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yescjmaxwell · 5 years

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Analytical Reflection

Introduction

This project is a recap of what I have learned during the semester in English 212. In this class the topics have been that of the future, or what could be the future. We have researched technopanics, the future of the body, AI systems, and how all of our devices can be connected via internet. There are many topics that have a contradicting or ethical debate behind them, which is what makes these ideas so interesting. There is no doubt that the future beholds a technological advance, but to what extent? Let's find out what English 212 has taught me about the possible future.

Phase 1:

Fear is one of the strongest motivators that a human can experience. When we feel scared often times it is because we are vulnerable, and we feel that there is nothing that we can do to stop this fear. Many people feel this way about technological advancements, giving it the name “technopanic”. In link number one a book by the name “The Googlization of Everything, and Why We Should Worry” was discussed. The two men talked about how google is a great tool for many things, but we don’t in fact need it to survive. The author described google as “a lens that shows some things and hides others.” Cyber security is a highly discussed technopanic, which will lead me into the next link.

Threat inflation was a common phrase that I seen while researching technopanics. Many times, according to Adam Thier in link number three, these threats are based off false assumptions. This leads to a problem because the media spreads around these false fears that seem so real and cause people to panic. For example, the rate of child abductions from the internet is a lot less than the media leads us to believe. While it is still a problem, no matter how small the number, it is not as common as most of us think.

In the last link relating to technopanics, Forbes gave an idea of what they believe to be some of the drives behind technological fears. The first and most obvious one is generational differences. We all know a baby boomer who has made some comment on millennial minds being destroyed by the internet. Maybe there is some truth to that, but for the most part it is just a generational difference that they don’t understand. Another drive for technopanics is simply the fact that bad news sells. It is always what is wrong with the world that is forecasted on the news, and people buy into it. The human brain is wired to find the negative side of everything, and that is what is happening with technology. Another unfortunate reason that technopanics are happening is because some policy makers are benefiting of other people’s fear. These companies overplay the problem to sell their product, which is the ‘solution’ to “online porn, privacy, or cyber security concerns.” There are really so many benefits of today's technology but because of the fear of the new so many people are against it.

Phase 3:

Speaking of technopanics, AI systems are one of the most feared advancements that humans experience (in my opinion). Artificial intelligence is a strange topic for me to wrap my mind around because it is so futuristic. AI systems like Sophia the Robot are a bit freaky because it is essentially a fully functional robot. In the video link of Sophia the Robot on Jimmy Fallon the robot is conversing like a normal human and moving like one as well. There are positive and negative consequences to a world of AI. Some of the benefits that my research showed were it is useful in many situations, can easily modify errors, and it will be perceivable by those who provide it. Some of the negative aspects were that AI is unorganized and unformatted, the volume is too big to condense, and it will always be changing. All of this information, along with incredible visual aids, is from the fifth link.

One specific use for AI is in geoscience. I found a video that interesting explained how AI could be useful in detecting Earth systems that are difficult to find to the human eye. These systems could gather important data that could be used to solve phenomenon such as climate change and more. This is an important idea to me because I am very affectionate toward mother nature, and any positive technological advancement toward the Earth makes me very happy.

The return on equity (ROE) is high for AI systems as well, which is a good thing. This is an indicator that the business is making profit all the while giving back to shareholders simultaneously. According to Simply Wall Street in the sixth link, “intelligent Systems has a better ROE than the average (11%) in the Software industry.” This statistic shows that AI systems are making money, although in the same article it is stated that the stocks may not be the best to invest in. The market of AI is usually more pricey because it has a higher quality, that is important to the future of the stock. If the future has a low estimated success rate it would not be smart to invest a good amount of money into the stock now, because you will lose that money in the future.

Phase two

The future of the body. What do you imagine? Do you think that we will have robotic limbs and touch screen brains? The research that I have done has given me some insight on what technology can really do for our bodies in the future. Let’s start with the negative factors. Cyber security is a growing problem with the growing internet. In the second link regarding the future of the body talks about having certain medical devices like pacemakers, insulin pumps, and MRI scanners that could potentially be hacked into. This is a problem because it has been proven to be possible to do, and just because it is completely unethical doesn’t mean that someone won’t have the nerve. There is talk about having devices implanted into patients so that doctors could dispense medicine to them without having them come into the office. While this is something that I would probably not want to do I can see where it would be of great benefit to someone else. If manufacturers could come up with a high quality security system then there would be few issues with the idea.

The Apple Watch is a new invention by Apple that could become an important aspect to health tracking in the future. The watch tracks heart rate, pulse, activity level and more that many people, sick or healthy, can use to keep order of their body functions. With advancements devices like this could create an array of systems that could help people who are on a specific diet, rehabilitation workout program, and also those with heart diseases. Geekwire, the first link to the future of the body, says that “wearables and smartphones will be the corner store of healthcare in the future.” And also that this product by Apple “would fill two gaps 1) the ability to continuously monitor biometric data and 2) provide a platform to aggregate new healthcare information and services.”

