4 group presentations this week wrapped up the last session of our TWC module and it proved to be yet another fruitful lesson!
Lucas's group covered Technology and Armageddon and the role playing manner of presentation was a plus point. It is interesting because it is always discussed that, given the amount of harm we're doing to Earth, how long can it survive and when is the end of the world?
Then our group gave our views on Diseases and Technology to combat it, to give hope to others and to spread the awareness. our solutions were centred around developing technological equipment to help people keep track of their health status /to detect any potential diseases which one may catch, but at the same time to create awareness so that they could help in the prevention of its spread.
the 3rd group focused on Technology and the Art. This is actually a very interesting topic as they group expounded on how technology like lighting and visuals help to piece together modern art pieces. On a side note, they presented tooo much content during their presentation and thus lost my attention midway.
Lastly, Prema's group web report was on Women and Technology, and this I especially liked. Their transition from one speaker to another using videos was smart and the content was sufficient. However, they went the extra mile to provide some other information/content that women would like such as online shopping. Not only did they cover on how technology has empowered women in their website, they also seeked to enhance the level of interest with the incorporation of online shop's website. This is actually very interesting.
On the whole, this session's presentation was enriching and a good conclusion to the entire TWC module. I'd give an 8/10! :)
Although this may mark the end of being formally educated about Technology and World Change, I believe that learning does not stop here. TWC has sparked my interest in exploring and I shall continue to keep abreast of the latest technologies and its impact on changing the world. :)
Sunday, November 14, 2010
11: First Session of Group Project Presentation
This lesson saw 3 groups coming up to present on their final web report. Personally, I feel that it is interesting to present the website that each group has done, instead of coming up with a separate set of powerpoint slides like the usual standards of presentation.
It is always nerve-wrecking to be the first to start off something, but the group that touched on air transport did a pretty good job. What instantly captured my attention was the fact that the web report was a good simulation of the topic which they were responsible for because it looked exactly the view a captain would get from his cockpit. They mentioned about how air transport has changed the world and what they would look forward to. Here, the idea of developing flying cars in the future was really appealing, however it brings with it the concern that there'd be air traffic congestion and also the fact that the monitoring of air traffic proves to be much more difficult, as compared to on land.
After which the 2nd group focused on Clearing up Space as they were concerned that more and more space junk is accumulating. The information provided was consistent and systematic, highlighting the key components of space junk, how detrimental it is and the way to clear them up. However, it would be interesting for them to spice up their presentation with role playing or more videos because too much content said would lose the attention of their audiences.
Finally, the 3rd group presented on Technology in dealing with Land Constraints. Content-wise, it was good and the part of role playing and depicting the past+future managed to capture my attention.Another good point was that they were able to combine various concepts and knowledge from previous lessons (e.g ICT and Alternative energy) into their solutions for the future.
All in all, i'd give a 7.5/10 for this lesson!
It is always nerve-wrecking to be the first to start off something, but the group that touched on air transport did a pretty good job. What instantly captured my attention was the fact that the web report was a good simulation of the topic which they were responsible for because it looked exactly the view a captain would get from his cockpit. They mentioned about how air transport has changed the world and what they would look forward to. Here, the idea of developing flying cars in the future was really appealing, however it brings with it the concern that there'd be air traffic congestion and also the fact that the monitoring of air traffic proves to be much more difficult, as compared to on land.
After which the 2nd group focused on Clearing up Space as they were concerned that more and more space junk is accumulating. The information provided was consistent and systematic, highlighting the key components of space junk, how detrimental it is and the way to clear them up. However, it would be interesting for them to spice up their presentation with role playing or more videos because too much content said would lose the attention of their audiences.
Finally, the 3rd group presented on Technology in dealing with Land Constraints. Content-wise, it was good and the part of role playing and depicting the past+future managed to capture my attention.Another good point was that they were able to combine various concepts and knowledge from previous lessons (e.g ICT and Alternative energy) into their solutions for the future.
All in all, i'd give a 7.5/10 for this lesson!
Monday, October 25, 2010
10: Technology Assessment and Forecasting
Technology Assessment and Forecasting was a topic pretty alien to me because I have never come across this term before. But today's lesson and the readings provided beforehand served to enlighten me a little on this aspect.
In current times, new technologies are abundant and growing. But before these new technologies surface, it is of utmost important that they undergo a string of assessments to ensure that they qualify the minimum requirements for it to be commercialised in the market. That aside, technological assessments help check the ethical issues involved to minimise any conflicts arising from it. This is simply known as ethical technology assessment (eTA) as presented by Hannah today. By adopting a particular framework in the following sequence,doesn't matter the order,(parliamentary,expert,participatory,constructive,argumentative,health TA) new technologies can be critically studied, evaluated, and presented in its best for acceptance by the general public.
Then, there comes technology forecasting, that deals with characteristics of a future technology without having to state how these characteristics are achieved. It is to predict how the future be like and the human dependency on it. From the past weeks of presentations, we've seen how technology transcended from the past to the present, some of which having future projections as well. The future projection will thus fall under the forecasting part, many of which involves strategic foresight from those in the relevant field. Strategic Foresight is the ability to create and maintain a high-quality, coherent and functional forward view, and to use the insights arising in useful organisational ways.(Slaughter (1999) p287). We could say that back then, many already had this strategic foresight which is why we are where we are today. These people pictured a future and many rode on the wave to work on this ideal and technological future, giving us even more room for bold foresights/ even actual implementation of ideas today. Shown below is something interesting on House of the Future.
It is indeed true that, “Tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today. – African Proverb”. If one is able to extend his sights into the future, dream big and bold, he is likely to embrace the future with optimism and enthusiasm. “My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there – Charles Kettering”, and yes, why not? By actively forecasting/contributing to futurology, we will not be discounting ourselves from the future benefits to be yielded.
I’d rate today’s lesson a 6.75/10 because much as technology assessment & forecasting can be a fresh topic for discussion, the content can be a bit dry and disengaging. But still, good job presenters!
In current times, new technologies are abundant and growing. But before these new technologies surface, it is of utmost important that they undergo a string of assessments to ensure that they qualify the minimum requirements for it to be commercialised in the market. That aside, technological assessments help check the ethical issues involved to minimise any conflicts arising from it. This is simply known as ethical technology assessment (eTA) as presented by Hannah today. By adopting a particular framework in the following sequence,doesn't matter the order,(parliamentary,expert,participatory,constructive,argumentative,health TA) new technologies can be critically studied, evaluated, and presented in its best for acceptance by the general public.
Then, there comes technology forecasting, that deals with characteristics of a future technology without having to state how these characteristics are achieved. It is to predict how the future be like and the human dependency on it. From the past weeks of presentations, we've seen how technology transcended from the past to the present, some of which having future projections as well. The future projection will thus fall under the forecasting part, many of which involves strategic foresight from those in the relevant field. Strategic Foresight is the ability to create and maintain a high-quality, coherent and functional forward view, and to use the insights arising in useful organisational ways.(Slaughter (1999) p287). We could say that back then, many already had this strategic foresight which is why we are where we are today. These people pictured a future and many rode on the wave to work on this ideal and technological future, giving us even more room for bold foresights/ even actual implementation of ideas today. Shown below is something interesting on House of the Future.
It is indeed true that, “Tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today. – African Proverb”. If one is able to extend his sights into the future, dream big and bold, he is likely to embrace the future with optimism and enthusiasm. “My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there – Charles Kettering”, and yes, why not? By actively forecasting/contributing to futurology, we will not be discounting ourselves from the future benefits to be yielded.
I’d rate today’s lesson a 6.75/10 because much as technology assessment & forecasting can be a fresh topic for discussion, the content can be a bit dry and disengaging. But still, good job presenters!
Monday, October 18, 2010
9: Emerging and Future Technologies
Technological advancement is forwarding at breakneck speed and we seem to be having countless emerging technologies given scientists’ thirst for betterment. Each and every emerging technology holds tremendous promise for uplifting the collective quality of life. Some are under way while others may take years for their current imagination to take its mould. More often than not, these technologies tend to bring about hot debates with regards to its social, economic and political implications but taken together however, these technologies can not only sharply improve the world in which we live, they can also alter us humans, thereby forever moulding and improving our quality of life.
Below is an envisioned future by Microsoft which encompasses the issue on augmented reality, holographs, electronic papers etc. Very interesting to watch and it's good to look forward to such a future.
