In 1989, while in univeristy, I went to Japan on an AIESEC traineeship. It was an awesome experience!
While I was there, I attended the World Design Expo in Nagoya.
The theme of the conference was Fire. Anything goes. So there was lots of different aspects featured.
There was a whole section of graphic arts, with many posters on fire safefy.
Another section had fire safety products. One product in particular that I thought was rather smart was a fire safety device for buildings. It looked like the long tape you would use to measure distances in track and field. If there was a fire in a building, and the fire escape was blocked, you would anchor one end around something fixed in the office. The other end would go under your armpits. Jump through the window. It would slowly lower you to the ground at a constant speed. On September 11th I remembered it. Perhaps it wouldn't be long enough for so many stories. But it was long enough to go to a floor below the fire.
The second grand prize went to this solar energy cooker.
The idea behind the cooker was that in developing countries, green trees were being cut down for firewood, because all the dead wood had already been burned up. Fewer green trees meant more carbon dioxide, and less oxygen being produced. This is causing an ecological imbalance. The idea was to eliminate burning altogether.
