TWC WEEK TWELVE

This week is group presentation week and it was my group's turn to present!
My team is called Ricebowl and we presented on food technologies for the future!
This topic was decided on a random basis but somehow or rather, we later found out that we are a group of food lovers! In every meeting, someone would always bring snacks (seaweed, cake, doughnuts, cookies, etc.)

Overall, I think our group presented well today and have managed to "wow" our class a little with the futuristic food technologies possible! My favourite is the bubble gum meals as invented by Willy Wonka! I think by that time, the very definition of dining will be very different. If you missed our presentation, please do visit our website Food For The Future.

 No doubt our team did face some problems at the start, such as what kind of food technologies we would like to touch on as there are just hundreds of different food technologies that have evolved over the centuries. Thus I think we took a while to decide and our outline was only finalized one and half weeks before our presentation date!! I know, thats frightening.
But my group did it! And I think its mainly because we work well as a team. Once we had our outlines, everybody put all their efforts to do their parts. As others finished their parts, they did not just sit back to relax either, some helped out with figuring how to beautify the website, and some helped to continue researching and giving ideas for our food technologies. It was an enjoyable time working with my group mates and if I had the chance, I'd love to work with them again! :)

The other groups which presented were on EcoTechnology, Photography and E-commerce.

They were all extremely interesting as well! However, out of the 3, I think the group who presented on E-commerce really managed to catch my attention as they started with a short skit, which was pretty hilarious. In addition, they showed us many videos of how they think the future shopping scene would be like. It was engaging and I could see that they have put in a lot of effort in recording themselves! Kudos to the Techmerce team!

Can't wait to see the next 4 presentations next week! :) :) :)

Selene

TWC WEEK ELEVEN

Our final topic of discussion was on Technology Assessment and Forecasting. We learned about the various methods of assessing the impacts of the technologies (social, economical, political, environmental) and the importance of forecasting future trends and issues the world may face.

I particularly liked the video prof showed us on Megatrends. A rising star - Siemens has identified two Megatrends, urbanisation and demographic change happening in our world today. This leads to greater need for clean water, power, healthcare, mobility, safety and security. Today, Siemens are able to bring solutions to meet all the challenges through innovative and new technologies. This shows the importance of having foresight, for one to be able to see beyond where we are standing now.   

“For time and the world do not stand still…

Change is the law of life.

And those who look only to the past or the present

are certain to miss the future.”

- John F Kennedy -

Another video I found extremely interesting was the Top 3 inventions for the future. 

#3 Nokia Morph

#2 Google earth 2020 Ed.

#1 Salt water fuel!!!

I am extremely excited for all 3 inventions, especially number 3! With Nanotechnology, one can truly do wonders.

 The week before, one of my classmates was talking about using Nano robots to fight cancer and this week, we can use nanotech in our phones, making it flexible. I would definitely like to have a phone that can be worn on my wrist! That way, I know I'll never lose it again! Also, it is able to detect if your food is edible a not and it is a self cleaning phone! This phone, I believe will bring about anew craze and Iphones will soon be forgotten. Finally, Nokia invented something completely new and might just become a rising star and dominant player again. 

In essence, I definitely agree that it is important for one to have vision, to look further into the future, as it is filled possibilities. The present situation are only filled with constraints and challenges, thus it would be difficult for one to work from our current situation. Instead, if we were to dream big and forecast the future outcome that we would like, using what we have now as stepping stones, the outcome could be tremendous. Just like Steve Jobs, he had the vision to make computers available to every household back when computers were only for a small group of hobbyist. He believed in simplicity and created things not according to customers' wants but what HE THINKS THEY NEED. He is indeed an incredible man who brought about so much changes to our lives, with his visions. 

I think this is a great ending to the the class Technology World Change and I'd give it a 9 out of 10. :)

Can't wait for more!

Selene

TWC WEEK TEN

This week's class is one of the most fun and light hearted class thus far, as we discuss on

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES!

