Do not give up , still time
To reach and start again,
Accept your shadows ,
Bury your fears ,
Releasing the ballast,
Resume flight.
Do not give up that life is that,
Continue the journey ,
Pursue your dreams,
Unlock time
Running the rubble
And uncover the sky.
Do not give up , please do not give in ,
Although the cold burn ,
Although fear bite ,
Although the sun goes down ,
And shut the wind ,
There's still fire in your soul
There is still life in your dreams .
Because life is yours and yours also the desire
Because you wanted to and because I love you
Because there is wine and love, is true .
Because there is no cure wounds that time.
Open the doors,
Remove the bolts ,
Leave the walls that protected you ,
Living life and accept the challenge ,
Retrieve laughter
Rehearsing a song ,
Drop your guard and extend hands
Unfold the wings
And try again
Celebrate life and regain the heavens .
Do not give up , please do not give in ,
Although the cold burn ,
Although fear bite ,
Although the sun sets and the wind street ,
There's still fire in your soul ,
There is still life in your dreams
Because every day is a new beginning ,
Because this is the time and the best time .
Because you're not alone because I love you.
3 Tips for Authors and Reviewers to Remember
I've recently run across several review sites on Amazon and Goodreads were a book reviewer and the author of the book they reviewed was behaving badly. And by badly I mean, badly. I'm pretty sure there was both virtual hair pulling and nipple twisting involved in several of these cases. While I admit that a part of me was intrigued and somewhat excited at this display of unprofessional behavior, I couldn't help but think, wow. That's so sad. In the end, it made me think that about the importance of being a good, but fair reviewer and how as an author, you have to not let a review or even a comment about the review, get under your skin.
Since I work on both sides of that slippery slope, I know how hard it can be!
So I thought about a few things that both reviewers and authors can try to keep in mind.
1. Opinions are like first time manuscripts. Everyone's got one shoved away in the back of their closet, and they can make or break any relationship. You don't have to like everything a writer has written. There is no rule book I've seen as a reviewer that says that you do. It's okay to write that you don't like something, but my opinion is that if you want people to respect your thoughts, think carefully about how you express them.
Authors, opinions are not the end all, be all, final last word on your book. It may sting to hear criticism but be professional. You'll get a lot more respect if you keep your mouth shut than if you start talking smack on the internet about the reviewer. That just makes you look petty.
2. What are the good things? I believe as a reviewer that there should be a least one positive aspect that you can write about the book. It may be the book cover. It may be a minor character that keeps you from falling asleep. Maybe it's the way the author handles the setting. Try to find something that sounds positive. Why? After all it goes back that opinion thing, doesn't it? Yes, but saying at least one thing that positive can make you not look like such a giant jerk.
Authors take the positive and learn from the negative. Better yet, take the negative and ask yourself if perhaps the reviewer is right. Is the pacing of your story off? Should you try to cut some backstory? Maybe hiring an editor isn't such a bad idea for the next book….
3. Genre can sometimes be to blame for a bad review for a good book. Let's face it: I don't like erotic murder mysteries with a touch of steampunk in them. It's just not my thing. As a result, I try not to review the genre erotic mystery steampunk (I'm making that genre up, by the way). Surely, I'm not alone in not enjoying every type of genre out there though. Sometimes a reviewer's review comes off as negative because it's just not their favorite style of book--not because the writing is poor.
Authors, before asking a reviewer to read your book, make sure they understand what genre it is, especially if your book cover or synopsis is misleading. In fact, don't send it to a reviewer who doesn't like that style of novel. If you are part of a book tour and the tour manager sends it to a reviewer who gives it negative press, it may well be a genre thing. Don't worry about it!
A few weeks ago I read a book about how negative reviews can actually be helpful for the author. Sometimes a review suggests that something is bad that a reader has to see for themselves just how bad it is. However, sometimes negativity can be bad for the reviewer. If you are malicious or tip up a book just for the sake of doing it, then people won't see you as a credible source.
