TED Community » Laurens Rademakers

More About Me

I'm passionate about

Agriculture - both ultra low-tech and ultra high-tech; the rapid rise of Africa and its hybrid model of development; and Antarctica - where I want to build a shack one day to gaze at the stars.

An idea worth spreading

Sequester carbon in poor tropical soils, in the form of biochar, to make these soils more productive and thus prevent deforestation.

Talk to me about

I'm interested in agricultural robotics.

People don't know that I'm good at

Interpreting suspiciously vague french philosophers.

Comments

• TEDCred score: +57 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• A comment on Conversation: Human genetic engineering: Is there any reason why we shouldn't aim to improve ourselves genetically?

  40 minutes ago: .
  The most simple and non-controversial way to improve your offspring's genetic make-up, is to marry with someone from another race and make babies. This promotes heterosis and heterozygous vigor. The offspring will be less susceptible to diseases and generally be (perceived to be) more beautiful.
  
  You don't need a lab to do this. The bedroom suffices.

• A comment on Conversation: What do you think about nanotechnology?

  40 minutes ago: Not much. It's too small to think about :-)

• A comment on Conversation: Do you think it is right to give genetically modified or cloned food to people in countries that are starving. Is this right ??

  45 minutes ago: .
  The country that consumes the most GMOs in the world is the USA - hardly a country in which people are starving. Almost all processed food in the US contains GMOs.

• A reply on Conversation: People's Prizes - a new crowdsourcing idea

  2 days ago: Well, I didn't protect the idea when I posted it. Protecting ideas is way too expensive.
  
  But at least Google, in recognition, could have given me a free T-shirt. :-)

• A comment on Conversation: how we can fight cancer in africa

  3 days ago: Ammar, the best way to do this is to create images of misery. Grab a camera and sensitize the international media about the "horrors of cancer" in Africa. Say that cancer is added to hunger, famine, disease, etc...
  
  And after a while, if your media campaign is successful, you will attract a lot of donations. With this money you can finance cancer research and find the best cures.

• A comment on Conversation: People's Prizes - a new crowdsourcing idea

  3 days ago: I think Google stole the idea, because it was posted on a website where people drop innovative ideas. An idea-generating website. Such as the Halfbakery.
  
  It is well known that Google often searches this kind of sites for new ideas and potential business opportunities.
  
  What's more, one of my architectural reveries which I had posted on that website, was also stolen and actually built in the United Arab Emirates as a huge hotel. The exact same design. I also wrote to the developers (asking for a free night at their hotel!), but they refused...
  
  Anyways, I don't really care, because the ideas people post on that site are often stolen. They're not patented. They simply constitute some informal kind of prior art.
  
  And indeed, it's a compliment to see large organisations steal your idea and actually build or implement it.

• A reply on Conversation: Global Pollution Index for products.

  4 days ago: Hey Timo, please don't read into my rather dry tone that I'm trying to discourage you. I'm not. On the contrary. Just know that you will need good friends and experts to help you in your mission.
  
  I fully support your logic: we're not at all taking the environment and our social weave serious. We're damaging a lot, and we're not *really* doing much about it.
  
  People like you are much needed to bring up the challenge and to find solutions.
  
  That's also why we come to gather at TED, isn't it?
• +2

  A comment on Conversation: Are You a Human or a Monkey? What Do You think?

  4 days ago: We are the only monkeys in the world capable of stating that some monkeys are monkeys, and other monkeys are primates! :-)

• A comment on Conversation: Should we "teach the controversy"?

  4 days ago: This could fit well into the philosophy classes of secundary schools (if there are any such classes in the curriculum of US schools).
  
  Could also be a topic to be briefly dealt with in history classes ("why, after centuries of using the scientific method, do some religions still have a hard time with that method?"). You could sketch the history of creationism, revisionist movements, etc...

• A comment on Conversation: Wat zijn de randvoorwaarden voor effectief schoolleiderschap? Een onderzoek naar de rol en specifieke behoeften van de schooldirecteur.

  4 days ago: Petra, interessant onderzoek.
  
  Ik vrees alleen dat het aantal nederlandstalige schooldirecteurs die dit forum bezoeken, erg laag ligt.
  
  Misschien kan je je vraag herformuleren in het Engels? Krijg je misschien meer antwoorden.
  
  Succes.