Will Cheap Oil Choke the Russian Economy? (BusinessWeek)

By Carol Matlack  October 13, 2014

Among the many threats facing Russia’s economy, cheap oil could be the biggest of all. Crude prices have fallen more than 23 percent since June, depressing the ruble and knocking a potentially gaping hole in the national budget, which draws 45 percent of revenues from oil taxes.

The Kremlin warned today that it will have to dig deeply into reserves if oil prices and the ruble exchange rate remain at current levels. Covering budget shortfalls over the next three years could deplete half of a $74 billion reserve fund the government created to guard against energy price fluctuations, First Deputy Finance Minister Tatyana Nesterenko told the RIA Novosti news agency. Russia’s draft budget for 2015 is based on $100-a-barrel oil, but crude is now trading at about $88, the lowest since December 2010.

“Lower oil prices completely overshadow the encouraging news from southeastern Ukraine,” where a fragile truce is holding as Russia begins pulling back troops from the border, chief Russia economist Dmitry Polevoy of ING Bank wrote in a note to clients today.

STORY: Russia Set Aside $83 Billion for Pensioners. Putin Is Using It to Aid Russia Inc.

Oil prices, not Western sanctions, are what’s driving the currency’s sharp decline, analysts say. “The value of the ruble stayed relatively calm through the summer, even as sanctions were being ratcheted up,” Chris Weafer of Moscow consultancy Macro Advisory wrote in the Moscow Times. “Since early August, the ruble has fallen 9 percent against the dollar-euro basket, almost exactly mirroring the 8 percent decline in the price of crude oil over the same period.” The ruble, he said, “is behaving as a petro-currency.”

And it’s still falling: Despite $6 billion in interventions by the central bank over the past 10 days, the ruble declined again today, to 40.43 against the dollar.

Because of Russia’s outsize dependence on oil and gas, which account for more than two-thirds of its exports, lower energy prices can easily tip its $2 trillion economy into recession. “Growth is likely to remain positive only with oil prices above $92 to $93 a barrel,” says economist Charles Robertson of Renaissance Capital. At $90 a barrel, the economy would contract 0.4 percent next year, and at $80 a barrel it would shrink 1.7 percent, he predicts.

VIDEO: Oil’s Fall Adds to Sanctions Pain for Russian Economy

Matlack is a Paris correspondent for Bloomberg Businessweek.

Hands-Free Car Tech Still Dangerous (PCMagazine)

BY STEPHANIE MLOT OCTOBER 7, 2014

Just because you're not fiddling with your cell phone doesn't mean you're more focused on the road, AAA finds.

We're still years away from perfecting Jetsons-like flying cars, so for now, many drivers have resorted to using hands-free technology in order to stay safe and connected while on the road.

One problem: The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety says hands-free technology is still pretty dangerous. The organization released a report that is says provides "the most comprehensive evidence to-date that 'hands-free' doesn't mean 'risk free.'"

"We already know that drivers can miss stop signs, pedestrians, and other cars while using voice technologies because their minds are not fully focused on the road ahead," AAA CEO Bob Darbelnet said in a statement. "We now understand that current shortcomings in these products, intended as safety features, may unintentionally cause greater levels of cognitive distraction."

Working with researchers at the University of Utah, AAA evaluated common voice-activated in-vehicle technologies, validating the obvious: poor voice-recognition software increases distraction, and composing text-based messages by voice is more distracting than listening to them.

"Technologies used in the car that rely on voice communications may have unintended consequences that adversely affect road safety," said Peter Kissinger, CEO of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. "The level of distraction and the impact on safety can vary tremendously based on the task or the system the driver is using."

All hope is not lost, however. The auto club believes developers can improve the safety of their products by making them less complicated, more accurate, and generally easier to use.

In the meantime, AAA encourages motorists to minimize cognitive distractions by limiting the use of voice-based technologies.

"It is clear that not all voice systems are created equal, and today's imperfect systems can lead to driver distraction," Darbelnet said. "AAA is confident that it will be possible to make safer systems in the future."

This week's results build on the auto association's first phase, conducted last year.

For more, see PCMag's Don't Dismiss Voice Recognition in Cars.

Stephanie began as a PCMag reporter in May 2012. She moved to New York City from Frederick, Md., where she worked for four years as a multimedia reporter at the second-largest daily newspaper in Maryland.