Since I work on both sides of that slippery slope, I know how hard it can be!
So I thought about a few things that both reviewers and authors can try to keep in mind.
1. Opinions are like first time manuscripts. Everyone's got one shoved away in the back of their closet, and they can make or break any relationship. You don't have to like everything a writer has written. There is no rule book I've seen as a reviewer that says that you do. It's okay to write that you don't like something, but my opinion is that if you want people to respect your thoughts, think carefully about how you express them.
Authors, opinions are not the end all, be all, final last word on your book. It may sting to hear criticism but be professional. You'll get a lot more respect if you keep your mouth shut than if you start talking smack on the internet about the reviewer. That just makes you look petty.
2. What are the good things? I believe as a reviewer that there should be a least one positive aspect that you can write about the book. It may be the book cover. It may be a minor character that keeps you from falling asleep. Maybe it's the way the author handles the setting. Try to find something that sounds positive. Why? After all it goes back that opinion thing, doesn't it? Yes, but saying at least one thing that positive can make you not look like such a giant jerk.
Authors take the positive and learn from the negative. Better yet, take the negative and ask yourself if perhaps the reviewer is right. Is the pacing of your story off? Should you try to cut some backstory? Maybe hiring an editor isn't such a bad idea for the next book….
3. Genre can sometimes be to blame for a bad review for a good book. Let's face it: I don't like erotic murder mysteries with a touch of steampunk in them. It's just not my thing. As a result, I try not to review the genre erotic mystery steampunk (I'm making that genre up, by the way). Surely, I'm not alone in not enjoying every type of genre out there though. Sometimes a reviewer's review comes off as negative because it's just not their favorite style of book--not because the writing is poor.
Authors, before asking a reviewer to read your book, make sure they understand what genre it is, especially if your book cover or synopsis is misleading. In fact, don't send it to a reviewer who doesn't like that style of novel. If you are part of a book tour and the tour manager sends it to a reviewer who gives it negative press, it may well be a genre thing. Don't worry about it!
A few weeks ago I read a book about how negative reviews can actually be helpful for the author. Sometimes a review suggests that something is bad that a reader has to see for themselves just how bad it is. However, sometimes negativity can be bad for the reviewer. If you are malicious or tip up a book just for the sake of doing it, then people won't see you as a credible source.
about character defects
One of the greatest challenges in ongoing sobriety is to repeatedly confront the same character defects over and over again. Or, more accurately, the consequences of those same character defects -- especially if you have really tried to address them via the tools offered in Alcoholics Anonymous.
It has been my experience (my painful, embarrassing, experience, actually) whenever I am in that place again, that my real problem is twofold:
The first is that I am looking at the result and not the process. In other words, it is easy to want to have money in the bank, but where I need to ask for HP's help is in spending differently. It is easy to want to get to work on time, but the focus should be on the willingness to go to sleep at a decent hour and get up at a realistic time to actually get ready and go. It's easy to want a different body, it's hard to be willing to eat differently or become disciplined about exercise.
My character defect is really not in the result, i.e. the bank balance, the tardiness or the numbers on the scale ... my character defect is to be found somewhere in the process.
The second thing -- and somehow I have found that although, logically, it doesn't appear related to the above, it actually is in powerful and unfathomable ways (cue spooky music) -- if I'm applying the principles and ideas from the 12 Steps to these things, the main point of the 7th Step (which, for the new kids, is "Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.") is about humility -- not the shortcomings. Not the defects.
Humility.
I need a constant reminder of this, since, in certain areas I keep trying to make it about the problem, and not about a spiritual solution -- which I reach via humility.
Frankly, on some days it seems like this whole thing would be a lot easier if we could just scrap this "humility" thing altogether.
But apparently, some people have tried that.
From what I understand, they can be found down at the bar.