I think the quote above is very true. The most creative stage of my life was when I was a toddler. Nothing was impossible then, as I imagined all sorts of scenario while playing with lego and polly pockets. And recently as I tried to play with my nephews, I found it really hard to play along. Probably because I know that humans can't fly and there are just no such things as firing laser beams from your eyes. But, this week's lesson has made me realize, maybe it is possible, if we stop constraining ourselves to what we know and have learnt, and let our imagination take over. 

As I have mentioned in my presentation this week, Matilda was my all time favourite show as I was amazed at her powers of controlling things with her mind! I absolutely loved it when she caused chaos in the classroom, driving the school's horrid headmaster,  Ms Trunchbull, out of her wits! I would have loved to do something like that too! HAHA! But that was all just a dream to me as I learnt through many of my own experimenting of trying to bend a spoon with my mind. However, through some research, it is possible, with the technology called Brain Computer Interface! REALLY AMAZING. 

Another technology which really wowed me in class this week is called augmented reality. I am so fascinated with it that I couldn't stop linking it with new ideas in Creative Thinking Class. Imagine how everything we see come to life in 3D form, making the world and studying even more interesting. Below is a video which I found on youtube, showing how augmented reality can be used in our education systems in the future. 

Books are no longer just filled with boring text, or just pictures. With augmented reality, our sight, smell, touch and hearing senses are greatly enhanced, making future education more interactive, greatly improving our learning ability.

While all these new technologies will definitely bring about certain negative impacts. For example, with brain controls, people may not find the need to move about anymore as everything can be done with our thoughts. In addition, this may result to social problems as people do not see the need to communicate as much with one another or even greater security issues as terrorist no longer needs suicide bombers. They only have to plant a bomb in somebody's bag and think of disarming it, killing millions of people. Thus, there would be a great need for innovators to also consider the negative impacts and perhaps limit this technology to those who will truly benefit from it, such as locked in patients who are completely disabled head to toe. With mind controls, this would definitely revolutionize their quality of life. 

To end, I would like to share another video on glass technology. With something so simple, who would have thought that it could possibly change our lives, bringing so much convenience. I absolutely enjoyed knowing about more technologies ahead of us as well as all of the presentations made by my friends this week. 10/10 :)

Can't wait for more!

Selene :)

TWC WEEK NINE

DID YOU KNOW

If the world consumes energy 

the way SINGAPORE and US does

the WORLDS' resources is like to finish in NINE years?

The most astonishing fact is that even though the world is aware that our resources is quickly depleting, not many countries are willing to change the way they consume energy or see the urgency to change. Perhaps only when we finally run out of fossil fuels, then will people see the necessity to change and innovate. 

The topic of discussion in class this week was about the next industrial revolution. Shifting from our current Unsustainable fossil fuel-based Energy Intensive economy to an Environmentally Sound and Sustainable Clean and Green Approach.

I found the picture above a very good representative of the issues we talked about. Currently, most of our energy source comes from underground, where we dig and mine for coal, petroleum and other resources. Not only is it depleting but the traditional methods have harmed our environment with carbon emissions and destroyed our landscape with all the digging and mining. 


As we look towards the future, our main sources of energy are coming from above ground level such as the sun and wind which are resources that we will never run out of! In addition, the sun is able to produce so much energy (3,850,000 EJ) that we only need ONE hour of the sun's energy to meet an entire year's worth of consumption by mankind (600 EJ). 


I found it very interesting that Germany is one such country who has taken the lead and invested in solar energy, even though Germany is known to be a country that receives very little sunlight all year round. However, the government gives cash incentives to whoever that is able to generate energy back to the grid. Thus, house owners and farmers have all come together to put up solar panels on buildings, roof tops and even as a farm cage. I think this is definitely a good start as every little bit of energy counts today, especially with the world experiencing depleting fossil fuels. 


Thus I thought it was astonishing that Singapore has not thought of using solar energy especially when we receive 1o hours of sunlight a day, all year round! The amount of energy we will be able to provide can feed the entire earth for 10 years in one day. However, the sad truth is people always look merely at the economical benefits. The cost to install solar panels on top of buildings is a hefty sum compared to a few cents needed to burn coal. But what people fail to include into the cost equation is the opportunity cost of taking away the resources of future generations and selfishly leaving the problem to them to face. 


