I’m still pretty exhausted from an intense weekend of shooting three new music videos for the interwebs. I promise that they’re some of the funniest videos you’ll ever see and I can’t wait for their release. If you’re a fan of  drunk Uncles, Segways or porn then you’re in for a treat. Did I mention there would be a video about porn? Also…..porn.

One thing I realized about this past weekend is that I will never make fun of anyone riding a Segway again (unless they’re a security guard.) We had one on the set and I was lucky enough to get a few minutes riding this thing. It was unlike anything I’ve ever rode before and it’s really tough to describe the experience. Riding on this is even better than riding the psycho-drome at Canobie Lake Park. It’s probably the most intuitive piece of machinery on the planet to control because I swear the thing can read your mind. All you have to do is think about going forward and before you know it, you’re cruising along the beach at a blazing 20.1 kilometers per hour.

The one thing that sucks about riding a Segway is that you are automatically classified as a nerd and probably won’t get laid that day. I want to do anything I can to change the image of Segway riders so I can buy one and not be deemed a social outcast. This is why I’m proposing that Extreme “Segging” be included in the 2010 Summer X-Games. Segway riders can be called “Seggers” like skateboarders are called skaters. (The fact that my Mom called Sega Genesis a “Segger” is purely coincidental.)  Pro skateboarders and BMX riders get a ton of poon so I figure that if people start seeing Segways grinding rails on a 12 foot vert ramp it will automatically give Seggers more street cred. Street cred, as we all know, is the most important thing a person can have. I know I’d be a lot more inclined to buy a Segway if I got to start wearing JNCOs  and shopping at PacSun instead of the K-Mart.

When the Segway was first released, inventor Dean Kamen claimed that it would change the way cities were designed. I’m not exactly sure what that means but I hope these futuristic cities have In N Out Burgers with Segway drive-thrus and naked burger girls. That would be awesome.  We haven’t reached that point yet but I can’t wait until they become a little more mainstream so I can be the first Segger to pull off a 360 tail-whip.

One of the coolest, most fun things I ever got to do as a reporter was cover the 2002 FIRST Robotics Competition.

I was the education writer at the Tribune-Chronicle in Warren, Ohio, and I spent a lot of time that spring hanging out with the kids and teachers and mentors of Harding High’s Delphi E.L.I.T.E. team. The enthusiasm they all had for this project and the competition was ridiculously infectious.

My daughter and I went with them to the Buckeye Regional in Cleveland that year -Kelsey was barely five years old, but she totally dug walking around the pit areas and seeing the robot guts and watching them in action – and later in the season, the paper’s editor asked if I’d be interested in traveling to cover the team at that year’s National Championship in Orlando.

Um…trick question?

Jim freelanced the Trib’s photo coverage, and we had a blast over the three-day event. It’s always been hard for me to capture the energy and commitment these teams and their supporters put into it, but as I mentioned over at GeekDad, there’s a documentary out on DVD now that follows four teams on their road to the Nationals, and I just may have to check it out.

I am extremely fortunate to be attending what is certain to be one of best conferences of the year, TEDMED 2009, being held at the Hotel del Coronado next week from Oct 27 – 30. For starters, if you are familiar with TED, you know attendees are always in for a treat.  To be honest, I have attended only one TED event in the past, TEDxBoston this past July, and I was simply blown away by the degree of innovative thinking, caliber of presentations, and passion of those involved. (Note: TED and TEDMED are independent organizations, which share the same founder, Richard Saul Wurman.)

So after a five-year hiatus, Marc Hodosh and Richard Saul Wurman are re-launching TEDMED focused squarely on remarkable people, their ideas, and their inventions in the fields of medicine and health care. I expect the TEDMED sessions to be nothing short of inspirational and uplifting, because the common underlying mission is to improve quality and length of life in ways and to degrees that many technology products and services simply cannot.  And there couldn’t be a more relevant time as President Obama and Congress work to bring a historic health care reform package to the finish line. A total of 54 speakers will open the minds of TEDMED attendees to the world of opportunities and possibilities in this fascinating field. Below is a small peek at what’s in store, a very short list of speakers and their speech topics:

• Ezekiel Emanuel, Special Advisor for Health Policy, OMB, Executive Office of President Obama –Can We Reform Health Care In America?
• Dean Kamen, President, DEKA Research & Development – Can A Prosthesis Be Better Than The Real Thing?
• Deepak Chopra, Chairman & Co-Founder, Chopra Center for Wellbeing – Can You Yourself Change Your Genes?
• Sanjay Gupta, Chief Medical Correspondent for CNN – Can Media Deliver Accurate & Trusted Medical Information?
• Paul Jacobs – Chairman & CEO, Qualcomm – What Does A Wireless Band-Aid Do?
• David Pogue – Technology Columnist, New York Times – Can My iPhone Save My Life?
• Keith Black – Chairman of Neurosurgery, Cedar-Sinai Medical Center – Can Neurosurgery Be Non-Invasive?

I’ll end on a slightly more personal note. Aside from the reasons already mentioned, I expect to find TEDMED especially refreshing. As someone who spends a great deal of time staying abreast of the latest digital strategies and communication tools (social media alone warrants a significant personal investment), I don’t have much time to attend product-oriented conferences. Don’t get me wrong. I became a B2C marketer for the opportunity to directly interact and engage, build relationships, earn trust, etc. But sometimes by being so customer-centric, I don’t fully appreciate many of the extraordinary breakthroughs in modern science and technology, or the brilliance behind them.

by:  Ken Byrne

Ron Perkins and I had the privilege of being invited to share some of our favorite EI products at GadgetOff 2009. GadgetOff is an exhibition that includes people on the cutting edge, not just of technology, but also science, the arts, education, and the future in general.

There were so many amazing presentations that I don’t know which one was my favorite. Much of what we saw was just plain fun. There were two variations on an amusement park carousel, only they were powered by pulse jets. We also got to see pumpkins hurled by a trebuchet that must have been eighteen times the size of our Advanced Trebuchet Kit. But perhaps the strangest sight there was eight-foot diameter mechanical spider brought by a team from Vancouver. This gas-powered, hydraulically actuated monster was driven around the field like a bulldozer. It made me want to build a robot in my basement…or buy a tarantula.

There were also more serious and life-changing presentations. Segway inventor, Dean Kamen, shared with us the progress on his latest project, a prosthetic arm unlike any other. It has fully articulated human-like fingers, not a simple clasp or hook. It allows the user to pick up an egg or a grape without crushing it, and  enable the user to tell the difference between the two. All the servos, processors, sensors and everything else associated with the prosthetic arm weigh in at under three pounds!

We met dreamers, visionaries, and inventors. One group specialized in projecting large-scale artwork onto the sides of buildings using lasers. Through this, they met an artist that has been struck with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.” This artist has been paralyzed below the chin for years. They developed and inexpensive eye-movement tracking system that has now given him a mean of communication, as well as the ability to make art again.

So, what did we share with these visionaries. It was a difficult choice. The other invitees showed great interest in our Mirage Illusion, especially when using it with a laser. They all knew that the image of the pig floating above the Mirage was an illusion, so were amazed that you could still hit it with the laser beam.

Ron also demonstrated his BB Board, a devise of his own design. With it you can easily explain how molecules reorganize when heat-treated, show movement of geological formations, and visualizing the motion of solid liquids and gas particles.

Everyone also loved the sneak preview of our new device for transmitting sound using a common laser pointer. This device will be available soon. Look for the announcement in our newsletter.

As always, one of the favorites was the FunFlyStick. This is our mini Van de Graaff generator with its floating toys that seem to defy gravity.

We truly appreciate the opportunity to attend GadgetOff and are grateful to Michael and Dan for extending yet another invitation to us this year!

Image from the movie Surrogates

You see the concept proposed in films all the time; robots that look and act surprisingly like humans. Of course they also have super-human strength and lightning like speed and agility. These robots also “think,” (usually about world domination, but to be fair, some humans do that too [insert appropriate name here ______.]) Do I think robots will take over the world? Maybe, but definitely not tomorrow. I once wrote a paper in my Sociology class on this point and I’ve found myself discussing this lately with friends. I’ll just share segments of what I wrote:

“ Replicating human actions and behavior sounds good in theory, but in reality it is a complex process. Artificial intelligence today continues to develop slowly. Making computers do things that require intelligence when done by humans has proved tremendously challenging. The technology is still not on par with the complete functions of the human brain or the intricacies of the human body.”

One thing we tend to take for granted as humans is our ability to process language and it’s nuances. We are able to make connections. We understand the subject of a sentence even when it wasn’t expressly stated. Furthermore, humans also use context clues to establish the meaning of words, particularly when their are multiple possibilities. To compensate, right now there is a large inference engine in development called Cyc by Cycorp designed to provide artificial intelligence with “common sense” and the power to reason. You can play their game to help Cyc learn.

“Scientists have great difficulty getting a robot to do one thing well, let alone the multitude of actions a human can perform while simply walking down the street. Then there is the matter of power. Even the most advanced robots can only function for a couple of hours before having to recharge. For a robotic rebellion to occur, robots would need to have advanced social skills to communicate with each other and create organizations, they would have to be self-sufficient, they would have to control their reproduction, and have individual consciousness.”

Honestly, if I was paranoid, I would be more concerned about a hostile takeover by the human hybrid (human enhanced with mechanical parts). Creating robots that focus on specific areas have led to the development of more specialized parts and programs. There have been advancements in physical implants and in prosthesis, which is great for those who are disabled.  Watch the video on DEKA, the bionic arm created by Dean Kamen that can be controlled by thought or body motion. You can also watch Juan Enriquez’s TED Talk on some technological advances (after some economy stuff.)

“Even as mega-banks topple, Juan Enriquez says the big reboot is yet to come. But don’t look for it on your ballot — or in the stock exchange. It’ll come from science labs, and it promises keener bodies and minds. Our kids are going to be … different.”

Did you watch the new G.I. Joe movie Rise of the Cobra? Remember their Accelerator Suits that made them “run faster, jump higher, and hit harder” than anyone? Well that’s not too far away from the real world. Meet SARCOS, the exoskeleton that improves strength and endurance.

Like I stated earlier, I doubt we should be overly concerned right now about android domination. What we really need to keep an eye on is ourselves and our biological enhancements. Ultimately, I believe it will be for the better, but with every new technology there is the possibility of misuse.

For more information on robots I would recommend the book The Robot: The Life Story of a Technology by Lisa Nocks. Of course I’m happy to hear your opinion whether you agree or disagree with anything I have stated. Actually I challenge you to prove me wrong, I am eager to find out more about what’s really out there.

60 minutes has covered [Dean Kamen]’s modular robotic arm.  This thing is light weight, adjustable for different body frame sizes, modular, and eventually thought controlled. The system is currently functioning quite well, as you can see in the video. Current testers are controlling it with buttons under their toes, but the thought control is in the later stages of development. Sounds like science fiction right? You can see a monkey using a thought controlled arm to feed itself grapes, though we don’t think it is [Dean]’s arm.

Another cool feature of this arm is the fact that it changes its grip on your body depending on how much weight you are lifting. Lift something heavy and it grips harder.  Though it has a lot of the same information, there is a little bit of different footage in [Dean]’s TED talk about the arm.

It seems to us, with microcontrollers becoming so cheap and accessible that we should be seeing more home made contraptions in this area. Are any of you working with prosthetics?

Dean Kamen, inventor of the segway scooter has developed what he calls the “Slingshot”. It is a water purifier. It can turn up to 250 gallons of dirty water into clean water. With no access to clean water being the leading killer in todays world, this invention could be huge. The only thing holding it back from making its way into villages is its cost. Right now it costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to make each new machine. Kamen is looking to get the cost all the way down to $2000. This price would make it possible to put Slingshot in countless villages that need clean water. But until then, the clean water problem will continue to be a “Goliath” of a problem. The name of the article is, “Segway inventor takes aim at thirst with Slingshot” and was written by Ryan Bergeron.

I’m sure you don’t struggle with this, but I look at innovators in technology, business, church planting, leadership, the arts, and many other fields and think one of two things: either…….

a) they make it look so easy, and here I am beating my head against the green walls of my office seeking just one halfway decent solution to one eighth of one problem – or -

b) I could totally do what they’re doing–why haven’t I received the opportunity?

