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
Monday, August 30, 2010
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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