What Have You Learned Essay - Module 13

              I have to admit that I enjoyed this class more than I thought I would. What was first my most restraining factor eventually became my most compelling part of the course. That was the book, and I truly enjoyed The World if Flat by Thomas Friedman. I didn’t understand exactly the direction that Mr. Friedman was going to take with his book, as the title does not indicate, but by the second chapter, I was won over to his concepts and ideologies regarding technological innovations and their influence on our society today.  Through the travels and experiences of Thomas Friedman my eyes were opened to the global condition of business today. I was encouraged that members of society are finding applications and ways to utilize technology. Probably one main reason that I was able to enjoy, and ruminate over this book, was the fact that the assignments forced me to focus on individual parts of it and to consider the ideas that were being represented. The things that I had to read for in the book in order to complete the assignments helped me to appreciate the book as a whole. I am glad that I read the book, and I am already suggesting it to others.

            Probably my second and most thought-provoking and insightful was the assignment where we had to interview a person who used computers at their work. This interview made work on the computer that I have been doing look menial in comparison to the many applications and possibilities of innovations in technology.

            There are those nay-sayers who do not believe that computers will be used to such a great magnitude, but through this course, I have learned that these nay-sayers are not only wrong but they are living in the past. Many of the innovations that the regular person is only dreaming of are already being implemented and successfully utilized in business today.

            The insertion of the science fiction works was a delightful diversion that not only represented a form of recreation for my mind, but they were so chosen to keep my mind focused on the concept that was being taught at the time. I believe that they also worked to allow my mind to consider the future of technological innovations and applications.

            Through this course, my mind has been opened to the vast degree to which our world is being affected by computer technology and by the applications that are facilitating global business today. I now know and understand that it will only suit my future best to stay abreast of innovations, inventions and applications in technology. As fast as technology is advancing, my need to stay current and abreast and even, if possible, ahead of these surges, is vital to my future success in our global economy.

The Future - Module 12

Genetics, Nanotechnology and Robotics

            The magnificent yet human mind of Bill Joy explores the innovations in genetics, nanotechnology and robotics.  Mr. Joy eloquently explains ideas and terms that would normally baffle the common mind. But his style of writing and relating ideas and thoughts makes his concerns regarding these three great components of technology and how they can affect human existence.

            Genetics have already surpassed the common person’s knowledge and scope of imagination in its ever-rising applications and abilities. Bill Joy explains that his greatest concern regarding genetics is that it “promises to revolutionize agriculture by increasing crop yields while reducing the use of pesticides; to create tens of thousands of novel species of bacteria, plants, viruses, and animals; to replace reproduction, or supplement it, with cloning; to create cures for many diseases, increasing our life span and our quality of life; and much, much more.” The problem is pointed out, however, that the military and offensive applications are almost easier and more easily manipulated than some of the peaceful applications for genetic research. Mr. Joy’s greatest concern regarding genetic technologies is “that it gives the power - whether militarily, accidentally, or in a deliberate terrorist act - to create a White Plague.” HE continues to propose that much of this technology must be monitored, but that monitoring would be most successful in an honors type system. Unlike atomic energy and where testing was evident, breakthroughs in genetics can be hidden and remain private until a malevolent source chose to act out some malicious plan.

            Nanotechnology has the same negative aspects toward its ability to be monitored. Once again, Joy points out that with nanotechnology “it is far easier to create destructive uses for nanotechnology than constructive ones.” Joy expresses again his concern that with the benefits of nanotechnology we also face a risk, “the risk that we might destroy the biosphere on which all life depends.”

            Mr. Joy’s concerns about robotics and their emerging skills, applications and popularity reveal that the inevitability of robotics in our future must be addressed. Joy articulated that robots eventually will be produced that will perform duties that will not require human intervention at all. And then not long after that these robots will be making decisions that are beyond the scope of human thinking and will no longer need human beings to perform work. These innovations would deem the human existence unnecessary.

