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Science

China Invents Solid Water 95

Posted by timothy from the making-things-bloom dept.
Drew N. Taylor writes: "The 'solid water', which is packed in degradable paper, is not pollutive and can be placed deep in the earth together with the root of plant. With the help of microbe, the 'solid water' is gradually dissolved to irrigate the root of plant."
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China Invents Solid Water More

China Invents Solid Water

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  • Ripped off (Score:3, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 25, 2002 @09:59AM (#3583807)
    The Chinese didn't "invent" anything new. They ripped off this idea from here [driwater.com]
    • Wow. If that is the case, we could have a good old fashioned international patent fight on our hands. The Chinese Intellectual Property Office gave a patent to theShenyang Senlu Solid Water Company, and I would imagine DriWater (or someone else here) has one, too.
      • Actually, I beleive the story mentions that the Chinese solid water is polymer based, while Driwater is not.

        So, I don't think that a patent issue will come up. Differnt techniques.
        • Got it. I always forget how specific a patent has to be, and how limited they end up being as a result. Its the one positive out there on patents, IMHO.
        • Polyacrylamide is a polymer.

          It looks like the Chinese might have a new compound, but it's not a revolution in any sense of the term. Diapers have been using these for years.
  • Now the ovious Joke...

    So they invented ice in china?

  • or is there a significant anti-china attitude in the american (general slashdot? i hope not) populace?

    it is really sad... given that China is the next world superpower... and we can only bask in our ignorance, self-indulgence, arrogance, and naievete for so long....
    • I think it's less anti china and more an anti communist thing.

      Normal reasoning is Communism = Bad.
      • Yea, I think Many like the Chinese and respect them, but really dislike the commie government there. Were they socialist, or even more capitalist, we would like them more. This is all
        • I don't get the hatred of communism either... i can understand the dislike of the chinese gov't... but they're not communist. (read marx. trust me, they're not communist. neither was USSR. n. korea isn't either.)

          but i have to agree with them sometime. (i.e. one child policy... an open gov't couldn't handle 1.3 billion people.)

          and if they are anything they are a largely centralized socialist government. the provide social services... with a(sometimes too) strong arm.
          • Hatred isn't a logical thing. I'm fully in agreement of what exists isn't communism (communism, the pure verion would work well, but there are too many flaws in human nature to accept it at this time.)

            But, it's a title they claimed, and the Americanpublic has been subject to Anti Communism propaganda for so long... it's a sort of brain washing...

            • Re:is it just me (Score:1, Offtopic)

              by PD ( 9577 )
              For me it's not Communism that I dislike, it's the fact that free speech is suppressed in China. If the gubment was Commy and people could speak freely, then I say no problem. But when a man or woman cannot speak and write in criticism of anything they wish, then that's wrong, and that government is wrong.

            • Re:is it just me (Score:2, Offtopic)

              by dalutong ( 260603 )
              "But, it's a title they claimed, and the Americanpublic has been subject to Anti Communism propaganda for so long... it's a sort of brain washing..."

              which is funny.. because that is what we claim china does. (which they do.)

              the funny part is that the american's are better at it. we have free speech. we have freedom of the press. but we are still pack animals.

              individualism, in its true form, isn't popular here in america. we like to feign individualism a lot... but we are more content "going with the flow."

              which is why it is more effective brainwashing. we actually believe what we do is of our own volition... but it isn't. it is exactly what the media, gov't, popular celebrities tell us to think. it's pathetic.

              (disclaimer: there are the exceptions. but there are the exceptions in china too)
              • Have you ever considered, even for a moment, that not all people want to be individuals? For whatever reason (maybe Darwinism - a society on the threshold of extinction (read: the Ice Age) needs some leaders and some followers), some people prefer to be told what to do. Therefore, these people will follow the pack whether or not organized herding exists. The only concern should be whether or not the government, not other citizens or specific government officials with no real power over you, are restricting your rights.

