Inventors, entrepreneurs, and revolutionary thinkers

Futurist-Thomas-Frey

Futurist Thomas Frey

We are here with a world renowned futurist, Tom Frey at the DaVinci Institute Vault, actually sitting in the ‘vault’ at the Vault. Tom explains the Vault is a co-working space. There are more and more people working from home and they suffer from two problems, either isolation or distractions. If you have a lot of kids at home [or even one] you understand distraction, we’re sure. After working at home for a while, one begins to crave conversation with like minded people, and that’s what you get at the DaVinci Institute. “You’re around people doing similar type work…” Tom says the true value is in all the sidebar conversations that go on here.

 

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Abandoned grain silo in France is now an Opera House

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Silo to Opera House?

Overlooking the port of Marseille, one of largest cities in France, used to sit an abandoned grain silo. Situated in a neighborhood slated for renovation, the emblematic and highly visible Arenc Silo, built in 1926-7, faced demolition. But rather than destroy the building and start from scratch with new materials, the City decided to transform it. For the last year, the old silo has been in service as a fully renovated opera house and theater…

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Do bacteria age? Biologists discover the answer follows simple economics

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Colony of E. coli bacteria.

When a bacterial cell divides into two daughter cells and those two cells divide into four more daughters, then 8, then 16 and so on, the result, biologists have long assumed, is an eternally youthful population of bacteria. Bacteria, in other words, don’t age — at least not in the same way all other organisms do…

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Something has exploded in a spectacular fashion on Uranus

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Massive change on a distant planet.

Quite snickering! Something on Uranus has erupted and now scientists are all in a tizzy about what and why it might be.

The news is exciting for a number of reasons. The simplest being we know very little about Uranus, mostly due to its incredible distance form Earth and because it’s, well, frankly one of the more “boring” planets out there…

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tugo – drink holder for rolling luggage

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Featured invention at the DaVinci Inventor Showcase 2011

The tugo® is a cup holder that keeps your drink suspended between the upright handles of your rolling bag. Its unique design keeps your cup level to prevent sloshing. Easily attached and removed, tugo collapses to fit in any pocket of your carry-on luggage.

 

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Track It – GPS driven locator allows you to track misplaced or lost items

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Featured invention at the DaVinci Inventor Showcase 2011

The Track It is a GPS (Global Positioning System) driven locator unit that comes with corresponding chips that allow you to track items/things of importance. Design intent is to provide a convenient handheld portable unit that easily locates items frequently misplaced or lost, saving the consumer time and frustration.

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Steampunk computer workstation and toilet

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A piece called Steampunk Time Machine Antique Master Bathroom Computer Workstation
by Bruce Rosenbaum and Walter Parker repurposes Victorian-era plumbing components as an eye-catching desk.

A computer workstation built from Victorian-era bathroom fixtures spells retro-futuristic relief at a new exhibit of geek-friendly “antiques.” The Steampunk Time Machine Antique Master Bathroom Computer Workstation, designed by Bruce Rosenbaum and Walter Parker, melds a modern computer with antique plumbing components, including a ribcage shower, toilet and pipes…

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Lightbulbs made of paper eliminate packaging

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A paper lightbulb?

Designer Tien-Ho Hsu has come up with a concept idea to reduce the amount of waste created by lightbulbs and their packaging. The solution, as this design presents, is emulsion-covered paper that glows when hooked up to an electricity source…

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