is very good looking and very efficient. It needs only 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of hydrogen to go 320 kilometers(about 200 miles). It can carry two people comfortably and has a top speed of 50 miles per hour. For a city-only car that top speed isn't a problem. And increasing it to 70 mph shouldn't be a big deal if it is required.
The little car uses a fuel cell to convert the hydrogen to electricity to drive four electric motors, one in each wheel. These motors are also regenerators so when you step on the brakes, they convert the rolling energy back into electricity which is stored in small batteries. The fuel cell of choice is small and cheap compared to what US car makers are planning to use. How soon it will hit the road isn't clear.
Google: "Riversimple Urban Car"
http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/16/hydrogen-powered-riversimple-urban-car-unveiled-makes-your-hybr/
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
#74 - A Small Matter
It looks like the power-converter block that many of us use to power our computers, our wireless phones in our homes, and our cell phones are going to get a lot smaller. So much smaller that the converter will be able to fit inside the apparatus instead of being separate.
The secret: a new technology using transistors made of gallium nitride instead of silicon ones. Not only are they smaller, but they use less energy as they convert the energy to the proper voltage.
Now, think about billions of cell phones and hundreds of millions of portable computers and think of all the energy that will be saved.
Thank you Fujitsu, whose scientists came up with this better technology.
Google: "Fujitsu AC converters made gallium nitride transistors"
URL: http://www.i-micronews.com/news/Fujitsu-Develops-GaN-HEMT-Power-Supply,3265.html
FISHING
#75 - Good Stewardship Gets More Fish
About 37% of the oceans are under protective stewardship to keep those areas from being overfished. The results are very promising as the fish populations in those areas are coming back strong.
The remaining 63% still are still being overfished, but, as the "overfishermen" see the success of doing the right thing, hopefully they will join in the committment to keeping our oceans alive and healthy. This is one place where having a global regulation system would be good for everyone and all the living things in the ocean.
Google: "Sustainable fishing"
URL:
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx + photo credit
http://www.thinkgreenliveclean.com/2009/08/coming-soon-sustainable-fishing/
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/06/successful-sustainable-fishing-iniceland.php
BUGS
Too often toxic chemicals are the solution to getting rid of unwanted bugs. Mark Bulmer, a researcher at Towson University in Maryland has discovered that glucose, a form of sugar, switches off the termite immune system which allows fungi to attack and kill them. Because glucose is simple, nontoxic, degrades quickly in the environment, and cheaply available it offers a highly beneficial approach for farmers who have to cope with termites.
Google: Termite Immune system, glucose
URL: http://www.pnas.org/content/106/31/12652
Photo Credits: www.internet4classrooms.com/
HEALTH CARE
Tuberculois has been on an advance around the world because of a new resistant strain. Using a new approach with nanoparticles, Harvard Medical School has developed a test that takes just 30 minutes to find out if you have the disease. The old test which used to take two weeks, allowed a sick person to continue passing on the disease because there were no test results.
This test will be very important because it can be used, for instance, at an airport to quickly test an incoming passenger who is suspected of having TB.
Google: Nanoparticle Test for TB
Image: CDC Phanie/Rex Features from New Scientist
URL:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327206.200-minimagnet-test-makes-things-sticky-for-tb.html
TRANSPORTATION
Too often when we think of transportation, we think of cars and planes. But trucks make up a hugely important part of the global transportation structure and have contributed large amounts of pollution and CO2 to the planet. Now, thanks in part to Amory Lovins (he should be given a knighthood from the Queen), trucks are about to become much more energy efficient and less polluting. For starters, think about this fact: today's heavy trucks are no more energy efficient than they were 40 years ago! Why didn't we write legislation to force them to get more energy efficient? They had a great lobby.
So, how much better can we make them. Using a hybrid system like Toyota introduced, trucks could become 20% more efficient. If we were to capture the waste heat a truck produces and use it to drive a steam engine as secondary power, we could get a 40% fuel savings. If we add proper aerodynamic technology, we could pick up another 11% in fuel savings. All in all it looks like relatively inexpensive technology available today could double or triple fuel efficiency in trucks with a corresponding reduction in CO2 generation and pollution. The real question is: why did we wait so long?