~~ author unknown
It has been my experience (my painful, embarrassing, experience, actually) whenever I am in that place again, that my real problem is twofold:
The first is that I am looking at the result and not the process. In other words, it is easy to want to have money in the bank, but where I need to ask for HP's help is in spending differently. It is easy to want to get to work on time, but the focus should be on the willingness to go to sleep at a decent hour and get up at a realistic time to actually get ready and go. It's easy to want a different body, it's hard to be willing to eat differently or become disciplined about exercise.
My character defect is really not in the result, i.e. the bank balance, the tardiness or the numbers on the scale ... my character defect is to be found somewhere in the process.
The second thing -- and somehow I have found that although, logically, it doesn't appear related to the above, it actually is in powerful and unfathomable ways (cue spooky music) -- if I'm applying the principles and ideas from the 12 Steps to these things, the main point of the 7th Step (which, for the new kids, is "Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.") is about humility -- not the shortcomings. Not the defects.
Humility.
I need a constant reminder of this, since, in certain areas I keep trying to make it about the problem, and not about a spiritual solution -- which I reach via humility.
Frankly, on some days it seems like this whole thing would be a lot easier if we could just scrap this "humility" thing altogether.
But apparently, some people have tried that.
From what I understand, they can be found down at the bar.
~~ author unknown
see you.
Almost three years since my last post! I must be resting on my laurals. Hope I spelled that right. No, I didn't relapse. Still not drinking, just neglecting my blog. I will be fixing some broken links and uploading some more graphics. I still attend one AA meeting a week and see my sponsor/AA friend weekly as well. Since my last post, I think I've had two more back surgeries. Those are fun. I have to deal with the chronic pain thing, and the stigma that goes with it. My depression issue is alive and well. These things are much easier to manage without alcohol however. Anyway, as always, I'm starting my day with two hours of quiet time and a pot of coffee. This isn't easy to do using a smartphone! I will use my computer most of the time. That keyboard is larger than my phone. This one finger typing is sort of a bitch. Ok, got to take on the day! Bye for now, AB.
A Rose by any Other Name
One thing I’ve noticed when doing research into Hugh Despenser is that other authors don’t seem to be sure how to write the surname. I have seen it as Despenser (the way I write it), Despencer, de Spenser or de Spencer. Of course, when it comes to names in the medieval period, there was often no fixed spelling (and not just for names either), so you might think the point is rather moot. However, when it comes to the Despenser family, there are some variants that definitely were not seen in contemporary manuscripts. So, here are a few pointers on how Despenser should be written today to be the closest version to the original.
Le Despenser: We’ll start with the best option first. You’ll note this has a ‘le’ (the) in front and while this was almost always used in the original records, it has been dropped in modern history books (probably because it sounds so clunky).This (and a similar version le Despensere) is the option most seen in records originating from Hugh’s lifetime. In origin, it is not so much a name as a title (a bit like Marshal). A despenser was, basically, a steward of the household – the man responsible for the smooth running of everyday life. A look back into the Despenser ancestry shows that some of the earlier Despensers were, indeed, stewards – seemingly for the earls of Chester. Before the men of the family took on this title they appear to have the name of de Berges* (from Berges – wherever that was). So, right from the outset, the Despensers, as an ancestral line, were administrators and specialised in controlling various aspects of a lord’s household whether as steward, justiciar or, in the case of Hugh the younger, chamberlain.
Despencer: The second most common version that I see. Probably a slightly later version of the name often used in histories etc. Not 100% accurate but not that bad either.
De Spenser and de Spencer: These two are definitely not right. As I mentioned above ‘de’ usually translates to ‘of’, as in (in this case) ‘of Spenser’. As despenser was a title, separating the de and spenser gives it a totally different – and wrong – meaning. I often see this version in Victorian tomes and also from genealogists who should know better. The latter are sometimes also trying to find a link to Princess Diana (Spencer)
Le Despenser: We’ll start with the best option first. You’ll note this has a ‘le’ (the) in front and while this was almost always used in the original records, it has been dropped in modern history books (probably because it sounds so clunky).This (and a similar version le Despensere) is the option most seen in records originating from Hugh’s lifetime. In origin, it is not so much a name as a title (a bit like Marshal). A despenser was, basically, a steward of the household – the man responsible for the smooth running of everyday life. A look back into the Despenser ancestry shows that some of the earlier Despensers were, indeed, stewards – seemingly for the earls of Chester. Before the men of the family took on this title they appear to have the name of de Berges* (from Berges – wherever that was). So, right from the outset, the Despensers, as an ancestral line, were administrators and specialised in controlling various aspects of a lord’s household whether as steward, justiciar or, in the case of Hugh the younger, chamberlain.
