I have been waiting for this concert for a loooonnnnggg time! Kanye West is one of favorite entertainers and his VH1's special "Storytellers" concert is finally premiering tonight at 9pm on VH1. If you appreciate creativity, style, art and great music, check out this concert tonight. I already have it Tivo'd too!
I recently watched a video in a business ethics course I am taking at UH, and there was a segment about externalities. The abuse that companies externalize their costs at the expense of our nature. There was a man who took an activists point of view with his art and photographed some of the worlds worst places that abused our world; paper mills that send wastes into the rivers, plastic bottles washing piling up on the shores of many beaches.
I recently came across a video from a lecture of Captain Charles Moore of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation and he speaks about the "Sea of Plastic". Check it out and do something with it.
12 year old Max Wallack has just inspired me. Max entered in Design Squads "Trash to Treasure" contest with something that is a social good and purely innovative; the Home Dome. The idea is that he has created a "Dome" made out of plastic, wires and packing peanuts, which could provide a shelter for homeless people. This innovation won Max $10,000 plus a dell laptop and a trip to Boston. Max's most inspiring thing to me was this, " I don't really care about the money, I care about helping people...I won an invention contest that included a trip to Chicago. While there, I saw homeless people living on streets, and beneath highways and underpasses. I felt very sorry for these people, and ever since then felt that my goal and obligation was to find a way to help them. My invention improves the living conditions for homeless people, refugees, or disaster victims by giving them easy-to-assemble shelter." http://www.thedesignblog.org
Check out this video about the creation of the Home Dome
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Shout out to Christina Stidman! This is a new bike wheel known as the "GreenWheel", created by scientists at MIT. This will turn any pedal bicycle into an electric hog.
"Under its current configuration, a bike powered solely by a single GreenWheel (front, rear or both wheel can be equipped with a GreenWheel) has an estimated range of 25 miles. Pedaling the bike doubles the range under electric power, provided the rider isn't traveling at the nearly top speed of 30 miles an hour. The bike can be charged by pedaling or by plugging it into the electric grid.,, The GreenWheel is an offshoot of another MIT project the team members are part of, known as SmartCities. SmartCities hopes to expand the range and ease of public and private transportation. The GreenWheel is the latest addition to SmartCities line of vehicles, which also includes an electric scooter and a stackable electric car." (msnbc.com)
Check this out! Dell Wasabi has created a pocket size printer that is inkless! Now, I found this on http://www.tuvie.com, but it doesn't actually say how it is printed. I like the idea, but am curious on the actual process. Anyone heard any details on this?
Beauty, courage, strength and passion is what sums up a girl who was born on this day, 23 years ago. She has grown into a woman who knows so much about life and has so much to share. She has taught me to not take things for granted, to live life to its fullest and that you can fight through life's toughest challenges with persistence. Today is your day, enjoy it because you deserve only the best of things. Happy birthday Rachel
Remember how everyone always use to talk about, "if only we had Smell-o-vision..." Things that looked so delicious on t.v., but was only limited to the sense of sight. If we had the ability to add smell, people would definitely be running out the doors to be buying whatever they saw on t.v.
The time is coming. This is something called "Smellit" by Nuno Teixeira. I really don't know much about this, just read about it on a blog. Here are some pics of a prototype. Smellit works similar to how a printer uses ink cartridges; instead of ink they use different "smell" cartridges. Smellit decodes all the smell information 10-20 seconds ahead of the actual scenes and once analyzed, the smell cartridge vaporizes a very small amount of concentrated "smell gel", and a fan distributes the wonderful smells into the air.
Reestore has just introduced their latest product and that is their "Deborah." It is a wing of an airplane that has been recycled into the most innovative and hip desk I have ever seen!
