Steam Center Blog

E lectronic books are a great idea because They cost much less to produce Save resources such as trees Can be procured quick as a download can be searched electronically Need very little space to store entire libraries Students can procure their lot of text books as a pen drive or download However, traditional books have an advantage in that one can open two pages at a time. Therefore this note presents the concept of a new book reader that reads like a traditional book. It has dual touch screens hinged in the middle so that they can be folded and closed like a book. Dual touch screen devices do exist but it does not seem that they are designed and sized specifically as a book reader. Two pages at a time can appear on a single screen but they do not fold like pages of a real book. The hope is that this blog post would catch the eye of a manufacturer or a consortium and it will take off. If they are hesitant that it would be a copyright...

A Pond T he term "blue revolution" refers to the development of lakes and ponds with rapid introduction of aquaculture as an important and productive agricultural activity.  Aquaculture has long been practiced in China where freshwater fish have been grown as food in managed ponds for thousands of years. In recent decades, however, the practice of aquaculture has spread around the world and emerged as a profitable new introduction to agricultural activities “The rapid development of aquaculture in recent years has been likened to a Blue Revolution that matches the Green Revolution of higher grain yields from the 1950s onward.”    J. D. Sachs, http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/promise-of-the-blue-revolution-july-2007/ Why a Blue Revolution is urgently needed The New Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi has emphasized the need for such a blue revolution in India. Aside from its agricultural contribution, there is an even more urg...

Use of Proportional tax for Corporations to prevent dangers of  'Too Big' M ost corporations are held by private owners or groups of private share holders. At times a state owns a corporation but these latter have not proved to be very efficient over the long run in meeting human needs, except in areas that are inherently noble-services oriented such as health and education, where the profit motive dilutes the very purpose of that service. While corporations meet human needs, some become so large and so profitable that they can even have an adverse and controlling impact on humans. Private corporations usually function with an aim of maximizing profits and not human welfare. Therefore, it is not surprising if a corporation that has become a giant begins to exploit humans rather than serving them. If shades of George Orwell's 1984 have arrived on the planet, it is  more because of corporate action rather than government action. In the very least corporate b...

Public Transportation driven by Solar electricity. M ost humans continue to live in villages, towns and cities of a bygone era compromised by over development. In the meantime, there have been huge changes in technology, life styles and human aspirations over the last few decades. It goes without saying that existing designs are not optimal for future lifestyles. Therefore, whenever a new city, town or village is established a completely fresh approach is required. One of the considerations required in future settlements is the ability to be able to connect to information highways of the world, not just cities but all human settlements that include villages. Further while villages would like to avail of services that are available in urban areas, new towns and cities would like to avail of green spaces that are available in rural areas. The new cities of the future have to be both smart and green, while new rural areas have to be smart as well. It is also necessary...

  Minimum essential components of a modern urban road on which motor vehicles are permitted I ndia has become famous as a country in the world where most deaths take place on its roads. Such deaths take place on highways and on urban roads. The present note is restricted to deaths on urban roads and how to prevent them. Three major factors that influence the rate of such deaths are:- Behavior of humans on roads Road and traffic laws and their implementation Road design Let us consider these three factors briefly here. Behavior of Humans :   A chaotic and undisciplined behavior of humans anywhere is unpleasant and uncomfortable. When such behavior is combined with high speed and heavy vehicles, it results in death, maiming and crippling from time to time. Overcoming such behavior requires basic education. That is a separate topic needing a full discussion of its own. Road behavior is also dependent on traffic and road regulations...

The Septic Drain T hose who live in developed countries may be surprised to learn that a large part of the human population lives without a toilet. Put crudely they simply piss and shit out in the open. In India it is estimated that half the population does that. This is all the more tragic in a country that invented toilets, bathrooms and covered drains five thousand years ago in the Indus Valley civilization ( http://alienaccount.blogspot.in/2013/09/indus-valley-and-atlantis.html ). Since then though, a lot of piss and water has passed under the bridge with a slide into poverty and decay. Aside from the inconvenience of having to run out into the fields every now and then, the phenomenon of open defecation poses some serious issues that have only increased with an increase of population density on the planet. First are health issues. When it rains the waste is washed into drains, rivulets, rivers, ponds and lakes. Water sources are then charged with disease causing bac...

This note is useful for developed as well as progressive developing countries How to take farm lands to town and generate sustainable green employment and create shelters for the homeless, unaccompanied minors, employment for the unemployed and a resort for the aged too. A Postmodern designer Village S everal developed and even some of the developing economies are undergoing a change, leading to a loss in manufacturing jobs and employment opportunities. It has been proposed that some new jobs in future could come from a return to land and undertaking modern agricultural activities on it. Certainly a rural setting does offer a much healthier and greener environment compared to traffic and concrete filled modern cities. However in the traditional rural setting other difficulties arise that can make life and living difficult especially for those who have not been used to that from childhood. Traditional rural agricultural areas are primarily of two types. On...