Despencer: The second most common version that I see. Probably a slightly later version of the name often used in histories etc. Not 100% accurate but not that bad either.
De Spenser and de Spencer: These two are definitely not right. As I mentioned above ‘de’ usually translates to ‘of’, as in (in this case) ‘of Spenser’. As despenser was a title, separating the de and spenser gives it a totally different – and wrong – meaning. I often see this version in Victorian tomes and also from genealogists who should know better. The latter are sometimes also trying to find a link to Princess Diana (Spencer)
The large quantum computer: What do NASA and Google with their new 'toy
The large quantum computer : What do NASA and Google with their new ' toy
Text comEste year, NASA , in collaboration with Google , acquired the world's largest in order " to solve the greatest challenges of computer " quantum computer. But what they plan to do with this powerful and revolutionary device ?
All about this topic
cyberwar
Stuxnet : The virus can create " absolute chaos "
Confirm that the Stuxnet virus has a secret twin
The virus can paralyze BadBIOS fleets
READ MORE »
All about this topic
cosmos
The discrete ' weapon ' of the International Space Station
Video: Space explosion that could destroy the Earth
15 years of the Space Station : Top Rated Data
READ MORE »
All about this topic
new technologies
Samsung forced to pay Apple $ 290 million
The fuel of the future, boiled ?
Apparatus ' suicide ' protect U.S. military secrets
READ MORE »
The Quantum Artificial Intelligence Laboratory , located at the Ames Research Center of NASA in California, has the quantum computer of the Canadian company D -Wave Systems. George Dvorsky , a contributing editor of the website io9 has spoken with Rupak Biswas , one of the main drivers of the project, big plans for quantum computing , such as the management of large data repositories , developing encryption schemes difficult ' hack , coordination of robotic vehicles in space, air traffic control or weather forecasting .
" Indeed , quantum systems have the potential , at least in theory , to irrevocably change the outcome of computation ," recalls the author of the article. "Unlike traditional silicon-based computers [ ... ], these systems use the effects of quantum mechanics [ ... ] , allowing them to instantly find all possible solutions to a particular problem," Dvorsky wrote .
" Quantum computing has generated much interest recently , especially about how you can use the D -Wave quantum computer to solve interesting problems," Biswas said , adding that the machine became operational in September this year.
Quantum applications
Currently, the team is studying Biswas three very basic applications, including one that would serve as an agenda for astronauts in orbit. The expert explained that NASA astronauts face " energy optimization problems that a quantum system could solve."
The scientist said they are also looking to schedule the poor coordination of work on supercomputers , and the third task for the moment is to develop an application that helps explore large amounts of data from Kepler and other space telescopes to identify exoplanets . Biswas said that these applications would offer solutions to smaller problems, but that in the future could be extrapolated to solve large problems .
Big problems
When asked what the problems are referred , Biswas began by noting that they are working to find the best way to store scientific data from NASA on Earth , because they have the world 's largest repository of observational data of all kinds.
NASA is also very involved in the development of next generation systems, air traffic control , not only for commercial flights , but also for cargo flights and unmanned . Today, many of these control tasks are performed centrally, but in later stages , it will require more distributed control and hence optimization of system that the quantum computer could solve .
The NASA expert says that quantum computers would also be very useful to coordinate the work of the rovers operating on other planets , such as Mars Curiosity . Biswas saying that these systems would help rovers scanning, for example , various types of rocks .
