Click here to learn
about this Sponsor:
Home  |  News  |  Articles  |  Polls  |  Forum  |  Directory

Keywords: Match:
Al Gore: Embedded tech can help heal the Earth
Apr. 03, 2007

Former Vice President Al Gore told Embedded Systems Conference keynote attendees in San Jose, Calif. today that energy-efficient IT systems of the future -- many containing embedded processors -- will be a major factor in helping overcome the climate problems the Earth is now facing.

Spread the word:
digg this story
"Embedded systems can be the key part of this," self-styled "recovering politician" Gore told an audience of about 3,000 at San Jose's McEnery Convention Center Civic Auditorium this morning. "We are now embedding more and more intelligence into everything -- with the exception of public policy," he joked.

Change is going to come in the millions and billions of embedded systems that will bring higher levels of performance and lower levels of power consumption to everything we do, Gore said.

Gore envisions what he calls an "electronet, or 'smart' grid, that will serve two functions: Instead of depending on large, 1000-megawatt coal-firing power centers sending power to incredibly inefficient appliances in our homes and businesses, let's have a grid made up of many more micro-power centers that make it possible for small producers to feed into the central power source. Then, take off any (power supply) cap for businesses and individuals who sell into the grid."

"We might not need to build another huge mega-power system if this grid idea can be designed and built," Gore said. "If you can build embedded systems that feed into this micro-generator grid, we can empower individuals to quickly identify where the wasteful streams of energy are going, and do something about them."

Gore said that he believes that the increasing amount of fluorocarbons and CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere, caused by so-called "greenhouse gases" from automobiles, heavy industry, and electronic equipment, is the central reason why global warming is happening and the ozone layer in the atmosphere is damaged.

"The climate crisis is the most dangerous and important symptom of the deeper underlying collision between our civilization as we now see it and the ecological system of the planet," Gore said. "We are going to need all the scientific help we can muster to turn this dangerous trend around."

Not only are the poles melting, but microbes that proliferate in the tropics are moving to the higher and lower latitudes, away from the equator, Gore warned.

"Nature is on the run [due to climate change]," Gore said. "You've heard of the manatee? It's an animal that lives in Florida. Well, a manatee showed up recently in Tennessee, halfway up the Mississippi River. Another one showed up in Massachusetts, just off of Cape Cod.

"Thirty new diseases have turned up in the last 30 years -- diseases that had been relegated only to the tropics. They are new to us in the higher latitudes. These are other effects of global warming you don't normally hear about," Gore said.

It is "unequivocal" that humans beings are causing this, Gore said.

"In the last 15 years, all 17 of the world's highest-regarded scientific think tanks agreed, unanimously: Global warming is a very real problem, and we should start trying to fix it now -- not 20 or 30 years from now," Gore said.

"If your doctor told you that you had a 90 percent chance to have a heart attack, would you wait around until the chance became 99 percent? If the crib's on fire, you don't speculate that the baby is flame retardant," Gore said.

"The earth has a fever. We all need to take care of it now, and science and engineering must lead the way."

Gore said that the solution to all this is beyond simply engineering; it's total system redesign and architecture.

"Engineers have a vision and put it into a real working system to fix problems it is required to fix," Gore said. "These embedded systems that have increasing amounts of intelligence can be the most powerful part of the solution to this crisis. Future systems will have more power yet run much cooler, saving energy.

"The old systems we rely on today are ridiculously ineffective. For 100 years, the internal combustion engine was really cool, but now we've got to come up with something new and better," Gore said.

Gore said that our society needs to impress the values of good science and mathematics education upon our children, so they can take part in helping to overcome the climate crisis.

"Our fathers and grandfathers walked through the fire, overcame the Great Depression, and defeated Fascism in World War II," Gore said. "And when Sputnik went up and surprised us, we took on the challenge that President John F. Kennedy gave to us -- to put a man on the Moon within 10 years, and return him safely back to Earth. And we did it.

"Once we realize the challenge, we will find kids flowing into science and engineering classes, wanting to be a part of something larger than themselves, and more important," Gore said.

"You can lead this vision. Engineering is making visions real."


-- Chris Preimesberger




Related Stories:


(Click here for further information)


7 Advantages of D2D Backup
For decades, tape has been the backup medium of choice. But, now, disk-to-disk (D2D) backup is gaining in favor. Learn why you should make the move in this whitepaper.

4 Legal Reasons to Control Internet Access
The Internet is obviously a valuable resource for many organizations. However, many are exposed to legal liability concerns because they fail to control Internet access. Learn if you're safe in this white paper.

Rapidly Resolve J2EE Application Problems
Whether you are in the process of building J2EE applications or have J2EE applications already running in production, you must ensure that they deliver the expected ROI. Learn how in this white paper.

Load Testing 2.0 for Web 2.0
There are many unknowns in stress testing Web 2.0 applications. Find out how to test the performance of Web 2.0 in this white paper.

Build Better Games Online
For the game infrastructure providers, life is complex. Making money from games has become more complicated. Why? Find out in this white paper.

