Educational software has really come a long way in the last couple of years, and an update to my big darn list is long overdue.  Some of the biggest changes over the last few years have come through the introduction of the iPad and iPhone.  iOS in particular, with its attendant application store has emerged as a powerhouse environments for developing and distributing very high quality software at extremely low cost, a great boon for schools of every grade level.

You just have to love a school project wherein 4 students send a balloon up to an altitude of 20 miles to capture NASA quality photos  on a budget under a few hundred bucks.  Incredible.  This should be a model for all school science programs!  More Images, video, and detailed blog links after the break.

Last week's post on the Globalization of Leadership ended with a clarion-call for change. Given that the entire US economy is built upon a foundation of energy and energy policy, it makes sense to start looking there to see where the biggest economic levers lie.  Here, I offer a somewhat more analytical approach than can be found in the general media.

I've been fiddling around with all sorts of compressed-air engines over the past few years, but these Lego Technic engines by Alex Zorko are really something.   Check out these two examples, an inline 4 cylinder and a V8, each of which goes over 1000 RPMs.  You really can make anything with Legos.  Assembly instructions, parts lists, and live videos of the running engines after the jump.

The strange looks combined with the gasps of horror are starting to get to me. I thought that after all these years I was getting used to it, but it happened again at a recent conference.  At Stanford, no less.  I had made the mistake in public company of mentioning how much I loved math and getting kids excited about it through WISE.  "Really?  Uhmm, that's nice," they said just before wandering off to refresh their drinks.

Did anyone else happen to notice the new buildings going up in Dubai?  I mean besides the giant artificial islands they have been creating in the gulf over the last several years. The nearly completed Burj Dubai is now the world's tallest building, a true marvel of architecture, Art, design, engineering, and initiative.  And oh yes, it is a beacon that screams of the fantastic economic wealth that underpins the great endeavor.

During my trip to Boston last week for the National Science Teacher's Association conference (more on that later) I totally lucked out in also catching the FIRST Robotics League Northeastern Regional Championships. If you haven't been to one, you simply must go. As remarkable as this sounds, there is almost certainly one in your area. It was AWESOME.