These Motorized Skates Are Like Segways for Your Feet (BusinessWeek)

By Belinda Lanks  October 07, 2014

The Segway was sort of like the Google(GOOG) Glass of 2001. The unpopularity of the stand-up scooter stemmed from two major drawbacks: its perceived dorkiness and its $5,000 price tag.

The inventor behind RocketSkates has endeavored to sidestep the Segway’s flaws while revisiting its basic idea, with battery-powered, motorized roller skates. Peter Treadway, the Los Angeles-based designer, came up with something that’s fairly unobtrusive, relatively affordable, and not painfully dorky. You strap RocketSkates onto regular flat-soled shoes before floating down the street at 10 mph. Acton, Treadway’s startup, bills the skates as the “world’s first smart wearable transportation.”

Users control RocketSkates by shifting their weight forward to accelerate and backward to slow down. A smaller wheel on the heel provides stability; it’s also the braking mechanism, which engages when you press down with your heel. RocketSkates take some practice because, unlike the Segway, they aren’t self-balancing. The skates communicate with each other and with your smartphone via Bluetooth. An app allows riders to track their route, performance, and battery power, and to compete with friends.

VIDEO: Why Aren’t You Wearing Your Wearables?

The inventor sees them as a more versatile, secure, and convenient alternative to some other forms of urban transport. Acton was careful to keep the maximum speed at 12 miles per hour, which is below most states’ limit for motorized-vehicle use on sidewalks. You don’t have to look for parking or lock up the skates when not in use. And the skates can even be worn while walking or climbing stairs, since the wheels are on the sides of the shoes rather than underneath the feet.

Courtesy RocketSkates

“We think they’re really good for college campuses and urban environments,” Treadway says. “Places where people just kind of want to get out and enjoy themselves but also would rather not drive.”

RocketSkates began as a master’s project while Treadway was a student at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif., from which he graduated in 2008. His initial wearable-transportation idea was an exoskeleton that could make people run faster and jump higher. “No matter how well that worked, it was just so dangerous,” he says. The concept morphed into skates, which are significantly safer but still require a helmet and other protective gear.

STORY: A Wearable Airbag for Every Occasion

Courtesy RocketSkates

The first generation of robo-skates—abulkier, heavier version of RocketSkates—was born in 2012 as a Kickstarter launch. That campaign surpassed its funding goal, but its success paled in comparison with that of the updated model, which received more than$550,000 in August. (Acton has closed Series A funding, but Treadway declines to say how much he’s raised and from whom.) In the intervening two years, the designer managed to shrink some of the main components, including the motors—there’s a 50-watt motor in each of the two big wheels—and reduced the number of lithium ion batteries from 14 to 10. Now each skate weighs a little less than 7 pounds.

Price varies depending on battery life and corresponding color. The $499 R6 Rocket Red lasts 45 minutes (about 6 miles); the $599 R8 Terminator Chrome, 70 minutes (8 miles); and the $699 R10 Deep Space Black, 90 minutes. Every model recharges in about 2 hours and supports up to 275 pounds.

If you like to keep a low profile, this isn’t the footwear for you. You’re sure to attract gawking and may even stop traffic—another potential safety hazard. But if you’re concerned about the dork factor, keep in mind that Prince, a gatekeeper of cool, is known to sport his own pair of stellar skates. In his book Mo’ Meta Blues, the drummer Questlove describes the celebrity’s “singular pair of roller skates”: “They were clear skates that lit up, and the wheels sent a multicolored spark trail into your path.” Only rock royalty could get away with those.

Lanks is the design editor of Businessweek.com.

The cable industry (The Economist)

Tying up the cable business

Lobbying over Comcast’s bid to create a cable-TV behemoth is coming to a head

Oct 4th 2014 | WASHINGTON, DC | From the print edition

EMPLOYEES joining Comcast, America’s largest pay-television and internet provider, are given a copy of “An Incredible Dream”, a history of the company commissioned by the firm. On the cover is Ralph Roberts, its founder, standing with arms outstretched, like the Christ statue on Rio de Janeiro’s mountaintop. Comcast’s dramatic rise since 1963, when Mr Roberts bought a small cable system in Mississippi, is an inspirational American business story, and represents how tiny companies can become monumental ones. Today Comcast is run by Mr Roberts’ son, Brian, employs 140,000 people and has a market capitalisation of around $140 billion.

