How did the myth about the moon being made out of cheese start? –Yoshi1009, via AOL
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Why is it such a problem to convert salt water to freshwater? I remember doing an experiment in eighth-grade science where we put a magnifying glass to salt water, added sunlight, and through the magic of heat and condensation, presto, freshwater! Why can’t a giant magnifying glass be put over a section of the ocean, and the condensation be collected for all of the drought-stricken countries?
Now, Thirsty, surely you can appreciate that there might be some difficulty in scaling up from an eighth-grade science experiment. You don’t see a lot of power companies plugging electrodes into giant potatoes. Similar problems attend the implementation of planet-sized magnifying glasses. But don’t worry, desalinating seawater isn’t as tough as you think.
You may consider this more technological detail than you need to know, but that’s because you’re not seeing the big picture. A mere 12 years from now the first baby boomers will reach retirement age. Retirement homes in warm climates are likely to be in big demand…but lack of water will be a major obstacle. Whoever figures out how to supply the Arizonas of the world with water, through desalination or other means, ain’t gonna have to worry about whether his social security check got lost in the mail.
