#SugataMitra is trending: Twitter reacts to the 2013 TED Prize reveal
The 'chemputer' that could print out any drug
Professor Lee Cronin is a likably impatient presence, a one-man catalyst. "I just want to get stuff done fast," he says. And: "I am a control freak in rehab." Cronin, 39, is the leader of a world-class team of 45 researchers at Glasgow University, primarily making complex molecules. At the same time, one branch of that thinking has itself evolved into a new project: the notion of creating downloadable chemistry, with the ultimate aim of allowing people to "print" their own pharmaceuticals at home. The idea is very much at the conception stage, but as he walks me around his labs Cronin begins to outline how that "paradigm-changing" project might progress. A couple of years ago, Cronin was invited to an architectural seminar to discuss his work on inorganic structures. He shows me the printer, a nondescript version of the £1,200 3D printer used in the Fab@Home project, which aims to bring self-fabrication to the masses. What would this mean?
RepRap
TEDxEWB Talk: Adrian Bowyer at Imperial College, London, introduces RepRap RepRap is humanity's first general-purpose self-replicating manufacturing machine. RepRap takes the form of a free desktop 3D printer capable of printing plastic objects. Since many parts of RepRap are made from plastic and RepRap prints those parts, RepRap self-replicates by making a kit of itself - a kit that anyone can assemble given time and materials. It also means that - if you've got a RepRap - you can print lots of useful stuff, and you can print another RepRap for a friend... RepRap is about making self-replicating machines, and making them freely available for the benefit of everyone. Reprap.org is a community project, which means you are welcome to edit most pages on this site, or better yet, create new pages of your own. RepRap was the first of the low-cost 3D printers, and the RepRap Project started the open-source 3D printer revolution. RepRap was voted the most significant 3D-printed object in 2017.
Re-thinking Progress: The Circular Economy
The circular economy is a generic term for an industrial economy that is, by design or intention, restorative and in which materials flows are of two types, biological nutrients, designed to reenter the biosphere safely, and technical nutrients, which are designed to circulate at high quality without entering the biosphere. The term encompasses more than the production and consumption of goods and services, including a shift from fossil fuels to the use of renewable energy, and the role of diversity as a characteristic of resilient and productive systems. It includes discussion of the role of money and finance as part of the wider debate, and some of its pioneers have called for a revamp of economic performance measurement tools The circular economy is grounded in the study of feedback rich (non-linear) systems, particularly living systems. A major outcome of this is the notion of optimising systems rather than components, or the notion of ‘design for fit’.
Plug-in Hybrids
Plug-in hybrids, sometimes called Plug-in Hybrid-Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), are hybrids with high-capacity batteries that can be charged by plugging them into an electrical outlet or charging station. They can store enough electricity from the power grid to significantly reduce their petroleum consumption under typical driving conditions. Different Kinds of Plug-in Hybrids There are two basic plug-in hybrid configurations: Series plug-in hybrids, also called Extended Range Electric Vehicles (EREVs). Plug-in hybrids also have different battery capacities, allowing some to travel farther on electricity than others. Benefits and Challenges The environmental benefits of plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles increase if they are powered by electricity from 'green' sources such as solar, wind or small-scale hydroelectricity. Find out more about green power and how you can purchase it in your state. Less Petroleum Use. Less Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Higher Vehicle Costs, Lower Fuel Costs. Videos
Graphene 3D Printing
Since its discovery in 2004 by a pair of scientists at the University of Manchester, England, graphene has been sitting around the lab waiting for applications like a genie in a bottle waiting for someone to make some wishes. That genie will soon be very, very busy fulfilling the latest wish being asked of it—“Make me whatever I want, whenever I want it, and delivery it wherever I want in the world.” And the genie made of graphene says, “Your wish is my command.” American Graphite Technologies Inc. The 3D printers they produce will mean nothing less than the mass production of genies. Current 3D Printing Current 3D printers use liquids, powders, paper, or sheet materials to manufacture objects by pouring or adding one layer upon another according to an item’s blueprints. Since these blueprints can be downloaded from the Internet, objects can be manufactured, or printed, anywhere on the planet that has Internet access—even in one’s own garage. Graphene’s Advantages
Ed | Hans Rosling shows the best stats you've ever seen
Rosling is a passionate advocate for “liberating” publicly-funded data on the Internet. Select one topic area for which country-specific data might be compared (e.g., education, health, food production, the environment, etc.), and identify what you think are the best sources of data in this area on the Internet. Create a guide that lists these sources, and provides a brief review of each.
Solar vehicles and efficient vehicles
The Accelerated Composites Aptera will be produced as an all electric and as a plug in hybrid. Seating for two adults + an infant seat behind. Zero to 60 in 10 secs, top speed around 85 mph. Drag coefficient of 0.05., weight 850 lbs, range 120 miles(?). While it is licensed as a motorcycle, they have put a lot of emphasis on safety including air bags and front, side, and rollover protection. Their goal is to offer the EV version in late 2008 and the hybrid version in late 2009 -- prices projected to start at $27K.
Martin Seligman on positive psychology
Seligman believes that there are three different types of happy lives: the pleasant life, the engaged life, and the meaningful life. Create an infographic explaining the three lives. The infographic should include a spokesperson who seems to represent each type of life; this could be someone you know, celebrity, a historical figure, or a character from TV, movies, or literature. Try what Seligman calls the “Gratitude Visit” [16:53]. Keep a written journal or a video diary to record your feelings before and after the exercise. Want to be happy? We all want to be happy.
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David McCandless: The beauty of data visualization
To create his infographic about nutritional supplements, it took McCandless a month to review about 1,000 medical studies and design the visual. Is that level of effort surprising, and do you think it’s worth it? Try out the interactive version that’s available on McCandless’s website. What engaged or surprised you?
Enginer | Solar Powered Prius Plug-in PHEV Conversion Kit with Lithium-Ion | Hybrid
Kevin Slavin: How algorithms shape our world
Slavin worries about our reliance on algorithms: “We’re writing these things that we can no longer read. And we’ve rendered something illegible, and we’ve lost the sense of what’s actually happening in this world that we’ve made.” What’s more, Slavin believes we may not even realize it, as the algorithms “acquire the sensibility of truth because they repeat over and over again, and they ossify and calcify, and they become real.” Imagine Slavin’s examples taken two or three steps further, and create a short story set in a world that is completely dominated by computer algorithms. MoveOn’s former executive director and online activist Eli Pariser took the TED stage in 2011 to warn about the unintended consequences of algorithms that personalize people’s online experiences. Watch his talk, “Beware online filter bubbles."