The sOccket

       

New soccer ball can generate electricity 

 

 

A group of Harvard students have invented a soccer ball that charges electricity with each kick. The ball can then be used to power a light. Popular Mechanics have already called it one of the breakthrough innovations of the year. The Harvard students responsible for the invention are calling it "sOccket." Hemali Thakkar, a graduating senior at Harvard and one of the creators of the sOccket, told PRI's Living on Earth:

We saw that there was this universal love of soccer around the world and we saw this huge need for electricity and we said, 'hey, why not, why not put the two together.' And that's how sOccket came about.

The invention works by using magnetic charges. A magnet inside the ball bounces back and forth through an inductive coil, allowing an internal battery to capture current that can be used later on. It's the same technology that a shake-flashlight uses to generate and store power.

The ball requires only fifteen minutes of use to power a single LED light for three hours, says Thakkar. After playing with the ball, a light can be plugged into an electrical socket on the outside of the ball. This socket can support a direct-current electrical plug, which is standard in developing countries.

Creating a sustainable energy source for developing countries is about more than simply the ability to see at night. It's an attempt to solve a public-health problem as well, Thakkar says. Over 1.5 billion people worldwide use kerosene lamps to light their homes -- a practice that is directly linked to respiratory infections, which account for the largest percentage of childhood deaths in developing nations.

During South Africa's World Cup, the Harvard students partnered with a design firm to create twenty prototypes of the ball They gave the prototypes to WhizzKids United, an organization dedicated to HIV care and prevention using soccer to reach at-risk kids. Marcus McGilvray, founder of WhizzKids United says, "The ball stood up to the conditions and it held out really well."

After some minor adjustments, the Harvard team hopes to have a new version of the ball on shelves next summer. Proceeds from American sales would support a buy-one-give-one model, so groups like Whizzkids in South Africa could start including the balls into their own programs. McGilvray told Living on Earth:

sOccket really gives it a whole new dimension to be able to show them what innovative inventions are coming up around the world. You know, it gets young people to think, 'Wow!, You know, I think these are great things for children to learn from.''

 

(The sOccket has some bugs to workout, but kudos to the ingenuity involved to tackle something as large as this. I hope they get the intelligent backing needed to be able progress in ways that benefit us all.)

10 WAYS TO MAKE PEOPLE FEEL GOOD!

10 WAYS TO MAKE FOLKS FEEL GOOD

　

1. Say Hi and use people's name. Use a nickname if it will work.
2. Ask someone to teach you something.
3. Compliment someone. Even if you don't like someone too much there must be something you can say.
4. Listen and repeat back a little what they say. It shows you are listening. We are quick to give our opinion instead of just listening to what a person may say. Learn NOT immediately jump in with your opinion. Just listen.
5. Understand what someone says. Put yourself in their position. Learn to really commiserate. People like it when someone 'gets' them.
6. Sometime a smile puts someone more at ease.
7. Remember their spouses name or hobby that they may have. It makes people feel special.
8. Help people if they need it.
9. Greet people like you are really glad to see them.
10. Make an effort to redirect negative energy to positive.

Science Has Fucking Amazing News for People Who Curse

By Theresa Fisher January 12, 2015

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When you stub a toe, miss a train by mere seconds or send an accidental "reply-all," there's a good chance you'll reflexively blurt out an expletive or two — and there's no reason to feel bad about it. While spewing profanities may offend disciples of Emily Post, it turns out that cursing is a pretty healthy habit. Research suggests that using four-letter words to express pain may inadvertently help alleviate it, whether we're reeling from physical anguish or emotional upset. How fucking convenient.

If it hurts, go on and curse. Dropping f-bombs helps us withstand physical pain, according to a 2009 study in which U.K. researchers from Keele University conducted a different kind of ice bucket challenge. Participants had to dunk their hands in ice water until the discomfort grew unbearable. Half of the participants could repeat their obscenity of choice during the experiment, while the other half had to endure the pain without letting curses fly. As researchers predicted, the profane group lasted longer. Repeating "fuck" and "shit," researchers believed, helped people get through pain by distracting them from it.

 

As a pain management tool, cursing may do more for people who drop f-bombs sparingly. In a follow-up study, researchers found that people who swore less on a daily basis derived more benefit from cursing their way through unpleasant sensations.

 

Colorful cursing: When you're all worked up, the same team of U.K. psychologists believe, cursing is basically a harmless way to muster up emotional resilience. But what we consider profanity changes as language evolves. If a word loses its shock appeal, it probably loses its ameliorative power. It's a good thing that we're so creative when it comes to cursing. In a study published last year, researchers asked participants to play either an aggressive video game or a more sedate golf game. People who played the aggressive game, researchers found, came up with a wider variety of obscenities on request.

 

"Our study found that when we raised people's emotional arousal level they became more proficient at swearing such that they were able to produce a greater number of different swear words and expressions in a one-minute period," said one study author, Amy Zile, in a statement to the British Psychological Society. "This provides experimental support for the theory that swearing is emotional language."

 

So the next time you've messed up or are feeling screwed over, don't be afraid to let one fly -- it might just be the best thing you can do for yourself.

Sarah on The Eden Alternative

Matt Bollig - From Quarterback to Wheelchair

---The story of a young person deciding that he will be successful NO matter what he is dealt!

LIFE LESSON ON TAKING THINGS PERSONALLY...AGAIN!

 

''Is that supposed to be easy?''

The GENTLE SMILE by Diane Berke

The GENTLE SMILE

Practicing ONENESS in DAILY LIFE

By Diane Berke

 

I accept myself completely.
I accept my strengths and my weaknesses,
my gifts and my shortcomings,
my good points and my faults,
I accept myself completely as a human being.

I accept that I am here to learn and grow,
and I accept that I am learning and growing.
I accept the personality I've developed,
and I accept the power to heal and change.
I accept myself without condition or reservation.
I accept that the core of my being is goodness
and that my essence is love,
and I accept that I sometimes forget that.
I accept myself completely, and in this acceptance
I find a ever - deepening inner strength.
From this place of strength, I accept my life fully
and I open to the lessons it offers me today.

I accept that within my mind are both fear and love,
and I accept my power to choose which
I will experience as real.
I recognize that I experience only the results
of my own choices.
I accept the times that I choose fear
as part of my learning and healing process,
and I accept that I have the potential and power
in any moment to choose love instead.
I accept mistakes as part of growth,
so I am always willing to forgive myself
and give myself another chance.

I accept that my life is the expression of my thought,
and I commit myself to aligning my thoughts
more and more each day with the Thought of Love.
I accept that I am an expression of this Love,
Love's hands and voice and heart on earth.
I accept my own life as a blessing and a gift.
My heart is open to receive, and I am deeply grateful.
May I always share the gifts that I receive
fully, freely,, and with joy.

Amen.