The Century's Top Engineering Challenges

coondoggie writes "The National Science Foundation announced today 14 grand engineering challenges for the 21st century that, if met, would greatly improve how we live. The final choices fall into four themes that are essential for humanity to flourish — sustainability, health, reducing vulnerability, and joy of living. The committee did not attempt to include every important challenge, nor did it endorse particular approaches to meeting those selected. Rather than focusing on predictions or gee-whiz gadgets, the goal was to identify what needs to be done to help people and the planet thrive, the group said. A diverse committee of engineers and scientists — including Larry Page, Robert Langer, and Robert Socolow — came up with the list but did not rank the challenges. Rather, the National Academy of Engineering is offering the public an opportunity to vote on which one they think is most important."

Comments

Re:I AM A FUCKING TROLL

[calebt3]

+1 Inciteful.

Re:The biggest challenge, by far

[flyingsquid]

Getting funding for the top 14 engineering challenges.

Well, it wouldn't be such a challenge if, you know, all the goals weren't so incredibly LAME. "Health informatics"? Bo-ring! Here's *my* list of challenges:

(1) Flying car.

(2) Cure for the hangover.

(3) Sex robot. As kinky as Madonna with the flexibility of a contortionist.

(4) Plug-in memory expansions so you can learn useful skills, equations, etc. without sitting through boring lectures and tests.

(5) Baldness cure.

(6) Beer that makes you skinnier instead of fatter.

(7) Dog-cat hybrid. Like a cat, it doesn't need your attention constantly, but it pays attention when you want it to, like a dog. It's comes when you call it like a dog, but it's clean like a cat. Plus, it barks AND purrs.

(8) Teleporter. I'm sick of commuting.

(9) Perpetual youth.

(10) Ballpoint pen that doesn't run out of ink just when you need it most.

(11) Formulas that make you grow bigger or smaller, just like Alice in Wonderland.

(12) Television remote with built in homing device and tiny little robot legs. So even if you misplace it, it always finds its way back to where it should be.

(13) A version of Microsoft Office that doesn't, you know, suck so much.

(14) Slashdot editors who are genetically engineered so that they can actually spell and are familiar with basic punctuation and grammar.

Re:The biggest challenge, by far

[wall0159]

Based upon your list, I'd conclude that you're

1) a nerd
2) a drunk
3) virginal
4) ignorant
5) bald
6) overweight
7) lonely
8) lazy
9) middle-aged
10) a stained-shirt wearer
11) have an inferiority complex
12) TV obsessed
13) a nerd (did I say that already?)
14) somewhat OCD

but hey! it's just a list ;-)

(ps. I'm just taking the piss - please take this in the spirit in which it is intended.)

Diamond-cutting guilds

[Dr. Cody]

(At this point, I should mention that De Beers also tightly controls the diamond cutter workforce -- any diamond cutter who cuts for a company other than De Beers is immediately cut off from doing any De Beers work)

The diamond cutter workforce is also dominated by Hasidic Jews. When I first saw a documentary on the industry, I thought it was an odd combination, but then, it came to me. Hundreds of years ago, there's this guy, and he's thinking:

"Hmmmm... I've got all these diamonds; now who can I hire that has experience in precision cutting work where any mistake has grave consequences...

"I've got it!"