TED Community » David Brossman

More About Me

I'm passionate about

finding better ways to harness the energy of the wind

An idea worth spreading

The Quixote Project is working to develop a vertical axis wind turbine design that could be more accessible to the people on the planet who would really benefit from being able to produce their own sustainable energy.

I am always interested in talking with other vawt fanatics, and most anybody else about just about anything, for that matter.

Talk to me about

wind energy and how it could help us avoid global catastrophe

People don't know that I'm good at

hiding my clinical depression

My TED Story

Watching TED talks renews my hope and faith in people, the world, and sometimes even myself, .Thank you TED.

Comments

• TEDCred score: +1.10 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• A reply on Talk: Candy Chang: Before I die I want to...

  Sep 7 2012: All good things to you, leela.
• +3

  A comment on Talk: Candy Chang: Before I die I want to...

  Sep 7 2012: Before I die, I want to leave a really profound, moving comment on a TED talk. But alas, today is apparently not that day.
• +3

  A comment on Conversation: Neil Armstrong has died today at age of 82. In light of his memory and achievement for mankind, who has been your greatest role model & why?

  Sep 4 2012: Mahatma Gandhi
  Why? I only have 1964 characters remaining, which really isn't enough to even get started.
  Maybe because he could have written really cool bumper stickers like:
  Be the change you want to see in the world.
  An eye for an eye, leaves the whole world blind.
  Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress
  And even with 1626 remaining, I'll stop at that, and just let everybody ponder the greatness of the man.

• A reply on Conversation: Would the wind energy industry make better planet-saving progress if wind turbines didnâ��t all look like gigantic airplane propellers?

  Aug 22 2012: Makani power is fascinating and worth a look. I wonder what aviation regulators have to say about turbines flying about though..
  
  For tidal energy you might want to look at Oceans Renewable at http://www.orpc.co/
  
  And interesting point on old windmills where the miller's family lived on the mill and was a hub of commerce. I could see windmills more along those lines being designed for villages in developing countries. Erecting them of the roof of a central gathering place, ie. a school, hospital or community center. Thanks for your UK perspective. There seem to be two camps in the US - A. We really need to catch up with Europe on wind technology. B - Look at all the problems in Europe! No wind turbines! Let's frac for natural gas, burn clean coal (an oxymoron if there ever was one!) and just stick our heads in the tar sands.

• A reply on Conversation: Would the wind energy industry make better planet-saving progress if wind turbines didnâ��t all look like gigantic airplane propellers?

  Aug 22 2012: Thanks! I will check them out. And I was thinking ball vacuum cleaners.

• A comment on Conversation: Would the wind energy industry make better planet-saving progress if wind turbines didnâ��t all look like gigantic airplane propellers?

  Aug 22 2012: To be sure I understand, do you mean horizontal rotation as in VAWTs? Vertical Axis? I'd be very interested in the efficiency research, if you know where I could find it? Thanks!
• +2

  A comment on Conversation: Can we look at the past when looking for future solutions to modern problems?

  Aug 21 2012: Albert Einstein said “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them." And then there is, of course, Santayana saying, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Much in the world is unpredictable. Much of it is not. The past illustrates many times over the struggle between the powerful and the masses of humanity. And that, it has been suggested many times over, is the fundamental problem facing humankind.

• A reply on Talk: Timothy Prestero: Design for people, not awards

  Aug 19 2012: Thanks so much for yet another thought provoking jewel of information! I found PATH.org and find it as inspiring as designthatmatters.org Wonderful stuff! My best to you and your work.

• A comment on Talk: Timothy Prestero: Design for people, not awards

  Aug 17 2012: E x c e l l e n t talk!. An inspiration for something
  I am involved in. Thank you!
  Question: Michael Free (?) at PASS (?)

• A comment on Conversation: What will be the best renewable source of energy in 2050?

  Aug 7 2012: Thank you so much for two marvelous insights! I just recently saw the Whalepower design, but it didn’t dawn on me that vortices could have a dramatic positive on our design as well. But, of course! Wow, thanks! I will be getting in touch with them.
  
  And yes, I think there are a number of ways to funnel air flow using the support structure or other architectural features depending on where the turbine is being used. I know from living in New York City years ago that there are places in the urban environment that are like wind tunnels! People far brighter than I can certainly determine the best locations for potential urban wind turbines, and if a location could be greatly improved with the addition of some form of wind funneling structures, that in itself could lead to some very exciting, creative as well as functional, design challenges.
  
  Also, I will share with you the irony, that upon receiving your two terrific ideas on how this idea could be improved, I also received notice from the TED Conversations Admin that the conversation I had hoped to start by posting our website was removed as it is “too self-promotional for the TED.com community”. I am a TED community virgin, and regret any over reach on my part. In fact, I am struggling, having been inspired by over 120 TED speakers, on how to go about sharing this idea/invention so that it is put to the best use as quickly as possible by as many people that could benefit from it as possible, (open source, collaboration, etc.), and yet protect it so it doesn’t go down some get-rich-quick route for the already rich, or wallow in some bureaucratic research lab for years sucking up grant money and getting nowhere. I thought what better place to go for ideas, but TED! Now I know. But, any thoughts you have on that dilemma would be appreciated as well. I would certainly like to continue our conversation in the proper forum, perhaps by email, as we are a bit off topic for this thread.
  
  Again, thank you so much.
  David Brossman