Google: Truck fuel efficiency
URL: (this is AGREA (Analysis Group for Regional
Energy Alternatives) article, by the way)
http://www.newscientist.com/search?doSearch=true&query=Heavy+trucks+fuel+efficiency
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2008/04/aerodynamic-hea.html
http://www.kenworth.com/brochures/FuelEfficiency.pdf
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0CYH/is_11_5/ai_75532055/
Hello again...
Below are five more GOOD NEWS ideas that expand the possibilities for the future...
RELATED RECORDED DIALOGUE:
I teamed up again with long-time colleague, Debbe Kennedy for INNOVATING in HARD TIMES 2, an ONLINE global dialogue where we continued the discussion about innovating at a special place I call "the verge". If you missed it, you'll find the recorded audio/visual program at the following link: http://www.puttingourdifferencestowork.com/dialogues-library.html
I also invite you to see an online VIDEO preview of my 2009 video release, INNOVATION at the VERGE at http://www.innovationattheverge.com. On the site, you'll find information on supporting materials, including a VIDEO Book Review I created to share my thoughts about the book, Putting Our Differences to Work by Debbe Kennedy related to innovating at the verge.
Scroll down to see my good news ideas #67 through #71...
-- Joel Joel Barker
At Colorado State University in Fort Collins, led by Professor Bryan Willson, a team of researchers have developed an inexpensive indoor stove that cuts bad emissions by 80% and uses less fuel doing it. You can buy the stove for as little as $10 in some countries. This kind of technology is easy to ignore, yet it makes the lives of billions of people better. Google: Bryan Willson, "B-1100 Cookstove" URL: Example: the newest Air Jordans' sole is made up of old Nike sneakers that have been ground up. But their customers are looking for fashion and feel, so being friendly to the environment isn't important to them. As a result, Nike doesn't advertise the environmentally good side of Air Jordans. Here's a thought: why not have Mike come back and be the spokesman for Eco-Nike efforts? Google: "Nike eco-friendly" URL: http://mutual-funds.biz/video/fortune/2008/06/17/bg.NikeConsidered.cnnmoney/index.html SOLAR POWER #69 - It's Getting Cheaper! Solar roofs are looking more likely every year. Think about what it would mean to have your house generating much of the energy you use. That's where we are headed with solar. Google: SunPower, Exelon URL: TRANSPORTATION #70 - Golf Balls and Little Cars The end result is 20% better fuel economy. It costs $1800 to do a wrap right now, but, of course, that cost will go down if it gets popular. And that's the problem: it doesn't look cool. But, who knows, maybe some celebrity will get his or her car "fast-wrapped" and it will become an energy saving craze! Google: fastskinz, golf ball aerodynamics http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4316702.html #71 - Professional Science Master's Degrees The heart of this new degree is a combination of graduate level science and math coupled to a new field of science and/or technology with management training. Think about the power of someone educated this way and trained to be a scientist/manager/leader, not just a scientist/technologist. By the way, this is another "verge" where two very different sets of disciplines are coming together to create a new kind of manager/researcher. Google: "Professional Science Master's degree" Visit the Joel Barker's COLLECTION at the Global Dialogue Center
futurist, filmmaker, author
www.innovationattheverge.com
COOKING SAFELY
#67 - Clean Air Cooking
for the developing world.
Very few of the readers of this blog have to worry about dirty air in their dwelling from cooking fires. But for almost half the world's population, it is a problem because their fires produce carbon monoxide (deadly) and benzene(noxious). More than one million people each year are killed by these gases.
http://www.envirofit.org/?q=our-products/clean-cookstoves
RUNNING SHOES
#68- Nike Going Green
It is good to see sustained commitment by global companies to make their products and processes greener. Nike continues to focus their product development on greener shoes. But, they don't talk about it much because some of their customers think it means a lesser quality product.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_25/b4136056155092.htm
Even as Congress is trying to stimulate green energy, the marketplace has changed so dramatically that the key ingredient for solar cells--crystaline silicon--is getting cheaper faster. Two reasons for this:
1) demand overall for silicon is down in the down economy, and 2) new plants have just come on line. CEO of SunPower, Richard Swanson, believes that within five years, his company will be able to produce solar panels that generate electricity at $1.00 per watt which is almost 50% less than today.