As we have learnt in the earlier sessions, Change is inevitable. We should not resist change but embrace it so that we can move forward and develop. We should not be like the Ostrich who keeps its head buried below ground, fixated on our current way of mining for fossil fuels and oblivious to what is happening around it. Instead, we need to be like the eagles who soars high above ground, seeing everything in a wider perspective and look for new technologies that could be even better than what we have.


Because I strongly believe that the new technologies will provide us with a promising future, bringing even greater improvements to our way of life! Just watch this video and you'll see what I mean.

Overall, I really enjoyed this week's class, especially with the additional point of views given by today's special guest, who works in the wind turbine energy industry. I have learnt a great deal from class and give it a 10 out of 10! :) :) :)


Cant wait for more!
Selene :)

TWC WEEK SEVEN

Discussion in class this week focused on the another basic need for survival: FOOD.

As we are all aware of the food shortages we are facing due to increasing population and over consumption, this week's class discussion was on the various ways which could help overcome the problem. Namely, Agribiology.

“When we are able to grow the resources we need,

we will finally be on the road to sustainability”

Gurinder Shahi

This is indeed true. Only when we become self  sufficient instead of relying on nature's resources can we then be sustainable. So could we sustain by using Agribiology to grow our own supply of food? Here are some of the various Agribiotechnology we are using now.

AGRICULTURE

Micropropagation techniques/tissue culture: Multiply disease-free planting materials on a large scale

Development of transgenic crops: Commercially develop new genetically modified crop varieties

Modern plant breeding: Develop superior plant varieties rapidly and more precisely

LIVESTOCK

Livestock improvement: Speed up the reproduction process in animals, allowing more generations to be produced

Transgenic livestock: Development of transgenic lines of poultry which are faster growing or provide leaner, healthier meat

In short, Agribiology allows us to increase yield, producing better quality and more nutritious food while lessening our environmental footprints. In addition, it allows us to produce products that are traditionally hard to obtain or products which are usually highly sought after such as fishes, pork, chicken etc. 

However, while we frantically search for methods to increase our supply of food, I think it is also important that people are aware of the seriousness of this issue and not consume more than they need. For example, it is found that US once again with 5% of the global population consumes about 30% of the food resources(US$1600 billion). This is 3.5 times more than South and East Asia combined. Should the rest of the countries consume like US, no technology will be able to grow enough food to meet the demand without first destroying our environment.


Another interesting takeaway was the presentation by one of my classmates on "Growing meat in the lab". I thought it was truly fascinating and a marvelous technology! The idea is it only takes the meat from one animal and it is able to create the volume previously provided by millions of animals. In addition, it will be able to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide without the need of processing meat. While there are some who are against this technology, I think it is a viable way to meet our high demands of food. This could also solve the ethical issues of animal abuse. Whereby they are locked up, force fed and the cruelty of being born just to be eaten by mankind.


There was also a discussion on whether we should label Genetically Modified food. In my opinion, we definitely should. Firstly, it is for the safety of the public who is consuming the food. With different genes from all kinds of produce could have been added into the product.  What if someone was allergic to nuts which were added to apples to make it more crunchy?Like prof said, it is good that we label it so that people would be able to track what they are eating. In addition, by not labeling it, it gives people the wrong impression that they are trying to hide the fact that GM food is "bad for health". The truth is, I don't think GM there is a need to hide whether the product has been genetically modified as people have already been eating all kinds of GM food without even realizing. 
In fact, I came across another interesting article on GM food I would like to share with everyone. 

Scientists cross pigs with spinach

"Scientists in Japan say they have successfully implanted vegetable genes in a living animal for the first time.

Researchers at Kinki University near Osaka inserted genetic material from spinach into a pig, which they say will produce healthier pork.The experiment, which began several years ago, has yielded two generations of pigs with the spinach gene known as FAD2.Research team leader Akira Iritani said the pigs with the spinach gene had produced less fat than normal."It is confirmed for the first time in the world that a plant gene is functioning properly in a living mammal, not in a cultured cell," said Professor Iritani."     BBC NEWS

The way technology is advancing today, it seems like anything is possible! Overall, I would give this class a 9 out of 10 as I really enjoyed all the insightful presentations and amazed at the wonders of our technology. 