But when does “big” become “too big”? Regulators in Washington, DC, will have to decide. In February Comcast announced a $45 billion bid for Time Warner Cable (TWC), America’s second-largest cable company. Comcast has agreed to divest around a quarter of TWC subscribers voluntarily, leaving it with around 30% of the national pay-TV market and 40% of high-speed broadband should the deal go through, according to Moffett Nathanson, a research firm. Regulators at America’s Department of Justice and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are reviewing the merger on antitrust grounds, with the FCC also assessing its impact on the public interest. They are expected to make a decision by early next year.

The deal would give more might to a firm that, besides the largest pay-TV and internet business in America has, thanks to its 2011 takeover of NBCUniversal, broadcast networks, cable channels, a film studio and other media assets. Most crucially, it would cede to Comcast more control over America’s high-speed internet, a buoyant business that is set to be the future conduit of content delivery, but one in which Comcast already faces less competition than in pay-TV. Comcast says it will invest more in broadband infrastructure and provide more low-cost internet access to the poor, but it is far from clear that the public will benefit from Kabletown (as Comcast was called in “30 Rock”, an NBC comedy about life inside NBC) turning into Kablecountry.

The way this giant deal is progressing reveals a lot about corporate America. On October 8th and 9th shareholders of both Comcast and TWC are expected to vote to approve the merger without hesitation. In doing so, TWC investors will be breezily signing off on an $80m golden parachute for Robert Marcus, who has been the firm’s boss for less than a year. The chief financial officer, chief technology officer and chief operating officer will receive a combined $55m for helping sell their company. If these numbers appeared in a fictional television drama, they might seem somewhat implausible.

To get its deal signed off by regulators Comcast has taken lobbying to new heights. Last year it spent around $19m on this, reckons the Centre for Responsive Politics, more than both Boeing and Lockheed Martin, two giant defence contractors. The firm has always made sure that the cord linking its Philadelphia headquarters to the government in Washington is taut. Brian Roberts has played golf with Barack Obama; David Cohen, Comcast’s chief lobbyist, has repeatedly had the president round for supper at his home. This week Mr Obama asked Joe Clancy to return from a stint as Comcast’s head of security to become acting head of the Secret Service.

Supporting America’s power-brokers can pay off. For example, Rahm Emanuel, the mayor of Chicago, publicly expressed his support for the merger, without mentioning the campaign contributions he received from Mr Cohen and other Comcast executives. Comcast’s roots are in cable, a business that depends on local-government relationships, and it knows how to win hearts. Since 1999 it has given away $145m to organisations in the areas it serves, a generous act but also a strategic one. It helps explain why organisations that would appear to have no stake in a national cable deal, such as the Virginia Holocaust Museum, have supported the bid.

There are grounds to worry that proper scrutiny of the proposed deal will be impaired because of “regulatory capture”, especially since Comcast has hired former regulators to advise it and lobby for it. For example, Meredith Attwell Baker, when an FCC commissioner, voted to approve Comcast’s bid for NBCUniversal in 2011. Four months later she left to join Comcast (she has since gone on to work for the wireless-telecoms lobby). “It is such a revolving door at the FCC and Congress that you can’t keep track of whether people are cable lobbyists or working in government,” says Marvin Ammori, a lawyer who represents technology firms. “People might expect that of defence and pharma, but not of their broadband providers.”

Likewise there are reasons to fear a sort of “journalistic capture”. Comcast owns two prominent cable-news channels, MSNBC and CNBC, and two broadcast networks with extensive news programming, NBC and Telemundo. Their newsrooms, which might otherwise have reported critically on such a big deal, have been largely silent. One CNBC reporter says he cannot dig into the story as he normally would, for fear of losing his job.

Reporters who want to investigate the deal struggle to find anyone who will comment publicly anyway. Since Comcast is already so large, few television stations want to speak out, because Comcast pays them lots of money to carry their channels. “It doesn’t make good business sense to argue against your biggest client,” explains one executive. In order to hear opponents’ honest opinions, the FCC has taken the unusual step of letting them give testimony in private—something it rarely does in a merger review.