As Dean Kamen charmingly and kindly reminds us in this short video from bigthink.com, both assumptions are incorrect. It’s not easy, and it’s not (usually) about being handed opportunities to shine—it’s almost always about hard work and failing a lot lot lot. Check it out.

There is a lot of coverage in the press about the healthcare battle. I’m sure you’ve seen the right -vs- left back and forth that is going on right now. If you let yourself get carried away you pick a side or find a demon and get caught up in the arguments. At the end of the day this type of framing of the issue leads us no closer to a possible solution.

In previous blogs, I have advocated for what former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates calls friction free commerce. In the healthcare world this means returning healthcare insurance to what it was in the past and should have been all along – something there for surgery and long term illness. On Sunday I finally saw coverage of something that gets us moving in the right direction. Good Morning America had a report on a company that charges people a monthly fee of between $45-$75 per month for unlimited primary care. No insurance is billed and no copays at the office. Patients see doctors and doctors get to spend more time with patients.  The beauty of this is no government intervention and if your doctor participates then you get to keep your doctor.

Question 1: if you could pay for a service like this with pre-tax dollars or out of a healthcare savings account partially funded by your employer would you prefer this option to what’s being floated in Washington by the Democrats?

Dean Kamen is best known as the inventor of the Segway – you know that two wheeled, self balancing scooter that was supposed to transform cities.  However, he is an inventor with over 400 patents many of which are for medical devices.  Popular Mechanics recently published an interview with Kamen where he gives an interesting take on the healthcare debate. He does not take sides because he feels that neither side completely understands the problem. His solution is forward looking and depends upon innovation to eradicate diseases, come up with new therapies and revolutionary surgeries so that projected future costs are taken out today. While it does sound expensive he argues that it is simply a matter of priorities. As a nation we spend twice as much on sporting events (400 billion) than we do on drug research (200 billion). He throws out numbers for tobacco and soft drinks – things that fund medical research. Kamen adds that he’s not out to limit the bread and circuses but believes that if we put more resources into medical research then the impact would be significant.

Dean Kamen Interview with Popular Mechanics

Now compare this with what’s wrongly been called Obamacare.  I say this because he has given no input over HR 3200 and has let Congress and the staffers write the legislation.  Obama is simply a glorified tonic salesman.  Anyway, the new system adds more people into coverage and asks fewer people to pay and requires an initial investment of $1 Trillion before it can take place.  Because healthcare goes from something where profit can be derived to one where profit must be preserved innovation will never, ever be part of the solution.  That means no opportunity to take future cost out of the system from medical cures today.  Why?  If there’s no profit incentive then there will be no capital formation around possible solutions meaning no investment in future cures.

Question 2: where would you rather have your money go – unwillingly to the government for a healthcare program where we tread water or willingly buy a low cost government backed bond to fund medical research akin to War Bonds over buying tickets to a ball game?

I don’t believe that I have all of the answers.  These are just two perspectives that I find very interesting and believe over time will be more effective than what is currently on the table.  I trust that folks in medical related fields have better ideas.  They simply need to be heard.  Unfortunately, those in government believe that only government can save the day.  That’s one prescription that I’m not buying.

“Code Name Ginger – The story behind SEGWAY and Dean Kamen’s quest to invent a new world” by Steve Kemper.

I found it to be an excellent read. Its product development and adventure in one. Covering engineering, leadership, finance, people – Its got the lot. A “Lord of the Rings” for business.

And for Gandalf, we have Dean Kamen, the absolute stereotype of Inventor and Innovator – Genius, but hard to live with. But the hero of the story for me, the Frodo, the man doing the unglamourous miles, was Doug Field – The man who led the engineering team and produced the Segway. The inventor may get the credit when a prototype is wheeled out, but its the likes of Doug who convert the idea into a mass-produced reality. Signs on, Doug is currently VP of Product Design at Apple.

Photo owned by nichol alexander (cc)

The book was originally written around the time the Segway was released in 2003.  Many people might wonder why such an insignificant product deserves much attention, but prior to launch, everyone who saw and rode the Segway thought it would change the world, with the result that Dean Kamen was turning down offers of money from the likes of Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos.