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2009/06/23/hotel-industry-adopts-solar-to-save-energy/
Those who play golf know that golf balls have tiny little dimples on them to make them fly through the air better. A company out of Dallas, Skinzwraps, has developed second skin for cars that use the same technology--little dimples that cover the car like a skin.
SMART DEGREE
Sheila Tobias, a columnist for Science News, presents a powerful argument for the importance of a special kind of science degree for the 21st century, the Professional Science Master's Degree. She believes such a degree will be the equivalent of an MBA in the 20th century. I agree with her. Those who have a firm grasp of science and math will have great advantage in leading technology firms and firms who interface with technology.
Hello,
Below are eight GOOD NEWS ideas that again show us new possibilities...
ONLINE DIALOGUE JUNE 16:
Based popular demand, INNOVATING in HARD TIMES 2 will be held on JUNE 16 from 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. EDT at the Global Dialogue Center. I will again be joining my longtime colleague, Debbe Kennedy to take our discussion to the next level. Hope you can join us! LEARN MORE and REGISTER at this link: http://tinyurl.com/JUNE16Dialogue Allow a few seconds for the url to open; login info will be sent via return email.
Scroll down to see my good news ideas #59 through #66...
-- Joel Joel Barker
futurist, filmmaker, author
www.innovationattheverge.com
HUMAN IMPROVEMENT
#59 - Videos Games Help Your Eyesight
It actually started six years ago with Daphne Bavelier's research on gaming and its effects on children's eyesight. She concluded that action gaming actually made eyesight more acute and better at doing certain tasks. Now, her team has shown that playing action computer games improves your ability to perceive contrast, which is especially important in dark situations.
The improvement from playing action games was 43% over those who just played non-action games like the Sims. This improvement may lead to a treatment of "lazy eye" or amblyopia which 3% of people in Europe and North America have. Already tests are starting to see if it can be effective.
Google: Daphne Bavelier, Video game eye improvement, "lazy eye"
http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2009/03/action-video-games-improve-eyesight.ars
HOUSING
#60 - Digital Decor for Kid's Bedrooms
I had been tracking digital clothing which allows you to change the color or pattern of your clothes but I missed an obvious use for digital materials--wallpaper! "Smartbricks" is a material developed in Israel to make wall tiles that display full-color images. The really cool thing is that once you have chosen the image, it stays with no additional power. You only need to add power to change it. The tiles reflect light rather than produce it, so when you turn the lights off, there is nothing to distract you.
The company that developed this technology is now working on smart tiles that can show moving images. Smartbricks will debut in Japan by the end of this year thanks to Shimizu, a construction company. Right now it is very expensive--about $2500 per square meter; however, we know that as manufacturing ramps up that price will plummet.
A thought: is this the beginning of the "holodeck" from Star Trek?
Google: Shimizu, "smartbricks"
URL: http://www.screens.tv/article/11643/SmartBricks_will_turn_walls_into_displays.html
http://www.magink.com/page.php?id=7
MATERIALS
Making concrete last longer and be stronger is an important goal for the 21st century. I wrote about a coating developed in Wisconsin that extends the life of concrete. Now comes a “nano” additive that dramatically reduces the penetration of salt into concrete. By reducing this penetration, the concrete stays stronger and breaks down much more slowly. And, in the long run, this saves money for taxpayers!
This is actually a verge product because the concrete engineers got their inspiration from emulsifiers that are used in foods to thicken and give texture. My father was a scientist whose specialty was emulsifiers.
