Living heroes

As I find people who do amazing things, I want a way to keep track of them, to look them up again later to see what else they are doing. I'd also love to keep adding to this list, having it grow larger and better over time.

The people on this list have to
1. still be alive
2. blow my mind.

I'm not putting actors or athletes in here... I want engineers, inventors, and scientists. People who devote their lives to making something bigger and better than they are... I'm not putting in politicians or rulers either. They get plenty of recognition for the things they didn't do.

These are my heroes. and It's a damn shame people  know more about the guy who threw a pass in the last superbowl than the guy who created an artificial living cell with DNA he encoded with the signatures of his entire team.

Dean Kamen Not just the Segway, not by a long shot.

Craig Venter  This guy is a hairless cat and a private island away from being a Bond villain. 

Pranav Mistry gesture based applications for a projector on a necklace.

Burt Rutan making spaceships

Kevin Kelly cool tools man, Cool Tools!  

yousin suh wanna live forever? watch what she's doing.

Michael Hart public domains best friend is project gutenburg

Carl Malamud fighting the good fight for public domain 

Sal Khan well done, free online lessons, this guy rocks!

Adrian Bowyer  bringing us to a post industrial age... by making a machine that can make itself

Jason Clay convincing corporations that sustainability is better than profit.

Hans Rosling what this guy can do with a spreadsheet is amazing

Ray Tomlinson the man invented email. how cool is that?

Clay Shirky internet guru.

Leon Chua inventor of the memristor.   what will most likely lead to thinking machines.

Jack Bitterly  using a flywheel as a mechanical battery

Henrietta Lacks born in 1920, died 1951 still on this list of living heroes.  

Steve Mann all hail the Ubergeek.

Kevin Warwick the man planted a chip in his and his wifes arm to see if he could become telepathic 

Lonnie Johnson super soakers and solar panels, this man has the soul of Thomas Edison.

(added 1-31-2011)
Vladimir Miranov the master of Schmeat
(added 2-2-2011)
Aubrey de Grey and the Methuselah Mouse project

(added 2-4-2011)
Dale Dougherty, Maker


(added 2-6-2011)
Tan Le and the god helmet.




(I've created a permanent home at living-heroes.blogspot.com) and will no longer update here.