                This is not to say that I believe the United States is wholly innocent of brainwashing, etc, but that, surprisingly, we do not yet live in a totalitarian state. I too am annoyed at restrictions in my freedoms, but more often than not, they come from the people themselves (e.g. not being allowed to 'offend' anyone for fear of legal action, even if they would lose in court). It's pointless to blame the government for things it hasn't done yet.

                (Of course, twenty years down the road, after all these fun DMCA-like bills are passed, we may have plenty to blame the government for.)
    • I don't hate the Chinese people, I hate the human rights violations commited by their government. You know, the ones which are ignored because of the whole "world superpower" thing. From the downtrodden peoples of Tibet to the students in Tianamen Square the outcry has not been loud enough.

      I personally watch for 'Made in China' labels and try not to monetarily support the Chinese. Of course the opposite could be argued, that by pumping more money into the capitalist ends of their country we might help to swing them our way..........but meh.

      • i agree with you "don't by 'made in china' items"... but that's because when you do buy them, you're supporting big U.S. corperations, not chinese ones.

        as for human rights violations. i'll give you that. it is an area that much improve greatly.

        i wouldn't mind a list of the countries you do support... so i could write what human rights violations they have made.

        oh. not to mention the ones that america makes. an obvious one being going into poor countries and (practically) enslaving the people there so you can buy cheap sneakers and radios.

        and how many military coups have we supported in order to not have a communist regime come into power? (pinoche ring a bell, osama bin laden ring a bell? trust me, the list goes on and on... like president diem in vietnam. he was as bad as the communists. and the nationalists in china were worse than the communists... but we supported them... and if you want to go back farther in history... oh it is sick what we did. andrew jackson's generals used to, on orders from the top, use slaughtered indians scrotums as bullet cases.. and took strips of their skin as reins for their horses. or look at our imperialistic endevours... it just keeps getting worse...)

        so, i support the fight for human rights. that's why i haven't bought a peice of clothing for 3 years... and when i have to... i'll get something that i either made myself or know precisely how it was made and by whom under what conditions.

        • You respond to me assuming that I'm American.....funny. I wasn't trying to imply that the Chinese government was the only one in the world with problems, just stating that I take issue with their problems. I take issue with many problems including your lack of comprehension.

          And btw, buy some new clothes, you're starting to smell.

    • I never really understood the American attitude to communism. I mean, I can sort of get that american society is founded on the deeply ingrained belief in individualism and the pursuit-of-wealth thing. And I can see that they would think any ideology which would try to take their hard earned money away from them and give it to the "less fortunate" (the workshy bastards) would be evil. But I find it hard to understand how americans seem to come to this, obviously well considered, conclusion despite having virtually no experience or first-hand knowledge of any other system apart from capitalism.
      • I don't have to take up smoking to see that it isn't good for me. I think we can take a look at the communist/socialist governments around the world and get a good idea that they don't work to well for the average citizen.

        There are some socialist countries in Europe that seem to have a decent standard of living, etc, but anything based on a totalitarian regime that ignores certain basic human rights is ipso facto not a good thing.
    • "it is really sad... given that China is the next world superpower... and we can only bask in our ignorance, self-indulgence, arrogance, and naievete for so long...."

      Wow, the Chinese invent something and now their ready for world domination..... this should have made news earlier....
      • I'm not talking about the stupid solid water... I spend half my life in China studying china... trust me... it's the next (co)superpower.

        or don't believe me... and if you're alive in 30 years... just see it

  • The article says this product could be used in afforestation efforts/ desert growing. I say, "Screw that!" I want to use this product because I am a really lazy gardener.

    Imagine, I can plant a tree without worrying about any kind of watering scheme. By the time the water gel-pack wears out, the tree has set up a self-sustaining root system.

  • > The invention has passed the official approval by the city government and received a patent from the State Intellectual Property Office.