Recently Comcast lashed out at some of its opponents, including Netflix, an online-video company, and Discovery, which owns television channels, accusing them of “extortion”. According to Comcast some firms have come forward seeking gifts in return for supporting the deal, which would have cost Comcast around $5 billion. This unsavoury favour-trading sometimes happens during a big merger process, as Comcast knows, given its battle to get the NBCUniversal deal through.

Some say that Comcast’s decision to criticise its competitors shows that Mr Cohen may be worried that the deal, which at first looked set to sail through, is running into trouble. Opponents have been heartened by recent negative noises from Tom Wheeler (pictured), now the FCC’s boss but formerly a leading lobbyist. For instance, in a recent speech he noted that already around three-quarters of Americans have no “competitive choice” when it comes to high-speed internet.

The outcome of this deal could influence the development of both the television and internet businesses in America. Comcast argues that there will be no loss of competition, since it does not compete with TWC in any market. That is true only because cable companies long ago divided the country among themselves. This deal highlights that custom: Comcast and a rival, Charter (which had wanted to buy TWC but was trumped by Comcast) are swapping subscribers in the places they want, much as they might trade cards in a game. The rest will be transferred to a newly formed firm, GreatLand Connections.

What matters most to Comcast and to consumers is broadband. Cable companies have strikingly little competition when it comes to delivering high-speed internet, because satellite companies do not offer fast internet speeds and telephone firms cap the amount of data that can be downloaded in return for the monthly fee. Letting Comcast buy TWC will not eliminate an existing competitor, but it could deter prospective ones in broadband and pay-TV, because they know they stand no chance of felling a giant.

Comcast’s power does not end there. If the deal is approved, it will control 17 of America’s 25 largest advertising markets, dominating the top ten (see chart). Comcast’s huge customer base will also give it a near-veto over innovations, such as which new channels can launch and which set-top-box technologies are adopted.

That Comcast owns some of the biggest television channels matters too, because of the potential for it to favour these over rival channels, or to charge other pay-TV operators unreasonable rates for its channels. Comcast also has an interest in seeing its impressive “cloud-based” set-top-box become the industry standard, so it can license the technology to other cable companies. TWC was reportedly close to a deal with Apple to distribute its set-top TV boxes, but talks stopped when Comcast announced its bid. They seem unlikely to resume if Comcast takes over TWC.

Comcast, like other pay-TV operators, is set on preserving the television ecosystem in its present form for as long as possible, whereas it is in the interest of consumers to see viable, cheaper alternatives take off. One potential competitor might have been Hulu, an online-video firm jointly owned by Comcast, 21st Century Fox and Disney. Comcast came by its stake when it bought NBCUniversal, but as a condition of that purchase regulators made Comcast agree not to intervene in Hulu’s operations. However, last year, when Hulu was put up for sale by Disney and Fox, insiders close to the deal have toldThe Economist that Comcast executives made it clear to Hulu’s other two owners that they would prefer not to see it go to AT&T, which, along with Chernin Group, an entertainment firm, had put in the highest bid.

Comcast denies any intervention. AT&T would have been able to make Hulu a viable competitor to Comcast’s pay-TV business. Ultimately Hulu stayed with its owners, who called off the sale.

In all, the reasons to oppose the Comcast-TWC deal are even more numerous than the number of unwatched channels a cable subscriber is forced to buy as part of the expensive “bundle”. Americans already pay more for television and internet than people in other rich countries, for slower internet speeds. Comcast would become the judge and jury on which new services and devices survive in the TV and internet businesses. Comcast would have incentives to favour its own channels and businesses, and policing it effectively would be a huge and complex job.

Regulators have the choice of approving or rejecting the deal outright, or approving it with conditions. It is not their only headache. The FCC also has to consider new “net neutrality” rules on whether broadband providers can favour certain types of online content or charge certain companies more for faster delivery. Craig Moffett, an industry analyst, says the FCC could decide to attach specific net-neutrality conditions to the Comcast deal, although others think a separate ruling is more likely before a merger decision is reached. Regulators also have to review AT&T’s proposed bid for DirecTV, a satellite-TV company, which it has made in direct response to Comcast’s deal. Other firms will inevitably follow too. In the media business sequels are all the rage.

