Last night I heard Robert Ballard speak. It was fascinating. I rarely think about how much of the world is underwater, much less what's down there besides the average fish (and Jaws). Not to mention that the largest mountain range on Earth (also underwater).
A very engaging speaker, he shared his passion and discoveries. For those unfamiliar, Ballard discovered the Titanic in 1985, along with many other shipwrecks, amazing creatures, and so much more.
In the 1970s to search underwater Ballard would explore via submarine. It took 2.5 hours to dive from top to bottom, he'd spend 12-14 hours at a time underwater in a small capsule. In fact, I think he's spent 1/3 of his life underwater. Amazing. He showed pictures of the vehicles he's used, creatures he's discovered, maps, etc.
One thing that resonated with me is how we can have one purpose, one certain goal, but in our pursuit we might discover something completely unexpected, unplanned. For someone (me) who can get frustrated when life throws me a curve ball, I really liked this reminder to embrace and accept surprises - they can be better than our original plan.
Over the 40 years that he's been in his field, technology has certainly advanced. He spoke at length about telepresence. Rather than physically diving down, he lets others (human and manmade) submerge themselves. He can explore from the comfort of a control room - his eyes and mind underwater, his body on land.
He thinks that within ten years travel will change, based on his experiences with telepresence. That non-essential travel, that undesired travel, will taper off. That some will travel virtually - taking a trip to the Serengeti in a specially outfitted room in their home, never having to pack or board a plane. Interesting, but I'm not sure I see it - at least not entirely replacing travel. While virtual travel sounds neat, I can't imagine choosing it over the ability to explore on my own, to touch, feel, smell & discover a destination (that's above water, at least). Interesting to think about though ...
Last but not least I want to read more about i2 - the newest version of the internet that's in universities. He compared the current internet to a dirt road compared to what's on the horizon.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment