Showing posts with label Leighton Chong. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Leighton Chong. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

LONG TERM PROGRAM OF BLUE REVOLUTION HAWAII


Aquaculture America occurred last month at the Hawaii Convention Center.  This organization met two years ago in Las Vegas at the Paris Hotel, where Blue Revolution Hawaii gave a talk on our activities.

Did you know that the ocean contributes $2.5 trillion to the global economy?  The U.S. runs a $15 billion seafood trade deficit.

Blue Revolution Hawaii was again represented at the Aquaculture America 2020 gathering in Honolulu:

We provided the first talk of our session:


BLUE REVOLUTION HAWAII:

Proposal for a Pacific International Ocean Station

                                                                                by
Leighton Chong
Benny Ron
Patrick Takahashi

ABOUT THE CO-AUTHORS
Benny Ron:  Israeli genetics and aquaponics specialist
Leighton Chong:  New York City practice in intellectual property and international law
Patrick Takahashi:  Hawaii biochemical engineer

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION
Blue Revolution Hawaii was formed nearly a decade ago to develop the Blue Revolution.
Agreements of cooperation have been made with various international universities, companies and government organizations.
The primary purpose is to build the Pacific International Ocean Station

AMONG THE HISTORICAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE CO-AUTHORS
1975:  Experimented with using microalgae for biofuels and remediation of global warming
1980:  Wrote the original congressional legislation for OTEC and Hydrogen, both becoming law.
1990:  Guided the 250 kW open cycle OTEC facility at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority
1992:  Presented the first paper on the Blue Revolution at the first large-scale floating platform international gathering.
1999:  Published The Ultimate Ocean Ranch in Sea Technology

WHAT IS THE BLUE REVOLUTION?



CORNUCOPIA OF BENEFITS
Clean energy 
Hydrogen and biofuels
Freshwater
Next generation fisheries
Remediation of global warming
Prevention of hurricane formation

THREE STAGE PROGRAM
Secure half a million dollars to host a symposium for billionaires
$150 million:  Pacific International Ocean Station near Hawaii in 2030 as the showcase exhibit for a World’s Fair
$150 billion:  First Ocean City at the equator in 2050 and a follow-up Ocean Expo (the first World’s Fair was held in London in 1851)


At the end of the talk a couple of people came to discuss future options.  At least one of them appears to have a link with potential big money.  Blue Revolution Hawaii currently has half a million dollars endowed at the University of Hawaii to initiate the program.  We are seeking at this time matching funds to host a summit of billionaires or their staff interested in the concept.

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Thursday, February 15, 2018

THE BLUE REVOLUTION: Wanted...Imaginative Mega-Billionaire!

All my effort to Save Planet Earth and Humanity could well be validated with this posting today.  We all wonder if there is a purpose to our life, and my simple answer is no.  So read on.

The Big Bang, if there was one, created our Universe, and for nearly 14 billion years, stars, planets and life were created, while in sequence, pretty much at random.  It is said there might be a septillion stars out there, which is 1 followed by 24 zeroes, or a trillion trillion.  Yet, we might well be the only life form anywhere.  Until we get obviously alien signals (flying saucers are pure fantasy) confirmed to be real, we are the only intelligence.  Next, maybe robots and artificial intelligence, but those won't be developed unless humans perfect them.

Life is tough, for forming only a little more than 300 million years after Planet Earth appeared 4.6 billion years ago, of the more than five billion species, 99% are now extinct.  Evolution and extinctions resulted in hominins (our earliest ancestors) perhaps 6.5 million years ago.  Mammoths only appeared 4.8 million years ago.  The first Homo genus came as long as 2 million years ago, with us, Homo sapiens, possibly 200,000 years ago, but these dates keep changing.

BBC has an excellent video of the 25 biggest turning points in our history, ending with the advent of Man, so let me move ahead to 2000 years ago with Jesus Christ, while new technology like light begun to come two centuries in the past.  We now have 7.6 billion people and 19 billion chickens, but we are exceeded by maybe 100 billion rodents.  These numbers pale to the 200 trillion 3-inch bristlemouth fish living at the bottom of the ocean.

I have problems with ants, and now I know why.  There are a septillion of them.  Again 1 followed by 24 zeroes. There are more bacteria in a gram of dental plaque than all the people who have ever lived. I can go on and on, but let me end by saying that there are 1 followed by 31 zeroes worth of viruses, and placed end to end (and you can imagine how small they are) you wouldn't be able to guess how far they would stretch.  I'll tell you anyway, 100 million light years, just about the diameter of the Milky Way Galaxy.  But viruses aren't alive, are they?