Building a Virtual Infrastructure from Servers to Storage
This white paper discusses the virtual storage solutions that reduce cost, increase storage utilization, and address the challenges of backing up and restoring Server environments.

Gaining Faster Wireless Connections with WiMAX
Welcome to what is quickly becoming the hyperconnected world where anything that would benefit from being connected to the network will be connected. Learn more in this white paper.

Is Your Desktop a Security Threat?
The new wave of sophisticated crimeware not only targets specific companies, but also targets desktops and laptops as backdoor entryways into those business’ operations and resources. Learn how to stay safe in this white paper.

Increasing SAN Reliability by 100 Percent
Storage area networks (SAN) are a strong part of storage plans. Learn how to increase your reliability and uptime by 100 percent in this case study.

 


Got a HOT tip?   please tell us!
Free weekly newsletter
Enter your email...
Click here for a profile of each sponsor:
PLATINUM SPONSORS
(Become a sponsor)

ADVERTISEMENT
(Advertise here)


Check out the latest Windows-powered...

mobile phones!

other cool
gadgets

HOT TOPICS
Microsoft targets PNDs with new embedded OS
Microsoft tips .NET MF 3.0 highlights
Microsoft previews Windows Embedded Standard
Microsoft offers free Windows CE 6.0 textbook
Microsoft renames embedded operating systems
Microsoft unveils Windows Mobile 6.1
New Atom models target low-cost PCs
REFERENCE GUIDES
Windows Device Showcase
Intro to Windows Embedded
Intro to Shared Source
Real-time Windows Embedded
Windows Embedded books
Join our Windows Embedded discussion forums:
Windows XP Embedded
Windows CE
Windows Mobile


Windows Embedded developer newsgroups
Windows CE
XP Embedded
PocketPC
Smartphone

Microsoft's Windows Embedded resources
Embedded dev center
Mobile dev center
Windows CE tutorials
XP Embedded tutorials
Windows Embedded seminars
Windows Embedded application categories
3rd-party partners


BREAKING NEWS

• Upated JVM supports Windows CE
• Windows Mobile 6.1 phone has GPS
• Windows CE thin client hides in wall sockets
• Portable spectrum analyzer runs Windows CE
• VoIP client gains add-ons, API
• Windows Mobile phone has dual active SIMs
• Access gives away Windows Mobile utilities
• Intel's Atom powers mini-ITX board
• Microsoft revamps Windows Mobile website
• Low-cost phone bundles IM client
• Pico-ITX board bears twins
• Microsoft details finalists in student competition
• Intrinsyc revs Windows CE-based software platform
• $300 mini-laptop runs Windows CE
• Microsoft releases server virtualization technology


MOST POPULAR (last 90 days)
Windows Mobile 6 SDKs available for download
Guide to HTC's Windows Mobile smartphone platforms
Microsoft unveils Windows Mobile 6.1
HTC announces unlocked Windows Mobile 6.1 phone
UMPC squeezes in optical drive
Running Windows Mobile 6.1 on your desktop computer
Microsoft releases Windows XP Service Pack 3
Mobile Firefox gets speedup, design tweaks
MOST POPULAR (Classics from the vault)
The Windows Mobile Phones Showcase
Windows XP Embedded USB boot
Troubleshooting Windows XPe's blue screen "Stop 0x0000007B" error
Asus reveals $190 mini notebook
HTC adds GPS to Windows Mobile Touch line
Windows Mobile VPN client plays with Cisco
Guide to HTC's Windows Mobile smartphone platforms
Customizing Windows XP Embedded thin clients
The Windows Mobile Pocket PCs Showcase

Also visit our sister sites:


Sign up for WindowsForDevices.com's...

news feed

Home  |  News  |  Articles  |  Polls  |  Forum  |  Directory  |  About  |  Contact
 

Ziff Davis Enterprise Home | Contact Us | Advertise | Link to Us | Reprints | Magazine Subscriptions | Newsletters
Tech RSS Feeds | White Papers | ROI Calculators | Tech Podcasts | Tech Video | VARs | Channel News

Baseline | Careers | Channel Insider | CIO Insight | DesktopLinux | DeviceForge | DevSource | eSeminars |
eWEEK | Enterprise Network Security | LinuxDevices | Linux Watch | Microsoft Watch | Mid-market | Networking | PDF Zone |
Publish | Security IT Hub | Strategic Partner | Web Buyer's Guide | Windows for Devices

Developer Shed | Dev Shed | ASP Free | Dev Articles | Dev Hardware | SEO Chat | Tutorialized | Scripts |
Code Walkers | Web Hosters | Dev Mechanic | Dev Archives | igrep

Use of this site is governed by our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Except where otherwise specified, the contents of this site are copyright © 1999-2008 Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis Enterprise is prohibited. Windows is a trademark or registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries and is used by WindowsForDevices under license from owner. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. WindowsForDevices is an independent publication not affiliated with Microsoft Corporation.