A better home - The Straits Times

A better home
Changes that impact people most are those that directly impact
their lives. Here’s a quick overview of some of the projects in this
section, tied to us and our homes.
1
Take a book,
leave a book
2
Baby-crying
translator
8
A refrigerator made of clay
to preserve food & medicines
A young start-up in Morocco is
aiming to provide natural
clay-based refrigerators to low-income
communities to help them store food as
well as medicines for longer. This would
allow them to save on electricity bills too.
Is your home library
looking too neat?
How about swopping
some books? A small,
lovely cabinet with books
attracts many people in
Azerbaijan’s capital Baku.
This is the very place to
make a stop and delve
into a world of important
knowledge. Drop off some
old books, and pick up
new ones, at any time of
the day.
Can’t figure out why
your baby is crying?
This app might help.
Developed by scientists in
Taiwan, it can decode the
crying of babies. And it
takes only 15 seconds to
give its view.
3
Help for
mums with
little ones
Ain’t life tough
when you have a
newborn baby? But
mothers who have
gone through it
understand. One in
Moscow has floated a “Mother Works” to help young
mothers find work at their convenience and for the
duration they are willing to work.
4
Help for the
elderly with
a click
“Jaga” in Malay
means “to guard”, and its
founders aim to ensure
that you can attend to the
needs of your elderly loved
ones at home. Caregivers
can now engage a nurse to
make a house call with the
click of a button.
5
Chucking
bottles?
They can be
recycled
Don’t we all have lots
of bottles to discard,
often after a
get-together? A civil
association set up in
Mexico has recycled
tonnes of glass from
bottles into necklaces,
earrings, cufflinks and
more, and helped
several people too.
6
Hush now,
have a cup
and reflect
Had a busy
week? Time to
unwind. Check out
the Hush Teabar in
Singapore. It works
with individuals to
help them reflect
and relax, through
a four-stage “Rush
to Hush” session.
Its aim, founder Anthea Ong says, is “to encourage
silence and awareness for the modern/busy lifestyle”.
7
Game to share
a meal?
Someone,
somewhere
doesn’t have enough to
eat. Why not think of
them and contribute
just a few cents when
we have our regular
meals? Thousands of
people are already
doing that, with just a
click of a button. But
you must agree to
donate a few cents too.
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