Showing posts with label comfort. Show all posts

MY OWN BOLD PREDICTIONS OF THINGS THAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE

 By Apolinario Villalobos

The Commercial and Destructive Aspects of Inventions

By Apolinario Villalobos

It is all for the comfort and money that man has created “wants” in this world, hence, the various inventions. The “wants” are not necessarily the “needs”, as there are things that we can forego as they are not necessary. But, before the onset of what the modern man views as “civilization”, our ancestors were a satisfied lot. During the time, it was enough for a community of five families, for instance, to share a felled beast using spears, throwing sticks, and rocks. Our ancestors’ feet were also enough to bring them to where they wanted.

In time, however, the wizards among our ancestors thought of making mobility more comfortable and due to the growth of communities, competition for survival ensued. The need for security was conceived giving rise to more lethal, though, primitive tools. Instead of the simple tree barks to cover their private parts, they thought of using the skin of their prey. Wheels were invented and used not only to transport heavy goods but also in destructive chariots and later, in armored cars, etc., but most especially, for the comfortable mobility.

While the legendary Icarus thought of flying with the use of feathers, the Wright Brothers went further by using metals and woods assembled to harness the power of the wind to keep their contrived apparatus to glide and take on speed. The “standards” in quality of the contraption improved the invention until it went further, such as its other uses were conceived….based on what the time required in transporting people and goods, and later, totally become tools of destruction because of greed!

Telephone units before, had to have a component that must be cranked before it could be used while connected to each other with miles of long copper wire. Today, wireless telephones are inter-connected by satellites that hover above the earth. But, since people want more sophistications in such instrument, other features are added – camera, voice recorder, music player….and later on, used by evil-minded to set off bombs! On the other hand, who would have ever thought that drugs that were originally conceived to prolong life could become deadly, the same as with the chemicals that are supposed to preserve food?

Thousands of inventions have been initially intended for man’s comfort, convenience and survival, but his shrewdness and selfishness made him conceive their lethal uses…that at the end practically led him to his self-destruction! 

MY OWN CONCEPT OF PROGRESS

By Apolinario Villalobos

PROGRESS HAS A PRICE THAT COMES IN A PACKAGE….DISCIPLINE AND SACRIFICE OF PERSONAL CONVENIENCE AND COMFORT FOR THE SAKE OF OTHERS.

PROGRESS CANNOT BE ATTAINED IF EACH ONE SHALL DEMAND FOR WHAT HE OR SHE WANTS. IF THAT HAPPENS, A NATION WITH 100 MILLION SOULS WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE 100 NOISY CLAMORS.

THE PEOPLE’S CULTURE HAS A LOT TO DO WITH THE ATTAINMENT OF PROGRESS. IT IS DIFFICULT TO PROPAGATE THE SEED OF PROGRESS IF IT IS PLANTED ON A SOIL DISEASED WITH CORRUPTION AND SELFISHNESS.

The Vicious Cycle of Progress and Poverty

By Apolinario Villalobos

Poverty is a mean excuse to do things for easy money by the weak in spirit. But the strong are ready to go hungry in the name of ideals and principles. The exploiters use poverty in blackmailing the unfortunates, one result of which is the dirty election due to rampant vote buying.

Exploitation of the illiterates and impoverished also result to virtual land grabbing because they are made to “sell” their ancestral domains to rich real estate developers at below  the decent value level. As subdivisions, golf courses and resorts sprout, the displaced former landowners and the fortune-seekers from other parts of the country huddle in not so far depressed areas with many of them working as low-waged employees of the mentioned business institutions that sprouted.

Poverty is the corner where the impoverished are pushed to make a choice between death and survival. Also, when the government alleges progress, poverty trails a few steps behind. Along this line, poverty breeds animosity in a community, especially, on matters of politics. In this regard, while some members of the community are ready to sell their soul for a few pesos in exchange for their vote, others are steadfast in protecting theirs which has always been viewed as a “sacred” right. Even some of the clerics of the Catholic Church have joined the confusion by counseling their members to accept the bribe but vote according to their conscience.

As soon as the corrupt candidates are finally put in place, thanks to the rampant vote-buying, in no time at all, they start to engage in schemes designed to insure the “return of their investment”. Projects that involve infrastructures are conceived, supposedly to carry on the “progress”…the bigger project, the better, as assurance for fat commissions. The worst scheme is connivance with non-governmental organizations for ghost projects. While all these things are going on, the suffering constituents see around them towering manifestations of progress in the shadow of which, they cringe in poverty.