    Now seeing as how China pirates enough of our stuff to be awarded their own DVD zone, do we get to work around their patent? Or would that be against the good for the communist people? (Tounge in cheek...)
  • let's just make sure it doesn't come anywhere near any of our normal water!
  • LOOK You see 'Root of Plant' GET 'Root of Plant' You now have 'Root of Plant'
  • I invented solid water too! It's in my freezer! It comes in little cubes!
  • Although this is a great start for speeding the reforesting of desert ecosystems, I see one major problem. Plants generally need a moderately reliable source of water, and this doesn't create an infrastructure solution that would be necessary to start a new ecosystem within an existing one.
  • Al Gore was here?
  • says they'll use this as a way to deliver spam more efficiently into the United States. We need to cut the cable already--it's not as if they aren't censoring the inbound connection; why let them spam us?
  • I find it fascinating how a discussion about water dissolved (yeah...I know) into a discussion of China's politics. While yes, there is the opportunity for a patent lawsuit, this development has nothing to do with china's politics. Now that I related this to the discussion, lemme go (sort of) off topic.

    China's government is split. There is the 'old guard' the socialists that lead the behemoth of a beauracracy. Then there are the capitalist/government socialist corporations that the economy, or at least the export economy , is built on. China will soon change drastically, IMHO, but it will be good for the country.

    China is developing a lot of 'new' technology. While the polymer based slow-release water might be a patent infringment, they are jumping ahead in many ways. They are trying to reach the moon 10 years from now. Give them a little credit for taking a bloated government, no 'yro' section in the media, and excess poverty, and making the best of it.
    • Did you happen to notice what site it came from? The [people.com.cn]
      People's Daily is the main voice of their government. That's the 'old guard' you're talking about, and that's why it's political.


      They are being forced into most of the reforms they are implementing by the market and their own people - when the rice farmers that aren't allowed passports or even travel between cities inside China start becoming more educated and aware of the world outside, they get dangerous [freechina.net].


      Eventually, they'll either have to become democratic, or face another revolution. Let's just hope that if the latter occurs, it's better than the last one.

  • This is water susspended in "a kind of macromolecular polymer extracted from animals and plants". Sounds like the Chinese just invented Jello...

    Not that it muh matters because I distincly remember seeing a tv show showcasing this kind of thing 10 years ago, at least.
  • When someone from China discovers something that sounds truly useful in a desert environment (And no, it isn't jello, since Jello would dissolve within a day at most, and they specifically mention a macrobe to dissolve the polymer) and this topic turns into an accusation of China's political policies. I would like to make the following notes:

    1.People in countries increasingly threatened with desertification, like much of North Africa or Australia, could make very very good use of this, and I very much doubt that they will care where this comes from.
    2.China is *not* heaven and is *not* a democracy and *is* communist and has been threatening Taiwan for decades and did invade Vietnam twice. However people live there and some seem to be quite proud of their country, irrespective of or because of what it does.
    3.The USA is *not* heaven and *is* a democracy and has been threatening Cuba for decades, invaded Vietnam once amongst others. However people live there and some seem to be quite proud of their country, irrespective of or because of what it does.
    4.I don't think all that many Americans know what Communism is apart from what they have gathered on supposedly "free" media such as CNN, etc. Economic factors in the media can force quite a lot to be changed in order to support certain views, or do you think CNN supports all news items equaly and fairly (/. vs. Microsoft for example)?
    5.I also think that many Chinese have no idea what the so called free world is like. Their news isn't free either. But perhaps they accuse some US scientist of being a fascist (eg. Oppenheimer) although he did have a human side as well, even if one were pressed to see it.

    It depends on where you're looking from.
  • I'm still trying to figure out how the chinese are taking credit for what magicians did a long time ago... I mean, who here hasn't thrown that white powder into a toilet to turn all the water in it into a solid gel?

    It's worth it to see the look on your roommates face when his poop is floating on top of the "water."
  • But seriously- I wonder, assuming they ever put up that moonbase, what the possibilities are for this stuff up there?

  • That's nothing! Look what I invented! (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Yessiree, folks, step right up and buy your share of the future! It's all right here int this little package-
    Introducing "Powdered Water"!!! Just add water, and you have all the cool, refreshing water you need!
    Please, folks, there's plenty to go around...
    Huxley

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