Is Technology Getting Less Technical?
NASA ran a nationwide, student contest to name its Mars Science Laboratory/Mars rover ' launch date 2011. The contest received more than 9,000 entries from students from every state. Although many essays were excellent and several of the suggested names would have fit, the winning name was submitted by Clara Ma, a 12-year-old, 6th grader from Lenexa, Kansas. Clara wrote, 'We have become explorers and scientists with our need to ask questions and to wonder'. Now the rover is officially named 'Curiosity'. Although Clara thought of the name, the 'i' in Curiosity represents all of us.
Using technology developed by a French engineer and significantly simpler than NASA's, Zero Pollution Motors is powering a car with compressed air and a small engine. The 'AirPod' is expected to cost $18,000-$20,000, have fuel economy equal to 100 mpg and emit only air at low speeds. When plugged into a wall outlet, an onboard compressor pressurizes the air tank to 4,500 pounds per square inch. Under 35 mph, released air powers the pistons. At faster speeds, the engine warms the air to speed its release. However, because engineering experts say compressing air is energy intensive, the AirPod might be just hot air.
Using very basic technology Maryland replaced lawn mowers with 40 goats to control plant growth in an area that also requires protecting bog turtles. It's part of the governor's 'Smart Green and Growing' legislative package to reduce greenhouse gas 25% by 2020. Maryland, however, wasn't first with goat power. Hampstead, New York uses goats for a 50-acre park/preserve. In Vail, Colorado 500 goats are used in public areas as an alternative to chemicals. In Denver 'Goats at Work' signs alert passers-by to goats on lots managed by the park system. In the 21st century 'getting you goat' has taken on new meaning.
Finally, in spite of technology, research published in the 'Journal of the American Medical Association' expects the number of diabetics worldwide to escalate from 240 million in 2007 to 380 million in 2025 ' with more than 60% of them in Asia. Although obesity rates are much lower in Asia, the rapid growth of economic development, changing diets and more sedentary lifestyles have increased waistlines. Although Asians have lower body mass indexes, height to weight ratios predict higher rates of diabetes then in western countries. Asia is the world's fastest growing region and it may become the fastest growing fattest too.
About the Author:
Knight Pierce Hirst has written for television, newspapers and greeting cards. Now she writes a 400-word blog three times a week. KNIGHT WATCH, a second look at what makes life interesting, takes only seconds to read at http://knightwatch.typepad.com