Progress and poverty are the two forces that push each other to create the never ending loop that goes round and round…a never-ending cycle that plagues the people of the third-world countries such as the Philippines, and the culprit are the “investors” – exploiting nations that promise comfort in exchange for “developments”. Yet, despite the prevailing realities of the time, the rest of third-world nations still bite the bait.

The Struggle of Man to Survive

…a personal view

By Apolinario Villalobos

Man has for long, exploited the earth’s fossil residues – oil, coal, and natural gas. As estimated by experts, their years are numbered, so that there is a scramble now in finding ways to utilize the sources of renewable energy, such as water, wind, and sun. Even motion will eventually be harnessed for this purpose, as it has been used successfully in small gadgets like flashlight and wristwatch. Many years from now, the battery with different capacity for storage, forms and sizes shall take the center stage in this endeavor. As of now, there are efforts being exerted to make the battery with stored solar energy as an acceptable option, but unfortunately, with few takers.

Moving contraptions such as cars, ships, aircrafts, etc. may later be operated by batteries that shall store energy from wind and motion, as the one from the sun is being used now, though, on a small scale. Homes may utilize batteries that shall store energy from the sun and wind. The batteries for cellphones and cameras may be recharged by motion and body heat. Such batteries may form part of the gadget’s structure, hence, cannot be detached for replacement.

Nature cannot take so much abuse such as denuding of forests, unscrupulous mining, slash and burn farming, fishing with the use of poison, dynamites, and fine meshed trawls. It yields to such onslaught by way of floods, erosions, landslides, and depletion of marine life.  With its loss of balance, deprivations, especially, hunger shall definitely get worst.

In this view, time will come that even leaves of trees may be made edible through a meticulous process in which, their fibers shall be softened and flavored to make them palatable. So there may come a time when future generations shall be munching biscuits made from coconut leaves or fill their sandwich with jam made from grape leaves or delight in crunchies made from twigs and tree barks, or wafers made from wood shavings and dust. Practically, the whole tree may become edible! We are leading to that, as in virtual preparation, we are partaking today of “ground” or “powdered” cinnamon bark and other “woody” spices, even powdered roots as herbal drug.

With high-tech process, even poisonous fruits may already be safe to eat, after their deadly substance has been removed. It should be noted that some of the drugs that are used today come from poisonous plants, such as the “tuba-tuba” that yields castor oil. Some poisonous tubers become safe to eat after having been soaked in the running water of river for several days. Further to this, antidotes against some poison come from the same source such as cobra. Even the potent poisonous saliva of komodo lizard is being developed as a powerful drug.

The crossbreeding of vegetables to make them resistant to long drought and flood are being done now. In this regard, new varieties of rice and corn are being developed for the aforementioned situations. Presently, genetically-modified vegetables with remarkable increase in size and slight change in appearance and taste are already in the market, although, opposed by the conservatives who fear their effect to the human genes. But how can that be, when genes of animals are already used today in therapies to prolong the life of man?

Insects as part of exotic cuisine are becoming a fad in many countries. So, now there are pizzas topped with crickets and grasshoppers, sandwiches filled with wormburger, jellies made from giant black ants, baby scorpions as appetizer, etc. Even some kind of starfish may be made into crunchy barbecues. To avert extreme hunger, all kinds of insects may eventually find their way to the dining table. Even crocodile and elephant skin as with all other animals may become crunchy snacks, just like the water buffalo and pig skin which in the Philippines is called “chicharon”.

Subdivision and condo developers may be required in the future to have recycling facilities to make their projects self-sufficient in water. They may also be required to install facilities for the harnessing of sources of renewable energy. The same requirements may also be imposed on factories, commercial buildings and supermarkets, as well as, restaurants. The keyword here is “require”, because to date, what prevails is just the option.

In many years to come, homes, entire subdivisions, and clustered villages may be covered with protective green fiberglass to minimize the deadly effect of long exposure to sun rays. New cities may be developed in this manner. High-end and exclusive subdivisions may even be totally covered to protect the occupants from the excessive polluted air. Such green cover may eventually become part of political promises for a healthy and better life during electoral campaigns. Governments may set aside budgets for this, too.