Below is an article that clearly sums up the future technologies
http://www.naturalnews.com/SpecialReports/EmergingTechnologies.pdf
Today's focus was on nanotechnology, touch-screen technology, electronic papers, biometrics, gaming and SMART cards.
Nanotechnology is defined as the engineer of functional systems on a molecular scale and can be used to create materials or devices with a vast array of applications such as in medicine, electronics, biomaterial and energy production. Here, reading 2 was provided to give a clearer understanding of the works of nanotechnology and some potential concerns that were brought up in the course of this development. One of which was the fact that it could widen digital divide because of the increasing amount of patents applied for privatisation of nanotechnology ownership, thereby denying the poorer nations access to this technology that could potentially benefit them in many areas.
Having said that, there are many benefits to yield from development of nanotechnology. Under the technical excellence award 2009, from reading 3, many important and innovative technological achievements were recognized. One of which that caught my attention was the one on TOUCHTECH CAPCITIVE GLOVES that incorporated the use of nanoscience and technology. The people behind this captured the fact that there are limitations to capacitive touch screen technology, one of which is that when people put on gloves, the touch screens became less responsive. This discovery led to the birth of the TOUCHTECH CAPACITIVE GLOVES that is made of fabric with nanoparticles so that when one puts on these gloves, he can still operate the touch screens effectively. This is just one of the few prospects of nanotechnology, many of which are still in the making.
Speaking of which Shuna gave us an insight on touch-technology being the highly sought after component in many equipment today. The usage of electronic papers, biometrics, smart cards was also introduced and this whole host of technological improvements seem to be a confluence of the 4 smarts which prof mentioned- smart PEOPLE, IDEAS, MONEY, ALLIANCE AND PARTNERSHIP.
Take for example, the transition from the initial touch screen technology (that could only recognize single bodily contact with the screen), to the current multi-touch technology. With the smart idea of developing the multi-touch technology such that the screen can simultaneously register three or more distinct position of input touch, University of Toronto's Input Research Group went on with rounds and rounds of experiments and testing to finally create the first human-input multi-touch system. But it was only with the increasing popularity that APPLE's iPhone gained, that gradually commercialised the multi-touch technology, since APPLE was the first to introduce multi-touch technology to a mobile device because they saw its potential in attracting consumers and reaping huge profits. With the 4 SMARTS, new technologies are born and consistently upheld/improved on.
“In terms of the development and application of new and emerging technologies, we are limited only by our imagination- and, all too often, the lack thereof”. I do agree with this but I'd think that this was applicable only in the past, when we were less tech-savvy,when technology wasn't as much a important part of our lives and when we were more conservative and less receptive to seemingly unrealistic yet ideal goals.
But with the rise in the Western powers over the years, conservative thinking has gone to be a thing of the past. People embrace change; bold and new ideas are highly lauded. This has effectively led to the current improvements in technology and thus does not seem to justify the above statement because it has progressed to the extent where the imaginations are so wild and unpredictable. Just like the above video of our future envisioned by Microsoft, we could well be headed for an entirely technology based world. Where we wake in the morning and read the news on holographic projections on the mirror, where we can choose products via the augmented reality and where the connection between us and the virtual world is so close it goes unnoticeable.
As long as there is the existence of that envision, there are bound to be people who welcome it and seek to work towards such a future. We are no longer limited by our imaginations, but instead our imagination now promises to bring us through the wildest, most exciting and much anticipated future ahead.
Today's lesson was an eye-opener because it exposed me to a whole range of exotic projections towards the near future. Especially the insights of the presentation and the relevant videos that were screened. I'd rate it a 9/10! :)
Below is an envisioned future by Microsoft which encompasses the issue on augmented reality, holographs, electronic papers etc. Very interesting to watch and it's good to look forward to such a future.
Below is an article that clearly sums up the future technologies
http://www.naturalnews.com/SpecialReports/EmergingTechnologies.pdf
Today's focus was on nanotechnology, touch-screen technology, electronic papers, biometrics, gaming and SMART cards.
Nanotechnology is defined as the engineer of functional systems on a molecular scale and can be used to create materials or devices with a vast array of applications such as in medicine, electronics, biomaterial and energy production. Here, reading 2 was provided to give a clearer understanding of the works of nanotechnology and some potential concerns that were brought up in the course of this development. One of which was the fact that it could widen digital divide because of the increasing amount of patents applied for privatisation of nanotechnology ownership, thereby denying the poorer nations access to this technology that could potentially benefit them in many areas.
Having said that, there are many benefits to yield from development of nanotechnology. Under the technical excellence award 2009, from reading 3, many important and innovative technological achievements were recognized. One of which that caught my attention was the one on TOUCHTECH CAPCITIVE GLOVES that incorporated the use of nanoscience and technology. The people behind this captured the fact that there are limitations to capacitive touch screen technology, one of which is that when people put on gloves, the touch screens became less responsive. This discovery led to the birth of the TOUCHTECH CAPACITIVE GLOVES that is made of fabric with nanoparticles so that when one puts on these gloves, he can still operate the touch screens effectively. This is just one of the few prospects of nanotechnology, many of which are still in the making.
Speaking of which Shuna gave us an insight on touch-technology being the highly sought after component in many equipment today. The usage of electronic papers, biometrics, smart cards was also introduced and this whole host of technological improvements seem to be a confluence of the 4 smarts which prof mentioned- smart PEOPLE, IDEAS, MONEY, ALLIANCE AND PARTNERSHIP.
Take for example, the transition from the initial touch screen technology (that could only recognize single bodily contact with the screen), to the current multi-touch technology. With the smart idea of developing the multi-touch technology such that the screen can simultaneously register three or more distinct position of input touch, University of Toronto's Input Research Group went on with rounds and rounds of experiments and testing to finally create the first human-input multi-touch system. But it was only with the increasing popularity that APPLE's iPhone gained, that gradually commercialised the multi-touch technology, since APPLE was the first to introduce multi-touch technology to a mobile device because they saw its potential in attracting consumers and reaping huge profits. With the 4 SMARTS, new technologies are born and consistently upheld/improved on.
“In terms of the development and application of new and emerging technologies, we are limited only by our imagination- and, all too often, the lack thereof”. I do agree with this but I'd think that this was applicable only in the past, when we were less tech-savvy,when technology wasn't as much a important part of our lives and when we were more conservative and less receptive to seemingly unrealistic yet ideal goals.
But with the rise in the Western powers over the years, conservative thinking has gone to be a thing of the past. People embrace change; bold and new ideas are highly lauded. This has effectively led to the current improvements in technology and thus does not seem to justify the above statement because it has progressed to the extent where the imaginations are so wild and unpredictable. Just like the above video of our future envisioned by Microsoft, we could well be headed for an entirely technology based world. Where we wake in the morning and read the news on holographic projections on the mirror, where we can choose products via the augmented reality and where the connection between us and the virtual world is so close it goes unnoticeable.
As long as there is the existence of that envision, there are bound to be people who welcome it and seek to work towards such a future. We are no longer limited by our imaginations, but instead our imagination now promises to bring us through the wildest, most exciting and much anticipated future ahead.
Today's lesson was an eye-opener because it exposed me to a whole range of exotic projections towards the near future. Especially the insights of the presentation and the relevant videos that were screened. I'd rate it a 9/10! :)
Monday, October 11, 2010
8: Energy and World Change
In this day and age, we constantly discuss the fact and emphasize the importance that technology has had on world change. It doesn’t seem to be coming to a standstill anytime soon, unlike other things that could remain stagnant once its peak has been attained. Instead, it is progressing much faster than we expect it to be because of the simple fact that research is always ongoing and there is a constant flow of funding towards the technological field. Currently, there is a whole host of emerging technologies identified, some of which contains the most prominent ongoing developments, advances and innovations in various fields of modern technology.
For the past 7 weeks, we have touched on biotechnologies such as genetic engineering of food/crops to reduce perishability of crops, robotic surgery to enhance entire operation process, information and communication technology on the people & economy, biofuels as an alternative source of energy and many more. From here, we can conclude that in each respective aspect, technology has sought to improve quality and sustainability of human life, though there has been concerns brought up as well.
