Weekly Reflection: Class Reflection

Over the past few months of being in this class, I am able to say that I have learned an unexpected amount of information. Technological inequalities are not only the physical aspects of life such as computers, cell phones etc., but more of a resource. Everything from pens for writing to computers or televisions are unequally distributed throughout the world, making one country more developed than another. 

            Happening to grow up and live in the United States has automatically made me unequal to others. This, was not by choice, but by chance; same with others in less developed countries.  This is all in terms of technological advances; such as cell phones. Comparing the United States to Africa is as if comparing two different times within world history and that is just comparing a country to a continent.  

            After finishing this class, it has been made evident and extremely clear how different advancements throughout all of history have affected one country, person, family etc. no matter what.  I feel that this class really brings out the unobvious and presents the troubles and controversies of the world in an understanding way and offers us the knowledge to do something about it, if we choose to.

Science and Technology: China and Vietnam

In class this week, I was surprised to learn quite a bit of information on two countries in which I thought I knew much more about. China and Vietnam are two very important key countries in terms of imports and exports. While Vietnam may seem like an unimportant country and less powerful than China or the United States, with over 90% of it’s 80 billion inhabitants being literate, it opens doors and allows for much success. Success that is, in the science and technological world. While their government is very communist and socialist, their economy remains capitalist; which is probably why they are so successful in terms of the trade industry.

            After presenting my topic of research to my set group of presenters, I was able to tie in one of my fellow student’s presentation information to the work we were learning about in class; China as an outsource resource. China is a huge industrial country where a large amount of trade, jobs, products, information and much more is produced and sold. Outsourcing has created many jobs and has offered many people many products that they would not have without the successful relationships that countries have with one another. Therefore, having China as an outsourcing resource, allows for the United States to be successful. Without other countries and outside friendships, one must think about how the world would function.

Local Initiative

      After this week’s lecture, I was extremely thrilled to earn about how people are still able to work together in order to achieve greatness in a society. When looking at the city of Curitiba from “Local Initiative, Case of Curitiba”; it flourishes on the aspect of its urban design.  Located in the center of the city, it is open 24 hours a day creating a lively and safe environment, both during the day and at night. It is a tough spot for any criminal action to occur due to the constant flow of people. The part, which makes me pleased to be around and watch how technology is helping us to better our environment, is the idea of how this city uses it’s recycling in turn for usable city tickets such as food.

      The speaker, Jaime Lerner’s piece was “Sing a Song of Sustainable Cities” and very entertaining and informative. His example of the turtle and how he related it to how people have to live and work together also had a relevance to how people are living and working in completely different areas in comparison to one another. Carbon emissions are extremely high from the cars we use today and people commuting to work are worsening the environment. The whole idea and message behind Lerner’s speaking was to save energy, possibly by working closer to home, stopping carbon emissions, save more. If we all do this, there can only be a better outcome,

2008 Presidential Elections

This past election held in the United States on November 4, 2008 to determine the new president, would have been the first election in which I could have legally voted. However, due to not registering in my home state of California before the deadline, I was unable to participate in such a historical of an election.

            With two extremely strong candidates, Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama running against each other promising so much necessary change, the elections were bound to select a promising no matter who wont the electoral vote. Both nominees had unique characteristics. The Republican Party’s nominee John McCain was the senior United States Senator from Arizona and had a vice-president nominee as Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin; the first woman to ever make it that far in the Republican vote. The Democratic Party’s nominee was the junior United States Senator from Illinois, Barack Obama; the first African-American in United States History to win a majority of the electoral votes and to be announced as the United States President.

            This is the also the first time in history that both major party nominations were current United States Senators. It is also the second time in American history that both running mates (Obama and Joe Biden – vice-president elect) were also both sitting Senators. Joe Biden, is also the longest Senate serving of 36 years to become vice-president. Also, if Senator John McCain were to have won the presidency, he would have been the first prisoner of war to win a presidency since Andrew Jackson.

            The fact that the two nominees are both Senators is not the only interesting fact presented in the elections. Both candidates were both born outside of the continental United States. President elect Barack Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and Senator McCain was born at Coco Solo, Panama Canal Zone on a naval base. Senator McCain, if elected would not only have an “iffy” birth place but would have also been the oldest United States president, being sworn in at age 72 and the oldest president to be inaugurated for his first term. Being 24 years apart in age, Barack Obama will be sworn in age 47.

            As one of the most historical elections in history, it was predicted that the voter turnout would be very high at about 64% of the voting population to show. However, overlooking the total number of votes there were just 2.2 million more votes in this 2008 Presidential election versus the 2004 Presidential election. While almost ALL of my friends voted it seemed like most of America’s youth was interested in making an obvious statement of having a high voting turnout.

            I am proud to say that I was alive to recognize and be able to participate in one of the greatest, monumental, historical and hopeful presidency elections in history.

 

Watch President-Elect Barack Obama’s Acceptance Speech:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQGsP8mnHsg

Weekly Reflection: Technology and Education

            Last week’s lecture held by Gabriel sparked an interesting topic/point of view.  The idea of generations having an average 20-year cut off can severely define a type of person and the lifestyle they lead within current times and the use of technology. The current generation, otherwise known as Generation Y or Millennial spanning from 1982-2001 is surrounded by nothing but technology and constant technological upgrades. They have more accessibility to anything via technology. The internet for example can replace any hard copy of a book, novel, newspaper, magazine making the current generation lazy yet also easily educated.

            When observing technology and education as a coinciding working unit, it is obvious that technology has a monstrous roll in today’s university lifestyle. At Arizona State University all classes are picked out online, using a computer, there are online classes available, professors use the school’s website to post information and use blogs to create a constant and quick flow of information from student to student or even student to professor.