            Although many of Bill Joy’s concerns seem ridiculous, they are all grounded on ideas and concepts that his vast mind can comprehend and imagine. If his mind can imagine these fears, only an arrogant ego would brush these concerns aside as if they were merely an annoying inconvenience that is getting in the way of progress. I believe that his fears are most definitely justified, simply because they come from the mind of someone vastly more imaginative and ingenious than mine. I do not believe that human beings can or should do anything. The wheels are already in motion that will continue to their own end. We can no better slow or prevent the future of genetics, nanotechnology and robotics than we would be able to produce an end to the earth revolving around the sun on its axis. Such attempts would be futile and a waste of human knowledge ingenuity and service.

Film Review Essay - Moudle 11

            In the movie “Minority Report” computers are used and integrated with human thought. Three individuals are found that have psychic abilities. Scientists are able to integrate the thought processes of the human beings with computers that can decipher their thoughts and “play”, like a movie, the psychic thoughts that they are experiencing.

            Society uses these three to be able to see crimes in the future and decides to arrest the criminals before the crimes have been committed. All of the cases were held in a large computer, and with it were the seldom occurrences in which the thoughts of the three humans did not agree and there was a discrepancy in the futuristic “reading”. These unusual cases were called minority reports.

            These minority reports were secretly kept from the public knowledge as they showed possible inconsistencies in trying people for crimes that had not yet been committed and the plausibility of inaccuracies in readings.

            The fact that human beings were allowed to reign over such knowledge opened the door and allowed for self-promoting behavior on the part of one particular official in which he attempted to hide a murder that he had truly committed, but he was able to fabricate an unreal memory for one of the three readers.

            The climax of the movie is when there is a minority report regarding a leading official in the department that dealt with this form of crime prevention occurs. He finds out about the report and attempts to reveal the inaccuracies and indiscretions of officials in the department.

            The use and application of computers in this movie would be considered ridiculous considering the present capabilities of computers and probable only after years of research and development to be able to utilize computer technology to not only read a mind, but also to transfer those thoughts into scenes for others to watch. Also the instance that the official fabricated a memory to his a murder that he had committed but made it appear to be a memory of one of the three reader’s mother’s death was also far-fetched and impossible.

            The entire premise of the movie brings to question the culpability and ramification of using technology to bring about a societal decision to incarcerate someone who has not yet committed a crime. The fact that these decisions are seen at first as positive and an aid to peaceful society is questioned throughout by the viewer and ultimately revealed as an unjust indictment upon a soul that has literally not yet committed a crime. Not only was their the plausibility that the crime may not have happened in the future, but that the technology was able to be used to hide criminal behavior in another fashion was improbable at best.

            The movie does, however, open the conversation of the use of technology and law and criminal prevention, but is able to reveal too many intricacies and inaccuracies that can happen not only on the part of technology but also on the motivated and self-promoting human being nature.

The Portrayal of Computers in Science Fiction - Moudle 10

“A Logic Called Joe”

The short story, “A Logic Named Joe” was written in 1946. Whether the author was theoretically entertaining his mine with fantastical thoughts or he had special knowledge about the computer industry appears to be unknown. How could a single author be privy to so much detailed information? But if he was not, how could he so accurately guess at so many intricate details of the future?

            The author details abilities of the home computer that had not yet been invented or conceived. In the story computers are interestingly, yet accurately called “Logics” this is an appropriate name as their abilities are confined to logical actions.

            There is a mention in the story about an invention that made the entire concept and the use of “logics” wide-spread and common. This “trick circuit” was invented by a man called Carson. This reference could easily be applied to either the transistor in the 1940s, the “Chip” or integrated circuit in 1958 or the first microprocessor in 1971. This phenomenal invention was credited for fueling the popularity and commonality of the “logics”.

            AT the time of the stories writing the television had just come on the scene. The television, which was not in common use yet, was called vision receivers in the story. Whether this technology fueled the author’s imaginations that led to the story is likely, yet only a partial explanation of the apparent prophecies included in the story.

