E-Books: Its Birth, Progress and Future
As I come to the end of the semester, this is the individual paper that I have toiled upon the past few weeks! Had never thought I would come close to producing a paper like this, especially not in year 1. I did it anyway! So if you are interested in the topic, feel free to read and discuss! 🙂
Last official class of the semester! And what better way than to end it with a presentation? 🙂
Finally, we had a chance to display what we had researched and collated about 3D printing. It is interesting how almost every other presentation mentioned bits of 3D printing but today’s the real deal. However, our presentation was not as comprehensive as we thought it would be. Prof mentioned about our lacking in mentioning of the availability of materials that could be used with 3D printers and by extension the applications of 3D printed products! We had neglected the material aspect and had dove straight into applications. As a result, we may have presented an extremely simplified version of a 3D printer that uses only powder to create simple products or household appliances, when it can in fact one day produce human organs using human cells and tissues. Prof also offered alternative perspective towards 3D printing – a lot more positive ones, I must say – and it was good to consider the flip side and rethink the implications of 3D printing. Hopefully our final web report would be satisfactory! (Shall post it up here when it’s done!)
Presentations this week war rather fun, one group presented about sea steading! Truthfully, I am quite critical about sea steads. Principality of Sealand is mainly the reason why. Such states are sovereign and are not subjected to interference from other countries, regardless of whether the deeds done in Sealand are legal or not. However, the group has indeed widened my perspective of what sea steading entails. Honestly, sea steading does seem like a good way to escape from the bustling crowd everywhere now in Singapore. Plus, it helped that the pictures on site all looks pretty attractive!
The other group that I particularly love was the one on exo-skeletons. Their videos really caught my attention and hey, who wouldn’t want an iron man suit! It was an interesting thought that we may be able to function better with special capacities. This technology may go far to help those who require additional strength or help in their daily job scope and especially military-wise! However, would this further complicate matters? From what I get off Iron Man and The Avengers, that exo-skeleton seems pretty destructive!
Anyhow, we have come to the end of the semester! It has been an interesting journey, and it’s good I can come back to this blog to look back on this module whenever I need to! Thanks to everybody who has accompanied me through this module! 🙂
Lessons have come to an end!!!
Throughout this course, I have come to appreciate technology and more importantly interested in the implications of these technology – be it positive or negative! I am pretty much sure everybody has gained more and deeper insights into technology, and they are excited to share it with with the class!
Yep! Class presentations are up over the next two weeks, and it would be fun to know what technology is going to be presented and check out the group’s website!Â
Stealth was up first, drawing from the concept of a invisibility cloak. As of now, although my perspective has broaden a lot, I am not at the stage of thinking invisibility would work one day. However, there is no denying that that are technologies that provide an illusion of invisibility. Mission Impossible 4 showed a way of staying invisible by projecting a an image of a corridor and hiding behind it. This meant the guards saw the corridor via the screen and it was as though the corridor was empty. Hence I feel that such technology would actually be really beneficial in warfare (and agent missions) and was indeed an innovation worthy to study.
The other presentation that got me engaged was about aesthetic surgery. Once tabooed, it is quite common now for girls and guys to address the thought of getting our features redefined or even confess to having done it already. Personally, I do not see anything wrong with wanting to look better and paying for it if they have the capability. However, this projects the idea that looking good is essential, and if you were born unfortunately less good-looking, then you ought to get something done to your face. Although the original purpose of this technology was to aid those who are in need of facial restructuring due to deformities, it is now used to make one look better in the eyes of society.Â
The websites all look really good and informative and presentation round 1 was indeed engaging! Excited for next week, and I’m presenting!!! (:
VISION > BUDGET
If there is one thing I took away from the lesson, it would be that equation above.
As we now take a step back – filled with a lot more knowledge with regards to technology and world change we were 12 weeks ago – and look into the projected future, it would be wise to look at possible trends and consider how we may approach it. I liked what Prof shared that if you live within your budget, you would be constrain; but if you live outside of it, you would see a solution. I want to expect beyond what is possible and therefore be prepared and ready for what the future may hold.