Lucky for me, there is now a Segway agency in Ireland. And more importantly, as they can be expensive, they run Segway tours of Dublin. Woo! I am going to try this first chance I get, if you want to join me, leave a comment, and we can get organised.

Thanks to Jackie Danicki for the original lead on this book.

Amazing how Isabella Rossellini is making the most of her growing interest in science. Here she meets Dean Kamen, that genius.

An artificial arm with a hand so sensitive that the user can feel and pick up a grape resulting in our wounded having the power to resume life nearly as they did before they endured the loss.

R&D by -Dean Kamen

Watch a sample of what our men and women of the armed forces had to endure…

When the University of Arizona’s PR website quietly announced this year’s commencement speakers last week, I was a little underwhelmed. This May, our rivals up north at Arizona State will be graced by the President of the United States himself, while UA undergrads will hear from a guy known best for a goofy scooter: Segway inventor Dean Kamen.

If his previous commencement speeches are any indication, the President will give graduating Sun Devils advice gleaned from his personal background and his political career. He will tell them that “our individual salvation depends on collective salvation,” speak of “our collective future” as American citizens, and outline their obligation to serve the United States, as he did at Wesleyan in 2007 and the University of Massachusetts in 2006. His words will be crafted in advance by a brilliant speechwriter and delivered by the most talented presidential orator of my young life.

As Dean Kamen put it in his 2007 commencement speech at Bates College, speaking after “people world-renowned for their ability to communicate” isn’t his thing. Like his other public presentations, his sentences will be choppy, his delivery cerebral, and his speaking style humble–about as great a contrast from the soaring rhetoric of Barack Obama as a speech can get.

But it is the content of his message that matters–and this is where the contrast really counts.

President Obama’s past speeches are about how government can help Americans serve their country. Dean Kamen’s are on how entrepreneurs and innovators can serve humanity. It’s hard to make this argument without getting all Atlas Shruggy, but I sincerely believe that men like Kamen do far more for human progress than any politician ever will.

Dean Kamen is a college dropout. In the words of our President, he “quit on his country.” But ever since, he has been working for humanity. As an undergraduate, he invented an automatic insulin pump for diabetics. He made some money from the patent, and the device helped those who once required recurring drug dosages at a hospital move freely for the first time. Since then, he has been driven in part by an entrepreneurial spirit that has rewarded him with wealth, but also by an urge to solve human problems with new technology. He invented a portable dialysis machine and a wheelchair that climbs stairs. His Segway was an attempt to transform human transportation–and its failure is as important as Kamen’s score of other successes.

More recently, Kamen has focused on providing energy and clean water to the world’s poor, with an invention that combines a high-efficiency Stirling engine with a water purifier. His device is an huge technological achievement–a unit the size of two washing machines that can provide water and power for a small village.

But it’s also a force for further good through entrepreneurship: in a pilot program in rural Bangladesh, Kamen partnered with Grameen Phone, an innovator in microfinance, to distribute the generators. As one reporter put it, “Kamen’s Stirling machines created three entrepreneurs in each village: one to run the machine and sell the electricity, one to collect dung from local farmers and sell it to the first entrepreneur, and a third to lease out light bulbs.” And Kamen is clear on the advantages of innovation over intervention: “You don’t need any -ologists. You don’t need any building permits, bribery, or bureaucracies.” In short, you don’t need men like Barack Obama.

But to really grok Dean Kamen, watch this video (also embedded above), where he presents a prosthetic arm he’s been developing for soldiers maimed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Watch him quietly explain a terrible human problem. Watch him smile as he talks about his innovations. And watch the amazing thing that he has created in action. Kamen has spent his life pursuing wealth and happiness, while making real contributions to humanity. Not just to his government, or his country, or fellow citizens–but to the world as a whole.

Barack Obama pales in comparison. He is not a creator or an innovator, but a manager. When the President faces a problem like ensuring clean water and renewable energy, he calls on citizens to serve, on government to spend, and on Congress to make new laws. When Kamen faces it, he builds a generator.