Can't wait for more!

Selene.

TWC WEEK SIX

The BioBusiness Revolution- A commercial activity which takes the opportunity of meeting people's needs  based on an understanding of life and life processes.

Man kind basic needs to survival is food, water and sleep. In other words,

GOOD HEALTH. 

Which leads to this week's topic of discussion, Healthcare and Biomedical Sciences the Past, Present and Future.
Class started off this week with yet another exciting video that blew my mind. The picture below is a summary of the video.

It was about the future vision of healthcare whereby it envisions integrating healthcare services with internet service providers which will bring healthcare and cure within the palm of our hands. It connects people allowing patients to have constant access to doctors and health care service providers or vice versa anytime, anywhere. Our biometric data is monitored in real time by doctors through watches, table tops, handphones seamlessly integrating into our everyday lives. 


Prof mentioned in class this week that makes a lot of sense. "Why do we wait for people to fall sick to treat them? Instead we should ensure they don't fall ill. For example, if you see yourself growing fat, lose weight! Don't wait for it to worsen, leading to some sickness." 


With this integrated health care system, doctors can monitor a patient's health regularly from afar and give necessary advice or prescription if necessary. This would also save a lot of time for the patient without the need of driving all the way down, queue and wait to see the doctor. In addition, diseases can be controlled and prevented before it occurs. Research has shown that chronic diseases are main cause of mortality in the world. Examples are cancer, aids and HIV. With constant updates and easy access, people will be more aware of their health condition and have greater control over it. 


All this, is expected to happen in 2020. While majority of my classmates do not think it would happen in 9 years, I do. It is definitely possible as the world is advancing very quickly. With printers that allows you to print 3D objects and softwares that allow you to talk to computer avatars, anything is possible. 


It just depends on how readily people are willing to accept the change. Are the hospitals, government and other commerce industries willing to work together and adopt this new technology? Just like the article in the Harvard Business Review, a great invention of a portable, low intensity X-ray machine was made but it was immediately crushed as it threatened the large X-ray equipment suppliers and it was too much risk for the government, insurance companies and hospitals to take up. 


Man kind are selfish, always placing their own self interest first. Because of this reason, they become Ostriches, keeping their heads buried underground as change arrives which will in turn lead them to be left out in this ever progressing world. Thus it really depends on how the society and the businesses affected react to such to this revolutionary healthcare system. Hopefully, they would be like the Eagle who can see further ahead, adapt to the change and they together with the society can enjoy the benefits of this revolutionary integrated healthcare system. 


Overall, I find this class extremely insightful, giving it 8 out of 10! 


Can't wait for more,
Selene 

TWC WEEK FIVE

This week's topic of discussion in class was really exciting : Information and Communication Technology.

I grew up with this technology and have embraced it into my life, be it work or social. To me, this is one of the best revolutions men have made, after the invention of light! 

It has taken over every aspect of our daily lives from businesses to leisure and even culture. People are so dependent on it that companies are furiously innovating new ways to make Internet accessible anytime,anywhere. It has been infused into our computers, mobile phones, hand held devices so that people can easily access their email or social networking site. ICT has made us a global society, where people can interact and communicate swiftly and efficiently. Moreover, ICT has contributed towards the elimination of language barriers. Example of such tools are  emails, instant messaging, chat rooms and social networking websites (Facebook and Twitter).

Another revolutionary technology that caught my eye in class this week is KINECT. I get very excited every time someone talks about Kinect mainly because of its fascinating technology, how the sensor is able to capture all your body movements which is then reflected on the avatar and because I am a Kinect Ambassador for Microsoft. As the ambassador for Kinect, I get to demonstrate all their games at events and teach others how to play. Just watching the reactions of the public after my demonstration is fulfilling because it would always result in a crowd gathering in amazement and people eagerly jumping in to test it out themselves. This is revolutionary because this is the first time people can just jump in in the middle of a game and play anytime they want with their friends and family without a console. You are able to control your avatar with your body as the small sensor has facial and voice recognitions. In one of the games, Kinectimals, a child can raise her own virtual tiger where she plays, feed and talks to it as if it were real. Amazing right?

