A New Society, a new education!

The world's first algae-powered building is being piloted in Hamburg.

Designed by multinational firm Arup, features panel glass bioreactors on a facade containing microalgae that generate biomass and heat, serving as a renewable energy source.

 

The systems provide insulation for the building- 129 bioreactors have been fitted to the southwest and southeast faces of the building. They are controlled by an energy management center in which solar thermal heat and algae are harvested and stored to be used to create hot water.

 

Jan Wurm, Arup’s Europe Research Leader, said: 'Using bio-chemical processes in the facade of a building to create shade and energy is a really innovative concept. 

'It might well become a sustainable solution for energy production in urban areas, so it is great to see it being tested in a real-life scenario.'

 

The news comes after Arup announced their vision for the future of skyscrapers which suggested that buildings would be 'living' buildings powered by algae that respond automatically to the weather and the changing needs of inhabitants...

Via Lauren Moss, João Greno Brogueira

Futurist Thomas Frey gives us some fascinating predictions for the very exciting year ahead. It's a great post with essential information to shift your thinking and get ready for 2012.

 

My intro:

 

There were so many things that I could comment on but my primary focus in 2012 is the future of content curation, the evolution and its impact on how we utilize and digest data in our business and personal lives. How will curation be perceived in 2012 and what will the monetary value be for content curation? 

 

Having said that, this is what particularly caught my attention:

 

Information Doesn’t Want to be Free– In 1984 at a Hackers Conference, Silicon Valley futurist Stuart Brand was the first to use the phrase: “Information wants to be free” in response to a point made by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak but continued

 

“On the other hand, information wants to be expensive, because it’s so valuable.

 

**"The right information in the right place just changes your life."

 

**This set the stage for an entirely new era of free-thinking “free” advocates"

 

****My commentary: One of the reasons trusted content curators will become a very valuable asset to the information economy:

 

****"There is always a cost to “free.”

 

****While it may not extract a payment from your bank account, there is always a “time” cost involved.

 

****Without some amount of friction, the volume of information you have to sift through skyrockets and even with good search technology, your time-costs climb dramatically.

 

****The days of “free” thinking are numbered. Look for this mindset to shift over the coming years. More details here. This article is from 9/2/2011 - Two things that caught my attention....

 

**While it is true that the Internet is eliminating many of the gatekeepers, people trying to break into a field without going through gatekeepers find it far harder to gain credibility and foster a “trust” relationship with their audiences.

 

****In the end it still boils down to trust. Can I trust the person I am reading or listening to? Are they an accurate source of information? Will it be worth the time and brainpower I’m investing?

 

Curated by Jan Gordon covering "Content Curation, Social Media and Beyond"

 

Read full article here: [http://bit.ly/sreMX5]

Via janlgordon