Kamen: Science and technology FIRST

How do we re-geek America

That's the goal of Dean Kamen's FIRST program which hopes to inspire science and technology via a robot building and fighting competition according to Popular Mechanics.

"The next president should recognize the power of technology. Technology is how we create wealth, how we cure diseases, how we'll build an environment that's sustainable and also gives people the capacity to pull more out of this world and still leave it better than when they found it. You know, people always talk about rights in this country—I wish we had a bill of responsibilities."

Love that "bill of responsibilities" line.

Controlling hurricanes: Science gone wild?

Should scientists try to change hurricanes?

"Scientists have made a breakthrough in man's desire to control the forces of nature – unveiling plans to weaken hurricanes and steer them off course, to prevent tragedies such as Hurricane Katrina." (more)

Should scientists try to control nature? Or, should scientists seek to understand the forces of nature in way that better balances human consumption with nature?

For example, isn't something like wind energy better than dam-created electricity because our use of wind energy has less impact on the natural order of the world? Something like wind energy enables humans to utilize electricity without any significant cost to the environment. A dam, on the other hand, changes the natural cycle of waterways and wildlife.

Now, I'm not arguing that dams should never be built, just that our impact upon nature should always be as minimal as possible. Sometimes it seems that science doesn't mind learning from nature, but it pays no respect to nature.

Wouldn't it always be better for science to try harmonize with the natural order, rather than trying to change the natural order?