That is just the tip of the ice berg. Kinect was originally named Project Natal. After watching the video Prof showed us in class this week, it totally blew my mind away. Imagine being able to establish a relationship and hold a conversation with a virtual guy in your computer! Imagine if we could use this technology for our future meetings? Not needing to physically meet up but through this virtual space we could "throw" objects to one another or edit a report virtually? 

Perhaps one day, people would be able to develop the technology to the extent whereby we scan ourselves and live inside the virtual world. With the survival of Earth being threatened, people often talk about life on another planet or on a space ship. Why not in the virtual world?

While technology continuously develops and amaze us, I do think that it is damaging our lives too. We have become too dependent on the internet that people are continuously surfing the net, checking their mails, Facebook friends and shout-outs on Tweeter. While our social interactions on a personal level is affected significantly. The other day, I saw a group of boys (aged about 15-18) hanging out at Cineleisure. What shocked me was that instead of them conversing with one another, they were all on their phones either listening to their music, playing games or texting each other. At the end of my 2 hour long movie, I saw them sitting at the same spot, still on their phones. I find this rather disturbing as it seems like people are only able to communicate behind a screen. This is a cause of concern as I believe that face to face communication is still the best way to get our thoughts across. It is personal and you are able to see the other party's emotions. Also, to be able to speak comfortably to others, one must be confident which is one of the characteristic that many young people lack these days. 

Overall, I would rate this class a 9 out of 10 as I enjoyed the discussions we had in class and the video on Project Natal! 

Can't wait for next week!

Selene

New Topic Paper Outline

Dear all, over the week, I came across a very interesting technology called 3D PRINTING which I believe is going to be absolutely revolutionary. Hence, I have settled for this topic for my individual paper.I apologise for the last minute change, especially to my peer reviewers. Please do ignore the previous post and leave your comments for this topic instead. Thank you. 

3D Printing- World Changing

Specific innovation of interest

3D printing is an amazing technology whereby you are able to duplicate things from your printer. It is not just a visual on a piece of paper, but an actual object that you can hold. The printer is also able to print out complex products which can move and turn like an actual object. However, due to the special material used to replicate the product, the material of the object will not be the same as the original. Nonetheless,  its strength, shape and size is identical to the original product.

Rationale for selecting this innovation: 

This technology emerged in the market for about a decade and it is being used increasingly by many fields of jewelry, industrial design, architecture, automotive, aerospace, medical and many others. With the growth in the sale of 3D printers, it is becoming more affordable. It will be interesting to see how this technology can further develop to produce replacement organs  which will enrich the medical field enormously. Also, as this technology becomes more available to the general public, it will definitely change the way we work. Instead of going down to the mall to buy a new washing machine because it broke down, people may very easily print out a new one for free! This of course will result in great implications for the world's economy as people may stop buying and just print  products out of them computer. Just like how people download music or movies  rather than buy the original Cd or Dvd. 

Proposed approach to development of paper

Introduction/ Background

1. What if you could get a wrench or a bicycle for free by just printing it out from your own computer? Do not be mistaken, it is not an image on a piece of paper, but a physical object that you can touch, hold or even use. Is this possible? Well, in today’s world, yes!

2. What is 3D printing?

3. Describe the process of printing in 3D.

Historical perspective

1.How did we replicate objects in the past?

- Hand made (no consistency)

- Industrial revolution (factories)

- Printers (2D) (almost instantaneous)

Current situation

1. Replication of products

small objects can be duplicated by  scanning it into the computer after which customizations ( colour, size) can be made and it is then printed out as an physical object that closely resemble the original product in looks and function

2. Product prototypes (mini scale)

 Firstly, a product design is made and then molded.

 The mold is scanned into the computer and it can conduct accurate conduct testing

Customizations and improvements are made

Digital models are duplicated into physical prototypes or production parts.

