I remember seeing a demonstration on Olbermann's show

[TheDebbieDee]

(at least I think it was Olbermann's show) a few years ago of a doctor/scientist stirring some powder into a large , glass container of brown, dirty water and turning it into a container of water clean enough to drink sfaely.

He was doing his part to provide clean, safe drinking water to third world countries. Does anybody else remember seeing this demonstration or does anyone recall the scientist's name?

I wonder if we could dump a large enough amount of this stuff in the Gulf of Mexico to clean up BP's mess!

ETA: Please tell me I'm not the only one who remembers seeing this!

See posts below: Damn! it's a machine..........not a powder.

[silverweb]

1. Dean Kamen on Colbert?

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/03/colbert-and-kam/

[TheDebbieDee]

3. God Bless You! I wasn't hallucinating............

Isn't this the same guy who created that standing scooter thing that *shrub* was pictured falling from?

Anyway, couldn't we make a billion pounds of this stuff and pour it in the Gulf and maybe make the water a little safer for the creatures still living there?

ETA: I didn't remember it being a machine, though...........

[silverweb]

4. Yup, that's the guy.

The wheeled machine that idiot Bush fell off of is a _Segway_. It uses gyroscopes to keep it upright and nobody can fall off of one ... except morons who don't know enough to turn it on first.

Unfortunately, the water purifier would be completely inadequate for the current problem in the Gulf. It's meant to purify polluted river/well water for drinking and operates on a village-sized scale.

I liked the guys demonstrating the use of _hay_ to soak up and collect the oil. Together with tankers suctioning up the oil, maybe there's enough hay in the world to make a dent.

[rocktivity]

2. I think that was Steve Colbert

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/03/colbert-and-kam/

:headbang:
rocktivity