Interestingly , quantum computers could also be used to develop learning algorithms so that they can play an important role in the development of artificial intelligence .
With these great objectives on the table, Biswas predicts that quantum computers in the future will behave as processors connected to classical computers . " Which is extraordinary," says the author of the article. "It will be like giving steroids to your personal computer ,
Text comEste year, NASA , in collaboration with Google , acquired the world's largest in order " to solve the greatest challenges of computer " quantum computer. But what they plan to do with this powerful and revolutionary device ?
All about this topic
cyberwar
Stuxnet : The virus can create " absolute chaos "
Confirm that the Stuxnet virus has a secret twin
The virus can paralyze BadBIOS fleets
READ MORE »
All about this topic
cosmos
The discrete ' weapon ' of the International Space Station
Video: Space explosion that could destroy the Earth
15 years of the Space Station : Top Rated Data
READ MORE »
All about this topic
new technologies
Samsung forced to pay Apple $ 290 million
The fuel of the future, boiled ?
Apparatus ' suicide ' protect U.S. military secrets
READ MORE »
The Quantum Artificial Intelligence Laboratory , located at the Ames Research Center of NASA in California, has the quantum computer of the Canadian company D -Wave Systems. George Dvorsky , a contributing editor of the website io9 has spoken with Rupak Biswas , one of the main drivers of the project, big plans for quantum computing , such as the management of large data repositories , developing encryption schemes difficult ' hack , coordination of robotic vehicles in space, air traffic control or weather forecasting .
" Indeed , quantum systems have the potential , at least in theory , to irrevocably change the outcome of computation ," recalls the author of the article. "Unlike traditional silicon-based computers [ ... ], these systems use the effects of quantum mechanics [ ... ] , allowing them to instantly find all possible solutions to a particular problem," Dvorsky wrote .
" Quantum computing has generated much interest recently , especially about how you can use the D -Wave quantum computer to solve interesting problems," Biswas said , adding that the machine became operational in September this year.
Quantum applications
Currently, the team is studying Biswas three very basic applications, including one that would serve as an agenda for astronauts in orbit. The expert explained that NASA astronauts face " energy optimization problems that a quantum system could solve."
The scientist said they are also looking to schedule the poor coordination of work on supercomputers , and the third task for the moment is to develop an application that helps explore large amounts of data from Kepler and other space telescopes to identify exoplanets . Biswas said that these applications would offer solutions to smaller problems, but that in the future could be extrapolated to solve large problems .
Big problems
When asked what the problems are referred , Biswas began by noting that they are working to find the best way to store scientific data from NASA on Earth , because they have the world 's largest repository of observational data of all kinds.
NASA is also very involved in the development of next generation systems, air traffic control , not only for commercial flights , but also for cargo flights and unmanned . Today, many of these control tasks are performed centrally, but in later stages , it will require more distributed control and hence optimization of system that the quantum computer could solve .
The NASA expert says that quantum computers would also be very useful to coordinate the work of the rovers operating on other planets , such as Mars Curiosity . Biswas saying that these systems would help rovers scanning, for example , various types of rocks .
Interestingly , quantum computers could also be used to develop learning algorithms so that they can play an important role in the development of artificial intelligence .
With these great objectives on the table, Biswas predicts that quantum computers in the future will behave as processors connected to classical computers . " Which is extraordinary," says the author of the article. "It will be like giving steroids to your personal computer ,
Teen’s DIY Energy Hacking Gives African Village New Hope
This might not seem like a mighty feat. But Kamkwamba, who grew up in Masitala, a tiny rural farming village off the grid in Malawi, was 14 years old in 2001 when he spotted a photo of a windmill in a U.S. textbook one day. He decided to make one, hacking together a contraption from strips of PVC pipe, rusty car and bicycle parts and blue gum trees.
Though he ultimately had big designs for his creation, all he really wanted to do initially was power a small bulb in his bedroom so he could stay up and read past sunset.
