Cochran's Quake Catcher Network is the Imaginative Idea of the Week

April 26, 2010 - PRLog -- There are millions of laptop computers many containing accelerometers that could be used to alert people of imminent danger. The accelerometers were originally installed in the laptops to shut down hard drives if machines fell. Elizabeth Cochran of the University of California at Riverside recognized the potential to use them in earthquake alerts and has mobilized people to download software that even functions when the laptop is not being used.

In making the award the Imagination Gardener responded to Dr. Cochran's statement, "My research includes a range of projects and reflects the advantages gained by examining a problem from several perspectives."

According to Mick Mortlock of the Imagination Gardener, "this propensity to look from multiple perspectives is critical to developing imaginative ideas. We encourage everyone to download the Quake Catcher Software. http://qcn.stanford.edu/downloads/index.php#Network

The Imagination Gardener presents weekly recognition to the most significant imaginative ideas.  "We are asking fans of imagination to refer future potential winners to us at our website: http://www.imaginationgardener.com," said Mick Mortlock of the Imagination Gardener.

About Mick Mortlock: Mortlock was named one of America's leading futurists by The Public Manager Magazine, a prominent publication reaching federal, state and county government leaders. His career was recently profiled in The Oregonian, and he serves on the boards of several  non-profits.

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About Mick Mortlock: Mick Mortlock speaks, writes and consults about imagination. He was named one of America's leading futurists by The Public Manager, a prominent publication reaching federal, state and county government leaders. He has had a successful career creating large learning and development organizations for Fortune 200 companies. His career was recently profiled in The Oregonian.