Nathan Papke's Blog (14)

There are some pretty big problems that exist in the world today. Terrorism is a threat to the world. The drug trade causes problems directly for citizens and funds terrorist activities.

I think it would be interesting to see an actual 3D MMO for the next season of Evoke. Graphics definitely draw people in and it would give people a chance to bump into other players that they can team up with. How that can be worked into the spirit of a game like Evoke is probably an epic win…

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During an outbreak, it is important to keep the disease from spreading. One of the ways that diseases spread in normal situations is through students in schools. I would call upon teachers to distribute lessons on-line to keep the children at home.

I found a study titled, "INDIGENOUS WOMEN HEALERS FORMED GROUPS TO PRACTICE TRADITIONAL MEDICINE IN OAXACA (MEXICO)." This is especially interesting to me because I have a friend who is a Choctaw Holy Man. Having been his roommate for the better portion of a year, I was able to learn a great deal from him. I learned that yarrow can stop bleeding and that tension points on a person's back can be worked out to get rid of headaches. Frequently, I find myself using what he taught me.

Ushahidi appears to be a great way to gain information about what happens in a crisis. How could Ushahidi be used to aid counter insurgency operations in places affected by violence? I believe that Ushahidi could be used by military units providing aid to an area of operation. Intelligence from the crowd could provide vital clues to not only know what the bad guys are doing, but also what the population needs to keep situations stable.



As a computer science professional, I'm going to… Continue

I made a donation to help Sora produce potato chips in Afghanistan. It's things like this that are the start of something greater for helping so many other people. Also, I used to work in the potato chip plant of Kettle Foods in Salem, Oregon. Now, I live in Idaho where there are plenty of potatoes. I also have a feeling that one day, I'll end up in Afghanistan with an opportunity to visit Sora's business.…



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Online gaming worlds such as World of Warcraft, EVE Online, and Second Life have many people interacting in them. This interaction creates an environment of supply and demand as in the real world. While Blizzard bans gold selling in World of Warcraft, Linden Labs allows and even facilitates exchanges between dollars and their online currency, the linden.



Transactions with the linden are limited to Second Life servers. Essentially, they are centralized. Having a game world that is… Continue

My friend, Phil, and his family periodically go to South America to set up water systems for people in remote areas. I should see about going along with them to help out next time.

I was doing some research into the Army's Land Warrior project and discussing it with a friend. The biggest challenge they face is how to power all the computer gear that the soldiers are expected to carry. Their solution is a great deal of batteries. That makes it heavy on top of all the gear a soldier carries anyway.

If a soldier is traveling by vehicle, the vehicle can power the computer gear. However, soldiers traveling by food don't have access to that power. My…

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I can't remember where I first read about it. Maybe it was Popular Science or Popular Mechanics. Anyway, people have figured out how to get water out of the humidity in the air. Some products are starting to show up on the market that do that now. One company producing such a product is EcoloBlue. They make a water cooler for home and office use as well as larger industrial units

A new type of wind turbine has been increasing in popularity. It is the vertical axis wind turbine and it has several environmental benefits. First, it is more efficient with one such model being 43-45% efficient. Second, it is much safer to avian species, so it won't harm endangered birds. Third, it is much quieter. And fourth, the generator is on the ground, so maintenance is much easier. An article about one VAWT design and its inventor, Ron Taylor, is available at… Continue

Hunger in Idaho is not due to a food shortage, but economics. Many of the high-tech jobs that kept citizens of Boise employed went away. Thousands were layed off from their jobs and had to make due with unemployment. With less money in the economy, it affected many others. The Hunger in Idaho 2010 report shows an increase of 59% in people needing food assistance since the Hunger in Idaho 2006 report.

The latest…

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Japan isn't exactly known for its food production. When people think of Japan, they tend to think of video games, robotics, ninjas, and crazy animations. Almost all of the food that the citizens of Japan have in the year 2020 is imported. With such a food deficit, Japan relies on its exports. Unfortunately, shifts in the economy have reduced the price of technology and increased the price of food.

Unlike Africa, Japan doesn't have the land resources to increase its food…

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Choosing a modern day innovator to follow seemed like a daunting task at first until I realized why I started playing EVOKE. I realized that with as much time as I like spending in video games, there must be some way of making that productive. A friend of mine told me about TED.com which is where I saw Jane McGonigal. The caption for her speech drew my attention and I selected it as my first TED video to watch.

Eventually, I would like to complete a 3D game engine that…

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Creating transparent technologies is one of the secrets of social innovation. When computers were first introduced to society, only a select few who had the desire were willing to learn the nuances of this technology to use it. They saw themselves as an elite class who possessed the knowledge required to gain access to something nobody else had. Eventually, computers became easier to use by implementing graphical user interfaces. Users no longer had to memorize arcane commands to invoke the…

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