The Future of Education

The Article makes a nice point:

…..we know that our brains do most of their developing, and the most quickly, by the age of three. For much of last century, the most stimulation infants received was a few “Cootchy Cootchy Coos” in their cribs, and then lots of toys in their playpens. Today, from the time they are born, many children are being read to and provided with educational toys and games, toy cell phones, and computers. These youngsters have their brains challenged in many new and exciting ways, with multimedia and constantly interactive learning. Then, at the age of 5, we send them to the same schools our great grandparents went to, and when they are quickly bored, inattentive and hyperactive, instead of completely changing the system to fit the new brains, we drug the children to fit the antiquated system……

http://howyoucansavetheworld.com/2008/07/the-future-of-education.php

Researchers Cloning “Diesel Tree” to Enhance Native BioFuel Plants

Researchers traveled to Puerto Rico to harvest the genetic material from the copaiba tree. The tree produces oleoresin, a compound with similar properties as diesel fuel.

http://www.nextenergynews.com/news08/next-energy-news8.6.08c.html

Dandelion Rubber Could Replace Rare Sources

Long the bane of lawn owners everywhere, the sunny-faced dandelion could revolutionize the rubber industry.   Scientists from Ohio State University’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) and the Ohio BioProducts Innovation Center (OBIC) recently received a $3 million grant to design and build a processing plant that would turn sticky white dandelion root sap into quality rubber for less money than current methods

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/08/05/dandelion-rubber.html

Getting new life out of Windows XP

Keep XP in the game with these downloads, tweaks and hacks

While there’s plenty of life in the old operating system, there’s also a good chance XP may start looking long in the tooth to you. The good news is you don’t have to live with an XP that feels sluggish or looks and acts outdated. In this article, we’ll show you plenty of ways to spiff up XP — and make it faster and more reliable — without spending a penny. So come along and get your free DIY Windows XP upgrade.

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9111531&intsrc=hm_ts_head