This week, our focus is on energy and world change. Energy is undoubtedly a source for many of our activities, from electrical energy in households to supplying energy to drive industrial processes. The following are components of energy sources consumption in 2008: Fossil fuels 78%, Renewables 19%, Nuclear 3%. From here, it is clearly evident that much of our energy source comes from non-renewable resources and this threatens dependency on it because these fossil fuels take so long to be formed that once they are entirely used up, they will cease to exist. Because of its wide usage in many areas in our lives and the growing demand our population has on energy sources, we are now facing a global energy crisis where energy supply is quickly dwindling.
This is when we continuously seek alternative sources of energy, so that in future, when our renewable sources run dry, we could still depend on the alternatives cultivated in the past. Patrick introduced a very a topic that captured my interest - about carbon capturing and recycling such that carbon dioxide is effectively converted to fuel as an energy source via methods such as the biofuel method and nanotechnology method. This fuel produced by the CCR technology is very compatible with the current transportation infrastructure and has a great potential as a solution to energy dependence and climate change. No doubt there remains the fact that the carbon cycle in our environment will be disrupted because this technology could well capture the CO2 required for plants to photosynthesize for survival and thereby result in ecological detriment, analysts are still positive that it could greatly reduce CO2 emission and its contribution towards global warming, and at the same time, acting as an alternative source of energy which we could rely on in the future.
Another area that could well be tapped on is the osmotic energy and energy derived from reverse electrodialysis. The osmotic process is simple because it creates a flow through the plant (from a higher water potential to lower water potential) and it is this flow that forces turbines to rotate and generate energy/electricity. But the challenge and the fact that is not largely implemented yet is because of the high cost incurred in anchoring power plants such as the Submarine Hydroelectric Power Plant/ underground Pressure-retarded Osmosis Plant. Which is why professionals have also suggested possible extensions that could be cheaper or produces much more energy per unit, and an example would be reverse electrodialysis. This process involves direct electrochemical conversion in dialytic cells. Dialytic cells use the potential found between solutions of different salt concentrations, which are separated by charged membranes. For instance, fresh water has, in general, 850 parts per million dissolved salt water. That is equal to a potential of 80 millivolts at the interface (the membrane). By putting many cells in series it is possible to create more power.
Having said the above, the possibility to utilise salinity gradient in the ocean to power our household/industrial activities lies within the technollgy to be developed. Although the costs accrued now remains the top factor of low usage, it is strongly believed that in future, when the costs decrease, osmotic energy will be a great alternative source of energy.
With all the technologies and research that scientists now undertake to create alternative sources of energy and the fact that they are looking into renewable energy as well, it is no doubt that “The days of fossil fuels are numbered and Renewable energy will drive the Green Revolution.”
I’d rate today’s lesson an 8.5/10 because it covered a wide scope with respect to alternative energy sources, such as the different TYPES of alternative energy , the way they work and the 9 challenges faced when exploring these alternatives. And I’d like to end off with a video I came across, on how the usage of solar energy seeks to alleviate mounting problems faced by 3 billion people who rely solely on wood for cooking fuel.
For the past 7 weeks, we have touched on biotechnologies such as genetic engineering of food/crops to reduce perishability of crops, robotic surgery to enhance entire operation process, information and communication technology on the people & economy, biofuels as an alternative source of energy and many more. From here, we can conclude that in each respective aspect, technology has sought to improve quality and sustainability of human life, though there has been concerns brought up as well.
This week, our focus is on energy and world change. Energy is undoubtedly a source for many of our activities, from electrical energy in households to supplying energy to drive industrial processes. The following are components of energy sources consumption in 2008: Fossil fuels 78%, Renewables 19%, Nuclear 3%. From here, it is clearly evident that much of our energy source comes from non-renewable resources and this threatens dependency on it because these fossil fuels take so long to be formed that once they are entirely used up, they will cease to exist. Because of its wide usage in many areas in our lives and the growing demand our population has on energy sources, we are now facing a global energy crisis where energy supply is quickly dwindling.
This is when we continuously seek alternative sources of energy, so that in future, when our renewable sources run dry, we could still depend on the alternatives cultivated in the past. Patrick introduced a very a topic that captured my interest - about carbon capturing and recycling such that carbon dioxide is effectively converted to fuel as an energy source via methods such as the biofuel method and nanotechnology method. This fuel produced by the CCR technology is very compatible with the current transportation infrastructure and has a great potential as a solution to energy dependence and climate change. No doubt there remains the fact that the carbon cycle in our environment will be disrupted because this technology could well capture the CO2 required for plants to photosynthesize for survival and thereby result in ecological detriment, analysts are still positive that it could greatly reduce CO2 emission and its contribution towards global warming, and at the same time, acting as an alternative source of energy which we could rely on in the future.
Another area that could well be tapped on is the osmotic energy and energy derived from reverse electrodialysis. The osmotic process is simple because it creates a flow through the plant (from a higher water potential to lower water potential) and it is this flow that forces turbines to rotate and generate energy/electricity. But the challenge and the fact that is not largely implemented yet is because of the high cost incurred in anchoring power plants such as the Submarine Hydroelectric Power Plant/ underground Pressure-retarded Osmosis Plant. Which is why professionals have also suggested possible extensions that could be cheaper or produces much more energy per unit, and an example would be reverse electrodialysis. This process involves direct electrochemical conversion in dialytic cells. Dialytic cells use the potential found between solutions of different salt concentrations, which are separated by charged membranes. For instance, fresh water has, in general, 850 parts per million dissolved salt water. That is equal to a potential of 80 millivolts at the interface (the membrane). By putting many cells in series it is possible to create more power.
Having said the above, the possibility to utilise salinity gradient in the ocean to power our household/industrial activities lies within the technollgy to be developed. Although the costs accrued now remains the top factor of low usage, it is strongly believed that in future, when the costs decrease, osmotic energy will be a great alternative source of energy.
With all the technologies and research that scientists now undertake to create alternative sources of energy and the fact that they are looking into renewable energy as well, it is no doubt that “The days of fossil fuels are numbered and Renewable energy will drive the Green Revolution.”
I’d rate today’s lesson an 8.5/10 because it covered a wide scope with respect to alternative energy sources, such as the different TYPES of alternative energy , the way they work and the 9 challenges faced when exploring these alternatives. And I’d like to end off with a video I came across, on how the usage of solar energy seeks to alleviate mounting problems faced by 3 billion people who rely solely on wood for cooking fuel.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
7:The BioBusiness Revolution 2: Agriculture and the Environment: Past, Present, And Future
“When we are able to grow the resources we need, we’ll finally be on the road to sustainability” was the takeaway message Prof left with us. This is very true, because only when we know the method of growing our resources, then can we continually pass the skills on to the future generations and encourage them to explore and discover more and eventually be self-sustainable. It’s just as the saying goes “Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime”.
In the era we live in, we seek to continually discover more alternative resources or methods to boost agricultural produce. We don’t wait and hope to chance upon resources, we actively SEEK the routes to finding such resources or technology. All these are done in the hope that we could eventually be self-sustainable and one important transition I’d like to highlight is our shift from the GREEN to GENE revolution with the aim of being food secure and sustainable.
Green revolution was highly lauded back in the 1970s because the development and technology initiatives helped quadruple the amount of output with every acre of land, thereby being able to feed a much larger population. However, crops faced the threat of being wiped out by capricious weather and the devastation was even greater when people didn’t have enough food supply.
With the current improvements in biotechnology, we now have the Gene Revolution, and as its name suggests, crops can be genetically engineered to possess favourable characteristics to withstand harsh and unpredictable weather. The video belows explains our transition from the green to gene revolution.
Gene revolution seeks to provide many opportunities for countries like India (an agrarian country), because sensible integration of biotechnology in research can accelerate the pace of agricultural improvement and is of considerable relevance. With no more arable land available for agricultural expansion in India, enhancing stress tolerance in crop plants will permit productive farming on currently unproductive lands. Abiotic factors such as drought, heat, cold, soil salinity and acidity cripple Indian crops seriously constraining their growth and yield. One could extend the growing season of crops and minimise losses due to environmental factors. The shelf life of fruits and vegetables can be prolonged to reduce losses to food spoilage, expand the market vista and improve food quality.
Many other countries, like Mexico, China, Argentina have reaped benefits from the biotech supported agricultural programmes implemented in their country. When crops are engineered to be pest-resistant, drought-resistant and more nutritious, output level will not be greatly affected by invasion of pests/occurrence of extreme weather conditions. This can ensure a steady supply of food and thus increases food security and economic stability as well!
