New Norfolk

I want to start by saying how much I enjoyed this assignment.  It really gave me the opportunity to be creative which I don’t get very often.  My presentation consisted of three basic parts, two of which dealt with changing things that already exist, and the third was something a little more outlandish, but possible.

I started with green living.  ODU competed in the DOE’s 2011 solar decathlon, where universities around the world compete to create a “Green” house.  I decided to take this idea and run with it, creating Norfolk’s Green Apartments Challenge.  All designs that fit the design parameters would be commissioned to be built by the city and in low socio-economic areas. My next idea was to expand the Tide, Norfolk’s light rail train, so that it has a rail that follows every tunnel in and out of Norfolk.  This would allow commuters to park their cars in garages outside the city, and take a train in, avoiding the tunnel traffic.

My last idea was, well we’ll say creative.  I want to try and use the principle of water displacement to turn turbines.  The quick rundown is: ship goes in empty, gets loaded, pushes out water, water is collected and pushed through turbine, electricity.  If that didn’t make sense, and it probably didn’t, look at my Prezi.  Although it may not be feasible  or cost effective, it was (I think) an original idea born from staring at the coal pier every day at practice.  Hope you guys enjoy this.

 

prezi

The Nature of Sharing

Alex Steffan predicts that by 2050, there will be 8 billion people living in or near major cities.  Knowing this, we need to start planning our cities so that they can use energy efficiently.  If a city is planned to be very dense, as well as the area surrounding the city, it discourages citizens from wanting to drive within the city.  Instead, more people will use public transportation, whether it be buses, subways or even, dare I say it, walking.  Not only will dense cities help lower energy use, they will also cut down on climate emissions.  Even in densely packed cities where people still hold onto the idea of using a car, eventually, this idea will die.  People will soon find that their need for their own automobile decreases to the point of non-existence.

Steffan mentions the idea of eco-disctricts, small self contained mini cities that use very little energy and are environmentally friendly.  These are a great idea in the right conditions, I believe large cities like Dubai and Tokyo have already implemented eco-districts.  Unfortunately, I don’t believe Norfolk is ready for eco-districts, we simply do not have the population density to make it work, however, this is a problem that may solve it self over time.

Steffan’s point that developing eco friendly cities needs to be about the stems, not the leaves is a great point.  I stayed at a hotel this weekend that advertised itself as a “green” hotel, but on the inside there wasn’t much different from any other hotel I’ve stayed at.  The only thing that I noticed was that during breakfast, instead of throwaway styrofoam plates, they used real plates and silverware.

There are a lot of things that could be done to make Norfolk a greener city.  Put solar panels on every building.  Build infrastructure to collect rainwater to use in bathroom plumbing.  Install solar water heating for clean faucet water.  Start building buildings with more glass so they can be heated naturally during the winter.  It is no one thing that will change our city or any city, but a long list of small changes that will add up to make Norfolk clean and energy efficient.

 

What is technology?

Would a gorilla using a stick to fish ants or termites out of a hole for food be using technology?

 

Here, a young gorilla uses a rock to break open the hard outer casing of a nut.

Abstract 1: Technology Overview and Impact

Bjerklie, D., Gorman, C., & Park, A. (2001). DIAGNOSING THE RISKS. Time, 158(16), 42.

A poll taken a few weeks after the 2001 attack on the world trade centers suggests that a majority of Americans fear the next terrorist attack will be much worse.  Some experts think that another isolated large attack would be unlikely, that rather, a series of smaller attacks would be more likely, but just as detrimental to our country and it’s economy.  One threat that the US is susceptible to would be a biochemical attack.  Small pox and anthrax both have potential to cause many deaths in the US.  However, small pox is extremely difficult to obtain a sample of and even more difficult to handle safely.  Anthrax would be easier to use as a weapon, but is sometimes ineffective; it is difficult to get the particles distributed over a wide enough area to cause any harm.  Several anthrax attacks have been recorded in Tokyo with no effects on the population.  Poisoning of our water supply is also a concern, because this could effect millions of americans very quickly.  However, water treatment plants and dams accross the country have taken extra security measures, and the author feels that, “it would take a very determined effort to carry out such an attack.” The final threat discussed was the threat of nuclear attack.  This is unlikely as well due to the difficulty of obtaining weapons grade plutonium and engineering a way to arm it.

This was one of the strangest articles I have ever read.  There were some gaping holes in the discussions of the threats as well as many cliffhangers.  At times, it even felt like I was reading a how-to guide for terrorists because of the longs list of benefits and drawbacks of each method of terrorism.  The part that I had the most trouble with was the quote, “it would take a very determined effort to carry out such an attack,” as if any of the other terrorist attacks on America did require a determined effort.  What I feel the article did do well however, was allay the fears of readers in the sense that it ruled out many of the attacks that the media had been discussing at the time.  The author took a very logical approach and systematically checked off each attack as un-probable.

One last note that this made me think of.  Dynamite was invented by Alfred Nobel in an attempt to create a weapon so powerful that it prevent all future wars for fear of it’s massive destructive capabilities.  He failed in that regard, but today we have the existence of nuclear weapons that can decimate entire cities.  Has technology prevented large scale warfare?

Technology and me

I am by no means technologically savy.  I think of myself as competent and am satisfied with that.  I am constantly asking one of my roommates for help with my iPhone, he doesn’t even own one and can work it better than I can.  However, if given enough time, I can usually make any piece of technology do what I need it to do.

In the more non mainstream world of technology, I use different aspects of technology in sailing everyday.  Sailors are constantly trying new things to make their boats go faster than the guy next to them on the water.  Using Auto CAD to develop steam lined hulls, carbon fiber molding techniques to ensure the lightest designs, and innovative thinking to push the sport farther than it has ever been before.  It is not a well known fact for instance, that the yellow lines you see every sunday on your t.v. for NFL football, were originally designed for use in broadcasting sailing to the public, and were created by a world champion ocean racer.

In one sense, I am a technological genius, just not in the sense that most people think of for technology.