Abstract: Among other things, participants who belong to a group/crowd or group of participants can provide indications of relative values of ideas that belong to a body of ideas. A rank ordering according to the relative values of at least some of the ideas of the body is derived based on the indications provided by the participants. The participants can provide the indications in two or more rounds. Each of at least some of the participants provide the indications with respect to fewer than all of the ideas in the body in each of the rounds. Between each of at least one pair of successive rounds, the set of ideas is updated to reduce the role of some of the ideas in the next round. Voting can by synchronous, i.e. more or less simultaneously, or asynchronous, i.e. where voting occurs as groups of voters are reaching a critical mass (min number) to allow distribution of ideas groups.

Abstract: Among other things, participants who belong to a group/crowd or group of participants can provide indications of relative values of ideas that belong to a body of ideas. A rank ordering according to the relative values of at least some of the ideas of the body is derived based on the indications provided by the participants. The participants can provide the indications in two or more rounds. Each of at least some of the participants provide the indications with respect to fewer than all of the ideas in the body in each of the rounds. Between each of at least one pair of successive rounds, the set of ideas is updated to reduce the role of some of the ideas in the next round. Voting can by synchronous, i.e. more or less simultaneously, or asynchronous, i.e. where voting occurs as groups of voters are reaching a critical mass (min number) to allow distribution of ideas groups.

Abstract: A system and method for algorithmic selection of a consensus from a collection of ideas is disclosed. A group of ideas is provided to a group of participants for voting. Voting may occur in a single round or in several successive rounds, optionally until a consensus idea is chosen. Typically, the votes that are cast use discrete levels, such as “approve”, “disapprove”, “positive”, “neutral” or “negative”. For ideas that receive the same votes, a differentiator may be the time spent casting the vote. A relatively long evaluation time may signal some internal conflict in the mind of the participant, when compared with a relatively short evaluation time, which may signal no such conflict. The evaluation time may be combined with the rating of the participant to form a weighted rating. Consequently, a short evaluation time of a positive rating may yield a more positive weighted rating, while a short evaluation time of a negative rating may yield a more negative weighted rating.

Abstract: A system and method for algorithmic selection of a consensus from a collection of ideas is disclosed. A group of ideas is provided to a group of participants for voting. Voting may occur in a single round or in several successive rounds, optionally until a consensus idea is chosen. Typically, the votes that are cast use discrete levels, such as “approve”, “disapprove”, “positive”, “neutral” or “negative”. For ideas that receive the same votes, a differentiator may be the time spent casting the vote. A relatively long evaluation time may signal some internal conflict in the mind of the participant, when compared with a relatively short evaluation time, which may signal no such conflict. The evaluation time may be combined with the rating of the participant to form a weighted rating. Consequently, a short evaluation time of a positive rating may yield a more positive weighted rating, while a short evaluation time of a negative rating may yield a more negative weighted rating.

Abstract: A method of forming a consensus from a collection of ideas is disclosed. The ideas are divided into non-exclusive groups for evaluation, with each group being provided to a participant for voting. The votes are tallied, and for each idea a “win percentage” is calculated, which is defined as the ratio of the number of groups in which a particular idea wins the voting, divided by the number of groups in which a particular idea appears. Each idea that has a “win percentage” that exceeds a particular threshold is passed on to one or more subsequent rounds of voting. In the first round of voting, the groups are configured so that no two ideas compete against each other more than once.

Abstract: Among other things, participants who belong to a group/crowd or group of participants can provide indications of relative values of ideas that belong to a body of ideas. A rank ordering according to the relative values of at least some of the ideas of the body is derived based on the indications provided by the participants. The participants can provide the indications in two or more rounds. Each of at least some of the participants provide the indications with respect to fewer than all of the ideas in the body in each of the rounds. Between each of at least one pair of successive rounds, the set of ideas is updated to reduce the role of some of the ideas in the next round. Voting can by synchronous, i.e. more or less simultaneously, or asynchronous, i.e. where voting occurs as groups of voters are reaching a critical mass (min number) to allow distribution of ideas groups.

Abstract: Among other things, participants who belong to a group/crowd or group of participants can provide indications of relative values of ideas that belong to a body of ideas. A rank ordering according to the relative values of at least some of the ideas of the body is derived based on the indications provided by the participants. The participants can provide the indications in two or more rounds. Each of at least some of the participants provide the indications with respect to fewer than all of the ideas in the body in each of the rounds. Between each of at least one pair of successive rounds, the set of ideas is updated to reduce the role of some of the ideas in the next round. Voting can by synchronous, i.e. more or less simultaneously, or asynchronous, i.e. where voting occurs as groups of voters are reaching a critical mass (min number) to allow distribution of ideas groups.

Abstract: A system and method for algorithmic selection of a consensus from a collection of ideas is disclosed. A group of ideas is provided to a group of participants for voting. Voting may occur in a single round or in several successive rounds, optionally until a consensus idea is chosen. Typically, the votes that are cast use discrete levels, such as “approve”, “disapprove”, “positive”, “neutral” or “negative”. For ideas that receive the same votes, a differentiator may be the time spent casting the vote. A relatively long evaluation time may signal some internal conflict in the mind of the participant, when compared with a relatively short evaluation time, which may signal no such conflict. The evaluation time may be combined with the rating of the participant to form a weighted rating. Consequently, a short evaluation time of a positive rating may yield a more positive weighted rating, while a short evaluation time of a negative rating may yield a more negative weighted rating.