However, there have been certain areas of concern with regards to these genetically modified crops/food, as we discussed in class too. Questions arose as to whether we knew if we were consuming GM food or if we would avoid eating GM food if we knew of its nature. Honestly speaking, I will not seek to specifically find out whether I had been consuming GM food and I won’t avoid GM food unless there are stated components with which I’m allergic to. Furthermore, GM food can sometimes be more nutritious than others, so why not consume it?
But concerns aside, we cannot deny that genetically engineered crops have proven to be beneficial and are the first step towards sustainability in
the area of food. We have to chance people's mindset, like what reading 4 mentioned, and get them to have greater acceptance towards the gene revolution, because technology drives changes. We cannot ignore/stop technology just because of its potential problems. Rather we should follow its natural flow, amplify its benefits and work on the shortcomings so that in future, we can make things better and prevent the occurence of the potential problems.
Likewise, research into the different alternatives sources of energy have yielded positive discovery of say, the use of biofuels to generate energy. Although it has been said that biofuels can threaten food security because it uses agricultural crops in its energy generating process, but it still could serve as an alternative source in times of need. Furthermore, the exploration and breakthrough achieved in identifying possible substitutes are crucial in reducing reliance on a sole source and thereby can increase sustainability in the long run.
Today’s lesson was pretty engaging and the topic of protecting corals was very interesting because it clearly showed how biotechnology could play a role in protecting marine life as well. Overall I’d rate an 8.5/10!
In the era we live in, we seek to continually discover more alternative resources or methods to boost agricultural produce. We don’t wait and hope to chance upon resources, we actively SEEK the routes to finding such resources or technology. All these are done in the hope that we could eventually be self-sustainable and one important transition I’d like to highlight is our shift from the GREEN to GENE revolution with the aim of being food secure and sustainable.
Green revolution was highly lauded back in the 1970s because the development and technology initiatives helped quadruple the amount of output with every acre of land, thereby being able to feed a much larger population. However, crops faced the threat of being wiped out by capricious weather and the devastation was even greater when people didn’t have enough food supply.
With the current improvements in biotechnology, we now have the Gene Revolution, and as its name suggests, crops can be genetically engineered to possess favourable characteristics to withstand harsh and unpredictable weather. The video belows explains our transition from the green to gene revolution.
Gene revolution seeks to provide many opportunities for countries like India (an agrarian country), because sensible integration of biotechnology in research can accelerate the pace of agricultural improvement and is of considerable relevance. With no more arable land available for agricultural expansion in India, enhancing stress tolerance in crop plants will permit productive farming on currently unproductive lands. Abiotic factors such as drought, heat, cold, soil salinity and acidity cripple Indian crops seriously constraining their growth and yield. One could extend the growing season of crops and minimise losses due to environmental factors. The shelf life of fruits and vegetables can be prolonged to reduce losses to food spoilage, expand the market vista and improve food quality.
Many other countries, like Mexico, China, Argentina have reaped benefits from the biotech supported agricultural programmes implemented in their country. When crops are engineered to be pest-resistant, drought-resistant and more nutritious, output level will not be greatly affected by invasion of pests/occurrence of extreme weather conditions. This can ensure a steady supply of food and thus increases food security and economic stability as well!
However, there have been certain areas of concern with regards to these genetically modified crops/food, as we discussed in class too. Questions arose as to whether we knew if we were consuming GM food or if we would avoid eating GM food if we knew of its nature. Honestly speaking, I will not seek to specifically find out whether I had been consuming GM food and I won’t avoid GM food unless there are stated components with which I’m allergic to. Furthermore, GM food can sometimes be more nutritious than others, so why not consume it?
But concerns aside, we cannot deny that genetically engineered crops have proven to be beneficial and are the first step towards sustainability in
the area of food. We have to chance people's mindset, like what reading 4 mentioned, and get them to have greater acceptance towards the gene revolution, because technology drives changes. We cannot ignore/stop technology just because of its potential problems. Rather we should follow its natural flow, amplify its benefits and work on the shortcomings so that in future, we can make things better and prevent the occurence of the potential problems.
Likewise, research into the different alternatives sources of energy have yielded positive discovery of say, the use of biofuels to generate energy. Although it has been said that biofuels can threaten food security because it uses agricultural crops in its energy generating process, but it still could serve as an alternative source in times of need. Furthermore, the exploration and breakthrough achieved in identifying possible substitutes are crucial in reducing reliance on a sole source and thereby can increase sustainability in the long run.
Today’s lesson was pretty engaging and the topic of protecting corals was very interesting because it clearly showed how biotechnology could play a role in protecting marine life as well. Overall I’d rate an 8.5/10!
Sunday, September 19, 2010
6: The BioBusiness Revolution 1: Healthcare and the Biomedical Sciences: Past, Present, Future
The first thing that came to my mind at the mention of this topic was on biomedical technology. Honestly, this is not a topic that I am very familiar with but back in jc, my classmates did a presentation on robotic surgery and hence I've decided to draw its link to our current discussion on biomedical technology.
This video here gives an idea of how robotic surgery works.
Indeed, medical technology has advanced to a stage where we no longer have to have surgeons using their hands and tools to make their way through the target organ, (like what Cheng Wei mentioned about laproscopic surgery and NOTES). It means that valves or vessels that were previously too small or narrow to be reached could now be targetted with the use of small yet precise incisions and tools that are connected to the robotic arm which are ultimately controlled by the surgeon. It also bids goodbye to the days when patients were traumatised by the amount of blood loss and scars that took eternity to heal, because what surgeons have now are a whole new technology that increases precision, minimises blood loss during surgery and likewise minimise scarring on one's body. But to date, conventional surgery seems to provide far more assurance than robotic surgery does partly because it is new and has its cons as well.
The flip side to it is that there could be higher risks involved. Simply speaking, patients fear because doctors are now not looking at them as it is, but rather looking at them using 3D cameras attached to the robotic equipment. If these equipment or robots were to fail in the midst of the surgery, what will surgeons do? Also, a greater pool of surgeons have to be trained in this aspect to endure the longer tedious process of surgery to ensure that patients' life will not be at risk because of their inadaptibility towards robotic surgery. That aside, costs could be another deterring factor as well, because now, robotic surgery is considered as in its early developments and it's costs are still pretty high. Only if eventually more and more surgeons adopt this method then will costs be likely to fall.
Back in August 2008, The National University of Singapore became the first country in SE ASIA to offer robotic surgery for cancer patients, bringing hope of a better surgery and recovery process. With more and more countries riding on this surgical breakthrough, it will be easier to convince patients to adopt a less painful procedure although at a cost higher than conventional surgery. Also, with wider undertaking of robotic surgery, it could, in future, even become the mainstream surgical process and eventually be affordable to many!
alright, enough said about robotic surgery. As always, Prof left us with a message saying "BioBusiness Revolution will transform our lives and our economies. Lives being our health,food,clothes,energy sources, others." This is very true. As in the case of agriculture, scientists are coming up with genetically modified food of various nature, such as being able to withstand extreme weather conditions and containing increased nutritious qualities. This helps reduce supply shock due to extreme weathers and could effectively provide a constant supply of food to the people. Similar, healthcare will go up because of biomedical advancements and the development of precise technological equipment which ultimately leads to improved living standards for the people. Therefore, the BioBusiness Revolution WILL change our lives, and hopefully for the better!
I felt that we could have talked more about the disruptive technologies in healthcare industry and more of other aspects like agriculture etc. I'd rate a 7.5/10!
This video here gives an idea of how robotic surgery works.
Indeed, medical technology has advanced to a stage where we no longer have to have surgeons using their hands and tools to make their way through the target organ, (like what Cheng Wei mentioned about laproscopic surgery and NOTES). It means that valves or vessels that were previously too small or narrow to be reached could now be targetted with the use of small yet precise incisions and tools that are connected to the robotic arm which are ultimately controlled by the surgeon. It also bids goodbye to the days when patients were traumatised by the amount of blood loss and scars that took eternity to heal, because what surgeons have now are a whole new technology that increases precision, minimises blood loss during surgery and likewise minimise scarring on one's body. But to date, conventional surgery seems to provide far more assurance than robotic surgery does partly because it is new and has its cons as well.
