My dad was an engineer and I spent countless hours tinkering with him on the DIY projects he had going on around our house, from using an oscilloscope and hand tools, to being allowed to drive the tractor, learning how to set spark plugs and change a timing belt, swapping out alternators, building a computer and soldering circuit paths on to an early motherboard .

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Super-G gold medalist Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal, quickest on the downhill, slid out near the finish to spark scenes of wild celebration as Miller realized the gold was his after drawing blank in the 2006 Winter Games in Turin.

CNN: Bode Miller wins first Olympic gold medal

In developing the Spark EV, Chevrolet set out to help customers conserve as much total energy as possible to maximize battery range.

ENGADGET: Chevy details 2014 Spark EV: under $25,000, 0-60 in 8 seconds and a 20-minute fast charge

Nonetheless, the spark seems to have gone out of the electric car market in the US recently and it has been a troubling time for some of the green technology start-up companies involved in the sector.

BBC: Tesla Motors sparks up first profit in 10-year history

In the end, both questions point to the same impulse, and the same spark of ambition: a desire to make something defiantly big out of the little you are given.

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