By now you should be impressed about life on Planet Earth anyway.  So what has all this to do with the Blue Revolution?  Well, Humanity is at the threshold of ruining our world with global warming and not particularly liking each other to boot.
The solution?  The Blue Revolution.  Here is a future that will only happen if the world gets together and proceeds to develop OTEC, using this technology to power floating cities and industrial parks, while producing sustainable energy and resources, plus remediating climate change and minimizing tropical storms.

What is standing in the way of progress?  Money. And motivation.  An iPhone 10 sells for less than $1000.  The Pacific Ocean International Station, the first proposed step towards the Blue Revolution, could easily run beyond $1.5 billion.  There is no financing mechanism for anything so risky and bold.

The Apollo Project was indeed a giant leap for mankind, and came in with an initial budget of $25.4 billion 55 years ago.  Today, the value is $200 billion.  But the USA chose to go to the Moon by 1969 mainly for political reasons.  We were concerned about the Soviet Union, and this decision helped to bankrupt our adversary, ending the Cold War two decades later.

The Blue Revolution does not have the glamour of the Mars Project.  There is a range of cost estimates, but $1.5 trillion sounds about right to get to that enigmatic globe.  Elon Musk says he can do it cheaper and earlier.

In any case, how many can afford Musk's $200,000 flight ticket for tourists to get there?  Maybe this was only a one way price.  So, we reach Mars, what is the point?   Walking on the Moon ended the Cold War, and this was worth $200 billion. But Mars?  Billionaires missed the memo that said outer space has become obsolete for now.

Some mention space mining.  But for what mineral?  Others point to Stephen Hawking's prediction that we only have a century left before something terrible happens on Planet Earth.  Business Insider reports on five reasons why we need to colonize Mars now:
  • Ensure survival of our species.  (Asteroids?  Far-fetched.  The last serious impact was 66 million years ago when the dinosaurs died off.  We are supposedly now in a serious sixth extinction event, but I can't get too excited about the lethality.)
  • Discover life on Mars. (We have failed so far with remote instrumentation, but if life is found, so what?)
  • Improve quality of life on Earth (I miss this point).
  • Growing as a species.  (Huh?  Going to Mars is an awfully expensive way to grow-up, in fact, sounds irresponsible to me.)
  • Demonstrating political and economic leadership. 
On that fifth reason above, yes, it would be a fine achievement for the world to partner for the good of Humanity and Planet Earth.  But any Mars project will not result in anything all that useful, save for some dubious ego satisfaction.  What about the Blue Revolution?  The former would be an amazing feat if life is found and a few end up surviving on the Red Planet.  But that's about all.  The latter:
  • Sustainable energy and resource pathways:
    • hydrogen
    • freshwater
    • biofuels
    • methanol
    • rare earths
    • much more
  • New economic development.
  • Attractive habitats for an alternative life style.
  • Replenishment of fisheries.
  • Prevention of hurricanes.
  • Remediation of global warming.
I can add to the above cornucopia of benefits, but this comparison is almost pointless.

Mind you, I once worked for NASA's Ames Research Center on the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, and am a fan of space.  We should continue much of the scientific activity, and more, really.  Someday, of course, we almost surely might need to send pioneers to other worlds.  But the timing is not now.  In a millennium, maybe, but more probably closer to a million years when we have mastered travel through wormholes, if that is ever achieved.

The 2017 Forbes billionaires list numbered 2043.  Their total net worth was $7.67 trillion.  Bill Gates has been #1 for 18 of the past 23 years and Jeff Bezos, who is now #3, added $27.6 billion in one year.  Mainland China had 76 newly recognized billionaires.  Click on iBlue Revolution to review a history of analyses regarding billionaires and the Blue Revolution.  To quote one posting:


In any case, you don't just go up to a billionaire and ask for money.  You need that key connection, compelling vision and fundamental link to a special passion.  Most desire to help the downtrodden, prevent diseases and reverse poverty.  Surely, among the 2000 psyches there just has to be a particular enlightened individual dedicated to Planet Earth, wishing for something extraordinary to provide some key commodities in harmony with the natural environment.  For only $1.5 billion--one percent the cost of the International Space Station, a $150 billion space adventure that meant well, but will crash into oblivion in the Year 2020--the Blue Revolution represents the next economic frontier for Humanity to generate a cornucopia of sustainable products while enhancing our environment.

I tried, even personally donated funds to  show my commitment, and certainly haven't given up on finding a major benefactor.  But perhaps you're better suited to involve that special tycoon.  If so, you really don't need me.  Go ahead, take the leadership role.  Involve that billionaire to Save Humanity and Planet Earth with the Blue Revolution.  Glad to be of service should you need any advice.