3. Discuss industries and companies which are currently using it.

(eg. Automotive, Toys, Medical, Footwear, Jewelry)

4.  Benefits of using this technology

Future consideration

1. Expansion of this technology in other industries (Manufacturing, Medical)

2. Implications of using such technology in our lives (socially and economically)

Topic Paper Outline

Hi everyone, this is my topic for the individual report. If you have any feedbacks, please feel free to leave a comment! Thank you! :) 

Internet - the new era of communication 

Executive Summary

Internet has revolutionized the world. It has changed so many aspects of our lives that it is now nearly impossible to live without. Prior to internet, the only way to communicate with someone is face to face or over the phone. If you had to write to someone, you had to send a mail to their place. We were content with that. However, as we look back at it now, we were pretty limited and will probably never return to the past methods again. 

Thus, this paper will focus on how the birth of internet has changed our communication systems -for the better and for the worse socially, economically, politically and globally. It also predicts the future issues which the world may face as our reliance on the the internet increases. 

Background/introduction

1. Definition of communication

-A process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior

2. History of the internet (How and why it came about)

-US MIT scientist created it in preparation of an attack from the Soviet Union during the cold war 1960s. 

-Development of networks to allow computers all over the world to communicate with one another

-Introduction of World Wide Web which allows anyone on the net to have access to all the data online.

Historical Perspective

1. Olden methods of communication

-In the olden days, people would shout from one mountain top to another. The Chinese soldiers used torches to warn each other of danger.

-When we learned how to write, Letters were used to transmit information.  Letters were written and sent by “air” through pigeons while the Chinese hid their secret messages in moon cakes. 

-Personal messengers: used to travel on horses, trains, ships to pass on the message 

-Telephone calls

2. Elaboration on the difficulties of such methods

-Slow, inefficient and costly.

Current Situation

1. Introduce the various platforms we communicate via the internet

-Individuals

*Emails, Google, Facebook, Tweeter, Blogs, Youtube. Face time

-Corporations

*Internet advertising, Intranet, Extranet

2. In depth analysis of how the various mediums have affected us 

-Economically

-Socially

-Politically

-Globally

Future Considerations 

1. Social problems? 

-Will we still be able to hold conversations as well face to face without hiding behind a computer screen?

-Do people still treasure the friendship/ family bonds? 

-Will we lose the art of legible handwriting skills?

2. Bring about togetherness, no cultural difference

-Being able to communicate so freely with people from all over the world, would it be able to close the gap of cultural differences?

3. A more fragile world of information

-Should there be a failure/crash in one of the networks, can the world who relies so heavily on the internet still function?

4. Political problems

-With an infinite amount of information easily available to people, it is very likely that the government will have greater difficulties in controlling their people which in turn, forces for a more transparent government.

References :

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/communication

http://www.history.com/topics/invention-of-the-internet

TWC WEEK FOUR

In class this week, our main discussion point was about CHANGE.

How our world has changed and specifically, the importance of leadership and management in making changes in a corporation.

The class started off with a video of "Who moved my cheese?". I absolutely enjoyed the movie and found myself asking myself who would I be in that scenario. The mice, Sniff and Scurry or the two little people Hem and Haw? As the name suggest, sniff and scurry are the more observant people who are always constantly aware of their surroundings and adapting to changes. While Hem and Haw take what they have for granted and never expect changes to happen. When it does happen though, they refuse to admit to the change and just hem and haw their time away.

Personally, I think I am a little of both. In some situations, I am slower in identifying the change but once I do, I adapt quickly. I do not think this is something to be proud of as for one to be slow in realizing the change can cause one to miss many great opportunities in life. Thus, it has become my mid year resolution to be more observant to my surroundings!

Similarly, Prof gave analogies to the different ways corporations react to changes. Organizations can be...  

Eagles who has the bird's eye view of the surroundings. 

Ostriches who keeps its head buried underground and stays oblivious to the changes happening.

Dodo birds who were unaware of the changes taking place and hence is now extinct. 

Change is happening every second of our lives, thus how should we deal with it? People need to be alert and embrace the change by being adaptable. Only then can we make improvements which can further develop ourselves and our lives. 

