The Uplifting and the Heartbreaking (December 2013)

The Uplifting. Human ingenuity and the spirit of innovation have never known any bounds.  History has numerous examples where humanity’s unquenchable thirst for something new and different has changed the course of history. Finding innovations is exciting enough.   If the innovations also embody the possibility of enhancing the quality of human life and the world we live in, that is even better.  It is even more motivating to know that it is young people, just out of universities, who are behind these ideas.  Now, these young inventors are on the way to joining the ranks of budding, and soon to be successful, entrepreneurs. The OrbSys Shower, invented by Mehrdad Mahdjoubi, industrial designer from Sweden, is something that every house in the world must have.  The shower, which is a self-contained, system consisting of a filtration system and a water pressure and temperature modulating system.  It is also nice to look at.  Water flowing from the showerhead is captured under the shower stall and passed through a filtration system that removes 99.9% of the impurities in the water; making is clean enough to drink.  The clean water is then pumped back through the showerhead, while maintaining its temperature.  After a few weeks just snap the filtration capsule out, plug in the spare, and send the old one in for cleanup.  You could use the same 1.5-2 gallons of water for weeks!  In case you did not know, you use about 50-60 gallons of water for each 10-minute shower you take.  There is a lot more information about this at http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/ideas/2013/11/can-this-water-recycling-shower-save-1000-in-bills/. All I know is that I want one now. Laser-projected bike light, invented by Emily Brooke, a design engineer, and you guessed – bicycling enthusiast – from England is such an obvious idea that you are left scratching your head as to why it had not been invented yet.  It is sleek looking, shiny six inch light that can snap on and off the bike with one hand.  It can be used as a steady or blinking light, and the innovative part is that it also projects a 3-ft, green colored laser image of a bicycle about 6-8 feet ahead of the bicyclist.  A simple idea, well executed, and will hopefully decrease or even prevent injuries and fatalities.   You can read a little more about this at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-20611279. Oru Canoe, invented by Anton Willis, a designer from California is a work of art.  The simple looking, but very thoughtfully crafted innovation came about as Anton mixed the Japanese paper-folding art of...

Nelson Mandela on Children and Education

The passing of Nelson Mandela, also referred to as ‘Tata’ (father), ‘Madiba’ (the name of his clan), or ‘Rolihlahla’ (his birth name, whose colloquial meaning is ‘troublemaker’) has become a global event, as it should.  He was a man who decided to stand for something much larger than himself, and simply did not waver from it.  He understood what he represented, and did his best to act in a manner consistent with that ideal. The actions that demonstrated Mandela’s uncompromising stances for his belief are numerous, including: Mandela asked most of the black and white officials of the previous government to stay and help him run the country when he became the first democratically elected President of South Africa in 1994, after having been placed in 3 different prisons for 27 years by the same government officials. When elected president, Mandela let former South African president F. W. de Klerk, who became Deputy President, to reside in the presidential palace, while he situated himself in an alternate location. Mandela wore South African rugby team captain Francois Pienaar’s number 6 green jersey during the 1995 championship hosted, and won by South Africa, sending a stronger unification message than any speech would have, to South Africa, and the world. This global figure that towered above his contemporaries, and will be an example for future generations also held a deep belief that the future of any country, the world, and humanity is only secured through our actions and behavior towards children, and the education of our children. Here are some of his relevant quotes about children, which reflect his thinking and which we would be well advised to reflect in our thoughts and actions.  “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” “We owe our children – the most vulnerable citizens in any society – a life free from violence and fear.” “Our children are our greatest treasure. They are our future. Those who abuse them tear at the fabric of our society and weaken our nation.” “Our children are the rock on which our future will be built, our greatest asset as a nation. They will be the leaders of our country, the creators of our national wealth, those who care for and protect our people.” “Our love for children is undiminished. Their innocence and energy, their happiness and welfare must be protected and treasured. It is their laughter that I yearned for while in prison.” Mr. Mandela, like all...