Low-tech Inventions That Help Change Lives 174
angelaelle writes "The current issue of Popular Mechanics is featuring their Breakthrough Awards program for inventors. Some of the winning inventions help improve the living conditions for people in third world countries using low-tech materials and assembly methods. Technologies like this cookstove for people in Darfur, and in the case of this Windbelt developed by Shawn Frayne, could be used to provide cheap, clean energy alternatives. The website features fascinating, inspiring videos talking about the inventor's 'eureka moment', focusing on the inventor as well as the technology."
KISS (Score:1, Insightful)
Provide countries with the simple necessities, and life will get easier and more productive.
Cheers
"You've got a chart filling a whole wall with interlocking pathways and reactions to shock and the researcher says "If I can just control this one molecule/enzyme/compound I'll stop the whole negative physiologic cascade of post haemorrhagic shock." Yeah, right."
#1 invention (Score:2, Insightful)
Chimney starter (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Chimney starter (Score:2, Insightful)
"Save Darfur Stove" is stupid (Score:1, Insightful)
Appropriate Technology (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Chimney starter (Score:3, Insightful)
Cars are just horseless carriages. The web is just a BBS with better graphics. Heart surgery is just hand surgery with more blood.
Reapplication of existing items and concepts it almost the definition of invention.
Re:Hexayurts (Score:2, Insightful)
Apparently longer than they spent on their website. Seriously, why does it read as a random gob of sentences about the Hexayurt, yet not answer my basic questions?
Re:#1 invention (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Hexayurts (Score:3, Insightful)
Ghandi+Bucky Fuller+FOSS = interesting stuff!
This is a page with more info on the Hexayurt:
http://www.appropedia.org/Hexayurt_Project [appropedia.org]
Use them NOW (Score:5, Insightful)
People can do their part by using these personal conservation technologies in their own lives.
A few times a week, I set out a big pot of stew or chili or soup in my solar cooker. Even in the dead of winter, I come home to a hot meal at the end of the day. It Works. And it's awesome.
RS
Re:stupid (Score:4, Insightful)
All the same, nearly 50 years since the end of the colonial era, is it time perhaps for us to stop blaming the trauma of that encounter for all our problems? Who truly is to blame for this?
To my mind, many of Africa's most profound problems stem from the way Africans look at themselves: all too often, Africa suffers from low self-esteem.
I'm sorry, it looks like you didn't. But thanks for playing.