14-year-old self taught engineer makes electricity for village.

June 7, 2012 9:24 PM

William Kamkwamba was a 14 year old self-taught engineering whiz when he built his own windmill.
posted by PeterMcDermott (8 comments total)

Great stuff. I love the bicycle up in the tower. That's creativity under duress.

The best meal I ever had in my life was in a remote restaurant in Jalisco, Mexico, an hour up a rough road from Puerto Vallarta, where all the cooking was done in an adobe oven and iron stove using wood. But they had a TV, and that TV was showing nonstop 80s pop hits, and it was powered by a series of windmills made from tin cans that were clamped onto the railing overlooking a very large ravine or valley. It was wonderful.
posted by Fnarf at 9:46 PM on June 7, 2012

Previously
posted by unliteral at 9:46 PM on June 7, 2012 [1 favorite]

I read his book. It's inspiring.
posted by dirigibleman at 9:54 PM on June 7, 2012 [1 favorite]

Bravo William, bravo. At 14, I was making paper airplanes, he made a working windmill.
posted by arcticseal at 10:27 PM on June 7, 2012

Thanks for this!
posted by Kerasia at 10:46 PM on June 7, 2012

2006?
posted by rmmcclay at 11:09 PM on June 7, 2012

His 2007 TED talk.
posted by James Scott-Brown at 12:41 AM on June 8, 2012

He's going to Dartmouth College now, majoring in engineering.
posted by A dead Quaker at 3:35 AM on June 8, 2012