Also, one of the readings I was particularly interested in was about the Global Divers of Change to 2060 where it predicted the world in 2060. While it is exciting to learn about the development of future technologies that will aid our fossil fuel crisis, enhance the global education level and how globalization will further reduce our cultural differences, the other factors seem a lot more worrying.

The world population is expected to peak at 10 billion which raises concern on whether we can produce enough supply of food. Our health is also under threat due to preventable lifestyle diseases and the old diseases will become resistant to the current control techniques. The marine life for fishes may be over due to over pollution, acidification and over-fishing. The world they talk about in 2060 does not sound promising. There are so many uncertainties and problems that makes me questions on whether we would still be able to survive in such an environment. The public should definitely read this report so as to have a better understanding of their world and the changes taking place. If people choose to be an ostrich or a dodo bird, whereby they either are unaware of the changes or choose to live in denial, mankind may become extinct sooner than expected. 

Hence as a start, to those who have not read this report Drivers to world change 2060, please do so now. Be the eagle who is aware of the future changes so that we can take note, adapt and possibly make a change to our changing world. 

Overall, I had yet another enjoyable time in class this week with so much to take away hence giving it a rating 7 out of 10. However, I felt that little was discussed with regards to the topic of change management and leadership and perhaps some examples of the corporations which managed to handle the changes well. 

Can't wait for more!

Selene

TWC WEEK THREE

Before we started class today, Prof introduced us to a special guest from Abu Dhabi who specializes in Hospitality and hospital management. I think this is a really interesting combination as they both focus on  relationships with people, except that they are  of very different kinds. I think people relationships are complex but extremely fascinating. I wish I had a chance to ask him more about his work and his experiences!

Class started off with 2 presentations on the topic of Technology and the Human Development which led to a very interesting discussion on whether we should stop the advancement of technology as it seems to be hurting our civilization.

In my opinion, it is human's nature to be greedy and want power. Mankind are individualist who always places interest on themselves. It is our nature to be greedy and want power. This is an unfortunate fact which is difficult to change. Hence the way i see it, it is not really the technology that is hurting our civilization, but WE OURSELVES. For example, the surrogacy article that was presented in class reported that there are people who are making use of surrogacy to make money. This technology was initially beneficial to mankind whereby infertile couples could also have a family. However, it is people's selfishess and greed for money that led to such inhumane actions.

Hence should we stop all technology so that we can protect our civilization? I disagree. We need the technology to keep advancing and make improvements. Just like the Rising Star as discussed in the previous class, it is only through continuous improvements that we can develop and continue to survive. Technology is harmless, it is how we use it that is dangerous. Thus is it really up to individuals and their own code of moral values that is endangering our society.

The second part of our discussion was about sustainable development. Prof played a video "Story on Stuff" which talked about how people in US in particular are over consuming. The Americans has only 5 percent of the world's populations but uses up 30 percent of the world's resources. I finally understood what the speaker meant when she said "we are running a linear system on a finite planet". Humankind just keeps consuming but do not consider the consequences of our actions and the impacts on the future generations. This once again shows that it is the selfish trait of humankind that is hurting our planet Earth.

Another thing that caught my attention in class was when prof mentioned that President Obama has decided to abandon tougher air quality rules as he did not want to hurt the corporate environment. While I am aware that America is undergoing a major crisis with a 9 percent unemployment rate but what really puzzles me is "why is it that decisions made always focuses on the economic implications and the social and environmental impacts are cast aside?"


While the economy is the country's key survival, the social and environmental impacts are equally important. A country may come into power with a strong economy but is it powerful enough to handle the consequences of depleted natural resources and resist the impacts of the "dying Earth" (ie. freaky natural disasters)?

As if it was planned, one of our classmates, Samantha then presented on Masdar City also known as a "green" city. I was mesmerized by the existence of such a city and enjoyed her presentation thoroughly. This city will only use half of the amount of energy required in a normal city. They have specially designed buildings to make use of wind energy and a personal rapid transit system to travel around instead of cars. This is a truly innovative project and while questions on who will stay there and the cost of living in Masdar City may arise, I still applaud the government of Abu Dhabi on the initiative of sustainable development. Whether it is a success or not, I think it is a good step towards sustainability and hopefully the other countries will be able to learn from this project.