Abstract: Among other things, participants who belong to a crowd of participants can provide indications of relative values of ideas that belong to a body of ideas. A rank ordering according to the relative values of at least some of the ideas of the body is derived based on the indications provided by the participants. The participants can provide the indications in two or more rounds. Each of at least some of the participants provide the indications with respect to fewer than all of the ideas in the body in each of the rounds. Between each of at least one pair of successive rounds, the set of ideas is updated to reduce the role of some of the ideas in the next round.

Abstract: A system and method for algorithmic selection of a consensus from a collection of ideas is disclosed. A group of ideas is provided to a group of participants for voting. Voting may occur in a single round or in several successive rounds, optionally until a consensus idea is chosen. Typically, the votes that are cast use discrete levels, such as “approve”, “disapprove”, “positive”, “neutral” or “negative”. For ideas that receive the same votes, a differentiator may be the time spent casting the vote. A relatively long evaluation time may signal some internal conflict in the mind of the participant, when compared with a relatively short evaluation time, which may signal no such conflict. The evaluation time may be combined with the rating of the participant to form a weighted rating. Consequently, a short evaluation time of a positive rating may yield a more positive weighted rating, while a short evaluation time of a negative rating may yield a more negative weighted rating.

Abstract: A system and method for algorithmic selection of a consensus from a collection of ideas is disclosed. A group of ideas is provided to a group of participants for voting. Voting may occur in a single round or in several successive rounds, optionally until a consensus idea is chosen. Typically, the votes that are cast use discrete levels, such as “approve”, “disapprove”, “positive”, “neutral” or “negative”. For ideas that receive the same votes, a differentiator may be the time spent casting the vote. A relatively long evaluation time may signal some internal conflict in the mind of the participant, when compared with a relatively short evaluation time, which may signal no such conflict. The evaluation time may be combined with the rating of the participant to form a weighted rating. Consequently, a short evaluation time of a positive rating may yield a more positive weighted rating, while a short evaluation time of a negative rating may yield a more negative weighted rating.

Abstract: A method of forming a consensus from a collection of ideas is disclosed. The ideas are divided into non-exclusive groups for evaluation, with each group being provided to a participant for voting. The votes are tallied, and for each idea a “win percentage” is calculated, which is defined as the ratio of the number of groups in which a particular idea wins the voting, divided by the number of groups in which a particular idea appears. Each idea that has a “win percentage” that exceeds a particular threshold is passed on to one or more subsequent rounds of voting. In the first round of voting, the groups are configured so that no two ideas compete against each other more than once.

Abstract: Biomass is devolatilized to produce both a combustible fuel (syngas) and activated carbon. The activated carbon is used as an adsorbent to capture a contaminant, such as mercury, and stored in a landfill, is impregnated with components with inherent fertilizer properties and tilled into arable land, is used along with coal in an electric power generation facility, or is used to remove mercury or other heavy metals from the flue gas of a coal fired power generation station prior to being stored so as to sequester both carbon and the heavy metal. Thus, both the carbon and the adsorbed mercury or other chemical are sequestered.

Abstract: Biomass or refuse-derived fuels (10) and seawater or other non-potable water are used as an input to a combustor/evaporator (15, 20). The resulting steam heats a working fluid in an Organic Rankine Cycle (30, 50, 60, 75) process which drives a turbine (50) to produce mechanical rotation. This rotation can be used to directly drive a process or to generate electricity. The heating of the working fluid cools the steam to produce purified water. The evaporator provides a water purification process for both the separation of dissolved components as well as providing for thermal pasteurization/sterilization. Suitable water inputs are seawater, brackish water and water with those waterborne diseases and pathogens which can be killed through pasteurization/sterilization.

Abstract: A system and method for algorithmic selection of a consensus from a collection of ideas is disclosed. A group of ideas is provided to a group of participants for voting. Voting may occur in a single round or in several successive rounds, optionally until a consensus idea is chosen. Typically, the votes that are cast use discrete levels, such as “approve”, “disapprove”, “positive”, “neutral” or “negative”. For ideas that receive the same votes, a differentiator may be the time spent casting the vote. A relatively long evaluation time may signal some internal conflict in the mind of the participant, when compared with a relatively short evaluation time, which may signal no such conflict. The evaluation time may be combined with the rating of the participant to form a weighted rating. Consequently, a short evaluation time of a positive rating may yield a more positive weighted rating, while a short evaluation time of a negative rating may yield a more negative weighted rating.

Abstract: A method of forming a consensus from a collection of ideas is disclosed. The ideas may be generated by a collection of participants, or may be provided to the collection of participants. The ideas are divided into non-exclusive groups for evaluation, with each group being provided to a participant for voting. Each participant chooses a favorite idea from the group, or selects a first and second choice, or a first, second and third choice. The votes are tallied, and for each idea a “win percentage” is calculated, which is defined as the ratio of the number of groups in which a particular idea wins the voting, divided by the number of groups in which a particular idea appears. Each idea that has a “win percentage” that exceeds a particular threshold is passed on to one or more subsequent rounds of voting. If desired, the voting may continue until a single idea is chosen as the consensus. In some rounds of voting, the groups are configured so that a participant does not vote on his/her own idea.

Abstract: The invention provides a circuit breaker panel with several safety features. The main breaker is separated from the circuit breakers by a non-conducting shield. The main breaker is also covered by a transparent, non-conducting shield. A further transparent non-conducting shield separates the circuit breakers from the neutral and ground bus bars. The neutral and ground bus bars are offset from one another to prevent wire crowding. Bending posts extending from the back plate of the panel help control the wire in the panel to prevent it from crossing bus bars or circuit breakers.