"Founded by UK product designer Max McMurdo, Reestore is a line of green products based on the recycling of old home products. Taking everyday waste objects and turning them into charming yet functional pieces of furniture and accessories, Reestore attempts to 'avoid traditional eco materials in favor of contemporary finishes, fabrics, and, above all, style.'" (inhabitat.com)
Today is a wonderful day, it's the greatest father is the worlds BIRTHDAY!! Happy birthday dad! My father is the one that has pushed me to exceed my potential. He has always encouraged me to "give it 110%" or to not do things "half ass". He has taught me to dream as big as I can and that with hard work comes great success. He has taught me to be strong and passionate about life. He is inspiring to me because of the story he has lived, and it would be a great accomplishment for anyone to live a life my father has; A life with happiness, love, generosity, and success. My father is the reason why I am where I am today, so I would just like to say thank you and hope you have a wonderful birthday because you deserve the best.
Nonprofit group Project H Design has just completed an innovative way of education at the Kutamba AIDS Orphans School in southern Uganda. Project H designs calls this their first "Learning Landscape." It is a playground made out of reclaimed tires in a sandbox, that teaches elementary math concepts using ten interactive games.
"The ten games teach concepts including addition, subtraction, mutiplication, and division, as well as spatial and logical reasoning through individual and team-based competition. In Match Me, for example, students form tow teams. The teacher calls out a math equation, and one student from each team compete against each other to solve the equation, then locate the tire with that number on it, sitting atop the correct tire. The team member who finds the tire first returns to the team's line. The team with whose players remain in the line the longest wins." (www.inhabitat.com)
Grad student from MIT, David Merrill demos his latest interface, Siftables- which are cookie-sized, computerized tiles you can stack and shuffles in your hands. He has taken the concept of toy blocks and analyzed how a child uses those toys to think. Now he has created an interface that capitalizes on that way of thinking. This futuristic toy can do math, create music, talk to friends and create your own narrative. Get ready for the next big thing in hands-on learning!
This one goes out to my fellow EC'er Clinton! A couple days ago he posted an idea for my IDEA CHALLENGE. His idea was a solar powered phone, which he thought would be a great idea, but just hasn't seen it on the marketplace. Well my friend... That day has come. Introducing SamSung's "Blue Earth" phone. Small, sleek, touch screened, and has a solar panel on its back to generate enough power to charge itself!
Samsung's goal is to achieve the greenest phone on the market. "The body itself is actually made out of recycled water bottles and has no brominated flame retardants, beryllium and phthalates- all incredibly toxic substances. That goes for the charger as well, which also meets the newer standby mode energy efficiency ratings. " (inhabitat.com)
Google has added another amazing element to their arsenal. They are attacking the energy use problem by creating an application that helps individuals count exactly how many joules of energy is being used within their household. This web based application will provide real-time data on energy use, making it easy to track energy-saving behavior. You are also able to share data with others.
Just when Mark Cuban has started to drift away from the spot light with the Dallas Mavericks, Dancing with the Stars, and by just being loud, Cuban has shaken up it again and found a way to have his name being talked about.
He decided to create an open source type of funding in which he calls "The Mark Cuban Stimulus Plan." Basically, he has created a challenge for the best business ideas, and if he likes them, he will invest. You post your business idea on his blog and it will turn into an open forum about your business idea. Open to Cuban to comment on as well as the public to criticize.
Here's what Cuban has to say:
" If its a good idea and worth funding, we want it replicated elsewhere. The idea is not just to help you, but ot figure out how to help the economy through hard work and ingenuity. If you come up with the idea and get funding, you have a head start. If you execute better than others, you could possibly make money at it... I will invest money in businesses presented here on this blog. No minimum, no maximum, but a very specific set of rules."
Check out his blog and the set of rules he has for this challenge at:
One of the most inspiring buildings in the country and latest in architectural innovation has gotten some big praises on ArchDaily. This building is actually located in my hometown of Seattle, Washington as well!
