Edible Water Bottles! by Maria Dorfner

Check out this hot way to keep cool and hydrated.  It may feel weird at first, but so did social media.

Water bottles you eat can revolutionize how you hydrate. 50 billion water bottles are used each year. Only 23% are recycled.

That’s just in America.  These biodegradable water bottles look like little breast implants or blobs. Not my nails, btw.

I haven’t tested them. Looks like they could be messy if you’re wearing a silk shirt, but they look small enough not to splatter.

And they’re good for the environment.  Ooho recently received a $22,500 sustainability award from the EU.

Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez and Pierre Paslier from Skipping Rocks Lab in London created them.

They took a frozen ball of water, then encapsulated it in layers of a membrane made of calcium chloride, and brown algae.

 

Imagine drinking water without a plastic bottle to cart around or toss away.

The manufacturer is now trying to figure out ho make the outer membrane re-sealable.

These could make a splash when you’re at the gym or hiking, at the beach, in a car –or anywhere when you’re on the go.

They may even come in different colors and flavors. The plastic industry should be a little nervous right now.

It could be Bye-Bye to needing to carry water bottles in the future.

I still have a few questions:

1.  How many water blobs equal 9 fl. oz.?
2.  Can these water blobs break in your purse or pocket?
3.  Can these water blobs unintentionally heat up and be dangerous or is that only a worry with plastic?

4.  How many water blobs does a healthy active person need per day?

5.  When and where will they be available to consumers?

6.  Or will the huge plastics industry squash their ability to come to market?

7.  What is the anticipated price for consumers?

If anyone has answers to these questions, please comment or message me at maria.dorfner@yahoo.com

Meanwhile, congratulations to the creators. I think it’s a hot health discovery!

Special thanks to Ellen Canderozzi, a friend from grade school, who reminded about this biodegradable water on Facebook.

Stay hydrated!  Stay healthy!  🙂
Maria

For more visit http://www.Smithsonian.com

Learning Is Healthy: The Italian Cultural Institute Presents 50 Years of Italian Breakthroughs

Join Me Opening Night at The Italian Cultural Institute of New York

The Italian Cultural Institute of New York Presents MAKE IN ITALY

50 Years Of Italian Breakthroughs: From The First PC To The First Space-Bound Espresso Machine 

 

Exhibition: Open to the public from November 13th – 25th, 2015

Monday – Friday 10am to 5pm
The Italian Cultural Institute
686 Park Avenue, New York, NY

 

Did you know the first personal computer was invented by an Italian? Make in Italy – The Exhibition, is an event focused on showcasing cutting-edge products, conceived and developed in Italy or by Italians, throughout the last half century. The exhibition takes its cue from 1965, when a prototype of the Olivetti Programma 101, considered the first personal computer, was presented at the World’s Fair in New York.

The exhibition is arranged by decades, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s, and depicts each of them through objects – from typewriters to microprocessors, from the first personal computer to an Espresso machine that works in space. Historical documents, photos and other images will also be displayed to illustrate the social and economical background of the different periods.

 

Exhibition Highlights

The documentary, “Programma 101: Memory of the Future” by Alessandro Bernard and Paolo Ceretto, will be available for viewing to all guests of the exhibit

 

P101 – THE FIRST PC

“I dreamt of a friendly machine, that anyone could use, would cost little, and would be similar in size to the other office products people were already familiar with.”

This was the revolutionary vision of P101’s inventor, Pier Giorgio Perotto. The first “personal computer” was not conceived in the garage of Steve Jobs, but 12 years before that in a villa in Pisa, in the suburb of Barbaricina by Olivetti, an Italian manufacturer of typewriters. The P101’s design was innovative – in line with company founder Adriano Olivetti’s philosophy: “Design is the spirit of a product.” The design of the P101 was well completed at the end of 1964 and the revolutionary machine was presented in New York in October ’65. The US market bought almost all of the 44,000 P101s made by Olivetti at $3,200 a piece. Hewlett-Packard alone bought a hundred P101s and copied the more innovative features, such as the magnetic card, for its own devices. 

 

INTEL 4004 – THE FIRST MICROCHIP

The Intel 4004 was the first commercially available microprocessor, or “computer on a chip” in history. Developed in 1971 by Federico Faggin, a physicist working in Silicon Valley. At Fairchild, he invented the Silicon Gate Technology (SGT), which was crucial for the manufacturing of smaller, more reliable logic circuits. Then at Intel, Faggin used his SGT technology to create the microchip. Today microprocessors are used in everything, from the smallest embedded systems and smartphones to the largest supercomputers.

 

ISSPRESSO – THE FIRST SPACE-BOUND ESPRESSO MACHINE

Last May, the first “made-for-space coffee” was tasted onboard the International Space Station (ISS) by Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. This was made possible by ISSpresso, the first ever system for brewing espresso in extreme conditions, i.e. outer space. Crewmembers on long-duration space missions frequently miss the comforts of home, from favorite meals to a fresh cup of coffee. ISSpresso is an espresso maker for the International Space Station (ISS) that can be used to make tea, coffee, broth, or other hot beverages. Created by David Avino, founder of Argotec, an engineering and aerospace software company, specializing in astronauts’ training, and Lavazza, the family-owned leading brand in Italy, and a coffee manufacturer since 1895.The technology developed to provide food and beverages in a microgravity environment not only improves options for orbiting crewmembers, but could also lead to new or improved products for earthlings.

