Six Ideas That Will Change the World

Thursday, Nov. 22 2007 | Author: Dave

Esquire has a really cool post up entitled, Six Ideas That Will Change the World, and in it they talk about some interesting technologies and sociological changes that could quickly change the world we live in.

From the article:

Internet censorship is the book burning of the modern age, denying as much as a third of the world’s population access to news and information.

But a new brand of activists — or “hacktivists” — are using their computer expertise to help people stranded in Web-censored countries abroad (and corporate offices and military bases at home) jump the firewall. The key innovation, developed by the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, is a software program called Psiphon. In the latest version (due out this winter), prospective users, or aid groups, contact the Citizen Lab to receive passwords and Web links. Once signed in, users are then patched directly into the Psiphon network of servers. A search bar pops up on their own screen, and they can surf the Web freely. All censors see is an unfamiliar IP address, which could be for anything from a bank transaction to an eBay sale.

Definitely a good read. Other items on the list include, flexible circuits, simple water cleaning technology, machines that self-repair, burying CO2 gas, and a biodegradable plastic-like substance.