Andrew's Blog – March 2010 Archive (11)

Here's a brainstormed listed of definite potential sources of energy:

Tires that generate energy through kinetic energy. Dozens of Watts of energy are generated just from the friction between a car tire and a road per second of contact, that's energy wasted that could be converted for use to power the car alone.…

It's FIFA World Cup 2020 and the US is actually in the semis. And of course we're celebrating.

What's neat are the wallpapers in the bars that absorb body heat and noise and convert it into viable energy. Or my clothes which are made of polarized fabric and flexible solar cell material to constantly power my own electronic equipment. And the cars which run off similar designs compounded with tires that asbsorb, convert, and conserve the energy of friction. The soccer ball and…

Humanity can surprise you. The innovation, the imagination, the creativity, the capability, and the potential- endless, literally. It makes tragedy much more tragic in a way... BUT Jessica Lin and the Harvard students engineering a soccer ball to convert mechanical and kinetic energy into useable fuel! Or PopTech Fellows Lebrone Solutions using dirty microbes as a source for power! Or a material that harnesses radiation such as infrafred light using solar cell fabrics that can act as a power…

As an addendum to our food community pantry programs in the Nortern Va area I think it would be neat to have an additional program where volunteers can adapt individuals or families and cook or provide meals for them weekly or monthly. It would be excellent just because it would allow for people to mingle directly and provide advice while bonding and becoming personal. Often when bonds are formed the act of giving becomes much more real.

I think local initiatives should also…

I have spent over 100 hours working volunteer service at a nearby community food pantry in the Northern VA area just outside of DC. Through the pantry we provide basic groceries to families in need on a weekly and monthly basis. Many of these families are unemployed, low income and to be able to have basic food necessities provided to them at least one a month is especially helpful.

But one of the issues I have noticed is misplacement of priorities. We have a lot of folks who…

So here's some tips on how to amp up a skill that's pretty basic in all four corners of the world- writing. I think it's important to know how to twist words and play scrabble, to express and challenge, because great ideas always bleed through paper.

-Cultivate voice. Plastic is transparent. Be you in words.

-Blend discipline with spontaneity. Don't make writing too much of a routine, required task. Write a few minutes a day but don't write for hours unless…

I've been stove-piping ideas, many from the collaboration thread, on how to best allow us all to cooperate, coordinate, fuse thoughts, etc.. to really get out and do. I think I'm going to start chalking out an NPO that does just that, social innovation think tanking as discussed below but also work on creating a website with a forum and resources we can use to start brainstorming ideas and finding…

Don’t fight culture (If people cook by stirring their stews, they’re not going to use a solar oven, no matter what you do to market it. Make them a better stove instead.) AND Innovate on existing platforms (We’ve got bicycles and mobile phones in Africa, plus lots of metal to weld. Innovate using that stuff, rather than bringing in completely new tech.)

In terms of actual application I found this to be a helpful standard. I know in Afghanistan one of the issues we were having…