In an interview last year, Popular Mechanics asked Kamen for his advice to the next president. “The next president should recognize the power of technology,” he replied. “Technology is how we create wealth, how we cure diseases, how we’ll build an environment that’s sustainable and also gives people the capacity to pull more out of this world and still leave it better than when they found it.”

UA students should recognize the power of men like Kamen who create technology–who create wealth and cure diseases and build a cleaner, healthier world for humans. So don’t be bummed about Barack at ASU. The President will give a good speech–but we Wildcats will hear from the real innovator.

This weekend we volunteered at the FIRST Robotics Challenge Colorado Regional. Not only is this a ton of fun – teams of high school students build robots to compete in a different game each year – it’s a very important activity to encourage young people to get involved in technology.

First a little background on FIRST: For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.

FIRST was founded in 1989 to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology. Based in Manchester, NH, the 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit public charity designs accessible, innovative programs that motivate young people to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math, while building self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills

Founded by Dean Kamen, President of DEKA Research & Development Corporation and inventor of the Segway PT, FIRST has grown from 28 teams in a New Hampshire high-school gym in 1992 to reaching over 150,000 kids and the FIRST Championship held in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. So what is FIRST Robotics Challenge all about? In the official words:

What is FRC?

FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is a unique varsity sport of the mind designed to help high-school-aged young people discover how interesting and rewarding the life of engineers and researchers can be.

The FIRST Robotics Competition challenges teams of young people and their mentors to solve a common problem in a six-week timeframe using a standard “kit of parts” and a common set of rules. Teams build robots from the parts and enter them in competitions designed by Dean Kamen, Dr. Woodie Flowers, and a committee of engineers and other professionals.

FIRST redefines winning for these students because they are rewarded for excellence in design, demonstrated team spirit, gracious professionalism and maturity, and the ability to overcome obstacles. Scoring the most points is a secondary goal. Winning means building partnerships that last.

What is unique about the FRC program?

• It is a sport where the participants play with the pros and learn from them
• Designing and building a robot is a fascinating real-world professional experience
• Competing on stage brings participants as much excitement and adrenaline rush as conventional varsity tournaments

The game rules are a surprise every year

My son and I got involved last year through the IEEE, which is a major supporter of FRC. Me, because it sounded like a great idea, my teenage son because, well, geeks + robots… you do the math. It has been an amazing experience. There is always a need for mentors, coaches and of course corporate sponsorship. I’ve volunteered both years working in the machine shop, which was provided last year by NASA and this year by a local Denver company Club Workshop, where we handled everything from minor accidents to field upgrades. I can’t say enough about this terrific program to really do it justice so I’ll just provide some pictures instead. Check FIRST out. You’ll be glad you did.

It’s a big week for “holidays.” Last Saturday, March 22 was World Water Day, Monday was National Puppy Day, Tuesday marked the 20^th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, today (March 26) is National Nougat Day, and Earth Hour is this Saturday, March 28, from 8:30-9:30 pm.

We could spend hours discussing the essence of nougat, but let’s back up to World Water Day (a day to celebrate—and advocate for—the sustainable management of freshwater). Today, about a third of the global population doesn’t have a dependable source of clean water. According to the UNEP, 1.8 billion people will live in countries with “absolute water scarcity” by 2025.

WTF?

The Earth has approximately 1.4 billion cubic kilometers of water (326 quintillion gallons), but 97% of that water is the salty stuff in the oceans. That leaves about 35 million cubic kilometers of freshwater, but most of that is locked in glaciers or deep underground aquifers, out of human reach. Of the stuff we can reach, a lot of it is too dirty to use or it’s MIA thanks to drought or over-consumption.

Over-consumption is a result of over-population—the more people on the planet, the more water we need for agriculture (70% of water use), industry (20%) and just regular ol’ domestic use (10%). Right now, we’re tapping India’s Ganges and Indus Rivers, the Nile (in Egypt) and the Yellow River (in China) so heavily that they no longer flow to the sea (except in rare wet years). Similarly, the mighty Colorado River—carver of the Grand Canyon—often runs dry by the time it reaches the Bay of California due to agricultural demands for water in the southwest.