The most interesting link that I found was that of CNBC news. In the link there was a video attached that explained a phenomenon that I had never heard of, sending our brains into space. The man in the video explained this idea as using a laser beam to project the information that is stored in the human brain into outer space where someone or something would be waiting to receive that information. According to CNBC, the reason that we have not yet made this idea real life is “an engineering problem, not a physics problem.” This means that science says sending our sensory information across the universe is possible, we just don’t have the technology yet.

Phase four

The internet of things (IOT) is a connection of many devices through the internet. In the first link relating to IOT Forbes author discusses the impact of this phenomenon on retail stores and processes. According to this link IOT chips only cost $0.10 and are beneficial because they manage excess stock and production, as well as identify channels that customers use. It also plays a role in marketing to advertise certain products such as smartphones and other smart devices. This technology is also predicted to change the fashion industry as well because IOT will keep up with trends quicker and be able to know what people are searching via internet (also could be a cyber security problem). IOT can easily suggest clothing, outfit combinations, makeup, and other fashion accessories. While this may not be important to someone who isn’t into fashion, it could be career changing for those who are.

IOT is changing the business industry in so many ways. Travel, manufacturing, healthcare, automotive and more are all being positively influenced by the rave of IOT. Being connected in these ways are helping airlines customize and enhance their customers experience because they are able to gather data that they have not been able to in the past. Many manufacturing jobs are being taken over by technology, which could be a problem to those who are employed in these positions. Although, IOT is improving the efficiency and productivity in factories, which is a positive aspect for consumers. Healthcare is a huge industry that is being improved by technology everyday. As a nursing student I can say that I am excited for what IOT will bring into the field. With the use of IOT in healthcare, proficiency, effectiveness, patient monitoring and safety are all areas that are receiving benefits. A topic that we directly researched in class this semester was the self driving car. I found this invention to be very beneficial to certain people and to the population as a whole. IOT is making our roads safer by creating AV’s (automated vehicles), making cars easier to access for those who cannot drive or cannot afford it, and also possibly reducing carbon emissions into the atmosphere.

The direct impact of IOT on energy consumption has not yet been officially determined. Eric Hittinger and Paulina Jaramillo, two authors of “IOT: Energy Boon or Bane?”, say that the active power usage will decrease dramatically with the use of IOT. The reason being is that with greater processing power, larger screens, and other advancements the functionality of these devices are increasing. Although the consequences of all those aspects is a higher demand for data bases, cell phone infrastructure, and the network cloud which has harms to the environment. The electricity use of IOT is higher than desired, it was recorded by Sciencemag that the global energy consumption was 3.9%, and continues to rise.

Phase five

Another module that was a new concept to me before this class was cyborgs and bioart. These two ideas seemed a bit bizarre to me at first, but since my research I have learned many interesting facts about the subjects. Bioart was something that I had never even heard of before a few weeks ago. I learned that bioart is the process of using human tissue, cells and other living matter. Stephanie Walden released an interesting clip on mashable.com that visualized how cells are used to make art. The cells were put together in a way that created words, the video was titled “Spelling Test” and was also asmr which is a popular video trend of the internet. I could honestly say that the video confused me a little, but I am keeping an open mind to why others may find this artwork fascinating.

A man with an ear on his arm. Yes, you read that correctly. Stelarc dedicated ten years of his life to finding a plastic surgeon to implant an ear to his forearm for the sake of art. During my research I ran into a video that CNN released which inspired me to look deeper into Stelarc’s story. His ear was made of a biocompatible material that is commonly used in plastic surgery procedures, the ear reacted well to his body and is now a functioning organ on his body. His goal with his ear is to use IOT to have WiFi in his arm that will allow internet users to ‘tune in’ whenever. Stelarc says that “the project is uninteresting to him until the ear is automatically augmented.” I found this research to be over my head, I could not wrap my mind around why this project was necessary. Art is a vast profession that can be interpreted in many ways, this to me means that everyone will have a different opinion. My opinion on bioart is that it is strange, but I am glad to expand my knowledge on the idea.

Conclusion

Overall, I have learned many interesting topics in the duration of this English 212 course. I’ve gained positive insights on topics that I before had negative thoughts on, such as the driverless car. Before researching this invention I thought that it was another dumb idea of the future, but there are actually great benefits of AV’s that are projecting onto people lives and the environment. While I have changed my mind about a few of the future technological possibilities, some of my research has increased my negative opinions on topics. Although I still feel dismissive toward some ideas, I can say so knowing that I have done research on the topics and have kept an open mind during the duration of the class.

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