However that does not mean we neglect the resources because yes we have to work with what we have, The more developed the world gets, the lesser resources there is to offer. It is pertinent that we prioritise and allocate our resources effectively. Yet we should not be limited by the resources that we have and dismiss potential ideas for the future and only focusing on a selected few. As far as we can predict, there is no knowing what we would face in the future. Therefore, there should be no trends or ideas that we should put away just because we have a fixed amount of resources to work with.
To determine the future potential trends and its implications, we can look to various methodologies for assessing and forecasting technology. It is definitely beneficial that we may study what is to come, but I believe it would be impossible to know exactly and accurately what would the future be like. The best we can do is to make an intelligent guess and then be adequately prepared for  it.
Personal Rating: 8/10. It is really exciting to know that the future is going to get quite happening – with much more interesting innovations to come. I am also aware of the complementing societal issues that may arise. But as we predict the issues of tomorrow, we can tackle them today.
This week’s topic was by far the most intriguing and exciting topic: emerging technologies.
 “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”
-Albert Einstein
To be able to perceive what lies in the future, and create it, is one of the greatest strength of a human mind – that we may envision and look ahead, rather than be satisfied in the present.
Several innovations were discussed in class and one exceptionally alarming and intriguing one that we say was the Perfect Woman. The first thought that hit me was, “if that was the perfect woman, then I am not striving to be one.” The concept of a robotic female embodiment of a human was disturbing. No matter how advanced technology is, humanity can most certainly not be replaced in a robot. As perfect as they are, they are unable to feel, love and sense the way a human does. After 10 weeks of lessons and understanding, there is no doubt that robots can one day be smarter than humans. But after watching that video, I am more than convinced, they would never share the humanness that we have.
The other technology that caught my attention, and one that I am looking especially forward to was the idea of Witricity! Technology may enable the transferring of power wirelessly. In the future, we would not have to deal with wires! Working on the theory of magnetism, it is a concept that is not hard to comprehend, very practical and definitely possible in the near future.
http://www.witricity.com/pages/technology.html
Many new technologies are along the way. Much have been going on about Google Glass. I personally feel that it is amazing that you may command actions just merely be speaking – taking pictures, searching for information and even translation! Although the class responded that they were not willing to pay too much for such a product, but in time to come, as this technology becomes prevalent – like how iPhones, MacBooks and iPads are – it is very likely we will see a Google Glass on majority of the people walking down the streets in the future!
With so much to look forward to and look out for, the future is only going to be more interesting!
Personal Rating: 10/10, left class feeling very excited for the future! (:
Mid sem break is over!!! Utilised it really well, did a lot of studying and had much rest so it was good. Anyhow first lesson up of the week was TWC. A little bit unresponsive – me and the class in general – I guess people was readapting back to school again. Plus we just had our min. 10-paged paper submitted so everybody seems kinda sluggish. No matter, we would be back to normal.
So today we were looking into the topic of energy sources, and while we all knew some general knowledge like, “Oh y’know we really need to start looking for renewable energy sources!” and like “Oh, the sun. Cannot cope energy from the sun meh?” kinda talk. But today’s lesson punched in the urgency for alternative sources and shed more light on solar energy!
 Honestly, I always thought it would be pretty cool if my appliances ran on solar energy. I wouldn’t worry about any low-batt issue, and I don’t have to lug various chargers around. And oh, the car! Lesser petrol! How good is that! Somehow before attending class, I knew solar energy was a good alternative but if nobody is capturing solar energy, then there must be something about solar energy I did not know about. Â
In class, however, Prof showed us Germany, and how they are catching solar energy! They have grids install to absorb energy from the sun and while it may be a hassle to install, nothing beats cash incentives!Â
For quite a while we have always been talking about fossil fuels and being almost contented at that. But there are many untapped sources of energy we can and should look into! The sun is one major source, and countries ought to consider investments in solar energy. It is probably the most likely solution to the urgent energy problems.