Though morbid as it may sound, some remote villages in poor countries may revive the practice of cannibalism due to extreme poverty, though, discreetly this time. As a last resort, warring neighboring states may forget their differences and instead, merge to pool their effort in fighting hunger. Water may become the most important and expensive commodity on earth, more expensive than life, as in some remote villages, parents may trade their children for jugs of water. This is actually done now, though indirectly, through adoption of children by foreigners, whereby, parents of adopted children are given monetary consolation.

Politics may be replaced by religion as a driving force and unifying factor of humanity. The struggle could be between the united Islamic States and progressive Christians which had ever been since the Biblical time. It should be noted that politics came into the picture only centuries later, with the spread of the Greek philosophies that somehow classified the different schools of thought. The classification that eventually defined the different thoughts gave man an option to deviate from the path laid down by Godly faith.

Finally, because both Islam and Christianity are God-centered, eventually, they may reach a compromise which shall mark another stage of man’s struggle for survival…the beginning of a new cycle of life on earth. 

Ang Kapangyarihan ng Pera

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

Ang buhay ni Hesus ay tinapatan ng tatlumpong pirasong pilak. Sa halagang yon, siya ay namatay sa krus na paraan niya sa pagligtas sa sangkatauhan. Ibig sabihin, kung hindi dahil sa tatlumpong pilak ay nakasadlak pa rin tayo sa ating kasalanan hanggang ngayon.

Ang kapangyarihan ng pera ay hindi matatawaran. Maraming pamilya ang nabuwag at magkaibigang nagpatayan dahil dito. Mayroon ding napariwara dahil pinagpalit ang kanilang dangal sa kinang nito. Mayroon pang nagsugal ng buhay, makahawak lamang ng ilang bungkos ng salapi. May mga taong dahil nasilaw sa pera ay bumigay kaya nalaman ang tunay na layunin kahit anong pilit nilang pagtatakip dito.

Ang mga bansa ay pinapatakbo ng pera, kaya kung alin sa kanila ang may pinakamarami nito ay itinuturing na makapangyarihan. Sa pamamagitan ng pautang ay natatali nila ang utang na loob ng mahihirap na bansa upang maging kaalyado nila.

Pera  ang pinapakilos upang magkaroon ng mga nakamamatay na imbensiyon ng tao. Ito rin ang ginagamit upang masira ang buhay ng dating matitino na nalulong sa bawal na gamot, lalo na ng mga kabataan sa nagsimula ang bisyo sa alak at sigarilyo. Ito rin ang dahilan ng pagiging suwail ng mga anak na dahil hindi masunod ang luho ay natutong maging tampalasan sa kanilang mga magulang.

Subali’t kung iisiping mabuti, ang layunin ng pera ay upang mapagaan ang buhay ng tao, dahil nang nagkaroon siya nito ay hindi na niya kailangan pang magbitbit ng kanyang kayamanan tulad ng bulto-bultong ginto, pilak, alahas, at mga hayop gaya ng ginagawa noong unang panahon. Ngayon, ang kailangan ng tao ay ilang pirasong papel at barya na pera, tseke o credit card, at maaari na siyang mamili o maglakbay.

Hindi dapat isisi sa pera ang mga hindi magandang nangyari sa buhay ng tao. Ang hindi magandang paggamit sa pera ang dahilan kung bakit nasira ang tao.

Fearless Predictions for a Comfortable Life

By Apolinario Villalobos

I know that I will be exposing myself to ridicule with the ideas that I will share in this dissertation, as viewers will perceive me as a trying hard Nostradamus. But I don’t mind because I espouse freedom of expression. I am emboldened with the questions such as, was not TV used to be called “idiot box” before it was finally accepted? …and was not the cellular phone just a crazy idea, far from being realized because there was no connecting cable involved?

When I was young, during which the only cordless communication gadget that I knew was the walkie-talkie radio units, I was already imagining about phones not connected with cords and wires. I had my first glimpse of a phone from the pages of the National Geographic when I was in high school. Later, I saw pictures of phones installed in cars. Later, the pager came, and finally, the cellular phones that are being manufactured today with different shapes. There was a time when I imagined a typewriter that could store typed words; small flashlights and radios that can fit pockets; pencils that double as ballpoint pens.

