Invention Convention

My friend recently told me about a Mike Davis article based on Planet of Slums where he bemoans the state of the global economy in the last 30 years. The state of the world economy is devastating, where countless people are unemployed and have no prospect of employment in their entire lifetimes. For people lucky enough to have jobs, wages have been stagnant. And even on top of all that, there have been no significant technological innovations in the past 30 years; the type of technology that can change the game for better or for worse. Even the internet was building off technology developed by the government in the Cold War, and even then, why did it take so long to get to market?

So in an attempt to make myself feel a bit better about the future, since wages and slums look like they're only going to get worse, here are some prototypes/inventions that make me smile.

First, some high school kids (from Indiana!) have invented cars with unbelievable gas mileage. Via the House Next Door.

Second, the inventor of the Segway has now tackled the water and energy problems.

Third, we've got more high schoolers inventing stuff. Man kids are awesome nowadays, even if light sensitive nail polish is a lesser contribution to the world than solving global warming.

And finally, these guys are old, but I like them. A fridge without electricity. And one laptop for every child.