Miss Universo en Doral es un Hecho....(Blog de Luigi Boria)

 Hoy oficialmente hemos brindado toda la información relacionada con el Certamen Miss Universo, evento que tiene como fecha oficial el próximo 25 de Enero del 2015, cuando se elegirá una nueva  representante de la belleza quien recibirá la corona de nuestra Gabriela Isler, la actual Miss Universo y además venezolana, lo que me llena de orgullo.

Más allá de esta gran noticia, para más de 190 millones de personas que siguen este magno evento de la belleza, nuestra ciudad debe recibir este anuncio oficial con placer y optimismo.

Doral se ha caracterizado por ser una ciudad de constante progreso y desarrollo y el Miss Universo viene - y convencido estoy de esto -  a empujar nuestra economía local y por qué no decirlo a todo el Sur de la Florida dado el número de personas que vendrán a disfrutar  las distintas celebraciones que se han programado, desde la Organización Miss Universo presidida por Paula Shugart, para el disfrute de más de 10.000 personas que vendrán  a esta ciudad.

Quien mejor que Donald Trump para dar las razones por las cuales hoy somos sede. Fue muy oportuno su comentario al decir que cuando se celebró en Moscú en el 2013 ya Doral y la ciudad de Miami habían mostrado su interés en ser sede del Certamen. Para ese momento las circunstancias no estaban dadas.

Hoy los ojos del mundo están sobre nosotros. Solo teníamos que creer en este proyecto y tener claro nuestro objetivo como propulsores de la economía  local. ¿Por qué no aprovechar esta gran oportunidad?

Más importante aún, no dejando a un lado lo que significa para nuestra ciudad desde el punto de vista comercial el Certamen, es otra gran noticia como es el hecho - y dicho por el representante de la Universidad Internacional de Florida Pete García - el beneficio que le traerá a nuevos estudiantes de bajos recursos. Ellos recibirán becas para realizar sus carreras universitarias, gracias al aporte que hará la organización  Miss Universo.  Como ya es sabido esta casa de estudio, FIU, será el escenario de la gran noche en  donde 190 bellas mujeres competirán por la corona 2014.

Cinco semanas aproximadamente serán nuestra, para brindarle a propios y visitantes, de 190 países del mundo, la mejor atención. Restaurantes, hoteles, Empresas de Transporte, entre otras se verán impulsadas gracias a este importante y entretenido acontecimiento.

Si la mayor inquietud era conocer de dónde saldrían los $ 2.5 millones, la respuesta ha sido satisfactoria. Empresas como Badia,  Pawa, Baptist Health, Codina, Lennar son solo algunas corporaciones que ya se comprometido. Otras, aún sin concretar, las cuales  se han acercado para saber más sobre este patrocinio que se les traduce en proyección de su imagen a nivel mundial.

Espero darles más información en los próximos días, de quienes son las otras compañías con las cuales hemos entrado en conversación sobre su participación en el Certamen Miss Universo.

A quienes nos han apoyado hasta el momento, muchísimas gracias. Asumo retos, confiando y creyendo plenamente en la gente que hace vida en Doral. Somos una gran ciudad;  todos,  llenos de esperanza y con deseos de crecer.  Aquí estamos sembrando las primeras semillas que llevarán a la ciudad de Doral  ser reconocida más allá de nuestras fronteras… Así me lo propuse y con gente como ustedes, se que lo lograré.  

Hackers Target Hong Kong Protesters via iPhones (BusinessWeek)

By Dune Lawrence October 01, 2014

In our digital age, geopolitics plays out in cyberspace as much as in physical space. The latest evidence comes straight from Hong Kong, where tens of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators have been calling for the territory’s leader, C.Y. Leung, toresign. Police responded over the weekend with tear gas.

China’s cyber spies have reacted as well, with malicious software designed to infiltrate demonstrators’ iPhones and Android devices. Malware targeting iPhones is relatively rare. And an attack against both the Apple (AAPL) and Android operating systems is very unusual, suggesting that a powerful organization behind it, according to Lacoon, a mobile security company that discovered the iOS-targeted spyware.

“Cross-platform attacks that target both iOS and Android devices are rare, and indicate that this may be conducted by a very large organization or nation state,” Lacoon researchers wrote in a blog post yesterday. “The fact that this attack is being used against protesters and is being executed by Chinese-speaking attackers suggests it’s linked to Chinese government cyber activity.”

