Posts Tagged ‘feed’

Automated Greenhouses – Soon to be a Reality!

Friday, October 12th, 2012

Picture a greenhouse that continually produces food all by itself, with little to no human interaction. This autonomous mechanical marvel – built from low cost materials and powered by renewable energy – could truly mean a sustainable source of fresh food all year round.

Sound too good to be true? Well, it is right now. But not for much longer. Automated greenhouses are fast becoming a reality, and these seemingly magic structures will give humankind a permanent solution to world hunger.

Consider the Horto Domi project, which aims to take the labor out of running a garden at home. Their working prototype can regulate soil and atmosphere conditions, runs on the economical Arduino micro-computer, and can be monitored remotely via web App.

So it’s not yet a magical box. But over the coming years, teams will hash out the remaining pieces of the puzzle. Atmospheric water collectors will provide all the fresh water needed to irrigate the crops. Wind and solar will provide the necessary energy to heat and run the system. The structure itself will be built from some kind of abundant material, shaped into whatever form works best. And all that will be left is to figure out how to mechanize the entire crop cycle safely and effectively.

The implications of this will be astounding! No one will be starving anywhere on the planet. Incredible, right?

If you think about all the wars and chaos in our world, so much of it is rooted directly in poverty. People in desperate situations are willing to do desperate things. When no mouth goes hungry, when everyone’s needs are met, there won’t be this fundamental drive towards violent conflict.

Automated greenhouses – and the incredible boon they’ll offer- give us one more reason to believe that world peace is just around the corner.

Joe Rogan Learns the Hard Way Not to Feed the Trolls

Wednesday, November 24th, 2010

UFC Commentator, Comedian and all-around cool guy Joe Rogan is being reminded of an important notion most of us in the Internet community know all too well:

DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS

Joe, being so well-versed with the Internet, should have known better. But we all make mistakes.

Perhaps what is most frustrating is how this guy Tomas Rios, while a noted journalist,  is still so obviously a troll. Even Joe knew this when he called the guy a “round ball of suck” who only writes “negative, cunty shit.” Now, because of a morsel Joe just tossed him, this troll can grow into an even bigger monster.

Responding to the uproar, Joe, to his credit, makes some awesome points. Like how there is so much negativity throughout the news media and so few credible journalists.

Or how there are these magic words, like “faggot” and “nigger”, that are taboo and if you use them you have to apologize to an entire community. But, just as Joe said,  these words have lost most of their stigma. This is doubly true to anyone in touch with the Internet where they are used as generic insults all the time.

Worst of all, Joe stated how his intention was to cut this “asshole… off at the root”. Now, most informed netizens will know that trolls (and assholes) only feed off negativity to grow stronger, which is why Mr. Rogan should have just left it alone.

No matter how well intentioned we are and regardless of how tempting it can be to respond to trollbaggery, please try to ignore it and focus on something positive and productive instead.