This weeks we have the remaining groups with their wix presentation on various topic. I realized that most of the groups used www.wix.com for their web report due to its interactivity and ease of use. One key lesson i took away from the 12 weeks of TWC class is that we should be open and embrace new technologies, and by adopting such initiatives, we are able to share our knowledge with the rest of the world through new media. The web report, this blog and individual oral presentation are focused at one thing - a deeper understanding of the changing world and sharing of the knowledge.
One quote I really love is "The main purpose of acquiring knowledge is to give it away" - SMU banner.
Apart from the key takeaway, there are several other skills that we picked up from this course. One that leaves the deepest impression would be that change is constant, and that we have to learn how to adapt or innovate to keep up. You can be the forerunner of a innovative change, or be a follower of the initiative, but one thing is for sure - that if you failed to improve yourself by adopting such best practices, you will lose out. It is true that we live in exponential times, the information that is provided to each individual in a day exceeds the consolidation of all information in the past since the dawn of civilization. We should use all these knowledge and avoid reinventing the wheel, so that mankind could proceed forward. As Stephen Hawks says, the final frontier is in space. I believe that once human has unlocked all the secrets that are in the world, we will seek to answer the mysteries of space and time.
Everything has to come to and end - life, the sun, TWC classes. However, space doesn't end, neither will learning. So push on and ask more question, because when we challenge ourselves with "why cant I.." and other dream that seem unreachable, it gives us direction to an influx of ideas and innovations.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Water for the World
We had a very interesting presentation today, which is to provide water for people around the world. Should water be accessible to everyone? Should clean water be accessible to everyone? I think yes. I believe that everyone has the rights to basic necessities like water, food and shelter.
As the world economy grow, the gap between the rich and poor gets wider and wider. The ability to satisfy people who has high purchasing power will have a limit. As there are only that amount of luxury in the world, and that same amount of time a person can spend, a person who has a total networth of 1 billion dollars and 5 billion dollars will probably differ by an insignificant degree in lifestyle. However a person on the lower spectrum, a person who lives for $1 a day and a person who lives for $10 a day differs a lot. And that is only a tiny fraction of the billions of dollars people have in excess, either lying in bank or making more money.
Here is an inspiring video on a person who ask for donations as birthday presents, so instead of buying him a gift, you give him money for his birthday so that he can bring people water:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rphhfy4qCfc
There are other technologies which countries such as Singapore use for getting water. One such is the Seawater desalination plant, which uses reverse osmosis. In short, it uses sea water as raw material, and the product is drinkable water. Although developing countries would not have the resources to build a water desalination plant now, such technologies should be accessible to them so that they are able to provide clean water for the masses. Developing countries should not make the mistakes that developed countries made, such as pollution and wastage or resources through trial and error, so the incentive for them is to share technologies. Water can also be used to drive turbines for produce electricity, such as those in those power plant that tap on hydroelectricity. However, i feel that Africa is a continent that should preserve it's natural habitat, and avoid too much urbanization and lose it touch with nature.
Another interesting thing from water is that Salt Water can actually fuel car or produce electricity. When a broadcast engineer focus a beam radio wave to salt water, it made the salt water burn and thus creating an alternative source of energy. As salt water is abundant, people could save precious resources such as coal and petrol, which are non-renewable fossil fuel for other uses. Right now, we are using very primitive method of using these fossil fuel, and we are just burning them to release energy. As a speaker Juan, from TED suggest, we should look at them not as chemical energy but as bioenergy. By combining fossil fuel with other organic compound, we are able to better utilize and produce energy.
As the world economy grow, the gap between the rich and poor gets wider and wider. The ability to satisfy people who has high purchasing power will have a limit. As there are only that amount of luxury in the world, and that same amount of time a person can spend, a person who has a total networth of 1 billion dollars and 5 billion dollars will probably differ by an insignificant degree in lifestyle. However a person on the lower spectrum, a person who lives for $1 a day and a person who lives for $10 a day differs a lot. And that is only a tiny fraction of the billions of dollars people have in excess, either lying in bank or making more money.
Here is an inspiring video on a person who ask for donations as birthday presents, so instead of buying him a gift, you give him money for his birthday so that he can bring people water:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rphhfy4qCfc
There are other technologies which countries such as Singapore use for getting water. One such is the Seawater desalination plant, which uses reverse osmosis. In short, it uses sea water as raw material, and the product is drinkable water. Although developing countries would not have the resources to build a water desalination plant now, such technologies should be accessible to them so that they are able to provide clean water for the masses. Developing countries should not make the mistakes that developed countries made, such as pollution and wastage or resources through trial and error, so the incentive for them is to share technologies. Water can also be used to drive turbines for produce electricity, such as those in those power plant that tap on hydroelectricity. However, i feel that Africa is a continent that should preserve it's natural habitat, and avoid too much urbanization and lose it touch with nature.
Another interesting thing from water is that Salt Water can actually fuel car or produce electricity. When a broadcast engineer focus a beam radio wave to salt water, it made the salt water burn and thus creating an alternative source of energy. As salt water is abundant, people could save precious resources such as coal and petrol, which are non-renewable fossil fuel for other uses. Right now, we are using very primitive method of using these fossil fuel, and we are just burning them to release energy. As a speaker Juan, from TED suggest, we should look at them not as chemical energy but as bioenergy. By combining fossil fuel with other organic compound, we are able to better utilize and produce energy.
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