A tale about Michael Pritchard and Shai Agassi

I have always liked miracles. They signal HOPE. But then, all miracles do not do good for the world. Rather are not always necessary as well. Of-course, I am not talking of Harry Houdini's magical escapades or those of Gods in Mythological Epics here, but I am talking of the difference (even non-descript) people make to the world in general and at times to the human species in specific.


Michael Pritchard's water filter turns filthy water drinkable - TED Talks

This is one such incident. I am sure it was not serendipity. It was a well thought out effort by an Englishman to help the under-privileged get a right to what specifically is everyone's given. The right to clean drinking water.

If you go visit his video, you would realize that natural disasters spare no one, and its just not the people in Africa who have to face this ordeal. Things like Hurricane Katrina have proved that innovative alternates, even tho a necessity at many places, might be the right solution to every conceivable situation around.

I quote a few of his statements for those in a hurry..

"What happens when 20,000 people congregate in a camp? Diseases spread... So here is the 'Thinking Different' bit... We could use the 'Lifesaver' bottle. It will process 25,000 liters of water... And how much does it cost? About half-a-cent-a-day to run... With just eight billion dollars, we can hit the millennium goal's target of halving the number of people without access to safe drinking water."

Now let me talk a bit about Shai and his wonderful idea.

So you have heard of web 1.0 and web 2.0, moving on to 3.0 and further? Something similar is happening with cars too!!



We are right now at the 2.0 for cars. With hybrids and alternate sources making ways for a greener future (better late than never :D )



With that said, wouldn't keep you all waiting more to actually hear what Shai thinks about what holds for the future of cars and our environment in general. Is it 3.0? I sure hope it is. Underneath is the link.

Shai Agassi's bold plan for electric cars - TED Talks

Again, its the simplicity of the idea that makes it a genius. Will it work? Only time will tell, but we are fast approaching a better world. Now, it is not HOW, but WHEN..

A few excerpts from Shai for those who want to have a quick understanding.

"So how would you run a whole country without oil? That's the question that sort of hit me in the middle of a Davos afternoon about four years ago. It never left my brain. And I started playing with it more like a puzzle... through a process of wandering around, I got to the thought that actually if you could convert an entire country to electric cars, in a way that is convenient and affordable, you could get to a solution... how do you scale this so that it can become something that is used by 99 percent of the population... we're bound with the laws of physics and the laws of economics... I actually found out that the answer comes from separating between the car ownership and the battery ownership... you could actually answer the need for a convenient car by creating a network, by creating a network before the cars show up... we created electric miles... we do not use any electrons that come from coal. So in a sense this is an absolute zero carbon, zero fossil fuel, electric mile, at two cents a mile by 2020..."

I would actually like to re-iterate a very interesting thing that was the conclusion to Shai talk. Its about economy vs morality. For, how a presentation on electric cars end in such a conclusion, I would rather you go thru the entire talk he made. It is very interesting to listen to!!

200 years ago, in Parliament, in Great Britain, there was a long argument over economy versus morality. 25 percent, just like 25 percent emissions today, comes from cars. 25 percent of their energy for the entire industrial world in the U.K. came from a source of energy that was immoral: human slaves. And there was an argument. Should we stop using slaves? And what would it do to our economy? And people said, "Well we need to take time to do it. Let's not do it immediately. Maybe we free the kids and keep the slaves. And after a month of arguments they decided to stop slavery. And the industrial revolution started within less than one year. And the U.K. had 100 years of economic growth. We have to make the right moral decision. We have to make it immediately. We need to have presidential leadership just like we had in Israel that said we will end oil. And we need to do it not within 20 years or 50 years, but within this presidential term because if we don't, we will lose our economy, right after we'd lost our morality.

So my question for you!!

How are you working today to make this World a better place?

Cheers & Luv
Nisarg

PS:- YOuR inTerEst in the BlOGs woULd indicate if I con"TIN"ue writing! So I hope you like this one!!

I am here to stay...

Well,

I din want to start blogging once again putting my own stuff... In-fact, I do not feel like blogging most of the times, as I feel I do not need to express myself for those who know me, and frankly I care less for those whom I don't.

However, its not about just me and a few other people around me. Coz, I realized even the ones I felt whom I would never owe an explanation, or I felt would love me irrespective of any circumstances have at times shown a lack of faith in me. This has probably hurt me a lot. And it has hurt even more when they have tried to look for other avenues, and keep doing that till it becomes unbearable.