But one windmill has turned into three, which now generate enough electricity to light several bulbs in his family’s house, power radios and a TV, charge his neighbors’ cellphones and pump water for the village’s fields and household use.
Now 22, Kamkwamba wants to build windmills across Malawi and perhaps beyond. Next summer he also plans to construct a drilling machine to bore 40-meter holes for water and pumps. His aim is to help Africans become self-sufficient and resolve their problems without reliance on foreign aid.
“The problem we have is electricity and water problems,” he says. “I want to be tackling all of them at once.”
In a country steeped in superstition and wracked by crushing hardship and government corruption, Kamkwamba’s story is remarkable for its ingenuity and persistence.
Kamkwamba wasn’t a natural-born over-achiever. Before windmills, his biggest ambition was to be a car mechanic. But when he was ejected from public school at 14 because his family couldn’t afford the $80 tuition, his life seemed destined for the planting fields and back-breaking labor of his father, an impoverished maize and tobacco grower. Even that fate fell into question when drought and severe famine struck Malawi, one of Africa’s poorest nations, in 2001 and 2002. It whittled away at Kamkwamba’s already thin frame and killed off neighbors and friends, which he recounts with journalist Bryan Mealer in an engaging and spirited new book, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.
Rain and crops slowly returned the following season, but Kamkwamba still couldn’t afford tuition. So with time on his hands, he began visiting a rural library where he found two textbooks — Explaining Physics and Using Energy — that detailed the marvels of electricity. The cover of the latter book featured a long row of towering windmills planted on brown hills, which “appeared so powerful that they made the photo itself appear to be in motion.”
Malawi was short on many resources, but not wind. A windmill, Kamkwamba thought, would solve many problems for his parents and six sisters. Not only could it generate free electricity — saving his family the economic costs and health hazards of burning kerosene — but it could also pump deep well water to the family’s maize and tobacco crops, releasing them from the tyranny of weather patterns and allowing them to add a second growing season to their harvest year.
“With a windmill, I could stay awake at night reading instead of going to bed at seven with the rest of Malawi,” he writes. But more importantly, “with a windmill, we’d finally release ourselves from the troubles of darkness and hunger. . . A windmill meant more than just power, it was freedom.”
He started with a small prototype. Then, with help from a cousin and friend, spent many weeks scrounging makeshift parts to construct the real thing.
The plan was to attach blades to the back axle of a bicycle and generate electricity through a bike dynamo. When the wind blew the blades, the sprocket and bike chain would spin the bike wheel, which would charge the dynamo and send a current through wire to the house.
For windmill blades, Kamkwamba slit a bathhouse PVC pipe in two, then heated the pieces over hot coals to press the curled edges flat. To bore holes into the blades, he stuck a nail through half a corn cob, heated the metal red and twisted it through the blades. It took three hours to repeatedly heat the nail and bore the needed holes.
william-adjusting-one-windmill
He then attached the long plastic blades to the shorter metal blades of a large tractor fan found in a dumpyard, and stripped out the piston from a large shock absorber to serve as the windmill shaft. To secure the plastic blades to the metal ones, he used proper nuts and bolts. But standing in for washers were 16 Carlsberg beer bottle caps, collected from outside the Ofesi Boozing Centre.
The dynamo, connected to a hand-crafted transformer, was sufficient to power a 12-volt battery that fed a current to a small light in his bedroom, where he fashioned an outlet and push button wall switch using the AC socket from a radio, copper wire, a plastic wall mount made from flattened PVC pipe and parts from a rubber flip-flop.
When it was all done, the windmill’s wing span measured more than eight feet and sat atop a rickety tower 15 feet tall that swayed violently in strong gales. He eventually replaced the tower with a sturdier one that stands 39 feet.
The windmill brought Kamkwamba instant local fame. Villagers who called him a pot-smoking madman when he was scrounging for parts made pilgrimages to marvel at the wind shrine in action. But in 2006 when the maize crop failed and drought and famine were on the horizon again, some blamed his windmill witchcraft for blowing away the rainclouds. The talk only died down after the government and aid groups began distributing food.