URL: http://ciks.cbt.nist.gov/~bentz/PartIpaperfinal.pdf
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
#62 - Energy for automobiles
From an unlikely source, MIT engineers have found a way to make electricity to power the electronics and charge the batteries in heavy vehicles. They have combined shock absorbers with electric generation. They call it GenShock. It converts the up and down actions of the shock absorber into electricity thus reducing the work of the alternator. The end result for heavy vehicles is a 10% improvement in gas mileage. For companies like Wal-Mart, Fed Ex, UPS, and Coca Cola, this could be millions of dollars per year in savings while reducing CO2 emissions.
Levant Industries, the company the students started, is producing the shocks under a license with MIT. This is another great example of innovation at the verge!
You gotta love those MIT folks. They are really contributing to a better world!
Google: GenShock, MIT electric shock absorber
URL: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2009/shock-absorbers-0209.html
http://nextbigfuture.com/2009/02/power-harvesting-shock-absorbers-can.html
http://www.levantpower.com/genshocksavings.html
TRANSPORTATION
Most of us don't have to use wheelchairs as a form of transportation. But for those who do (including some of our soldiers coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan), new developments offer profound possibilities. At the University of Zaragoza in Spain, researchers have developed a wheelchair that responds to the thoughts of its rider.
A computer interacts with the rider/driver and the powered wheelchair. It starts by using a laser to scan the area in front of the wheel chair creating a 3-D map of that space on a computer screen. The "driver" then looks at a specific point on the map to indicate where he or she wants the chair to go. The computer matches up the location the eyes have identified with the map and drives the wheelchair to that location, avoiding any obstacles that might be in the way. For those too disabled to even use their hands, this will be a godsend.
Google: "thought-controlled Wheelchairs" (Image: University of Zaragoza)
CLOTHING
In #60 above, I wrote about digital wall covering and joked about digital clothing. The joke's on me because a Japanese company has developed a way to put a flexible light-emitting ink onto a cloth surface. The ink is tough enough to withstand multiple washings. The process is still very rough--only one color at a time and chunky pixels. But the company is experimenting with using ink jet printers to put down the glowing ink in much finer detail and believes that within five years they will have a commercial product. The light-emitting, digital T Shirt is on its way!
Google: Light emitting T Shirt (Image: Dai Nippon)
URL: http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2009/04/light_emitting_poster_from_dai_nippon_printing.html
ENERGY
Cow manure has been a big problem for at least the last 25 years as more cows have been put into larger and larger facilities. Now a Canadian company, EarthRenew, has solved the poo problem while also creating electricity. Their goal was to convert manure to a dry fertilizer which can be more easily stored and moved than just wet manure.
What they have done is simple genius. They start with natural gas to power a gas turbine generator to produce electricity. They sell 90% of the power into the grid at a profit. Then they take the waste heat coming from the gas turbine and use it to dry the cow poo which is then compressed into manure granules. The heat also kills the pathogens that may be lurking in the liquid manure.
Rich in nutrients, these granules slowly release the fertilizer over time, reducing the need for repeated doses.
EarthRenew believes that this could work for pigs and maybe even for human waste. This is a great example of turning a problem into an opportunity.
Google: EarthRenew
URL: http://www.earthrenew.com/
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/energy-efficiency-our-fifth-fuel
TRANSPORTATION
#66 - Solar-Powered Airplane
This is a dream for environmentally concerned pilots. An electric airplane powered by solar cells and some back-up batteries for night flight. This is a Swiss project led by Bertrand Piccard whose family has a long history of flight. The plane will carry one pilot, has 12,000 solar cells coating the wings, and four 10 horsepower engines that move it along at a leisurely 45 miles per hour.
Piccard's goal is to circumnavigate the world over a period of weeks, landing periodically to show off the technology and change pilots. The around-the-world target is for sometime in the year of 2011, but they plan first flight for September of 2009. I'm betting it will get huge publicity. It is from experiments like this that big ideas have come.
Google: "Bertand Piccard", "solar-powered airplane" (Image: Graham Murdoch)
URL: http://www.popsci.com/military-aviation-amp-space/article/2009-05/racing-sun
Check out another electric plane: http://www.wired.com/autopia/2008/08/the-company-cla/