"The Seattle Central Library redefines the library as an institution no longer exclusively dedicated to the book, but as an information store where all potent forms of media- new and old- are presented equally and legibly. In an age where information can be accessed anywhere, it is the simultaneity of all media and. more importantly, the curatorship of their content that will make the library vital." (ArchDaily.com)
Shout outs to my buddies Allen Chen and Bobby Mathews! The latest in technology has just one up'd itself. Amazon's "Kindle" has just released its second generation model and it is better than ever. For those who aren't familiar with the "Kindle", it is the latest technology in electronic books. Weighing in at a staggering 10.2 ounces, which happens to be lighter than typical paper back, connection to 3G network, downloading capabilities in under 60 seconds, has 16 shades of gray for clear text and even crisper images to get a read that is similar to paper, strong battery life that lets you ready for days without recharging, storage of over 1500 books, and the list is endless.
Here is what Amazon had to say about its latest generation...
"At Amazon, we've always been obsessed with having every book ever printed, and we know that even the best reading device would be useless without a massive selection of books. Today, the Kindle Store has more than 230,000 books available, plus top newspapers, magazines, and blogs. This is just the beginning. Our vision is to have every book ever printed, in any language, all available in under 60 seconds on Kindle. We won't stop until we get there."
I read about this on yahoo and thought if I had this when I was a kid, it would be the best hiding spot for hide and go seek! Tham & Videgard Hansson have created this illusion simply by covering this treehouse with mirrored glass. The reflection makes it seem as if it is invisible. These guys are clever...
In the UAE, they are starting to prototype a new source of transportation, driverless electronic cars called "Podcars". They say when the system is fully completed, these podcars will be able to bring you within 100 meters of any destination in the city. There are similar things in London, but nothing has ever been built and used city wide. This system hopes to be self sustainable by still charging riders the equivalent of a taxi ride. Amazing...
One of the hottest things to do right now is creating iPhone Apps. Applications like iFart which is the #1 app on iTunes which simply has about 30 different farting sounds that you can download to your iPhone, to the Zippo lighter to one of the most remarkable, Doodle kids. 9 year-old Lim Ding Wen is the creator of this latest app. Doodle Kids is a finger painting program that was made for kids his age.
"The program has been downloaded more than 4,000 times from Apple's iTunes store in less tahn two weeks... Lim, who is now fluent in six programming languages, fist started using a computer when he was two-years-old, discovered programming aged seven, and has since completed more than 20 programming projects." (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7874291.stm)
I was watching "24" on Hulu.com and an advertisement really caught my attention. It was for an online platform called "Kiva". This website is the worlds first person to person micro-lending website. It lets you connect with people around the world and provide loans directly to unique entrepreneurs in developing countries. These are people who really need these investments in countries that do not have the money, but want to make a difference. You are able to step in immediately and help change the world. Here is a quick overview of how this website works:
1. Lenders like you browse profiles of entrepreneurs in need, and choose someone to lend to. When they lend using pay-pal or their credit cards, Kiva collects the funds and then passes them along to one of our micofinance partners worldwide.
2.Kiva's microfinance partners distribute the loan funds to the selected entrepreneur. OFten, our partners also provide training and other assistance to maximize the entrepreneur's chances of success.
3. Over time, entrepreneur repays their loan. Repayment and other updates are posted on Kiva and emailed to lenders who wish to receive them.
4. When lenders get their money back, they can re-lend to someone else in need, donated their funds to Kiva (to cover operational expenses) or withdraw their funds.
Here is some new architecture by X-Architects in Dubai. Check out this houseboat they have designed. This floating structure is a floating home that uses 2 catamaran beams for stability. It is approximately 20 meters by 6.7 meters and has two levels.
For those of who you did the last puzzle, here is when you will get your answer! Lets recap it. You have 2 buckets; a 6 gallon and a 5 gallon bucket. You need to get exactly 9 gallons of water, how do you do it?
Answer: Fill up the 5 gallon bucket, pour it into the 6 gallon bucket. Fill up the 5 gallon bucket again, pour it into the 6 gallon bucket until it is exactly full ( or what would be one gallon more. 5 gallons, with one remaining to make a full 6 gallons). This leaves you with a full 6 gallons and 4 gallons in the 5 gallon bucket, because you poured one gallon out. Pour the 6 gallon bucket out and put the 4 gallons you have, into the 6 gallon bucket. Now fill up the 5 gallon bucket and you have exactly 9 gallons.
