Dr Hector PereraƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  London

Imagination is very important to make something, invent something or to improve what is already there. When an apple fell on his head what did the little boy did, he thought why it fell down then only he went to discover gravity. Did Galileo fly all the way up to prove that the sun is the centre of universe? Did Archimedes break the Golden crown to find whether it was a mixture of metals or just pure gold only? He discovered up thrust when he sat in the bath fully naked, then ran naked all the way to the palace still naked to prove the king about his discovery. This is again thinking in the right direction.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ War and Peace Invention

Haber, a German scientist, a Nobel Prize winner found how to make ammonia that lead to make gunpowder and fertiliser. He used only a meter long metal pipe not an expensive instrument. First he sold the idea to a chemical company may be for ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚£100,000 in 1938 then he was awarded a Nobel Prize for his discovery. Who would have thought a piece of metal pipe would have earned him a Nobel Prize?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ His discovery leads to war as well as peace. He discovered ammonia then made fertilizers to grow food then ammonium and potassium nitrate were made out of ammonia to make gunpowder, so his discovery was for war and peace. All he did was to adjust the temperature and pressure then passed hydrogen and nitrogen over a catalyst inside a metal pipe. This is again, thinking in the right direction.

Nobel found how to make dynamites [1896] to blast off bridges and buildings then set up a prize for peace called Nobel Prize for peace after earning massive amounts from his discovery. After doing so much damage by dynamites, he set up a Nobel Prize for peace by thinking in the right direction.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ How would the supermarkets do without it?

Ziegler found how to make polythene bags, awarded a Nobel price for it. All what he did was to pass hydrogen gas with a catalyst through a hydrocarbon such as ethene then it combined or we call it is polymerised to make polythene and that is how they made the so called, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-sili sili bagsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚? Now it has become a nuisance but when it is used sensibly it is a great discovery. I wonder what would the super markets do without these carrier bags. Today A2/AS GCE students use this method in the synthesis of many organic chemicals.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Once, George Stephen looked after cows, why no education

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ George Stephen was born into a very poor family in England; first he looked after cows of the neighbour to make a living then did any odd jobs in a mine such as cleaning stones, slates and other general things. As a young adult, he couldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t read or write but learned even arithmetic by attending the night school. He earned some money by repairing clocks, watches and even making shoes because he needed the money to pay for the passage to America to see how a locomotive was constructed.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  I wonder how many Sri Lankans do odd jobs and save money to pay for their education. George Stephen thought about the steam power and discovered steam engines and railways. His first steam engine had only 4 mph, today they are improved to more efficient engines but not steam, that can go over 250 mph as the bullet train in Japan.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The Euro star in England now speeds up to 186 mph and goes to Paris within 2 hrs and 15 minutes.

A chemical called DDT [dichloro diphenol trichloroethane] was found bya British. As far as I can remember by reference to literature, all what he did was to change a functional group to another more effective functional group then he patented as DDT, again by thinking in the right direction. By proper and careful thinking some other people have improved the discoveries made by other people. I am sure lots Sri Lankans have made discoveries, they need to be recognised.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Lunch in England then tea in Australia?

Wright brothers first crossed the English Channel in a small home made plane in 1903 but today planes exceeding 3000 mph are there but in limited use. Quite soon one would be able to fly from England to Australia within three hours. These to be appreciated as great scientific creativity; they are discovered just thinking in the right direction.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Can we say GOOD BYE to Middle East oil?

Electrolysis of water gives two useful gases, hydrogen and oxygen, both are fuels. If this can be done efficiently, we can solve the energy crisis easily. Oxygen is needed for breathing, use in hospitals, submarines, rockets use liquid oxygen to burn fuels, wielding and for many more things. Hydrogen has many uses out of which it can be used as a clean fuel to run automobiles. Any ideas to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen, so that they are readily available then we can say good bye to Middle East oils.

Today, the kids are more advanced in knowledge

Today the kids are more science oriented, technologically advanced than 20 or 30 years ago. Just a matter of few years ago the kids of that age, never had these IPODS, IPad 2, MP3, MP4, mobile phones, blue toot, camera phones, digital camera, DVD and number of advanced games what the present day children have.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  How many TV channels are there today compared to a few years ago, may be about 150 or more so the present day children must be addressed in a scientific manner because the time has changed, so itƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s time to talk more scientifically. I noticed some British TV chefs just add spices, ingredients without any explanations or quantitative idea then turn the gas to full blast and cook carelessly. Quite often their open cooking pans catch fire as well. To me this kind of cooking is totally unacceptable. Entertaining the audience with higher fires but destroys the flavour of food. They give the impression that only they can cook so this put off the children.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ No harm to lean basic cooking

You have to teach the babies how to count 1,2,3, add 1,2,3 and take away 2 from 3 etc but not double maths and Pythagoras theorem and trigonometry to begin with! Similarly the kids need to know some basic cooking to begin with, some scientific reasoning then they can do the rest. I think there is no harm to know some basic cooking than depending on takeaway junks that lead to long term health problems and other related problems such as cardiovascular diseases and obesity.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Free gas?

Many years a person from England found out the technique to get free gas from his coin operated gas meter. The British gas authority had to pay a substantial amount to get the secret. I am not saying this is a good practice but his own kind of thinking made him to become a rich man by revealing his secret.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Do you agree this is again a kind of thinking in the right direction?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Save gas, money and waiting time in kitchen

My method is unique, energy saving, gas and electricity, very scientific and very easy to learn and I am sure the kids and adults would love to cook using my method. I will definitely show how to save money. Imagine if millions and millions of people save gas every single day that will be a considerable saving on gas and they themselves donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t have to spend that much for gas and electricity. May be gas and electricity suppliers wonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t be very keen on my technique because I show how to use less energy.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ My thanks to ITN television in Sri Lanka

Thanks to ITN television in Sri Lanka, I managed to demonstrate it on live TV, gave long live interviews in English and in Sinhalese, I am sure millions have witnessed the technique of scientific cooking and energy saving. Now the sustainable energy authority at BMICH office in Colombo uses my technique to educate the public in their energy awareness programmes. My challenge is still open, prove me wrong then I will pay Rs 500,000.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  My work is simple, practical and applicable. How did I do that simple, imagination and thinking in the right direction.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ perera6@hotmail.co.uk

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