At our last Tech Talks held Tuesday 12th October we covered a range of interests.
We started by watching a report on the expansion of the new Chinese high speed train system. In the past 20 years China has built a completely new high speed rail network that now criss-crosses the country. Some discussion was initiated on my part because I believe that Australia can learn from the example of others.
We then watched a prediction on 7 new Technologies that will be widespread by 2030. This is only a short time into the future and we can only wait and see if any of the predictions come true. One prediction was that cars will become driverless and pooled. Another was that white collar jobs will be replaced by robots. Another was that phones will become smaller and more powerful to the point where they will be able to be implanted.
We watched documentaries on Henry Ford and Nicolas Tesla. Tesla had a tragic life and suffered from harsh treatment handed out by his jealous competitor Thomas Edison. He died in obscure poverty. However, in recent times his name has been brought back into public knowledge by the naming of a certain car.
We also watched an educational video on how gold is manufactured in far off space and transported to our planet.
We came back to earth by considering a problem we all share - how do we dispose of our waste?
In Australia we tend to dispose of our waste by putting it in landfill. In Malaysia they have developed a portable technology that burns it. All waste no matter what can be disposed of by burning and the claim is that the technology developed in Malaysia produces a cleaner waste than normal and all polluted air is washed clean. Some cities in Europe also burn their waste and use the energy generated to power their electrical needs. They have strict pollution controls which they must adhere to.
It would be in Australia's interests if we began to consider such schemes.
Neville Gibb