Maddenation

Design That Solves Problems for the World’s Poor

Today’s Science Times has a very interesting and inspirational (hence the category) story about how design can help the world’s poor. The article points out that most design is geared towards the top 10% of the world, and perhaps it’s time to move towards the bottom 90%. Check out some of the ideas presented. They are all very neat, and as a matter of fact, quite similar to my toilet-seat-holder-upper, in elegance and simplicity. I thought Dan in particular might be interested. We talk about the $3 water purifier in class when we learn about the kidney.

David • Inspirations • 05/29/07 • 3 comments

Comments

David • 05/29/07 • 10:57 AM:

You definitely need to check out the video link in the article. And here are some cool sites. Design for the other 90% (we should go to this next time we’re in NJ) and Worldbike

Patrick • 06/10/07 • 6:49 PM:

The major problem with “solving the world’s problems,” it seems to me, is not necessarily lack of genius/ideas, but lack of motivation. Even with some rreally good ideas around there, how do you move people to actually do any of the stuff. Lots of revolutionaries, including some of our own Founding Fathers, would say that you can only achieve large-scale change through revolution.

Meanwhile, David, why not fix that apostrophe in your entry title, OK?

Dad • 06/10/07 • 11:00 PM:

Speaking of apostrophes, what is it about html and other computer software that makes it spazz out for no apparent reason when somebody uses, say, a “smart” quote as opposed to a “dumb” quote? I mean, in a few microseconds you can get 17 million responses to a query in google. Why can’t some of this massive, unimaginable power be devoted to figuring out that David probably didn’t really want to put a hat on an a, then add an equal sign and a trademarked capital C between “world” and “s”? And if you can’t figure it out, you stupid collection of silicon wafers, just leave it blank! How hard it that?

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