Expand Your Mind: Ingenuity
by Miki Saxon
I love revolutionary ideas, although the ones that fascinate me are only occasionally net-based. I tend more to stuff that exists in the real world. The following caught my attention; since there are more than you might want to read about I thought I’d include enough info for you to pick and choose the ones that would interest you most.
Ingenuity is not limited to startups; Nimbus Water Systems has been purifying water since 1968, but their latest innovation has the power to radically change our world for the better.
The company has designed a portable water-filtration system that can be easily toted to remote parts of the world to take up to 2,500 gallons per day of dirty water from a stream, a well or a tank and turn it into water that is safe to drink. … The system runs on solar power and comes in a rolling suitcase that can be checked as luggage onto commercial airplanes, carried off on a moment’s notice in response to a natural disaster or other emergency.
You’ve heard the old saying ‘fight fire with fire’? That is what Eboo Patel is dong in an effort to create a force that fosters tolerance by fighting religious bigotry.
He figured that if Muslim radicals and extremists of other religions were recruiting young people, then those who believe in religious tolerance should also enlist the youth.
Dogs are trained to sniff out a lot more than explosives and drugs; they can be trained to recognize the changes from cancer, seizures and other illnesses and, in doing so, change a life forever. Researchers are working to duplicate and apply the results to a variety of diagnostics, but they admit there is little possibility of actually duplicating a dog’s sensitivity.
Scientists are building sophisticated electronic and chemical sniffers that examine the puffs of exhaled air for telltale signs of cancer, tuberculosis, asthma and other maladies, as well as for radiation exposure.
Now, in a lighter vein…
Meet Hayden Hamilton, an entrepreneur who used his own money to develop a product that he knows may never sell—a razor that carries a price tag of $100,000.
…the Portland entrepreneur has spent four years on and off — and close to $1 million of his own money — developing a luxury alternative to the ubiquitous throwaway blade.
Do you ride a bike? Do you suffer the discomfort of essentially sitting on your groin until it’s numb? Would you change that if you could? Now you can.
“The subject matter always draws juvenile chuckles. They don’t even listen long to understand what part of a man’s anatomy is being protected here.”
Chris Miles recognized a major need for those who, intentionally or by accident, find themselves requiring the services of a lawyer.
“If I want a pizza, I can get a pizza in 15 minutes,” he says. “I can get a plumber in the middle of the night. Why can’t I get a lawyer?”
Finally, for all those women who would love to round out their pants the way the stars do there is Booty Pop, a much simpler, less arduous and all around cheaper solution than has been available previously.
Thanks to the founders of Booty Pop, you no longer have to be in the gym for hours or spend a lot on expensive plastic surgery to get a round rear.
Image credit: MykReeve on flickr
