Natascha Marxmeier's blog
Are smart systems the key to sustainable urban development?
Smart systems are miniaturized devices that incorporate functions of sensing, actuation and finally control. They are capable of analyzing a situation or problem and taking decisions based on the available data in a predictive or adaptive manner. The goal is that these systems are able to act in a smart way without human interference.
The Elephant and the Rider
Change can be made at different levels: individual, organizational and societal. On the one side, people resist change (“we have always done things this way, why shall we change it?”) but on the other side they embrace it (“I have moved into a new apartment”, “I got a new job”). How come?
From charity to commitment and action – on how to find new ways in development assistance
Last week I attended a seminar called “Sustainable leadership” arranged by The Hunger Project in Sweden. The Hunger Project is a global, not-for-profit-organization committed to the sustainable end of world hunger. What is the connection between ending of world hunger and sustainable leadership?
Infrastructure planning: not always a rational process
In run-ups to elections politicians often promise high investments in infrastructure. They are willing to spend millions and billions of dollars in new road and railway projects whether it is necessary or not if only the project is prestigious.
On the creation of high-performing teams
Creating high-performing teams is based on synergy. It means that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. One plus one equals three or more. This is the dream in every organization. Although the term often is related to management it can be used in a variety of other disciplines, too.
Are engineered geothermal systems our future energy reserve?
An engineered geothermal system (EGS) harnesses the energy in the earth to produce commercial quantities of electricity. The basic principle of an EGS is to access the high temperature available at depth and manipulate the underground rock mass to enhance permeability so that cooled water can be injected from one well and steam or hot water is returned from other wells.
The new economy is growing from below
The words came from Mrs. Ellinor Ostrom, last year`s Nobel-prize winner in economics, who recently participated in the “Rework the world”-summit held in Leksand, a small town in the heart of Sweden. Rework the World is an open initiative in response to the confluence of the ecological, economical and financial crises.
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Blogs
Of All Things at CES This Year, It's LEGO That Has Me Pumped
I've been following the coverage of new product announcements and sneak peeks at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
THE FUTURIST Magazine Releases Its Top 10 Forecasts for 2013 and Beyond (With Video)
Each year since 1985, the editors of THE FUTURIST have selected the most thought-provoking ideas and forecasts appearing in the magazine to go into our annual Outlook report. The forecasts are meant as conversation starters, not absolute predictions about the future. We hope that this report--covering developments in business and economics, demography, energy, the environment, health and medicine, resources, society and values, and technology--inspires you to tackle the challenges, and seize the opportunities, of the coming decade. Here are our top ten.
Why the Future Will Almost Certainly Be Better than the Present
Five hundred years ago there was no telephone. No telegraph, for that matter. There was only a postal system that took weeks to deliver a letter. Communication was only possible in any fluent manner between people living in the same neighborhood. And neighborhoods were smaller, too. There were no cars allowing us to travel great distances in the blink of an eye. So the world was a bunch of disjointed groups of individuals who evolved pretty much oblivious to what happened around them.
Headlines at 21st Century Tech for January 11, 2013
Welcome to our second weekly headlines for 2013. This week's stories include:
- A Science Rendezvous to Inspire the Next Generation
- Next Steps for the Mars One Project
- Feeding the Planet Would Be Easier if We Didn't Waste Half of What We Produce
Where is the Future?
Like the road you can see ahead of you as you drive on a journey, I suggest the future is embedded in emerging, continuous space-time. Although you’re not there yet, you can see the road in front of you. In the rear-view mirror stretches the landscape of the past, the world you have been through and still remember.
Transparency 2013: Good and bad news about banking, guns, freedom and all that
“Bank secrecy is essentially eroding before our eyes,” says a recent NPR article. ”I think the combination of the fear factor that has kicked in for not only Americans with money offshore, countries that don’t want to be on the wrong side of this issue and the legislative weight of FATCA means that within three to five years it will be exceptionally difficult for any American to hide money in any financial institution.”
The Internet of Things and Smartphones are Breaking the Internet
I have written several articles on network communications on this blog site as well as on other sites, describing its e