Despite Kamkwamba’s accomplishment, he still was unable to return to school because of the cost. But this began to change in late 2006. An education official who’d heard about the windmill came to visit and was amazed to learn that Kamkwamba had been out of school for five years. He arranged for Kamkwamba to attend secondary school at the government’s expense and brought journalists to the farm to see the windmill. A story published in the Malawi Daily Mail caught the attention of bloggers, which in turn caught the attention of organizers for the Technology Entertainment and Design conference.
In 2007 Kamkwamba spoke at the TED Global conference in Tanzania and got a standing ovation. Venture capitalists stepped forward with offers to fund his education and projects, and with money donated by them, he was able to put his cousin and several friends back into school, pay for some medical needs of his family, drill a borehole for a well and water pump, and install drip irrigation in his father’s fields and solar panels on his and other homes in the 60-family village.
The water pump has allowed his family to expand its crops. They’ve abandoned tobacco and now grow maize, beans, soybeans, potatoes and peanuts.
The windmills have also brought big lifestyle and health changes to the other villagers.
“The village has changed a lot,” Kamkwamba says. “Now the time that they would spend going to fetch water, they are using that time for doing other things. And also the water they are drinking now is clean water.”
The villagers have also stopped using kerosene, which means they no longer breathe in the toxic fumes and can use the money previously slated for fuel to buy other things. Kamkwamba’s example has now inspired other kids in the village to pursue science. Where previously they had no futures, Kamkwamba says they now see that if they put their mind to something, they can achieve.
“It has changed the way people think,” he says.
Kamkwamba is moving forward with his own education now and plans to teach other villagers how to build windmills. He’s currently a senior in high school at the African Leadership Academy, a pan-African prep school in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is studying for his SATs to apply to colleges in the United States. A documentary about his achievements is in the works.
Though he ultimately had big designs for his creation, all he really wanted to do initially was power a small bulb in his bedroom so he could stay up and read past sunset.
But one windmill has turned into three, which now generate enough electricity to light several bulbs in his family’s house, power radios and a TV, charge his neighbors’ cellphones and pump water for the village’s fields and household use.
Now 22, Kamkwamba wants to build windmills across Malawi and perhaps beyond. Next summer he also plans to construct a drilling machine to bore 40-meter holes for water and pumps. His aim is to help Africans become self-sufficient and resolve their problems without reliance on foreign aid.
“The problem we have is electricity and water problems,” he says. “I want to be tackling all of them at once.”
In a country steeped in superstition and wracked by crushing hardship and government corruption, Kamkwamba’s story is remarkable for its ingenuity and persistence.
Kamkwamba wasn’t a natural-born over-achiever. Before windmills, his biggest ambition was to be a car mechanic. But when he was ejected from public school at 14 because his family couldn’t afford the $80 tuition, his life seemed destined for the planting fields and back-breaking labor of his father, an impoverished maize and tobacco grower. Even that fate fell into question when drought and severe famine struck Malawi, one of Africa’s poorest nations, in 2001 and 2002. It whittled away at Kamkwamba’s already thin frame and killed off neighbors and friends, which he recounts with journalist Bryan Mealer in an engaging and spirited new book, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.
Rain and crops slowly returned the following season, but Kamkwamba still couldn’t afford tuition. So with time on his hands, he began visiting a rural library where he found two textbooks — Explaining Physics and Using Energy — that detailed the marvels of electricity. The cover of the latter book featured a long row of towering windmills planted on brown hills, which “appeared so powerful that they made the photo itself appear to be in motion.”
Malawi was short on many resources, but not wind. A windmill, Kamkwamba thought, would solve many problems for his parents and six sisters. Not only could it generate free electricity — saving his family the economic costs and health hazards of burning kerosene — but it could also pump deep well water to the family’s maize and tobacco crops, releasing them from the tyranny of weather patterns and allowing them to add a second growing season to their harvest year.