So I have decided, I would start blogging, and contribute to the intellectual quotient of this world in whatever way I can. I might not go very heavy on my own thoughts to begin with, and would rather be content if some borrowed stuff from net appeals readers. My insights would be put later on. Slowly I will reach there...

May be then I would not require a few people who have hurt me most. Does not mean I wouldn't want them, just that I would be very comfortable without them.

There are four blogs I have created. And I have hardly posted anything. This blog "Earthly Siblings" has been titled such coz, I feel, everyone on this Earth is connected to one another in some way or the other. After all, dont we all date back to the Adam and Eve lineage?? I will talk here just about anything that comes to my mind.

Right now, a few interesting posts come to my mind. TED Blogs are one of the top on my mind. A few specific ones (not necessarily my interest) are actually very beneficial from not only a business perspective, but for the betterment of the lives of people in the third world countries. These are interesting thoughts, very interesting, and I am sure you all would enjoy it.

Ofcourse, thousands have already seen them, and commented. But it is just my attempt to talk about things which I feel more and more people should know. The next blog is one such attempt.

I have always liked the life of a Phoenix. I feel, I am here to stay.

Luv,
Nisarg

Festivities Galore !!

Hi...

Probably this time I will not keep this as a draft version and actually see that it comes out as a blog.

Festivities abound and ofcourse a nice time to talk about that thinking creature on Earth who does things that maketh news!!! Sadly, others cannot express their thoughts so clearly.. May be they will see better days!!!

Its DIWALI round the corner and all Indians here and elsewhere are celebrating... merry making and feasting almost shamelessly(hiding the flab around their stomachs in process and consoling that the diabetics is indeed in check). It is a nice time indeed!!

Its Dhanateras today and most of the employees in my office have left for home!! I will be leaving in a few hours aswell... There are last minute conf-calls to attend to... As they say.. better late then never... Today, I wll pray for all and especially my near and dear ones that they survive all odds in life and live as happily as they can for the many many decades to come.. May Goddess Laxmi shower Her might BLESSINGS on the betterment of all... May the ones who are needy get the basics... Those who dream get what they want... Those already on top help those in need...

BTW Gloomy streets have lightened up to demonstrate the ever omnipresent brilliant luminance that comes with the reflection of lighting in anything a small as a diya to a huge chandelier on the sets of Saawariya.

Sweets are being exchanged in copious amounts and doctors and slimming parlours are smiling at the very thought of aftermath. You hear "Badhai Ho!!" at every nook and corner of India or for that matter anywhere you are aware of this festivity.. Or for that matter even anywhere where any other festival is being celebrated in equal zest... Halloween for instance... The words "Badhai Ho!!" ofcourse gets translated to the very language intricate to each community.

Earthly Siblings !!

Ah!! A word I feel very closely associated in such times... Work pressures, deadlines, pressure to perform... yet there is light at the end of a hard work day... There is this fresh lease of life that on nomal days come just with the beginning of a new day.. A day with hope for things to get better. Festivals are however different... They radiate joy among all, irrespective of what is their current state of mind. For it brings an eternal hope that hardly fails to deliver... And it comes from GODs...

True words indeed... Festivals indeed bring us together.

There are 'n' reasons we have to celebrate each festivity that comes... AND I feel no matter their authenticity, they, are here to stay for good. Buzzing phone calls, thousands of free SMSs, a huge associated business, a lot of hope, a lot of blessings.. Everything packaged into a nice little package - called Diwali - (or as mentioned any-other-such)...

Makes us realise, that no matter what the past, we are all here to celerbrate out our existence... And that we should not let our days go by...

Festivals are here to remind us of the great deeds done by those gone by... They are here to remind that for those to come, we should be those who would be a reason of celebration for the generations to come... Coz just like those who have gone, those who exist have not only learnt from the history but built a huge foundation upon that to strengthen among all the very belief on which our survival exists...

Coz for those who are to come, we are the ones who will set an example...

Festivals as they say, are there to renew what you have lost in course of time... So... Its time you ROCK ON and MOVE AHEAD... The World aint Gonna waiT....

This year show the World why you been sent to this World.. I am sure.. its just not about existence... IS IT?? Now that is a big question you have to answer for yourself...

Cheers !!
And a very Happy Diwali to you ALL....