STORY: Home Depot Malware Hints at Different Hackers Than Target's

The opening salvo was a piece of malicious software disguised as an Android app to help activists coordinate protests. Lacoon, which focuses on helping companies protect mobile devices, began analyzing the program, which included tracing the Internet sites with which the spying software communicated, once installed. Such sites are known as “command and control” servers in cybersecurity lingo.

In examining one of these sites, the researchers found another version of the malware—this one designed to steal information from iPhones. Everything on the site is written in Chinese, according to Lacoon. ”We haven’t seen anything which has this level of sophistication on iOS, and we’ve never seen something that has a Chinese attribution,” says Michael Shaulov, Lacoon’s co-founder and chief executive officer.

Other research firms have, however. The cyber-intelligence firm iSight Partners has tracked spying efforts aimed at Tibetan activists and other minorities tracked by China’s intelligence agencies.

STORY: Data Breach at Jimmy John's Could Damage Franchisees

In one example, the hackers sent malware disguised as a conference app to members of China’s Uyghur community who were attending an organizing event.  Users who clicked on the app saw only conference details, while the malware recorded phone calls and even surreptitiously captured conversations through the phone’s microphone, according to John Hultquist, who tracks cyber espionage threats for the company. Both Android and iOS are vulnerable, but iPhones can only be infected if they have been “jailbroken,” meaning that users have removed the default limitations enforced by the Apple operating system on what applications it can run.

Chinese hackers have also used mobile spying devices against Tibetan activists, he said. The technique has proven such rich ground for spies that different parts of the Chinese government and military have competing malware. “Chinese intelligence gathering is often organized along the lines of military regions,” Hultquist said. “Especially in the Chinese context, there seem to be lots of groups working on this.”

China may not even be the most advanced at leveraging the wide adoption of smartphones to spy on their owners, according to iSight’s findings. The Dallas, Texas-based company has been tracking a Russian espionage group it calls Tsar Team, which has used mobile malware to target U.S. government officials, American defense contractors, even energy company executives. ”We’re seeing this group operating in the U.S. space, in the European Union space, they’re hitting jihadist,” Hultquist said. “You can imagine if you’re tracking a Chechen jihadist, what an invaluable tool this is to physically track someone, to listen to their calls.”

STORY: China Finally Approves Apple's New iPhones

Once it gets into your iPhone, the malicious program can access your contacts, text messages, call logs, and pictures. It also gets inside one of the most sensitive locations on the iPhone, the keychain in which other applications, which include your e-mail, store passwords.

Lacoon hasn’t been able to tell how the iOS malware is spreading—what kind of ruse or social engineering the hackers are using to get the software onto devices. It, too, can only infect ones that have been jailbroken, an aspect of the malware that is something of a mystery given how few users jailbreak their phones, according to Shaulov.

One theory is that the hackers have developed a way to jailbreak Apple devices remotely through some undisclosed vulnerability, Shaulov says. This is a possibility that he says is pure speculation—and scary, nonetheless.

STORY: The Limits to Apple's Security Improvements

China approved Apple’s new iPhone 6 for sale there this week. The move was held up by regulators’ questions about weaknesses in the operating system that might leak users’ personal data.

STORY: Hong Kong Isn't the Only Protest Chinese Leaders Are Worried About

Lawrence is a reporter for Bloomberg News in New York.

How tech is making the world's water safer (TechRepublic)

By Lyndsey Gilpin September 30, 2014,

WaterStep led an event at IdeaFestival in Louisville, Kentucky to bring innovative thinkers together to address the world's water crisis. Here's how tech is helping solve the problem. 

The WaterStep team shows a group in the Philippines how to use their water purifier.

 Image: WaterStep

More people on this earth have access to a smartphone than a toilet. Forty percent of the world's population lives without one. One in ten people -- 748 million people -- live without clean, safe water.

On Tuesday, September 30, WaterStep, a nonprofit that uses technology and innovation to give people access to clean drinking water, hosted a one-day event connected with IdeaFestival to examine how to make progress on the issue.

