I&#x27;m interested in &quot;off the grid&quot; living, so I&#x27;d like to see some technologies to support that.  For example, some good solution to the Internet without depending on expensive telecom companies (e.g. some kind of meshnet, or perhaps land-line based grid that relies on personally-owned routers).  Also, can we make home electricity generation cheap and simple enough so that non-experts can figure it out?  How about home production of auto fuel, such as ethanol or biodiesel, based on something you can grow in your backyard?<p>I&#x27;d be focused on cheapness, ease of setup, and ease of use with these challenges.  Making a windmill more efficient than oil, or ethanol more efficient than gasoline, is not realistic and not necessary to the value proposition of personal independence off the grid.<p>The vision I have is: being able to have electricity and water, Internet and telephone, without having any monthly bills from utility companies.<p>I don&#x27;t know how you&#x27;d set the parameters for a contest, or how you&#x27;d measure when you&#x27;ve arrived.  This kind of lifestyle may be (mostly) possible today, but you&#x27;d have to have engineering skills and a lot of free time to make it work.