Here is the math: 6 gallon bucket: 0+5+1-6+4=4 5 gallon bucket: 5-5+5-1=4 You pour this 4 gallons into the 6 gallon bucket, and fill up the 5 gallon bucket and you have 9 gallons.
So here is today's puzzle:
There is 2 rooms. One room has 3 light bulbs, the other has 3 light switches. You can only go into the other room once, how do you figure out which light switch turns on which light bulb?
If you figure out that one, try this unscramble puzzle...
The phrase gives a small hint relating to the person's identity: BEEN IN STAR LITE
I wanted to post a challenge to you all. In me trying to motivate others to be more innovative and help the spread of unique ideas, I wanted to ask others to take some actions.
I CHALLENGE ALL WHO DARE, to post at least one crazy, outrageous, unique, or anything that would make anyone think for a little bit, type of ideas on either the facebook group page or my blog. For some, it is hard to step outside the box, but one can easily start simply by looking at what other people have done! After a week, I will pick the best 5 ideas, and want you all to help vote for the best one.
This is a great presentation made by Bill Gates. In his philanthropic life, he is trying to solve and bring awareness to more problems in this world. Throughout this presentation he poses 2 problems in which he believes to have equal value:
1. How do we stop a deadly disease that's spread by mosquitos?
2. How do you make a teacher great
Me personally, I can relate to the second question he posted. I currently am going to school in Hawaii and have seen an education system that definitely can be improved upon. One of the main reasons I started the entrepreneurs club at UH was simply because I wasn't getting the tools needed to step into the real world. I wanted to educate students in a more active oriented, learning environment. Get students out of the chairs in the classrooms and into the world solving problems.
Bill Gates speaks of a education program called "KIPP" which is all about being able to teach to young, underprivileged students, in the most effective way. One thing "KIPP" does in their classrooms is that they are constantly making sure each student is actively involved in the learning process. The teachers at this program are asking questions to all the students, and doing other things to get them engaged. Teachers get feedback from school tests to see if they are being effective in the classroom, and have created an environment that they can ask other teachers how to improve themselves as a teacher.
Hawaii as well as a lot of other places in this world need to understand the value of a great teacher. We should be helping solve the problem of bad education systems because schools are where the future leaders of our country will be coming from. If we cannot improve the core, we will be left behind.
One of my favorite quotes from Bill Gates in this presentation was...
"I am an optimist. Any tough problem, I think it can be solved."
The shores on Monterey Bay is finally going to be turned into a place that is eco-friendly. This disused sand mine is about to be turned into an environmental preserve and eco-resort. This is still in the beginning stages, but if they actually follow through with what they are saying will be constructed, it will not only be one of the greenest places in the U.S., but the world. Here are some of the features they stated will be in this Eco-resort:
"As part of the resort development, MBS will also restore 85% of the 29 acre site to native flora and fauna. Over 6.7 acres will be dedicated as an endangered species habitat and restores coastline. Additionally, 5 acres will be built as a living roof, leaving only 4% of the site as impervious surface... All parking is below ground, and even the fire lanes will be constructed from a grass paver, rather than asphalt.
The resort will provide 30% of its own power from wind and solar resources augmented by geothermal heat pumps for heating and cooling. The green roofs include photovoltaic and evacuated tube solar hot water systems, while horizontal wind turbines will be strategically located behind restored sand dunes for optimum wind velocity. The building themselves will be highly energy efficient and reduce energy use by over 50%. " (www.inhabitat.com)
This is my first fashion post. I am very into fashion and feel like it is another creative outlet for myself. I love how some designers bring these new innovative ideas to something as personal as your everyday clothing.
These are VANS latest shoes called the VANS Zapatos Del Barco. It is another hybrid shoe between a great brand like vans and the classic boat style shoe. I picked these up Zumiez and definitely satisfied with them. Expect stylist and innovative clothing in the future!