Engineers, technologists, conservationists, and community members attended the conference to find out how to innovatively solve the world's water crisis. Here are four key ways they said technology is going to change how we approach these solutions:

1. Hackathons

On November 8 and 9, WaterStep and General Electric will host a hackathon at FirstBuild, GE's microfactory on the University of Louisville's campus. Hack2o will bring together makers, tinkerers, and enthusiasts who want to create innovative solutions to one of the world's biggest problems: access to clean, safe water.

The professional division of the hackathon is open to anyone, and the student division is for students and their faculty advisors. Participants who cannot attend can log in through the website and contribute, sharing their ideas through a roaming makeshift video robot (an iPad mounted on a Segway) in the FirstBuild space. They are encouraging people in developing countries especially to contribute their ideas by participating virtually.

"This is a big global vision. This is really the first step in solving water problems worldwide," said Taylor Dawson of FirstBuild.

According to the Indiegogo campaign, some of the challenges for the hackathon include:

• Breaking and slowing the WaterBall brake, one of WaterStep's water transportation devices
• Build a kinetic-powered WaterBall filter
• Design a bleach maker using the cylindrical casing for WaterStep's M-100 chlorine generator
• Build a water carrying backpack for a 5 gallon bucket built out of local supplies in the developing world
• Design a monitor to connect to a hand pump in the developing world that can send a signal to a cell phone when it stops working

2. Simple technologies

WaterStep created the M-100 chlorine generator, which is small enough to fit in a carry-on suitcase and powerful enough to provide thousands of people with clean water. The generator uses salt and a 12-volt car battery to produce chlorine gas. The gas is injected into contaminated water and kills pathogens to produce safe drinking water.

A typical WaterStep project includes installing water filters and purification systems in households, repairing local wells, building rain catchments, teach health and hygiene to the community, and providing WaterBalls to the community. A WaterBall is simply a plastic sphere that holds from 12 to 25 gallons of water. People can push it from the well to their home, instead of carrying it on their heads.

The small innovations can have big impacts. According to WaterStep, every $1 invested in water yields $4 for the local economy.

3. Community level innovations

WaterStep team members traveled to a village in El Dique, Costa Rica and saw that whenever someone used the toilet, which was hung out over the river, their waste went directly into the water. Now, the organization is working on a new project to build safe toilets as well as bring safe water to 400 homes in the village, where water is currently only available about two hours a day.

The Louisville Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) is trying to become more involved in the community and water charities. MSD is connecting their engineers to engineering students in Costa Rica to come up with a solution that is safe and culturally appropriate. By involving the community -- especially engineering students -- in the decision, more innovative, sustainable decisions can be made.

"It has to be at the village level. We need everybody on board. It has to be the local government, more people to build toilets, you need funding, national governments to prioritize sanitation," said Rose George, author of The Big Necessity and recognized expert on sanitation projects. "It can be national governments. It can also be that little boy with a $2 toilet."

4. Reframing water conservation

"Water is a uniting force, come to find out," said Patricia Mulroy, who served as the general manager of the Las Vegas Valley Water District for many years. She has long been known as the "water czar" and has worked on some of the most important conservation projects in the Western US.

Being strategic about approaching water conservation is key, Mulroy said. Though we all know water access is critical, most people don't understand the critical situation we're in with this precious resource. We often view it very differently than the electricity we use, our cell phones, or other parts of infrastructure.

"We need to rethink how we use water, whether we live in an area that has an abundant supply or we live where water is scarce," Mulroy said. "We as Americans use more than anybody on the planet. We have it available to us whenever we want it and need it... [so] we end up abusing it."

Here are some roles tech plays in reframing water conservation, highlighted at the conference:

• Specific, high-tech lenses and GoPro cameras were used to share images and video for oceanographic explorer Fabien Cousteau's Mission 31 to spread the word about the importance of the underwater world.
• Educating in schools around the world starting at a young age, and putting it into a global context using the internet
• Building cheap toilets and water purifiers to give developing countries access to clean water and toilets
• Smartphone apps and smart irrigation systems to monitor and analyze personal water usage in developed nations

Combining technological advancements of water conservation and access with the emotional attachment we have to water was a key theme of the event.

"There's a lot more than tinkering and developing. There's working in these countries and building relationships," said Mark Hogg, founder and CEO of WaterStep.

Lyndsey Gilpin is a Staff Writer for TechRepublic. She writes about the people behind some of tech's most creative innovations and in-depth features on innovation and sustainability.