Babel

My group for smartsurfaces met today to discuss the various inspirations we had unearthed over the weekend.  Our ideas ranged from algae, to teaching solar, to water designs.  We were a little all over the place.  The ideas were there, but piecing them together is going to be difficult.  I've had difficulty with this idea phase because I am, unfortunately, so problem driven. I want to make a smartsurface to improve the quality of life. When I don't see the why, or how, I just have a hard time understanding what's the point? I feel like once we get started on an idea things will have more forward motion, but choosing an idea is by far the hardest part.  I am really excited about my team and I know once we get everyone inspired, something great will come of this.

We all have extremely high expectations, and we all have different things we think are most important to creating a successful smart surface.  No one wants to back down from their idea, because we all have personal attachments to our ideas.  And not only do we have personal attachments, we also don't understand why everyone else doesn't see why this is the most important aspect of our project.  This is why I've titled this blog entry Babel, because that's exactly what it feels like at times.  We're each speaking our own language, passionately, and intensely, but no one understands a word of what we're saying.

Also, as a side note I thought I would mention a cool thing that BASF is doing.  They are making microcapsules that contain Vitamin A to help children and other under-privleged people who need this vitamin but may not be getting it from their diet.  http://www.basf.com/group/corporate/en/news-and-media-relations/science-around-us/food-fortification/story

Apparently, Vitamin A is not produced by the body naturally, and hence it must be consumed.  However, Vitamin A rich foods are usually too expensive so foods less rich in this vitamin must be resorted to.  Vitamin A is important because it prevents blindness and helps your immune system to fight diseases such as the measles.  So BASF is making these capsules to be incorporated into the less nutricious, cheap foods that are commonly eaten.  I found this article interesting not because this is a "fresh idea" but because it was a very simple solution that can do great things.