Today, I do not tire of imagining things to come as a result of never-ending quest of man for things that will satisfy his whims and comfort. Although there is a popular view is that, newly-invented gadgets are nothing but ridiculous contraptions until their use have become widely accepted.

Along this line, I imagine the day when a slim duplicating machine will become an integral part of laptops. A few stack of copying paper, brought along in the laptop bag, can be fed to it one at a time. Bulky? No!...because the design I imagine shall revolve around the principles of slimness and lightness. On the other hand, the prototype of a laptop that can be rolled and which I have been imagining for many years has already come out in the internet.

I also imagine, a set of 3 ball pen-sized contraptions that beam laser images of computer keyboard on a table, screen on the wall, with the third serving as modem that stores beamed images and texts, and with the contraptions operating on a very compact battery.

Other innovations that I am imagining are:

-          Cellphones, laptops, i-pads, and other gadgets that run on motion-charged batteries (this concept is already used in automatic writswatches, but not yet on big gadgets)

-           “Perpetual” vibrating  cellphone restpad/charger for units with motion-charged battery; the restpad/charger shall also be self-charging from its motion, with the initial charge from few minutes of shakes given to it

-          Cellphone units that can convert received verbally transmitted messages into text, as well as, vocalize received text messages for the benefit of the deaf and blind

-          Cellphone units that automatically prevent electrical transmission of chargers when batteries are already full to prevent overcharging

-          Batteries for laptop and cellphone that can last for one week despite regular daily use

-          Cellphones that can be unfolded four times into a mini-pad

-          Intelligent cars installed with application readers, to enable them to read applications, for instance, on geographical make up of a town, city,  province, and direction to tourist destinations, so that a tourist can just go to a car rental agency, choose an application depending on the number of destination wanted, and let the car do the rest – without even being driven; the intelligent cars shall also read applications on reminders about the fuel status of the car, spare parts that need to be replaced, etc.

-          Cars that can reverse magnetic attraction to a certain level, so that they can be driven over flooded surface

-          Airport cars that are remote- controlled so that after bringing clients to destinations, they can be electronically guided back to the airport garage

-          Wheelchairs that can float and be driven, with battery powered by motion

-          Edible food container as replacement for styros

-          A chemical that can disinfect and convert human waste into an odorless consistency free from germs, and can be molded into hardy boards and roofing sheets that can be used for low-cost housing

-          A chemical that can convert waste from the kitchen into liquid fertilizer

-          Hybrids of fruits such as seedless jackfruit and durian with smooth skin, kiwi fruit with edible skin, seedless avocado with edible skin, round banana with edible skin, seedless mango with edible skin, grapes that can grow into the size of pomelo

-           Hybrids of vegetables such as seedless gourds, seedless tomato, seedless cucumber, seedless squash, elongated cabbage that can grow like vine

-          Hybrids of flowers such as roses that can bear flowers as big as cabbage and can last for at least one year, and when cut, for at least three months

-          A glowing paint with pigments that can illuminate walls and ceilings, with the degree of illumination depending on the color of the paint, to drastically reduce, if not eliminate the use of light bulbs in some areas of the house or building

-          Gadgets that can capture electricity from a source at least fifty kilometers away so that electric cables shall no longer be necessary to transport the power to the homes and other structures; the principle to be used here will be similar to the one used in the cordless mouse of computers and cordless chargers of cellphones

-          A gadget that can be plugged into a socket and can send power to an equipment such as copying machine, refrigerator, TV, radio, and music station, while another gadget  shall be attached to the equipment to receive the power; this way the clutter of cables and wires is eliminated and the equipment can be moved anywhere in the house or building but within the range of the relaying and receiving gadgets

-          Umbrellas with extra thin extension that can be unrolled into a tarp and can accommodate 4 more people

-          CCTV cameras that are programmed to detect harmful actions of captured images so that an alert can be received by the monitor and which shall send out a signal;  this way the CCTV can maximize its use even if the monitor is not watched 24/7

The modern world thrives on some crazy ideas and I would like to contribute some of my own. I am asking the indulgence of viewers in this effort. This is better than thinking of ways on how to evade a CCTV while robbing a bank, kill someone with a deadly look, break eardrums with horrid songs, or concoct herbal preparations that can induce conception of quadruplets or quintuplets.