The flip side to it is that there could be higher risks involved. Simply speaking, patients fear because doctors are now not looking at them as it is, but rather looking at them using 3D cameras attached to the robotic equipment. If these equipment or robots were to fail in the midst of the surgery, what will surgeons do? Also, a greater pool of surgeons have to be trained in this aspect to endure the longer tedious process of surgery to ensure that patients' life will not be at risk because of their inadaptibility towards robotic surgery. That aside, costs could be another deterring factor as well, because now, robotic surgery is considered as in its early developments and it's costs are still pretty high. Only if eventually more and more surgeons adopt this method then will costs be likely to fall.
Back in August 2008, The National University of Singapore became the first country in SE ASIA to offer robotic surgery for cancer patients, bringing hope of a better surgery and recovery process. With more and more countries riding on this surgical breakthrough, it will be easier to convince patients to adopt a less painful procedure although at a cost higher than conventional surgery. Also, with wider undertaking of robotic surgery, it could, in future, even become the mainstream surgical process and eventually be affordable to many!
alright, enough said about robotic surgery. As always, Prof left us with a message saying "BioBusiness Revolution will transform our lives and our economies. Lives being our health,food,clothes,energy sources, others." This is very true. As in the case of agriculture, scientists are coming up with genetically modified food of various nature, such as being able to withstand extreme weather conditions and containing increased nutritious qualities. This helps reduce supply shock due to extreme weathers and could effectively provide a constant supply of food to the people. Similar, healthcare will go up because of biomedical advancements and the development of precise technological equipment which ultimately leads to improved living standards for the people. Therefore, the BioBusiness Revolution WILL change our lives, and hopefully for the better!
I felt that we could have talked more about the disruptive technologies in healthcare industry and more of other aspects like agriculture etc. I'd rate a 7.5/10!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
5:ICT and World Change
Indeed, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is one of the main drivers of change. From the past to present, it has completely altered the way we work, the way we communicate, and the mindset in which we operate. We are gradually headed for a digital world, where everything we do or use revolves around technology.
I feel that the rise of the modern internet has played a significant role in our changed communication, such as emailing and skyping as compared to the primitive methods of phone calls and letter-writing. Take a look at this video that shows how the internet has progressed over time.
The above has introduced the 4 basic components that make up our modern internet: Arpanet, Military network by RAND Corporation in US, Commercial network by National Physical Laboratory in England and finally the Scientific network by Cyclades in France. It clearly described as well, what kind of problems faced at each level of networking and the constant improvisations made to address these situations, such that we have our Modern Internet now. Amazingly, behind all these technological advancements are groups and groups of intelligent people who slog their guts out for the betterment of Man. With the modern internet, we can do basically everything, ranging from information sourcing, personal entertainment, communication, e-commerce to e-services. It is just so pervasive in our lives that it has become indispensable.
It may hence seem like we’re moving towards a digital world, where all products or whatsoever are based on internet and interactive user-inter faces (like what Raymond talked about) etc, but the fact is that digital content remains dependent on the physical world as well. This is because data still has to be stored in machines needed to process this information. Quoting from Bill Thomsom, a BBC journalist, “the digital world is really a hybrid world where analogue and digital co-exist, where the physical and mutual come together in a mutually dependent relationship.” These technologies still have to rely on humans to operate it. Even if cloud computing comes into the picture, where virtually no data is stored on computers, just purely stored at the open of browsers, there is still a certain reliance on the physical world too.
Speaking of cloud computing, it was a completely foreign topic to me until I read the readings and saw the video in class describing what it was exactly. It was pretty interesting because the article on cloud computing showed how these future technology could aid businesses in cost reduction and the provision of greater convenience to users, and also what policymakers/entrepreneurs could do for cloud computing to achieve its maximum potential.
Okay, now back to my point. ICT has also played an active role in changing the medium of interaction in the education aspect because more schools are now engaging their students through the use of learning portals, visual enhancements and simulation exercises. Gone are the days when passive learning was adopted. Now are the times when students take the initiative to access the learning portal, gain insights through sourcing information via the internet and for personal enrichment. With reference to a BBC article, “When 13-year old Taylor, who lives in Modesto, California, wants help with her homework, she no longer goes and asks her mother for help. Instead she goes to her computer and gets on the internet, where she dials up an e-tutoring service, Tutor Vista, based in Bangalore, India, for help with her maths and English.” Across the world, the same thing happens; ICT has become a tool to education material.
Hence, from the above, ICT is clearly a catalyst that facilitates the knowledge revolution because of the massive amount of information and knowledge which we can derive from the internet.
However, the poor may be excluded from these ICT advancements because it is expensive while the rich are better furnished to adopt these costly developments, inevitably widening the rich-poor divide. This thus brings into picture the importance of including the poor in these technological progresses as well, be it through subsidies by uptaking these ICT or direct provision, policymakers or business individuals should actively seek to bridge this digital divide for ICT to have its maximum impact.
Overall today’s lesson was quite well-paced and topics that the other presenters came up with were fresh and interesting. 8/10!
I feel that the rise of the modern internet has played a significant role in our changed communication, such as emailing and skyping as compared to the primitive methods of phone calls and letter-writing. Take a look at this video that shows how the internet has progressed over time.
The above has introduced the 4 basic components that make up our modern internet: Arpanet, Military network by RAND Corporation in US, Commercial network by National Physical Laboratory in England and finally the Scientific network by Cyclades in France. It clearly described as well, what kind of problems faced at each level of networking and the constant improvisations made to address these situations, such that we have our Modern Internet now. Amazingly, behind all these technological advancements are groups and groups of intelligent people who slog their guts out for the betterment of Man. With the modern internet, we can do basically everything, ranging from information sourcing, personal entertainment, communication, e-commerce to e-services. It is just so pervasive in our lives that it has become indispensable.
It may hence seem like we’re moving towards a digital world, where all products or whatsoever are based on internet and interactive user-inter faces (like what Raymond talked about) etc, but the fact is that digital content remains dependent on the physical world as well. This is because data still has to be stored in machines needed to process this information. Quoting from Bill Thomsom, a BBC journalist, “the digital world is really a hybrid world where analogue and digital co-exist, where the physical and mutual come together in a mutually dependent relationship.” These technologies still have to rely on humans to operate it. Even if cloud computing comes into the picture, where virtually no data is stored on computers, just purely stored at the open of browsers, there is still a certain reliance on the physical world too.
Speaking of cloud computing, it was a completely foreign topic to me until I read the readings and saw the video in class describing what it was exactly. It was pretty interesting because the article on cloud computing showed how these future technology could aid businesses in cost reduction and the provision of greater convenience to users, and also what policymakers/entrepreneurs could do for cloud computing to achieve its maximum potential.
Okay, now back to my point. ICT has also played an active role in changing the medium of interaction in the education aspect because more schools are now engaging their students through the use of learning portals, visual enhancements and simulation exercises. Gone are the days when passive learning was adopted. Now are the times when students take the initiative to access the learning portal, gain insights through sourcing information via the internet and for personal enrichment. With reference to a BBC article, “When 13-year old Taylor, who lives in Modesto, California, wants help with her homework, she no longer goes and asks her mother for help. Instead she goes to her computer and gets on the internet, where she dials up an e-tutoring service, Tutor Vista, based in Bangalore, India, for help with her maths and English.” Across the world, the same thing happens; ICT has become a tool to education material.
Hence, from the above, ICT is clearly a catalyst that facilitates the knowledge revolution because of the massive amount of information and knowledge which we can derive from the internet.
However, the poor may be excluded from these ICT advancements because it is expensive while the rich are better furnished to adopt these costly developments, inevitably widening the rich-poor divide. This thus brings into picture the importance of including the poor in these technological progresses as well, be it through subsidies by uptaking these ICT or direct provision, policymakers or business individuals should actively seek to bridge this digital divide for ICT to have its maximum impact.
Overall today’s lesson was quite well-paced and topics that the other presenters came up with were fresh and interesting. 8/10!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
4:Drivers of World Change, Changed Management & Changed Leadership
As the name of our module, Technology and World Change, suggests, we spend time looking in depth at these aspects and often discover far more knowledge than we probably would have already known. And this week, the focus had been on drivers of world change with respect to globalization, technological innovation so on and so forth.