Presentations today was pretty cool as well! We looking into the Three Gorges Dam and I stand corrected. Always thought it was filthy and I don’t understand why people should be allowed to go ‘sightseeing’ about it although it is a massive infrastructure that was pretty innovative on China’s part. However Prof and the presenter shared that well it met its purpose! Plus it is the people’s action that made it this way but all in all, I now find that dam pretty impressive. Glad to know I am always learning new stuff about the things I thought I knew, and constantly broadening my perspectives!
Personal Rating: 8/10, excited for the future of energy and really glad that I was given a new perspective!
E-books: Its Birth, Progress and Future
Hello all who read my blog for academic purposes, 12 pages was no easy feat! Nonetheless it is up and I had much fun reading through the many many papers that I used for referencing. I am glad I chose a topic I loved and I did try my best to be as coherent and comprehensive but there is so much to talk about. Ok I’m babbling, enjoy the read guys!Â
NERVE WRECKING.
Today’s lesson was much more nerving because there was presentation. It being at the end of the class was not helping and hearing Prof go on and on about biobusiness kept me thinking whether I was prepared enough and if I knew enough. On hindsight, I think I didn’t disappoint myself with the presentation.
Moving on, we have shifted from the healthcare and medical sciences industry to the agriculture, environmental and industrial biotech. In the midst of my presentation, Prof kindly reminded us about the 4 colours of biotechnology. Green for environment, blue for aqua, red for medicine and white for industrial. It was interesting to note that red biotech tends to me more acceptable by the public as advancement in medicinal field directly impacts the lives of people positively, as we had discussed last week. On the other hand, agribiology tends to be more controversial.
I wouldn’t deny that agriculture has always been a boring topic to me, but there is no doubt that it remains a huge and fundamental industry in our lives – past, present and most likely in the future. One of the main reason is that the agriculture sector answers directly to the issue of food security. I found it rather ironic that we were looking into the future and thinking if food security would be a concern when it already is now. The world ought to be concerned as to whether it can double its food production to feed the 9 to 10 billion by mid century. However, looking at now, even when there is enough food production to feed the world’s population, (according to FAO, 2012) 870 million do not have enough to eat. Yet here we are unable to finish the food on our dinner plates, throwing tons of food a day and increasing rates of obesity in countries like USA and China.
This leads me to wonder if we cannot ensure food security for all now, so what if we can produce enough food to feed the world’s population, would there be food security? The readings and our discussions however do shed light on these issues. There is a need to be a change in many governmental policies, not just within nations, but regionally and globally as well. While we not only need to encourage investments into agricultural sectors in countries which have a high percentage of people in hunger, we should also encourage dissemination of information regarding agricultural technology from other developed countries to these nations suffering from hunger woes. Not only that, trade has to be encouraged. It is impossible that food is distributed equally and evenly to each and every individual in the world, but it is possible to balance out food supply, such that we can work towards food security. I am glad to say that we have improved, but there is no saying that we have already done our best.
Technology plays a large role here. If we could increase yields at the same or faster rate, and increase the supply of food greatly, we can work towards lowered food prices. Technology would help countries facing high hunger rates to be more self-sufficient as well. At this point, GM food may seem to be the answer to the problem. However as people grow more conscious (especially those in the developed countries) and protest against these innovations, those that are at a disadvantaged are the hungry. I remember reading somewhere that due to protests, a GM food project that could potentially benefit and help the third world countries was retracted. Not sure how true it is but if this was real, we living with an abundance of food should look beyond ourselves and start considering how can we ensure that others are fed before we start discriminating agricultural technology over our meals.
Personal Rating: 9/10. As boring as technology may be, it has helped me look beyond my own circumstances, and consider not only that of the third world countries, but as well as the future generation in the year 2050.
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is to live as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” – Albert Einstein
It is an interesting perspective to live life like that – not asking you to be plain dumb and ignorant about everything, but to be open-minded and realise every single piece of technology used today was a result of pure genius.