            While technology is used to produce more by using less, such as creating mass amounts of information available to a mass amount of people, allows for many more people to become educated due to the flexibility that is offered through online classes. While it may be argued that using too much technology can ignore the human capital, and cut the experience of learning from a human/teacher versus a computer, it still creates more of an overall benefit to those who wish to learn and become educated.

Weekly Reflection #7

            This week in class, the discussion was very entertaining and intriguing, especially being held by Gabriel. The discussion of DNA research and evidence can play a huge role in the justice system. When dealing with the criminal system, there will inevitably be inequality; and in terms of DNA, there is definitely an unequal distribution between the uses of DNA testing.

            While the article of the past week states that more minorities are having DNA testing and evidence being used against them, it merely reflects the resources made available to those with higher financial accessibility. Therefore the quote “it is better to be guilty and rich, than innocent and poor” hints that if you have the financial ability to make your way through the inequalities of the justice system so be it.  This goes for the use of DNA testing as well. If you have the resources to complete a DNA test in order to find justice within a criminal case, then that is just one advantage in your favor.

            Overall, I do not think that DNA testing brings  good or bad to a situation but merely reflects the resources one has in order to achieve their perspective of justice within the United States’ justice system.

Weekly Reflection #6

            This week, learning about the different types of views in justice was very informative yet, complicated and unique. Every view including Libertarian, Utilitarian, Inclusive Utilitarian, and Communitarian all are very straightforward and have valuable views depending on its followers.  I feel that Libertarians, which tend to be very anti-government and central control, have strong views based on equal distribution of rights to each and every individual.  Processes become more important in extending rights and fairness across the board.

            A setting for an overall happy environment would probably be defined under the Utilitarian view; where the distribution if focused on increasing total happiness and total good is to be beneficial to everyone as a hole (not on an individual basis).

            A view that is more radical/rare is Communitarian. It’s seen as a reduction in inequality but they don’t aim for total happiness they aim for just equality, which is to be distributed.

            I agree with small aspects of most views but I feel that if they were to be combined within one another and if certain ideas were to be taken from each one, a perfect view could be presented in which everyone can identify with. 

Proposal

TOPIC: Availability, reliance, and dependence on cellular telephones

 

PURPOSE: The purpose behind this paper would be to explore both the benefits and negative effects that cellular telephones (cell phones) have had on the human race since their development. It would also be to explore the parallels between the advancements of technology within the world and the “bettering” of/advancements of cell phones.

            Over time, technology has made itself better in terms of updating their availabilities through intense development; including the development of cell phones. Something that was first made only available to those with higher incomes and specialty jobs thought of merely to create verbal communication between any two persons anyone at any place has turned into a development that offers so much more. Cell phones are widely available and offer everything from picture taking to sending e-mails via internet access. The availability of cell phones has risen significantly and with its many uses has created reliance and dependence on them. Can the cell phone offer too much?

 

I.               Introduction

 

II.             Basics behind the development of all technologies

A.     Basic technology

B.     Bigger technology

1.     Cars

C.     Advancements over time

 

III.           Cell phone development

A.     Basics/origin

B.     Developments/changes

C.     Offers/how reliance and dependence come into play

 

IV.            Paralleling of cell phone advancements and other technological advances

A.     Advancements

1.     How it becomes inevitable to not have a change in one type of technology without it affecting another.

2.     Cell phones are bound to change with the changing and bettering of technology

B.     Reliance and Dependence

1.     Because technology has been able to offer almost anything that anyone can think of, cell phones have become a tool and toy.

2.     E-mail/internet access, mp3 player, phone, camera, game system

3.     Everything is too available now

 

V.              Conclusion

A.     Changes and advancements in technology affect every type of technological advancement ever invented.

B.     Because of “A”, cell phones have become almost a center to people’s lives where they can complete anything desired.

Weekly Reflection #4

This week in class, the discussion by Hughes makes a very prominent point. The natural advances of technology determine social and cultural changes throughout the world. Whether one country is at the current technology level, or even behind one another, they still have some form of technology that is developing and creating some sort of advancement. Technology does not back track and is not reversible.  What is made, invented, completed and performed by technology is only becoming more and more advanced. Those of us who are within a younger generation which happens to be able to watch the advancements is able to change along with the technologies. Those who are of an older generation, who may not completely comprehend the constant change, must re-learn and adapt to the technology changes.

When looking at the issues in the Middle East revolving around oil dependency and the jobs created around it, it is shocking to see how much the world has depended on this one technological advancement. This one discovery of crude oil has created a huge spin of dependency. Most all workers in Dubai all work for the oil companies which fuel the world’s supply of transportation that creates and maintains a worldly economy, which just turns around to maintain the economy of fuel in Dubai and all the major oil companies. The development of technology creates a circle of success throughout the world.

Weekly Reflection: Looking at Technology

When looking at technology and its advances throughout time, it is evident that as society changes so the technology in which it originated. However, when looking at the article on QWERTY, this is the one change (or in this case, non-change) that has not affected the parallel relationship between technology and society. While the Dvorak  method of typing has been around for quite some time it is something that has not forced a change within the group of people who type on an original keyboard.

Also, when looking back on the article about the bicycling and origins behind the ideas and standards, I recognized another type of technology, which went through a similar pattern of change. While the bicycle had multiple designs and numbers of trials it had one purpose. It was designed to sport men, who were “macho” and to show skill.

The other design of technology with a similar process was the airplane. There had been many attempts to create a flying object but was not correct for a while. It started off with only men to be the pilots and creating their designs, but slowly as the physical design changed and bettered for the success of the aircraft so did society’s views on the matter. Women slowly became pilots and was able to take over and create new uses for the aircraft.