“With a windmill, I could stay awake at night reading instead of going to bed at seven with the rest of Malawi,” he writes. But more importantly, “with a windmill, we’d finally release ourselves from the troubles of darkness and hunger. . . A windmill meant more than just power, it was freedom.”
He started with a small prototype. Then, with help from a cousin and friend, spent many weeks scrounging makeshift parts to construct the real thing.
The plan was to attach blades to the back axle of a bicycle and generate electricity through a bike dynamo. When the wind blew the blades, the sprocket and bike chain would spin the bike wheel, which would charge the dynamo and send a current through wire to the house.
For windmill blades, Kamkwamba slit a bathhouse PVC pipe in two, then heated the pieces over hot coals to press the curled edges flat. To bore holes into the blades, he stuck a nail through half a corn cob, heated the metal red and twisted it through the blades. It took three hours to repeatedly heat the nail and bore the needed holes.
william-adjusting-one-windmill
He then attached the long plastic blades to the shorter metal blades of a large tractor fan found in a dumpyard, and stripped out the piston from a large shock absorber to serve as the windmill shaft. To secure the plastic blades to the metal ones, he used proper nuts and bolts. But standing in for washers were 16 Carlsberg beer bottle caps, collected from outside the Ofesi Boozing Centre.
The dynamo, connected to a hand-crafted transformer, was sufficient to power a 12-volt battery that fed a current to a small light in his bedroom, where he fashioned an outlet and push button wall switch using the AC socket from a radio, copper wire, a plastic wall mount made from flattened PVC pipe and parts from a rubber flip-flop.
When it was all done, the windmill’s wing span measured more than eight feet and sat atop a rickety tower 15 feet tall that swayed violently in strong gales. He eventually replaced the tower with a sturdier one that stands 39 feet.
The windmill brought Kamkwamba instant local fame. Villagers who called him a pot-smoking madman when he was scrounging for parts made pilgrimages to marvel at the wind shrine in action. But in 2006 when the maize crop failed and drought and famine were on the horizon again, some blamed his windmill witchcraft for blowing away the rainclouds. The talk only died down after the government and aid groups began distributing food.
Despite Kamkwamba’s accomplishment, he still was unable to return to school because of the cost. But this began to change in late 2006. An education official who’d heard about the windmill came to visit and was amazed to learn that Kamkwamba had been out of school for five years. He arranged for Kamkwamba to attend secondary school at the government’s expense and brought journalists to the farm to see the windmill. A story published in the Malawi Daily Mail caught the attention of bloggers, which in turn caught the attention of organizers for the Technology Entertainment and Design conference.
In 2007 Kamkwamba spoke at the TED Global conference in Tanzania and got a standing ovation. Venture capitalists stepped forward with offers to fund his education and projects, and with money donated by them, he was able to put his cousin and several friends back into school, pay for some medical needs of his family, drill a borehole for a well and water pump, and install drip irrigation in his father’s fields and solar panels on his and other homes in the 60-family village.
The water pump has allowed his family to expand its crops. They’ve abandoned tobacco and now grow maize, beans, soybeans, potatoes and peanuts.
The windmills have also brought big lifestyle and health changes to the other villagers.
“The village has changed a lot,” Kamkwamba says. “Now the time that they would spend going to fetch water, they are using that time for doing other things. And also the water they are drinking now is clean water.”
The villagers have also stopped using kerosene, which means they no longer breathe in the toxic fumes and can use the money previously slated for fuel to buy other things. Kamkwamba’s example has now inspired other kids in the village to pursue science. Where previously they had no futures, Kamkwamba says they now see that if they put their mind to something, they can achieve.
“It has changed the way people think,” he says.
Kamkwamba is moving forward with his own education now and plans to teach other villagers how to build windmills. He’s currently a senior in high school at the African Leadership Academy, a pan-African prep school in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is studying for his SATs to apply to colleges in the United States. A documentary about his achievements is in the works.
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