            In the story there is something called the “tank” that holds all of the knowledge, information and broadcasts. “The tank is a big buildin' full of all the facts in creation an' all the recorded telecasts that ever was made—an' it's hooked in with all the other tanks all over the country”[i] This “tank” sounds an awful lot like the World Wide Web. But in this story it has an actual geographical site or a single location.

            The story veers from actual modern reality, however, when it seems to give “Logics” or computers the ability to independently reason and calculate. The errant logic “Joe” apparently is credited with knowledge that can identify his own individual malfunction, see it as a positive malfunction and then reason how best to use and utilize this malfunction to best perform its designed duties.

            The mention of “censor blocks” could be in reference to parameters and filters that are sometimes placed on sites by humanity and are sometimes put on home computers by cautious parents or companies that want to maintain the integrity of the use of their work computers.

One thing that the author thought of and integrated into the story that has not yet been able to find its way into computer use is the way in which Logics are able to understand, calculate and answer a direct question. Today computers cannot do this. We still enter in key words in order to find sites that relate to a topic, and then we must individual hone and break down our search to hope to find a satisfactory answer. In the story, questions are perceived and directly answered. The Logics seem to be able to logically and concisely understand the question and be able to use the knowledge in the “tank” to formulate an applicable answer. This technology has not yet been invented or utilized.

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[i] http://inventors.about.com/library/blcoindex.htm

The World Is Flat - Moudle 9

From beginning to end the construction of a personally ordered Dell laptop computer requires so much more than meet s the eye. Orders are sent to the one of Dell’s six different factories around the world. The factories are located in Ireland, China, Brazil, Tennessee, Texas and Malaysia.  Each factory is surrounded by logistic centers that are located in the perimeter of the factory. The challenge of these supplier logistic centers (SLCs) is to be able to keep required material on hand to fill a myriad of orders. The laptop can be ordered online, in a store or by phone. Then designed by engineers at another site. “This global teamwork brings an added benefit – a globally distributed virtually twenty-four-hour-per-day development cycle.” (pg. 582) This amazing coordination and synchronization from order to the delivery at someone’s home is one of the many wonders produced at the hand of the “flat world”

Another concept that has been honed and perfected in our newly “flat world” is the ability of the terrorist network, Al Qaeda, to not only propagate their concepts but they are able to grow and thrive thanks to the characteristics of our “flat world”. Individual cells of the Al Qaeda network may be physically independent. They may be required to supply their own physical needs, but one thing that a terrorist network of this magnitude always needs is more people that are willing to sacrifice their lives for a cause. The internet has allowed “the small to act big, and the way it enables small acts – the killing of a few people- to have big effects.” (Page 597)  What the publicity that the internet provides to these small acts is that it allows “terrorists to transmit their terror”. The internet is an amazing tool of news and information, and at the hand of everyone, including terrorists, they are able to propagate their cause and their ideas and information is accessible by others of like mind with great ease.

Thomas Friedman profoundly pinpoints one of the problems of having great money. In his chapter portion regarding “The Curse of Oil” he explains that as long as individuals, families and dictators rule countries that are rich in oil are allowed to depend on their oil for sustenance. These rulers never have to communicate or rely on the citizens of their country so “the relationship between ruler and ruled is highly distorted.” (pg 626)  Mr. Friedman suggests that the reason that these countries often do not have strong institutions is because they have never had to tap interest and energy from the actual people of their society. The concept that Muslim countries make up about 20% of the world  population while only accounting for 4%of the worlds trade is an interesting viewpoint relating their inactivity in trade is unequivocal to their population.

OPINION

I had strong negative feelings regarding the book, The World is Flat. My first opinions were skeptical at best, but as I read, and Thomas Friedman was given time and as he adequately explained his position, I may not have come to believe all of his opinions, but I definitely do see how and where his ideas come from. His mind is a remarkable mind, and I believe that all people who plan to work and grow in our new “Flat World” I am grateful for the opportunity that I would never have provided for myself, but that was thrust upon me. I believe that I will always view the world and business in this world differently after reading this book.