Globalization has first and foremost caused a notable change in the world in terms of integrating the world via trade, telecommunication and transportation. It has created means to increase the efficiency of communication and thus enhanced co operations between many foreign firms which ultimately results in the rise of more prosperous economies. With that, globalization has continued to spark off a chain of changes such as that of food security, values and people, infectious diseases etc. In terms of food security, probably because when countries prosper, their people are achieving higher standards of living and thus find it less financially burdened if they were to have more children. Thus when the birth rates increase, as with other countries whose birth rates may rise for a different reason, it’s going to gradually change demographics in the world. Our human race will continue to rise and is expected to peak at about 10 million before the end of this century. This implores on us a greater need for resources and food to sustain the people, and the truth is that the population and wealth increase drives global demand so high that there isn’t enough to cater to our needs. Coupled with other climate changes that we’re facing due to massive industrialisation processes and natural reasons, crop yield are predicted to be lower than what we really require.
That aside, globalisation has likewise increased the spread of diseases because of modes of transportation like aeroplanes, where tendency of bugs to be transferred, from one country to another, is very high (as in the case of the SARS epidemic when people travelling to affected areas were being quarantined for about 2 weeks). And one of the more important changes is that migration will also go up as globalisation encourages mobility of labour and population shift following unrest in a country or climate change. These can essentially lead to a cultural mix in one particular country and the national cultures will become more internally diverse. Hence change is inevitable with occurrence of globalisation and technological innovation because that’s when the world becomes more inter-connected, which itself is a massive change already.
Following which attention was shifted to change management and change leadership. Change is not just at the global level, change can happen at the national, company, individual level, of which company level served as our priority during the discussions on Monday. In the reading, Herding Cats, it clearly showed that in order for a behavioural change among employees to occur, leaders/managers cannot force upon them the makeover that was going to be implemented. Leaders/managers have to explain the rationale for the change, gather feedback on how the change could be worked on, involve the followers, equip them with the necessary skills for a smooth transition of change and if possible let them take charge of certain areas to anchor their sense of ownership&belonging. Through constant reviewal of performances & rewarding to appreciate one’s efforts, the leader is well on the way of mastering process of implementing change and also to help their followers acclimatise to the change.
I felt that the introduction of Positive Deviants in changed management and changed leadership was something interesting because I’ve never come across it before. I believe that if a positive deviant were to exist among the followers, it could even ease the difficulties that leaders/managers may come across when getting the followers to work in tandem with them. This is because, when the positive deviant is of the same level as the followers, he tends to understand his fellow mates better and could even convince them about the positives of the change (for those who are resistant to change). These positive deviants may serve as representation of the followers and thus facilitate communication between the superiors and the workers, thereby contributing to both a successful changed management and a rising productivity level.
In order to change, we should either step forth to make the change or adapt to change in a responsive manner and not to be “surprised” at the change. There is always a leader in us. It’s really up to us whether we want to showcase that ability and to help make a difference to the world we live in. Because when we brace ourselves to step out of the comfort zone, we are already making the first move in changing our attitude and behaviour, which could ultimately create an impactful change on the world.
Monday's lesson was insightful and engaging, great job presenters! I'd rate an 8.5/10 :)
Globalization has first and foremost caused a notable change in the world in terms of integrating the world via trade, telecommunication and transportation. It has created means to increase the efficiency of communication and thus enhanced co operations between many foreign firms which ultimately results in the rise of more prosperous economies. With that, globalization has continued to spark off a chain of changes such as that of food security, values and people, infectious diseases etc. In terms of food security, probably because when countries prosper, their people are achieving higher standards of living and thus find it less financially burdened if they were to have more children. Thus when the birth rates increase, as with other countries whose birth rates may rise for a different reason, it’s going to gradually change demographics in the world. Our human race will continue to rise and is expected to peak at about 10 million before the end of this century. This implores on us a greater need for resources and food to sustain the people, and the truth is that the population and wealth increase drives global demand so high that there isn’t enough to cater to our needs. Coupled with other climate changes that we’re facing due to massive industrialisation processes and natural reasons, crop yield are predicted to be lower than what we really require.
That aside, globalisation has likewise increased the spread of diseases because of modes of transportation like aeroplanes, where tendency of bugs to be transferred, from one country to another, is very high (as in the case of the SARS epidemic when people travelling to affected areas were being quarantined for about 2 weeks). And one of the more important changes is that migration will also go up as globalisation encourages mobility of labour and population shift following unrest in a country or climate change. These can essentially lead to a cultural mix in one particular country and the national cultures will become more internally diverse. Hence change is inevitable with occurrence of globalisation and technological innovation because that’s when the world becomes more inter-connected, which itself is a massive change already.
Following which attention was shifted to change management and change leadership. Change is not just at the global level, change can happen at the national, company, individual level, of which company level served as our priority during the discussions on Monday. In the reading, Herding Cats, it clearly showed that in order for a behavioural change among employees to occur, leaders/managers cannot force upon them the makeover that was going to be implemented. Leaders/managers have to explain the rationale for the change, gather feedback on how the change could be worked on, involve the followers, equip them with the necessary skills for a smooth transition of change and if possible let them take charge of certain areas to anchor their sense of ownership&belonging. Through constant reviewal of performances & rewarding to appreciate one’s efforts, the leader is well on the way of mastering process of implementing change and also to help their followers acclimatise to the change.
I felt that the introduction of Positive Deviants in changed management and changed leadership was something interesting because I’ve never come across it before. I believe that if a positive deviant were to exist among the followers, it could even ease the difficulties that leaders/managers may come across when getting the followers to work in tandem with them. This is because, when the positive deviant is of the same level as the followers, he tends to understand his fellow mates better and could even convince them about the positives of the change (for those who are resistant to change). These positive deviants may serve as representation of the followers and thus facilitate communication between the superiors and the workers, thereby contributing to both a successful changed management and a rising productivity level.
In order to change, we should either step forth to make the change or adapt to change in a responsive manner and not to be “surprised” at the change. There is always a leader in us. It’s really up to us whether we want to showcase that ability and to help make a difference to the world we live in. Because when we brace ourselves to step out of the comfort zone, we are already making the first move in changing our attitude and behaviour, which could ultimately create an impactful change on the world.
Monday's lesson was insightful and engaging, great job presenters! I'd rate an 8.5/10 :)
Monday, August 30, 2010
3:Technology and Innovation, Sustainability and Innovation Management
Today's lesson saw us starting off with a video on Story about stuff. It highlighted the significance of people using up more resources than we have for our generation and even sucking our future generations' dry. Through the continual process of extraction, production,consumption and waste generation, more resources are being utilised and at the same time resulting in far devastating pollution towards the environment. So, many may wonder, how did all these originate?
The answer is simple- INDUSTRALISATION. Industrialisation is the process of social and economic change. It is part of a wider modernisation process, where social change and economic development are closely related with technological innovation, with the resultant being an extensive organisation of economy with the purpose of manufacturing. People transited from hunting of food, to growing of food, to selling and production of food via factories. Of course, factories produce far more items than just food. Textiles, chemicals, automobiles etc, are also products of the entire manufacturing wing. With mass production, comes mass pollution to both the waters and the air because in the process of manufacturing, by-products that usually comprise of toxins are released into the air/sea. And this is exactly why we see the world as coming to an end pretty soon as the vicious cycle of industrialisation to drive an economy spurs production of consumer goods, likewise the production of pollutants that causes global warming.
This is when the point where Matthew discussed (if development and sustainability are trade offs) comes into the picture. I do concede that Industrial development indirectly means that a part of the environment will be sacrificed because through industrialization, amount of pollutants in the air will multiply exponentially-> GHG, flora and fauna sacrificed for building of skyscrapers etc. In that sense it is a trade off, but often it is inevitable because we can’t always have the best of both worlds. Besides we can’t deny the fact that there have been active efforts in sustaining the environment/reducing the damage we’re doing to earth. Examples are the development of environmental-friendly technologies like hybrid cars, cars running on Compressed Natural Gas. These aim to reduce the amount of GHG released and causing global warming. Technologies aside, individual efforts have also been prominent in protecting our environment concurrently while we progress industrially. With that, we can slowly right our wrong and progress towards the circular thinking represented by the sustainable industrial model where economic development and environmental well-being are of equal emphasis.
After which, we return to the root issue of industrialization that encompasses the massive utilization of limited resources on Earth. This clearly indicates that ecological footprints are rising (as shown by graph below presented by Aline).