Finally, our last topic of discussion was on Innovation Management. We were introduced to the "Valley, Summit and Cloud Opportunities" Model for Technology and it reminded me of the "Rising Star Falling Star Model" we discussed last week. It once again shows that innovation (i.e. open mind and the need to keep learning, improving) is an important factor for the success of a company. Only a company that can continuously keep innovating new products and inculcate it into people's daily lives would do well as people's general attention span is very short.

There was also a discussion on whether Apple was more successful than 3M. While Apple seems to have a greater impact on society with its latest inventions of Iphone and Ipads, I think that 3M is the more successful company of the two. Mainly because it has managed to integrate its products into our daily lives so well that we hardly notice it. While its products may not be big and attractive like an Ipad but I could not imagine working without sticky notes, glue and scotch tape. Because they are small items that may not seem to have much of an impact in our lives but from my point of view, I think i can live without an Iphone and its apps but what will I use to stick or hang objects together?

All in all, while creativity is just the beginning of an innovation, it is the most important part of the whole process. Hopefully, Creative Thinking class will be able to help spur the creativeness in me!

I absolutely enjoyed this lesson as it has broadened my horizons with the many interesting topics discussed. It has also raised many thought provoking questions on mankind and what it takes for a more sustainable world. I would give this lesson a rating of 8.5 out of 10! :)

Can't wait for more!
Selene

TWC WEEK TWO.

At last! I finally made it to my first lesson of TWC. I was a little nervous before I entered class as I know i am not exactly the most tech-smart person so i was all ready to go into a panic attack if I was asked to come up with some world changing technology!

Thankfully, Technology World Change has nothing to do with that.

We started off the discussion about global dominance ( US vs China/India), learnt how to identify innovative leaders (rising star), dominant players and failures (falling star) and explored the different dimensions of human developments over the years.

I found the behavior model for identifying innovations leaders and dominant players very interesting and true. For one to succeed (rising star), we have to have an open perspective and  the hunger to learn and improve. Just like the example of Apple vs Nokia. Nokia phones were deemed the best handphones in my early teens but within a span of 3-5 years, Nokia became out of fashion and Iphone took over. It was because of Apple's creativity and crave to keep improving that led to a whole new definition to mobile phones. However, I think that these 3 dimensions is a cycle that every company will go through as there is a limit for innovation of ideas and soon the company may end up as a falling star. But of course, given time, a company can rise to be a star again.

Another interesting fact discussed in class was about the percentage of the world economy be region from 1AD projected all the way to 2050 AD.
I found it astonishing that it was India and China who was leading the economy in the first 1500 years by more than 50% while US and Europe made out about 20%. US and Europe only reigned after 1500AD to 2000AD.  Now, in 2011AD, it seems like  India and China is coming back into power while Europe and US falls again. Perhaps it is like what I mentioned previously, that dominance is a cycle where everyone will have its ups and its downs.

If I had to choose on one main takeaway from my first lesson, it would be having an open perspective to life and strive to learn and improve ourselves is the road to success. Not just relating to business context but also in our studies and making everyday decisions. Just like when one of our classmate asked us if we would agree to human cloning, I immediately disagreed and was convinced that I would not change my stand. However, Professor Shahi mentioned that the debates on cloning is similar to IVF which was considered as "cloning" some 10 years ago. Somehow, technology conquered and today IVF is a very common option to many couples. I was surprised at what he said and coming to think of it, these 2 are similar in a way whereby humans are playing "gods".  However, that is not my main concern, but instead the effects and problems of cloning people. Nonetheless, I will keep my mind open as I now know the astonishing wonders of technology.

Finally, I would like to thank Professor Shahi for making TWC so interesting. I give this lesson a 7/10.  The discussions were engaging and it has truly provided me with a wider prospective for the word "Technology". I now see how it really affects our everyday life be it socially, politically etc.
Can't wait for more!

Selene.