The Colorado River isn’t the only source of agricultural water in the United States. The Ogallala aquifer—the largest aquifer in North America and one of the biggest in the world—provides 30% of the ground water used for irrigation in the US. But the amount of water in the Ogallala is shrinking. Every year, we pull 12 cubic kilometers of water out of this aquifer. Overall, we have pulled a volume of water equal to the annual flow of 18 Colorado Rivers out of the Ogallala. Some scientists estimate that it will be dry in 25 years.

On top of everything else, climate change has to make everything a little bit worse by making the dry places (like Australia and the Sahel region of Africa) even dryer. Whether a result of global warming, natural cycles or a combination of both, mega-droughts are happening in areas where human demand for water has pushed the local systems to the breaking point.

Don’t fret! We can MAKE rain. Maybe. Using a questionably brilliant, questionably effective and just plain questionable process known as “cloud seeding,” some people swear they can make it rain. The Chinese government is a big proponent of cloud seeding, firing silver iodide rockets into the sky when they want rain. Or snow. In February, China closed 12 major highways around Beijing because of heavy chemically-induced snow. Oops.

Not everyone is jumping on the “rain enhancement” bandwagon (for obvious reasons). Instead of trying to make rain to make water, people are trying to MAKE water. This is where Dean Kamen (the inventor of the Segway) comes in. He has invented a machine that can turn anything—puddle water, ocean water, urine—into clean freshwater. The machine, called “the slingshot,” can produce 1,000 gallons of clean water per day using an incredibly efficient process of vapor compression distillation. The slingshot can be powered by electricity or a Kamen-designed generator that runs on anything that burns (like propane—or poop). Of course, with a current price tag of $100,000, the slingshot isn’t quite ready for mass marketing.

There you have it. World Water Day: a rather depressing holiday. Now, get back to celebrating nougats and puppies.

If you went into a restaurant and they asked you if you would like a little arsenic in your water, you would probably skip.  At least I hope you would skip the arsenic.  Unfortunately, our water supply is loaded down with all sorts of toxic and hazardous chemicals, ranging from rocket fuel to mercury, lead and arsenic.  It is hard to believe, but it is no doubt true.  Being healthy means taking a look at all aspects of your health.  This means taking a close look at the foods you eat, the air you breathe, the supplements you consume and the water you drink.

Having clean water isn’t as easy as some of the other fixes we have discussed to date.  Buying organic food has become increasingly easy these days and you can really clean up your indoor air with the simple purchase of some plants.  Cleaning up your water is more complicated, but considering what is lurking in it, it’s probably worth the time.

There are many ways you can tackle this problem.  One of the best and simplest is to invest in a water filter system.  I will admit that is confusing, as there are so many options and some can get really pricey.  Many water-filtering systems use a simple pitcher and carbon filter system, such as Brita.  They do work to remove many of the most common contaminates such as heavy metals like lead.  Lead is really harmful for young, developing minds so if you have young children a water purification system of some sort is a real must.  Systems such as Brita are really easy to use and are definitely better than nothing at all.  The price is also right as you can get their simplest set-ups for under $50 dollars.

If you can spend a little more you might want to consider a reverse osmosis system.  Reverse osmosis can be very effective at removing most harmful chemicals.  Some systems can be fitted to use ultra-violet lamps to disinfect the water before its dispensed.  The only problem here is that there are so many options and the price ranges is pretty dramatic.  If you have the time and money to investigate it is probably a good idea to find a system such as this that is a good fit.

But there is some good news on the horizon, inventor Dean Kamen, you remember him the Segway guy, he has developed a system that uses vapor compression distillation to purify just about any water.  Now by any water, I do mean any water.  He has been able to take very polluted water and turn it into drinkable water with this system.  The system is pretty expensive but its cost is bound to come down in cost in the coming years, so keep an eye out.
A pitcher based water purification system is definitely better than not purifying your water at all.  Also take a look at the wide variety of reverse osmosis systems.  They have a big advantage in that you can simply install them under your sink and mostly just forget about them.  The main point is to periodically evaluate your health, what you put into your body and what you can change to improve your environment and health.

CFLs (compact florescent light bulbs) may have become the symbol for greener lighting over the last couple of years, but  LEDs — those ubiquitous light emitting diodes on everything from digital alarm clocks to laptops — are poised for a global come-from-behind take-over. The key stumbling point has always been the cost the production. That’s about to change.