As discussed in class, I feel that getting companies to keep track of their ecological footprints is critical becausewe’ll be constantly reminded not to use more than the earth could provide us with at the point of time, and also be reminded of the fact that we have limited resources and should seek to continually discover more alternatives for future generations to be supported. In this manner, we generate a mentality when we’re always thinking for the future and this could be a stepping stone towards our pursuit of sustainability. It will be good if the government can step in whenever necessary to make sure that companies are on the right track. But definitely not to directly impose legislations to enforce companies to keep track of their ecological footprints because it would take just too much resources/manpower (of which we are already facing limitations) for enforcement. Furthermore, it should be in the onus of the individual to ensure that we are not demanding more than we should and if we were to continually depend on the actions of government to decide our next move, then won’t we be a bunch of irresponsible and lazy citizens to which our future generations cannot look up to?
Towards the end of the lesson, we also looked at technology and innovation by 3M which used effective methods to stimulate creativity and productivity in workers for the generation of better and sustainable ideas. It was also actively discussed on how Singapore could work towards a more innovative prospect in the future. The key issue is that, education aspect can be tweaked to encourage more on creative thinking rather than an examination-theory based system. We have to employ the right education techniques on our citizens (especially from young) because Singapore’s only dependable resource is HUMAN resource and these young people are going to be the pillars of Singapore 20-30 years down the road. If we imbue an actively creative thinking element in them, it would be easy for them to innovate or experiment on different ideas when they enter the workplace.
Companies can also allow ‘free-play’ on the employees part for them to come up with imaginative ideas not bound by any restrictions because these are the situations in which the best in someone could be brought out. Rewarding employees duly, likewise, serve as an incentive for individuals to contribute more actively and spurs other employees to achieve the same level of productivity.
But some may argue that within Singapore, it’s hard to encourage people to think actively since we’ve all grown up in the era of exams exams and more exams, with minimal opportunities to voice out opinions and seek professional advice on certain ideas. So I feel that interaction with foreign talents, here, is essential in helping to gain a wider understanding on how foreigners work and feel towards a subject matter, which could ultimately spark off a series of innovative conceptions and implementations. Hence, there are many factors that could possibly bring Singapore to a whole new innovative fraternity.
Overall, today’s lesson was pretty interactive and the presenters had slides that were systematic and comprehensible. Great job guys! I’d rate an 8/10
The answer is simple- INDUSTRALISATION. Industrialisation is the process of social and economic change. It is part of a wider modernisation process, where social change and economic development are closely related with technological innovation, with the resultant being an extensive organisation of economy with the purpose of manufacturing. People transited from hunting of food, to growing of food, to selling and production of food via factories. Of course, factories produce far more items than just food. Textiles, chemicals, automobiles etc, are also products of the entire manufacturing wing. With mass production, comes mass pollution to both the waters and the air because in the process of manufacturing, by-products that usually comprise of toxins are released into the air/sea. And this is exactly why we see the world as coming to an end pretty soon as the vicious cycle of industrialisation to drive an economy spurs production of consumer goods, likewise the production of pollutants that causes global warming.
This is when the point where Matthew discussed (if development and sustainability are trade offs) comes into the picture. I do concede that Industrial development indirectly means that a part of the environment will be sacrificed because through industrialization, amount of pollutants in the air will multiply exponentially-> GHG, flora and fauna sacrificed for building of skyscrapers etc. In that sense it is a trade off, but often it is inevitable because we can’t always have the best of both worlds. Besides we can’t deny the fact that there have been active efforts in sustaining the environment/reducing the damage we’re doing to earth. Examples are the development of environmental-friendly technologies like hybrid cars, cars running on Compressed Natural Gas. These aim to reduce the amount of GHG released and causing global warming. Technologies aside, individual efforts have also been prominent in protecting our environment concurrently while we progress industrially. With that, we can slowly right our wrong and progress towards the circular thinking represented by the sustainable industrial model where economic development and environmental well-being are of equal emphasis.
After which, we return to the root issue of industrialization that encompasses the massive utilization of limited resources on Earth. This clearly indicates that ecological footprints are rising (as shown by graph below presented by Aline).
As discussed in class, I feel that getting companies to keep track of their ecological footprints is critical becausewe’ll be constantly reminded not to use more than the earth could provide us with at the point of time, and also be reminded of the fact that we have limited resources and should seek to continually discover more alternatives for future generations to be supported. In this manner, we generate a mentality when we’re always thinking for the future and this could be a stepping stone towards our pursuit of sustainability. It will be good if the government can step in whenever necessary to make sure that companies are on the right track. But definitely not to directly impose legislations to enforce companies to keep track of their ecological footprints because it would take just too much resources/manpower (of which we are already facing limitations) for enforcement. Furthermore, it should be in the onus of the individual to ensure that we are not demanding more than we should and if we were to continually depend on the actions of government to decide our next move, then won’t we be a bunch of irresponsible and lazy citizens to which our future generations cannot look up to?
Towards the end of the lesson, we also looked at technology and innovation by 3M which used effective methods to stimulate creativity and productivity in workers for the generation of better and sustainable ideas. It was also actively discussed on how Singapore could work towards a more innovative prospect in the future. The key issue is that, education aspect can be tweaked to encourage more on creative thinking rather than an examination-theory based system. We have to employ the right education techniques on our citizens (especially from young) because Singapore’s only dependable resource is HUMAN resource and these young people are going to be the pillars of Singapore 20-30 years down the road. If we imbue an actively creative thinking element in them, it would be easy for them to innovate or experiment on different ideas when they enter the workplace.
Companies can also allow ‘free-play’ on the employees part for them to come up with imaginative ideas not bound by any restrictions because these are the situations in which the best in someone could be brought out. Rewarding employees duly, likewise, serve as an incentive for individuals to contribute more actively and spurs other employees to achieve the same level of productivity.
But some may argue that within Singapore, it’s hard to encourage people to think actively since we’ve all grown up in the era of exams exams and more exams, with minimal opportunities to voice out opinions and seek professional advice on certain ideas. So I feel that interaction with foreign talents, here, is essential in helping to gain a wider understanding on how foreigners work and feel towards a subject matter, which could ultimately spark off a series of innovative conceptions and implementations. Hence, there are many factors that could possibly bring Singapore to a whole new innovative fraternity.
Overall, today’s lesson was pretty interactive and the presenters had slides that were systematic and comprehensible. Great job guys! I’d rate an 8/10
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Post No. 2
Yesterday, prof called on me to answer a question, to which I wasn't able to answer coherently at that point in time. Dang. But now when I'm home and able to collect my thoughts, this is what I feel in relation to the question on "whether Americanisation is necessarily evil."
As we all know, the power and influence that America has over the world has been growing. And by that I mean their influence over others' economies, society and culture. But Asians generally have felt that Americanisation threatens the root of our culture because it seeks a more liberal attitude unlike the traditional conservative style. This is especially so with the influx of movies from the western countries which more often than not portrays vulgar language, obscenities and twisted mindsets rather loosely. Yes it really opens our eyes to a whole new culture but often, it can cause one to believe that Americanisation in this form is cool and worth worshipping, which can be dangerous. If the young model after this sort of mindset, they are likely to grow up into people with wrong values in mind.
Then again, that’s of course, one side to the coin. Because if we were to think of Americanisation as an influence to open up peoples’ mind to a whole lot of new things and for the continuous advancements in technology, we would be thankful for it. Thus Americanisation has had its positive and negative impacts on different countries and societies so we should not over-generalise that Americanisation Is necessarily evil.
Ok now back to the main point.
“Change is inevitable and often necessary. But the transition process can often be difficult/painful”. Indeed an intriguing statement which set me thinking about the different types of changes and how society has acclimatised to it. Take for example the development of agricultural technology (presented by Nickolas during class). People used to hunt and gather for food until agricultural technology was introduced to them. It was a whole new method because of it’s ability to be sustainable. When people grow & harvest crops instead of just finding food and eating it and waiting to find more food, they are planning for the future, their next meal. This drives people to be self-sustainable in the long run.
But did this come easy? No, because people had to adapt to changes. They had to grapple with the fact that they did not have the sufficient knowledge to operate the high-technology equipment which comes with agricultural technology. And it takes time to learn the ropes, which often proves to be more challenging than hunting for food all day. However, at the end of the day, we all progress and lead higher standards of living as compared to the past. Therefore, change is necessary and we should not try to stop changes just because the transition process is challenging to both the mind & soul. Because more often than not, it is through the survival of these shifts that people come out stronger and less repulsive to the notion of future changes.
