Does a mute make a sound when he/she coughs? What if said mute was in the empty forest where that tree fell down?
Yes, I do think about things like that. Don’t you? 
Perhaps it’s a sign that I’ve taken too many antibiotics for my own good or that I’m not getting enough sleep due to this incessant cough.. or maybe it’s just who I am.
Those of you who know me well and even those who don’t really might have guessed that I like to ponder things – myself, life, philosophy, the world’s problems and even, the problems of a mute. Yes I’m a ponderer (it’s not a word, I made it up.) I like to indulge in the what-ifs and dream of what could be.. then that practical engineering part of me starts to wonder how I could make things like that work. So in saying that I’ve been playing around with some ideas for social ventures and I thought I’d put them out there and see if any one is interested in pursuing them further with me or just brainstorming etc. Here’s some of my ideas. what do you guys think?
UnderDevelopment
My idea of UnderDevelopment is an online platform to connect people in the developing world with knowledge and expertise from people through an online collaboration system. A hybrid system of online forums, wikipedia and seek.
The idea is that there are a lot of people in the developing world who have things they want to do but don’t have access to the right knowledge or skills and there are a lot of people like you and me who have the knowledge and skills and even if we only contribute like 1% of our time we could make a huge difference by sharing that knowledge to meet a need. The idea is that it’s an open database of knowledge that can be re-used.
A large part of the user base would also be NGOs. There are a tonne of different organisations working on the same big problems in their own way, there’s bound to be redundancies in work and knowledge. Imagine if there was international collaboration or co-operation and knowledge was shared quickly and effectively. It’s all about synergies. I hate waste and redundancy.
TheirStory
There’s so much power in a story. It opens up the mind to imagination and possibility and it breaks down barriers and opens understanding. Each of us have our own story to share and everyone can learn from it… but what if instead of sharing your own story, you shared the story of a stranger?
This idea came to me as a way of creating mutual understanding and respect. To write and share a story about someone else, you need to first understand and appreciate the uniqueness that is them. In the same way that you are the only person in the world with the set of skills, experience and personality that you have.. so it is with another person. I see this as a movement or a type of media platform. I think there’s potential here but I can’t see how to move it forward.
PersonalSpace
Imagine this. You walk into a round room and it’s split down the center with a café in the middle. In the middle is a simple café with good free-trade coffee and teas and clean organic foods.
To the left, there are individual spaces where you can sit down and be alone. There’s no cellphone coverage, no noise and no distractions. This is a place for you to rest, reflect and spend time on yourself and to be yourself. No one will disturb you as long as you are in your space. There are interesting books on all sorts of things for you to read and challenge your self-reflection or music for you to listen to to meditate. It’s your Personal Space.
To the right, there are several fireplaces and chairs surrounding each one. This is a space to be yourself but with other people. It’s a place of connection but it’s a connection beyond our race, gender, religion. It’s a place of equality and mutual respect where you can be free to be who you want to be. It’s just a place where friends talk around the fire.
If such a place existed would you go?
Posted by yongly 
