June 3, 2009 by admin.

Building sophisticated educational tools out of cheap parts, Johnny Lee demos his cool Wii Remote hacks, which turn the $40 video game controller into a digital whiteboard, a touchscreen and a head-mounted 3-D viewer.

 

About Johnny Lee

Researcher Johnny Lee became a YouTube star with his demo of Wii Remote hacks — bending the low-cost game piece to power an interactive whiteboard, a multitouch surface, a head-mounted display … Full bio and more links

Posted in media, public policy, social ventures, ventures, web 2.0, education, techthang, innovation, maker, just for fun, jobs, small business, development, nonprofit, investing, marketing, video, Linkedin, stimulus, schools, finance, design | No Comments »

May 28, 2009 by Robert.

 We’ve passed a historic milestone with more than 50% of North America living in cities.  That number is expected to grow — some say to 80% or more.

 Here’s a thought: instead of gobbling-up farm land, cutting-down forests, and plowing-up pristine wilderness… why not combine urban renewal with urban farming? Why not use poorly-planned sections of a city, under-performing commericial real estate projects, empty shopping malls and retail storefronts for farming?

Does the idea of a farm in a shopping mall sound silly to you?  This video may change your thinking:

I suspect that if we’re shipping fresh California produce across the Pacific Ocean to Japan and elsewhere, and bringing tomatoes in from Mexico and grapes from Chile… there has got to be a pretty good profit margin on organic produce that can be reliably grown year-round near or directly within

• densely-populated 
• residential areas
• downtown and retail centers (with offices and restaurants)
• airports, railroads, and ocean ports

The recession is hurting shopping malls and the recent string of big-box store closures have blighted otherwise high-traffic areas across America.

One draw-back to urban farming — the creative re-use of retail or warehouse space for farming –is job density. Indoor farming is not very labor-instensive (not like a retail store, anyway).

But a farmer’s market does provide some jobs.  And it could enhance a community, and it could help to revive foot-traffic in an otherwise sluggish strip-mall or shopping district.

So, despite minimal job creation, a suburban farm supplying organic produce to local stores, restaurants, and food services could help to increase the tax base of a community.  And the location might also be used for adult education or recreational gardening classes.

Is there a big empty warehouse or stand-alone building in your town that might make a good indoor farm?  Would you like to turn a portion of your property into a demonstration farm?  Are your solar panels generating more power than you can use?  Please let me know.

 If you’re interested in the latest on this topic, or if you’d like to educate me on this topic, please follow @grownupfoods on Twitter.

Posted in city planning, community development, urban renewal, public policy, social ventures, suburban infill, infill development, ag tech, agriculture, organic farming, redevelopment, ventures, jobs, development, nonprofit, investing, politics, Linkedin, finance, energy, small business, stimulus, schools, renewable energy | No Comments »

April 22, 2009 by Robert.

In many school cases schools and other public entities have unique opportunities to help finance wind projects because they qualify for low interest loans, can issue bonds, have lower required rates of return, and generally can get longer financing terms.  Pictured [right] are the Spirit Lake Community School District’s 250 kW and 750 kW wind turbines.  The 750 kW wind turbine was financed through a zero interest loan from the Iowa Energy Center’s Alternative Energy Revolving Loan Program and a low interest loan approved by the Iowa Energy Bank.  (Article and photo from the Windustry Community Wind Toolbox)  Photo credit: Iowa Energy Center

Posted in community wind, finance, schools, stimulus, VCwind, Linkedin, development, politics, renewable energy, philanthropy, investing, nonprofit, wind | No Comments »