Through today’s lesson, I had a greater understanding of how technology has affected cultures & the human development & I felt that the presenters did a great job in keeping their content concise and simple. 7.5/10!
As we all know, the power and influence that America has over the world has been growing. And by that I mean their influence over others' economies, society and culture. But Asians generally have felt that Americanisation threatens the root of our culture because it seeks a more liberal attitude unlike the traditional conservative style. This is especially so with the influx of movies from the western countries which more often than not portrays vulgar language, obscenities and twisted mindsets rather loosely. Yes it really opens our eyes to a whole new culture but often, it can cause one to believe that Americanisation in this form is cool and worth worshipping, which can be dangerous. If the young model after this sort of mindset, they are likely to grow up into people with wrong values in mind.
Then again, that’s of course, one side to the coin. Because if we were to think of Americanisation as an influence to open up peoples’ mind to a whole lot of new things and for the continuous advancements in technology, we would be thankful for it. Thus Americanisation has had its positive and negative impacts on different countries and societies so we should not over-generalise that Americanisation Is necessarily evil.
Ok now back to the main point.
“Change is inevitable and often necessary. But the transition process can often be difficult/painful”. Indeed an intriguing statement which set me thinking about the different types of changes and how society has acclimatised to it. Take for example the development of agricultural technology (presented by Nickolas during class). People used to hunt and gather for food until agricultural technology was introduced to them. It was a whole new method because of it’s ability to be sustainable. When people grow & harvest crops instead of just finding food and eating it and waiting to find more food, they are planning for the future, their next meal. This drives people to be self-sustainable in the long run.
But did this come easy? No, because people had to adapt to changes. They had to grapple with the fact that they did not have the sufficient knowledge to operate the high-technology equipment which comes with agricultural technology. And it takes time to learn the ropes, which often proves to be more challenging than hunting for food all day. However, at the end of the day, we all progress and lead higher standards of living as compared to the past. Therefore, change is necessary and we should not try to stop changes just because the transition process is challenging to both the mind & soul. Because more often than not, it is through the survival of these shifts that people come out stronger and less repulsive to the notion of future changes.
Through today’s lesson, I had a greater understanding of how technology has affected cultures & the human development & I felt that the presenters did a great job in keeping their content concise and simple. 7.5/10!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Lessons at first glance
With regards to the issues raised in class about technology perpetuating people's lives & the likelihood of it causing many to become lazy & fat in the near future, I feel that this is definitely a possibility considering the fact that there have been various reports to reflect the gradual occurence of such a phenomenon.
According to the OECD's "Communications Outlook 2007", the number of couch potatoes are rising, with US taking the couch potato crown as households there goggle at TVs for an eye-straining average of 8hrs and 11mins each day. And in 15 of the 18 countries where these data were collected, broadcast-TV viewing increased from 1997 to 2005. That is to say, people are spending far more time keeping themselves entertained on TV, which probably results in lesser time allocated for exercising or other activities that stimulate movement or brain activity. And now that tech-savvy veterans are incorporating 3D elements to TV production for further visual enhancements and satisfaction, we could probably expect a further downward spiral in the near future. Needless to say, the exponential growth in the gaming fraternity coupled with internet usage of various networking sites are likely to fuel the projected vision of humans ending up as lazy and fat.
Also, an interesting point that was brought up during class was that this likely phenomenon could be a result of dietary changes brought about by societal changes and technology improvement. With people equating time to money, there is a tendency for them to compromise on their diet(e.g consuming more fast food) such that they spend lesser time on eating and more time on work. furthermore, advancements in technology have also speed up fast-food making process, thus further enticing people to consume it to save even more time. Eventually, people could be caught in a vicious cycle where the world gets more competitive, allocating more time to work would mean higher productivity, which means that various aspects including diet has to sacrifice a fair bit, thereby further inducing fast-food chains to develop an even faster food-making process and the cycle repeats.
That aside, modern transportation networks such as trains, buses, taxis and cars have also contributed to highly-probable sloth-like behaviour as they help save time for more time to be spent competing in the working environment.
Which all boils down to the point of saving time. Why do we humans need to save so much time for? Because time is money and every second counts. In a world where everyone is fighting to earn their keep to sustain a family or to satisfy insatiable wants, money is a necessity. Technology here is just a tool to help maximise an individual's ability(that is to say if they spend the time that they had saved wisely) of fulfilling the above stated.
Therefore, users of technology have to be clear-headed and not let technology lead the way they live. Instead, they should use technology to their advantage and maximise the benefits received from the appropriate utility of it. Also, we must acknowlege the fact that technology does drive people to aspire to greater heights, not just causing people to develop laidback behaviour. Many innovators of our time(Bill Gates and his team, Steve Job, creators of Google etc) were and are spurred on by new technology, wanting to better every new gadget.Inherently, technology opens us up to wider opportunities for the gaining of more knowledge.
Hence, it is rather true that technology is easy & people are hard. this is because everyone's jumping onto the bandwagon of constant improvisation of technology and it just gets easier all the time given the solid foundation that has already been laid. What is difficult is the minds of people(pretty unpredictable) and how they ultimately decide to do with technology so close to them. By making informed and rational decisions, not only does it benefit ourselves, it does good to the masses as well.
On a side note, the first class was a good start, with not only an introduction to Technology and World Change, but also to how class participation on each individual's part can help contribute to a pool of ideas which we can further delve into.
According to the OECD's "Communications Outlook 2007", the number of couch potatoes are rising, with US taking the couch potato crown as households there goggle at TVs for an eye-straining average of 8hrs and 11mins each day. And in 15 of the 18 countries where these data were collected, broadcast-TV viewing increased from 1997 to 2005. That is to say, people are spending far more time keeping themselves entertained on TV, which probably results in lesser time allocated for exercising or other activities that stimulate movement or brain activity. And now that tech-savvy veterans are incorporating 3D elements to TV production for further visual enhancements and satisfaction, we could probably expect a further downward spiral in the near future. Needless to say, the exponential growth in the gaming fraternity coupled with internet usage of various networking sites are likely to fuel the projected vision of humans ending up as lazy and fat.
Also, an interesting point that was brought up during class was that this likely phenomenon could be a result of dietary changes brought about by societal changes and technology improvement. With people equating time to money, there is a tendency for them to compromise on their diet(e.g consuming more fast food) such that they spend lesser time on eating and more time on work. furthermore, advancements in technology have also speed up fast-food making process, thus further enticing people to consume it to save even more time. Eventually, people could be caught in a vicious cycle where the world gets more competitive, allocating more time to work would mean higher productivity, which means that various aspects including diet has to sacrifice a fair bit, thereby further inducing fast-food chains to develop an even faster food-making process and the cycle repeats.
That aside, modern transportation networks such as trains, buses, taxis and cars have also contributed to highly-probable sloth-like behaviour as they help save time for more time to be spent competing in the working environment.
Which all boils down to the point of saving time. Why do we humans need to save so much time for? Because time is money and every second counts. In a world where everyone is fighting to earn their keep to sustain a family or to satisfy insatiable wants, money is a necessity. Technology here is just a tool to help maximise an individual's ability(that is to say if they spend the time that they had saved wisely) of fulfilling the above stated.
Therefore, users of technology have to be clear-headed and not let technology lead the way they live. Instead, they should use technology to their advantage and maximise the benefits received from the appropriate utility of it. Also, we must acknowlege the fact that technology does drive people to aspire to greater heights, not just causing people to develop laidback behaviour. Many innovators of our time(Bill Gates and his team, Steve Job, creators of Google etc) were and are spurred on by new technology, wanting to better every new gadget.Inherently, technology opens us up to wider opportunities for the gaining of more knowledge.
Hence, it is rather true that technology is easy & people are hard. this is because everyone's jumping onto the bandwagon of constant improvisation of technology and it just gets easier all the time given the solid foundation that has already been laid. What is difficult is the minds of people(pretty unpredictable) and how they ultimately decide to do with technology so close to them. By making informed and rational decisions, not only does it benefit ourselves, it does good to the masses as well.
On a side note, the first class was a good start, with not only an introduction to Technology and World Change, but also to how class participation on each individual's part can help contribute to a pool of ideas which we can further delve into.
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