Sunday, August 14, 2011

Eric Giler demos wireless electricity | Video on TED.com

Eric Giler demos wireless electricity | Video on TED.com
A very cool concept, wireless electricity, that seems to have its roots in Tesla. And again, while it was promo-ed to show how it could make more lives convenient (with a brief mention of recharging implanted medical devices), what kind of impact could this have on impoverished schools? On rural schools? On schools in the developing world? And would it help minimize the desire for electricity or make that desire stronger? This particular item may create more questions than it answers.

Harald Haas: Wireless data from every light bulb | Video on TED.com

Harald Haas: Wireless data from every light bulb | Video on TED.com
This amazing demonstration of the way LED light bulbs can utilize current infrastructure to provide secure transfer of digital information stopped me in my tracks. Many of the posts to the video discuss the possibilities for spying and espionage, but I am trying to imagine the implications it could have for schools. A teacher could provide specific information to students within a classroom directly to laptops, students could utilize cell phones or PDAs as 'clickers,' assignments or projects could be delivered to and shared among small groups of students - only within light range - without the fear of cheating. The reduced cost is incredibly appealing, tempered only by the potential cost of the conversion technology (provided by Haas' company). It gives one pause as to the potential this could hold ...