 

ARDUINO – THE “KING” OF MAKERS

Inspired by the philosophy behind the P101- personal computer, Arduino is an open-source prototyping platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software. Arduino reads inputs – for example your finger on a button  – and turns them into outputs – like activating a motor. Created in 2005 by Massimo Banzi, and his four partners, for students of the Interaction Design Institute as an easy tool for fast prototyping for those without a background in electronics and programming. The name comes from the Antica Caffetteria Arduino, the cafe’ where Banzi and his partners spent many nights discussing the project. Now a worldwide community of students, hobbyists, artists, programmers, and professionals Makers use Arduino. 

 

OLIVETTI 3D-S2 – IVREA, THE ITALIAN SILICON VALLEY

Olivetti, the company that gave us the first personal computer, is reinventing itself, embracing the revolution of digital manufacturing and the digital philosophy of sharing and collaboration. Last month the company announced the launch of its first 3D printer, aimed at the small to medium companies that need a faster and cheaper way to make prototypes and develop new products.  The Olivetti 3D-S2 will be manufactured entirely in Italy, in the Canavese area, and all the technology used will be Italian. Developed jointly with Gimax, the Prato-based leader in industrial automation, the printer uses the potential of Arduino, the open source hardware and software platform which has revolutionized the world of manufacturing, from Ivrea, Italy.

Additional Information:

Opening Night Exhibit: November 12, 2015 at 6pm 
Panel Discussion, What’s Next for Italian Creativity in Technology? Moderated by Maria Teresa Cometto and Riccardo Luna, with:

• Massimo Banzi, co-founder of the Arduino Project
• David Avino, founder of Argotec
• Riccardo Delleani, CEO at Olivetti
• Alessandro Piol, co-founder at AlphaPrime Ventures

The Exhibition is a project by the Make in Italy Foundation cdb,

made possible through the generosity of Peter S. Kalikow in collaboration with: Lavazza, Olivetti, and with the Consulate General of Italy in New York, the Italian Heritage & Culture Committee of New York.

Laughter Is Great Medicine by Maria Dorfner

Researchers Nale Lehmann-Willenbrock and Joseph A. Allen published a study in Journal of Applied Psychology about effects of group humor on workers.

Results proved laughter bolsters creativity, memory, problem-solving ability, and reduces anxiety, body pain and stress, helps with relaxation, elevates mood, increases self-esteem, optimism, hope and your energy. That’s a lot of healthy stuff.

In workers it leads to positive team performance, including question-asking, proposals of innovative ideas, new people speaking up and kudos given for jobs well done or problems solved.  Nice!

If that’s not enough, humor also promotes bonding, altruism, attracts connections and leads to happier partnerships.

That said, here’s a short true story to tickle your funny bone.

THE BRIEFCASE

One afternoon while visiting my parents my Dad told my sister and I he bought a new Mercedes, but he returned it because something was wrong with it.

He boasts, “I walk into the dealership, put my briefcase on salesman’s desk and tell him give me my money back or else!”  We ask, “Or else what?”

He yells, “Or else I OPEN the briefcase!!”

My sister and I chime, “What’s in the briefcase?!”  He yells, “Never you mind. Guy gave me my money back RIGHT away.”

Later that afternoon my sister says to me, “Wait a second. Since when does Daddy have a briefcase?”   I laugh and quip, “You’re right.”

Dad is retired, but used to work in construction and in a restaurant. Neither required a briefcase. We laugh concluding he must have made up that story.

One Week Later…

Sis calls me exasperated, “Oh my God…oh my God…OH.MY.GOD.  I tell her to calm down and ask what happened.

She says, “You’ll NEVER believe this!  I am at Mommy and Daddy’s helping them take groceries out of the car trunk and I find an old, beat up briefcase from the 1940’s in there!!”

WHAT?! I exclaim followed by, “OPEN IT!!!”  She says she is trying, but it has an old combination lock on it and it has something heavy inside of it.

She gasps, “OH MY GOD…I think Daddy has a gun!”

So, we decide to confront him. When I get there, we place the briefcase on the dining room table and use our best “Law and Order” District Attorney stance.

Open.  The.  Briefcase.  NOW.

At first, he says no but we are relentless.

We watch intently as he turns the combination.

He opens it.  Nothing.  Nada.  EMPTY.  We ask, “What was that noise?” He lifts a cloth layer (we’re actually frightened now) and laying there is one single hammer.

We look at each other, then at Dad and ask, “What were you going to do…hammer the Mercedes sales guy to death??!!”

Dad matter-of-factly says, “Never you mind” as he locks the briefcase we never knew he owned.  We die laughing.   Take the hammer. Leave the cannoli.  ;-D

 

Maria Dorfner can be reached at maria.dorfner@yahoo.com