Practicality will prevail, so the first Blue Revolution prototype will no doubt be placed in a reasonably ideal location where natural conditions will permit the utilization of OTEC.


Frankly something closer to the equator would be best, for no hurricane has ever crossed from one hemisphere to the other, plus this is where the surface temperatures are at a maximum, with 4 degrees Celsius still available at 1000 meter depths.

All things considered, then, Hawaii would be the perfect spot to build and test the Pacific Ocean International Station because we have succeeded in more workable OTEC experiments than anyone else, have a thriving Natural Energy Laboratory Laboratory Authority to provide expertise and have chaired more conferences and workshops  on related subjects.  As mentioned two days ago we already have billionaires with close association to this 50th State with ideal names:
  • Pierre Omidyar International Station (POI Station)
  • Larry Ellison International Station (LEI Station)
I can add a third:  Pacific Ocean Steve Case or POS Case, a stretch, but there no doubt are others.  We would welcome someone from Japan, China or anywhere else.  Most important is that sincere drive to consider the ocean as the solution for Humanity and Planet Earth. 

Anyone reading this posting linked to a potential mega-supporter, please contact Blue Revolution Hawaii.  Three coordinators are co-authoring a presentation on the Blue Revolution at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas next week:
  • Leighton Chong (left, LKMChong@aol.com) directs the Hawaii effort, is a patent attorney and copyrighted Blue Revolution for our organization,
  • Benny Ron (rightTetsuzanBennyRon@gmail.com) originally from Israel with a special zen association in Japan, is marshaling the session, and
  • I (PatKenTak@hotmail.com) will give the talk.
That billionaire would not be expected to personally come up with the full $1.5 billion.  He/She can serve as the illuminous catalyst to launch the effort...someone who convert Fantasy into REALITY.

Sunday, December 14, 2014

PROGRESS ON THE BLUE REVOLUTION



Blue Revolution Hawaii (BRH) held our annual dinner at Ocean House in Waikiki:


The organization is currently headed by Leighton Chong (patent attorney), standing in the back next to our sign, and Benny Ron (aquacultural lead at the University of Hawaii) at the left front.  Here they are to the left when they addressed the local Marine Technology Society.  Also on the board are John Farias (former director of Agriculture and UH regent), Matt Matsunaga (attorney and former State Senator, whose father, Sparky, was responsible for the first OTEC legislation in Congress), Kaiu Kimura (executive director of the Imiloa Astronomy Center), Dante Carpenter (chairman of Democratic Party and former State Senator) and Patrick Takahashi (former director of the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute at the University of Hawaii).  We had younger representation at this dinner, as compared to previous gatherings, shown in The Story of Blue Revolution Hawaii.

To summarize, BRH has proposed the Pacific International Ocean Station (PIOS--watch a summary of Pat's presentation to a Seasteading Institute conference in San Francisco), a grazing R&D plantship powered by ocean thermal energy conversion to develop the potential of marine co-products:  electricity, freshwater, next generation fisheries, marine biomass plantations, hydrogen, biomethanol, and other commodities, while possibly remediating global warming and preventing the formation of hurricanes.  This could be the first step for future floating cities and industrial parks.
While the anticipated cost of this adventure approaches $1.5 billion, this sum is a mere 1% the $150 billion International Space Station, which has yet to initiate a profitable company, and could well plunge to Planet Earth in 2020.  Can you imagine how much better the world would be today if we had a hundred PIOSs plying the oceans of the world, developing sustainable resources in harmony with the marine environment?

Governments and companies don't have the stomach nor capability for a program of this type.  Perhaps an enlightened billionaire and his friends seeking a monumental legacy might.  I show the photo of Larry Ellison, for he does own Lanai and was featured in one of my postings earlier this week.  He has not yet been officially contacted by BRH.  The blog site iBlue Revolution posts on fundraising for PIOS.  In the meantime, Leighton and Benny are initiating fundamental efforts to study this area.
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Friday, August 24, 2012

ENGINEERS AND ARCHITECTS OF HAWAII

Leighton Chong today made a presentation on the Pacific International Ocean Station to a capacity crowd of the Engineers and Architects of Hawaii at the TOPA Tower in downtown Honolulu. To the left is a photo of Leighton with the president of the organization, Howard Wiig, of the Hawaii Department of Planning, Economic Development and Tourism.  EAH was founded in 1902.


