Sayan's BlogWorld » impact http://sayanc.net/blog highlighting the future's bizzare as it transforms into the present's mundane Wed, 28 Sep 2011 04:16:13 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Steve Woz on our closed source education system http://sayanc.net/blog/2011/05/14/steve-woz-on-our-closed-source-education-system/ http://sayanc.net/blog/2011/05/14/steve-woz-on-our-closed-source-education-system/#comments Sat, 14 May 2011 17:33:12 +0000 Sayan http://sayanc.net/blog/?p=1113 A very succinct message from Steve Woz on how our education system(s) kills creativity in its quest for a one size fits all approach to education…

This is so true all over the world… the waste of human potential is the greatest waste

Via EEtimes and DangerousPrototypes

]]> http://sayanc.net/blog/2011/05/14/steve-woz-on-our-closed-source-education-system/feed/ 0 How do some kids go to school? Remarkable and humbling story of human endurance and the will to get an education http://sayanc.net/blog/2011/04/30/how-do-some-kids-go-to-school-remarkable-and-humbling-story-of-human-endurance-and-the-will-to-get-an-education/ http://sayanc.net/blog/2011/04/30/how-do-some-kids-go-to-school-remarkable-and-humbling-story-of-human-endurance-and-the-will-to-get-an-education/#comments Sat, 30 Apr 2011 15:28:39 +0000 Sayan http://sayanc.net/blog/?p=1101

If you live in the Zanskar valley, India it is a 5 day walk along one of the highest rivers, through some of the highest mountains, some of the coldest places on Earth.

 

Just saw this heart-stopping trip in ‘Human Planet’ on TV.


Human Planet- Zanskar River by BBCfanable

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xhzfi8_human-planet-zanskar-river_shortfilms

 

This is the first someone has successfully filmed the journey that families have to undertake every year.

More here:

http://www.humanplanetblog.com/?p=1080

This one is a must read !

http://timothyallen.blogs.bbcearth.com/2010/02/26/the-school-run/

Going to school in Ladakh, India

Going to school in Ladakh, India

On a side note I learned that ice sheets on frozen rivers / lakes is called ‘chaddar’ in Zanskari. In Hindi ‘chaddar’ means ‘sheet’ more like bedspread never knew that it also means ice sheet

]]> http://sayanc.net/blog/2011/04/30/how-do-some-kids-go-to-school-remarkable-and-humbling-story-of-human-endurance-and-the-will-to-get-an-education/feed/ 0 Earth Day & Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot http://sayanc.net/blog/2011/04/23/earth-day-carl-sagans-pale-blue-dot/ http://sayanc.net/blog/2011/04/23/earth-day-carl-sagans-pale-blue-dot/#comments Sun, 24 Apr 2011 02:10:05 +0000 Sayan http://sayanc.net/blog/?p=1104 This gives me goosebumps every time I watch it…. Happy Earth Day !

 

]]> http://sayanc.net/blog/2011/04/23/earth-day-carl-sagans-pale-blue-dot/feed/ 0 If neurons talk using RFID…are we zapping our brains with our phone yapping?? !! http://sayanc.net/blog/2011/02/06/if-neurons-talk-using-rfid-are-we-may-be-zapping-our-brains-with-our-phone-yapping/ http://sayanc.net/blog/2011/02/06/if-neurons-talk-using-rfid-are-we-may-be-zapping-our-brains-with-our-phone-yapping/#comments Sun, 06 Feb 2011 18:38:42 +0000 Sayan http://sayanc.net/blog/?p=1089 I stumbled across this article today about how neurons in brains do not rely just on physical connections to talk to each other. They interact with each other with their version of electro-magnetic coupling similar to Near Field Communication (NFC)or RFID.

NFC or RFID type technologies can be prone to interference from various gadgets or devices. This new discovery about neural communication may bring into focus how electronic devices affect our brains and cognitive abilities. Is it time to think about how our society designs and uses the billions of cell phones ?

Here is the article from Caltech:

Neurobiologists Find that Weak Electrical Fields in the Brain Help Neurons Fire Together – Caltech Media Relations.

]]> http://sayanc.net/blog/2011/02/06/if-neurons-talk-using-rfid-are-we-may-be-zapping-our-brains-with-our-phone-yapping/feed/ 0 Leave it as it is… http://sayanc.net/blog/2009/10/02/leave_it_as_it_i/ http://sayanc.net/blog/2009/10/02/leave_it_as_it_i/#comments Sat, 03 Oct 2009 04:19:13 +0000 Sayan http://sayanc.net/blog/?p=974 Leave it as it is. You cannot improve it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it….