Healthcare has definitely taken a turn in recent decades. Statistics of birth and death rates and infant mortality are but numbers showing this. Yet, it is not hard living in today’s world to realise that healthcare and the biomedical sector has greatly advanced even without those stats.Â
As with the above quote, one could do two things. Live as though this healthcare advancement was merely a matter of time, or to delve deeper into it and realised that this healthcare revolution has been crucial in shaping the world today.
The most appealing innovation to me would definitely be the prosthetic limbs. I know cancer cures, DNA and genetic, stem cell and tissue engineering are complex stuff that technology has enabled but prosthetic limbs to me represented a healthcare breakthrough. Amputations used to be common with infectious diseases and sometimes babies are born without limbs. The innovation of prosthetic limbs have provided these people with a second chance at leading a life like others. It is also one of those innovations that had to considered and has developed over the years in terms of aesthetics. Now it has gone even further to bionics and would aid greatly in the development of robots and limbs for the disabled.
We lived in an age in which we do not know the perils of diseases and healthcare is taken for granted. Clinics and hospitals are everywhere in our nation. However, TWC has shown me that diseases and illnesses had been the cause of many empires’ demise. Even in third world countries, issues like death rates and infant mortality rates, and diseases like HIV and cholera are still plaguing their lives. Healthcare treatment is adequate but not evenly available to the world’s population. Then I understood, that the revolution of healthcare was no means by chance, and the biomedical industry of the future is stepping on the foundation of all these technology, in the hope of providing better and more available healthcare to the world.
Personal Rating: 9/10 because I learnt to live life as though everything is a miracle.
Ohmy class on a Saturday… Seriously was not expecting anything out of it – make my presence known in class and poof off to my weekend.
But oh well, things never go the way you expect it to be! Must say that ICT was one of the more interesting topics we have had in TWC so far! (:
When I think of information + communication + technology, I think of Facebook. Facebook had kinda died down for me before entering uni, and it was all twitter. However, after entering SMU, facebook is it. It’s like “SMU Google”, and with SMU Confessions up now, it is definitely SMU’s Google.Â
Relating it to the evolution of the web, this is Web 2.0 at work – in which we can actively be involved in the forums and connect with people we most likely do not and would never know via social networks. Facebook itself has also taken to Web 3.0 in its geotagging functions and who knows what may be in store for future facebook uses.
This is a breakthrough for the world. Thousands of information could be passed through, and one does not have to only receive passively! People whom we thought we could never be in contact with are our friends and this brings the entire world – people, language, ideas, culture into access with our computers.
Yet at this point, the potential of the web is not maximised. With unlimited information and contact online, productivity and efficiency should be at its maximum but that’s not the case at this point. There are stil groups of people who have no idea of the existence of the web and the power it has to change their lives and improve it for the better. While agricultural and industrial sectors remain necessary, with the use of ICT, the way of work in these sectors can be made easier and more productive.
Prof brought up two areas we could look into for ICT – gaming and cloud computing. Gaming to me is bad bad bad. It is pointless, wastes your time, is unhealthy and no way would I encourage gaming. Conversely when I think if cloud computing, it is effective, fast and convenient. Yet today I got to see the good in gaming and the not-so-good in cloud computing. Gaming has allowed us to explore further in other industries as it pushes our creativity and innovativeness. In fact many gaming allows for communication also and while I usually expect swear words rather than intellectual debate, who know what those words going to and fro may spark. In a game of Call of Duty, ideas on militia and warfare may just come about! Cloud computing has its weaknesses too, it has no boundaries! And this means that everything is “up there” and it is as abstract as it sounds. We have almost no control to our files and who/what may get just penetrate through and have access to it!
I guess with ICT, as good as people are at creating technology to be more effective and efficient, there are also those who use technology to steal ideas and commit crimes. There are many security and private personal issues when dealing with ICT. So while I am aware of the benefits and disadvantages of ICT, I am also aware that I cannot take it for granted but to be more careful as well.
9/10: Interesting topic! New perspectives! (:
Views, Tech and World Change 