LEDs  use only a tiny fraction of the energy needed by florescents and can last a decade or longer, but manufacturing complications require the use of sapphire, a rare and expensive material. Now research at the University of Cambridge promises a super-cheap alternative. Once that pesky little problem is solved, CFLs — and their inconveniently un-green mercury residues — will soon go the way of….incandescents.

(The EPA’s clean up guidelines for broken CFLs are Hazmat-thorough and energy intensive, which begs the question why anyone living in an earthquake-prone area, or with young children in the house, would want to use them.)

Despite high costs, though, there is strong and growing demand for these energy-miser bulbs both the developing world where the electric grid has yet to reach, and in the developed world where grid-liberation is the goal.

SOURCES & STORIES

Below is a round-up of links that have been featured on the TrackerNews site:

• Light Up the World Foundation: Started by University of Calgary professor Dave Irvine-Halliday, LUWF has pioneered the installation of LED lighting units in the developing world that are powered by renewable sources (solar, wind, even pedal power). The goal is two-fold: bring light to some of the 2 billion people without electricity and provide an alternative to smokey, dangerous, ineffective kerosene lamps. “The Man Who Lit Up the Mountains” is a short video about LUWF and its first project in Nepal.

• The Lumina Project: This is an extremely rich resource for field research and reference materials — a must-visit site. Be sure to check out their collaborative partners for more good leads (e.g., Lighting Africa).  “Solid-State Lighting on a Shoestring Budget: The Economics of Off-Grid Lighting for Small Businesses in Kenya,” published last December, is typical of the thoroughness of their field work. It looks at everything from efficiency to consumer price-point sensitivity (~$15, btw). Even the best technology isn’t worth much if it doesn’t address barriers to adoption.  

• d.light: A start-up with momentum, that’s grown from an idea in a social entrepreneurship class at Stanford, to a company with a factory in China and sales offices in India and Tanzania, with an impressive list of investors. They sell two styles of LED lights, both of which can be recharged using solar or AC grid power. The Nova series is a hand-held super duper flashlight, while the Solata is a small, rather stylish table light. As par of their mission, d.lights offers a fellowship program to work in Shenzhen or New Delhi (February 15 is the deadline for 2009 applications;  a global photography fellowship has a “rolling application”).

• One Million Lights Foundation: Inspired by a school started by her father in rural India over 40 years ago, Anna Sidana founded OMLF to help improve education in regions of the world where a lack of electricity makes it impossible for children to study at night. These children generally work after school, so study time is precious. Last December, eBay chipped in for 15,000 MightyLights, which, like d-light Nova lamps, are industrial strength flashlights that can be recharged with a solar panel. (Sidana’s day job is Director, Financial Products for PayPal, which is owned by eBay.)  Here is a video of her presenting the first delivery to her father’s school.

• Dean Kamen’s North Dumpling Island, aka “The World’s First LED Nation”: In an effort to bring  energy needs down to levels supportable by off-grid power generation, Kamen switched to LEDs for the nation’s three buildings and mini-Stonehenge installation. Although the change was pricey, costing tens of thousands of dollars, energy use was halved, even after adding outdoor lighting.

• The Solar Tree: This is what happens when a design aesthetic gets added to the equation. Ross Lovegrove, a.k.a. “Captain Organic” (see TED talk) turned street lighting into public gathering place. During the day, the tops of the Solar Tree’s leaves do what real tree leaves do: soak up the sun’s energy. At night, the leaves LED-laced bottom surfaces shed light.

PHYTOPHOTONICS

LEDs aren’t just for humans, either. Plants are partial to them, too, particularly the red and blue ones. Light color affects everything from leaf shape to chemical content to flowering times, so botanists are keen to see if they can use LEDs to manipulate plant development.

A prototype LED greenhouse is being built in Denmark. The expected energy savings are so dramatic, installation costs could be recouped in just three years. Sensors dim or brighten the lights to accomodate passing clouds, keeping plant light intake constant. It is also easier to harvest waste-heat from LEDs than from florescent lights, which can then be used to warm irrigation water.

It a world too full of dark news, LEDs literally are a beacon of light.

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