Marcus Tracy's Blog – March 2010 Archive (17)

I got to thinking about how we might use our hottest most arid environments (often but not always not so heavily populated) to create energy. Found this, CACTUS!!!! Not just for being prickly anymore!!!



"CNRS scientists have transformed the chemical energy generated by photosynthesis into electrical energy. They thus propose a new strategy

to convert solar energy into electrical energy in… Continue

In 2020 I want to be eating the way I want everyone to be able to.



I want to be surrounded by family and friends in one of two settings.



1. Outside, I want to be grilling with kids playing around while the grown-ups all yap about "boring stuff." I get to be outside with the people I love enjoying life. The menu? Chicken and vegetables. I love my red meat too, but by now it is probably not great for my health. A nice garden salad, from my own garden just like mom and dad do,… Continue

I have been fortunate to live in a very socially aware community that has the benefits and amenities one can find in a big city, but with a smaller population (approx 40,000). The amount of programs and food shelters in respect to the need is thankfully not as daunting as larger metropolitan areas. That although our community seems to have done well with getting food into peoples' bellies a large issue looms on the horizon. GOOD FOOD, healthy food, is still way too expensive.



We have… Continue

The timing of this objective is oddly convenient. I am a coach of a high school athletic team and have been trying to figure out ways to teach citizenship to my players this season. I have decided to have a food drive on the team. I still need to work out the logistics and find a way to reward the boys that reinforces the idea that investment in those in your community that are in need gives them direct benefits.



Today is our first practice and I plan on approaching the head of our… Continue

Diabetes runs in my family and I recently put up some web pages on my work's site that a faculty member put together about living with diabetes.



Basic understanding of diabetes treatment is three-fold.

1. Diet
2. Exercise
3. Medicine

Diabetes is a disease that is caused by the lack of, or a bodies improper use of insulin. Insulin is natural hormone in the body which basically takes the sugar from our food and turns it into energy for our body.… Continue

I am currently peripherally involved in a dispute that revolves around credit for information and ego management. I have to prepare to integrate two websites that have very similar, and often overlapping content all under a larger domain. The goal of these sites is dissemination of the information done by professionals to the end users as a resource. The hold up comes from the fact that it is not good practice, nor is it helpful to the viewer, to break up this information because of the authors… Continue

Noreena Hertz posted a very good video on debt in Sub-Saharan Africa. I was going to embed it here but you really should go to her post to give credit where it is due. It is not very long, less than two minutes and well worth any EVOKE agent's time: http://www.urgentevoke.com/video/noreena-hertz



This very much ties into the idea of treating the "symptoms" of an issue rather than finding a true solution. We look at what a… Continue

I am afraid I don't have a lot of time to write this post however I just had to post this thought.



We have so many different organizations and so many different places that they service in terms of relief and aid. Noble causes all and I would not dare to try and compare them as my knowledge is not that vast by any length.



I worry however. The old proverb, "the dog that chases two hares loses both," rings in my mind. My focus for this post is in regards to nations that are… Continue

Let me start by thanking Amanda Jeffrey for this great idea. I have linked to her post at the bottom for those who also wish to play!

By far my favorite EVOKE Power is Collaboration.

I will explain with a simple Q & A.

Who is more effective, one person with a lot of creativity or another with a strong sense of…

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They teach you that when you find yourself on thin ice the first thing you do is lay flat before moving. The idea is that you spread out your weight as much as possible so that weaker spots don't bear such force that would cause them to crack.

Well we have fallen right through, locally at least. We recently voted to shut not renew a contract with the state's largest (almost only) supplier of energy. While I agree with the vote (do to the unsafe and untrustworthy practices of…

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I am curious to see what people would say if they had to chose the three most important traits for an innovator to have.



Here 's mine:

1. Learning
2. Communication
3. Creativity

Please share yours in the comments below!



I feel that when these three things are combined that they create a powerfully broad perspective capable of defying the status quo to come up with unique solutions with a strong emphasis on collaborative skills.



I… Continue

One of the Secrets of Innovation is Ethan Zuckerman’s "What you have matters more than what you lack."



Although I picked a different one as my favorite I wanted to share some thoughts on a specific aspect of this Zuckerman's statement. One thing that we need to focus on in terms of what we have is the power to control. We often waste much time and resources fighting to control things that we simply cannot.



For… Continue

To anyone who has chosen Emily Pilloton and Project H Design to shadow and even if you picked somebody else to shadow or another cause to support, please check out this one:



http://projecthdesign.org/

http://twitter.com/ProjectHDesign…

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I want your help to collaboratively come up with a way to define the strength of a community.



This post is an offshoot of my imagining of myself in 2020. This means I have 10 years to get this right! However, I need your help. How would you a****s the strength of a community? I would like to be able to think of some general ideas until we get some consensus and then maybe think of some metrics that can be… Continue

I have a very strong sense of responsibility, fellowship and community. Though I have been tempted to forgo these characteristics in favor of more selfish goals with immediate rewards my best case scenario would be that I am able to hold true to these virtues and be in a position to make real change in support of them.



I have been a brother my entire life, well minus the 45 min it took for my twin to be born after me. I have always had to share. although there was always enough to go… Continue

I come from an upbringing that emphasized a strong focus on public service but my strengths pushed me to creativity and design. After researching Project H and Emily's journey the need for the "but" in my previous statement begins to disappear.



It is important, more now than ever, that our perspectives shift towards global purposes and what I have found is that you can do that and still play to your own personal strengths. Everyone's skills are valuable when applied correctly. It will… Continue

Provide skills, not just finished technologies.



"Teach a man to fish..." may sound trite today but it is no less accurate. One of the largest mistakes made today is is the misconception that a person can solve another person's problem by himself or herself and then walk away to another issue. Although the intention is good there is a serious flaw in this mentality. Let's look at a common scenario… Continue