President Theodore ‘Teddy’ Roosevelt commenting on seeing the Grand Canyon

Read more about the US National Parks and President Teddy Roosevelt at http://www.nps.gov and  http://blogs.nashualibrary.org/reference/2009/09/leave_it_as_it_is_1.html

]]> http://sayanc.net/blog/2009/10/02/leave_it_as_it_i/feed/ 0 TED goes to India http://sayanc.net/blog/2009/09/27/ted-goes-to-india/ http://sayanc.net/blog/2009/09/27/ted-goes-to-india/#comments Mon, 28 Sep 2009 02:56:05 +0000 Sayan http://sayanc.net/blog/?p=968 Just found out that TED is organizing a TED India conference (November 4-7, 2009) in Mysore at the Infosys campus. Check it out here

]]> http://sayanc.net/blog/2009/09/27/ted-goes-to-india/feed/ 0 TED | Michael Pritchard’s water filter turns filthy water drinkable http://sayanc.net/blog/2009/08/09/ted-michael-pritchards-water-filter-turns-filthy-water-drinkable/ http://sayanc.net/blog/2009/08/09/ted-michael-pritchards-water-filter-turns-filthy-water-drinkable/#comments Sun, 09 Aug 2009 15:59:13 +0000 Sayan http://sayanc.net/blog/?p=966 Turn any water into drinking water… $20 billion can provide safe drinking water for the entire world… this would an ideal stimulus plan…. healthier people can improve their own lives and contribute to their and society’s development

]]> http://sayanc.net/blog/2009/08/09/ted-michael-pritchards-water-filter-turns-filthy-water-drinkable/feed/ 0 Rainforests may pump winds worldwide http://sayanc.net/blog/2009/04/02/rainforests-may-pump-winds-worldwide/ http://sayanc.net/blog/2009/04/02/rainforests-may-pump-winds-worldwide/#comments Thu, 02 Apr 2009 23:29:34 +0000 Sayan http://sayanc.net/blog/?p=959 The NewScientist has an article titled Rainforests may pump winds worldwide, which may shake up the climate and environmental skeptics. It seems large forests are the heart, lungs and kidneys of our living planet. Large forests may be responsible for pumping moisture laden air across continents helping rainfall far inland…

Cool factoid of the day from the article: “More moisture typically evaporates from rainforests than from the ocean. The Amazon rainforest, for example, releases 20 trillion litres of moisture every day.”

How can forests create wind? Water vapour from coastal forests and oceans quickly condenses to form droplets and clouds. The Russians point out that the gas takes up less space as it turns to liquid, lowering local air pressure. Because evaporation is stronger over the forest than over the ocean, the pressure is lower over coastal forests, which suck in moist air from the ocean. This generates wind that drives moisture further inland. The process repeats itself as the moisture is recycled in stages, moving towards the continent’s heart (see diagram). As a result, giant winds transport moisture thousands of kilometres into the interior of a continent.

]]> http://sayanc.net/blog/2009/04/02/rainforests-may-pump-winds-worldwide/feed/ 0 Forward Osmosis- revoluntionary water treatment? http://sayanc.net/blog/2009/02/05/forward-osmosis-revoluntionary-water-treatment/ http://sayanc.net/blog/2009/02/05/forward-osmosis-revoluntionary-water-treatment/#comments Thu, 05 Feb 2009 05:23:07 +0000 Sayan http://sayanc.net/blog/?p=952 Cleantechnica has a post on Forward Osmosis. It is better explained here. The authors description in a gist:

…conventional desalination and reuse technologies use substantial energy. “forward osmosis,” exploits the natural diffusion of water through a semi-permeable membrane. Their process “draws” pure water from its contaminants to a solution of concentrated salts, which can easily be removed with low heat treatment — effectively desalinating or removing contaminants from water with little energy input.

The concentrated salt solution is probably a mixture of ammonia and/or carbon dioxide dissolved in water. The ammonia and CO2 are later easily boiled off and reused. The energy required for this quite less even low-cost solar heaters may be sufficient.

]]> http://sayanc.net/blog/2009/02/05/forward-osmosis-revoluntionary-water-treatment/feed/ 1 Knowledge Gap of How We ‘Fit In’ is Greatest Threat to Environment http://sayanc.net/blog/2009/01/30/knowledge-gap-of-how-we-%e2%80%98fit-in%e2%80%99-is-greatest-threat-to-environment/ http://sayanc.net/blog/2009/01/30/knowledge-gap-of-how-we-%e2%80%98fit-in%e2%80%99-is-greatest-threat-to-environment/#comments Fri, 30 Jan 2009 05:29:42 +0000 Sayan http://sayanc.net/blog/?p=936 The article does a much better job of describing one of the great questions facing humanity – ‘How do we fit in?’ Maybe we need to ask native cultures around the world the answer to this mystery. Anyway here is the article from Treehugger.

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