Friday August 24th

Speaker: Leighton K. Chong -- BRH COO & Counsel 

Title: Proposal For a Pacific International Ocean Station in Hawaii

71% of our Earth’s surface is water, and 80% of the heat of the Sun reaching Earth daily is stored as thermal energy in the oceans.  Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) can supply clean energy as well as food and water for mankind’s needs.  In-ocean research is needed to answer environmental, sustainability, climatological and economic feasibility questions whether and under what circumstances OTEC energy, food, water, and marine co-products processing can be sustainably and beneficially undertaken on a large scale.  Blue Revolution Hawaii, as presented by its COO & Counsel Leighton K. Chong, advocates building a Pacific International Ocean Station (PIOS) in Southwest Hawaiian EEZ waters as an in-ocean host platform for international cooperative research.  If successful, it could serve as a prototype for eventual large-scale ocean resource production facilities in a U.S. Marine Special Economic Zone (MSEZ) and, ultimately, a model for global ocean resources and economic development.


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Monday, February 6, 2012

PIOS PRE-PLANNING DINNER


Blue Revolution Hawaii (from left, Patrick Takahashi, Fujio Matsuda, John Farias, Al Yee and Leighton Chong), the conceivers of the Pacific International Ocean Station, held a pre-planning dinner meeting with Al Yee, chair of our technical committee and founder of Yee Precast Design Group, at Kahala Nui, to develop the initial visuals for the program.  Here is Al, circa 1960 and more recently when he was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the Hawaii Engineering Society:

These renderings will be utilized to set the stage for an international summit planned for the Fall of 2013.  Al's committee will meet every Wednesday in February at 5:30PM.  Inquiries welcomed.  Contact Leighton Chong at  lkmchong@aol.com.


(Note:  click on those terms in color to access additional information.)


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Friday, January 14, 2011

CHARTER BOARD MEETING OF BLUE REVOLUTION HAWAII

Our charter board meeting was held today at the Plaza Club.  The original members are Fujio Matsuda, John Farias, Guy Toyama, Leighton Chong and Patrick Takahashi (who is taking this photo):

After the meeting, I happened to see Reb Bellinger waiting for Mari, so I joined them for a long chat on the future of ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC). Makai Ocean Engineering, of course, is the local link to Lockheed Martin on their OTEC project, and the Blue Revolution is contingent on the commercial success of this technology.


Posted by Patrick Takahashi.
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Wednesday, January 12, 2011

LAUNCHING OF BLUE REVOLUTION HAWAII



Blue Revolution Hawaii was launched last night at a dinner inviting key supporters at the Ocean House Restaurant.  Organized by Leighton Chong, Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel for Blue Revolution Hawaii, with Guy Toyama as Headquarters Chief and yours truly serving as Lead Visionary, John Farias, Ken Sanders, Bill Spencer and Benny Ron joined us to discuss the future of the enterprise.  How's this for dedication:  both Benny and Guy ran the Honolulu Marathon today, and still looked good at this inaugural event.  Leighton provided the background and mission:


I might add that there is a fourth member of the original team, Sheridan Tatsuno, who is from California, pictured below with Leighton and me:

The four (Leighton, Sheridan, Guy and I) created the Blue Revolution Hawaii Manifesto (you need to scroll down to the second entry), while Leighton and I presented in November of this year a paper entitled, "The Blue Revolution:   Oceans as Ultimate Sustainable Resource," to the conferees at the Japan Eco Balance 2010 gathering in Tokyo.  In September I addressed the Japan Marine Technology Society with a talk on The Blue Revolution.

There is, of course, a long history associated with the Blue Revolution, a concept developed by a group of individuals, from U.S. Senator Spark Matsunaga, who introduced the first OTEC bill in 1979, to U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye, who articulated on the wisdom of the American Blue Revolution in 1992, to incoming Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie, all who have long supported what I think is most promising economic diversification pathway for the State of Hawaii.  It can't be only more tourism, nor outer space, nor traditional agriculture, nor fanciful high technology.   Certainly not more furloughs nor continued political bickering.   Hawaii is in the middle of the largest ocean, and the riches of the seas are our best hope for our future.

Step one for our Blue Revolution group will be an educational program to gain state-wide support for the ocean as a viable economic option for Hawaii, in harmony with the marine environment.  In time, there is a range of economic options leading to next generation fisheriesmarine biomass plantations, green chemicals and biofuels, and, ultimately, sustainable ocean cities, with prospects for remediation of global warming and hopes for reducing the dangers of hurricanes. 
  
We are aware of the Shimizu Green Float plan, and are exploring opportunities for an international partnership, with Hawaii, hopefully, as an important site for early experimentation. Their ultimate ocean pod is designed to be 3000 meters (2 miles) in diameter.


David Nagaishi and his staff at Outrigger Reef's Ocean House Restaurant were accommodating and creative in making all the arrangements for our gathering.  Thank you David.

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