I guess, lesson 12 concludes the classroom experience of TWC.
We saw the following topics :
1) Epidemic Management
2) Technology and Sports
3) Crowd Platform
4) Green Technology.
My thoughts on them :
1)Epidemic Management
I quite liked the idea of using Game Theory. To reach the nash equilibrium by making sure all the parties reach their most desired outcome. Since computers are getting better at number-crunching, more variables can be added to ensure more factors are taken into consideration.
In this world, we recognise that resource allocation may be very sensitive and subjective between everyone, but such an application of Game Theory might reduce conflicts.
2) Technology and Sports
Given the advent of new technology, I guess the most valuable aspect is the health of the sportsmen. The nature of competitive sports is so much so that injuries are common, and can be life-threatening, or repeated instances could render their body into becoming more injury-prone in the future.
However, medical science improved so much that we see new methods for treatment, which has also allowed for faster and better healing, which also results in lesser repercussions and short downtime.
3) Crowd Platform
A wonderful way to reach out to the masses! I think crowd platform is a good way to garner support from zero. With the endorsements of renowned firms to authenticate the quality of proposal, it will surely put more investments at ease.
I feel that it has the potential to reduce frauds. Let's say that my project is so good that so many people buy my idea, why would I be motivated to escape with the loot? I might as well make use of it, to grow more money out of the project!
4) Green Technology
We do not see a lot of green in Singapore, as compared to when we travel to other countries. Given the advantages of cleaner air, a more conducive environment and a better sight for the eyes, it would surely be nice to see more green around.
I felt that there is already an emphasis by Singapore building's architecture to include as much greens as possible. However, some of these aspects might get too ornamental such that the use of greens might be in artificial forms like plastic. There is also a hassle to water the plants and to maintain it, and may keep some bugs as pets, as opposed to an artificial plant without maintenance at all.
Perhaps one day when Green technology can materialise, make planting a much easier and cleaner chore, make clean car exhausts, and harness natural energy from the Sun, we have a few big headaches gone from our woes!
Monday, 14 November 2011
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
Lesson 11 - 31 Oct 11
Lesson 11, we had 4 group presentations.
Not built for Mars? Alter our genes! To suit the needs to assimilate into outer space conditions. Nanomedicine will further enhance this aspect by complementing with gene altering for us to suit both the conditions for both Earth, Outer Space and Mars.
We saw designer babies, nanomedicine, space travel and plastic vortex.
So, i found that actually. designer babies, nanomedicine and space travel could have a lot in relation with one another!
First, we have space travel, and see hey! Mars is actually the closest planet that we can have, that can support life. With many potential raw materials to start, there is a possibility to start our development there.
Not built for Mars? Alter our genes! To suit the needs to assimilate into outer space conditions. Nanomedicine will further enhance this aspect by complementing with gene altering for us to suit both the conditions for both Earth, Outer Space and Mars.
With an abundance of land, we can start urbanising there, and we can use the concept of the international space station, to set up space hotels for people to live in. So now we have so many possibilities of tourism spots, airlines should probably look into this aspect before they miss the cloud opportunity and become a falling star.
Maybe in the future, when we sucked up so much from Earth that it starts to retaliate by rebelling, we could shift to Mars, but by then we should had brought all the technology to outer space, and Mars, hopefully learning our lesson.
Plastic vortex is already telling us that we have been abusing Earth. Its true. If we do not control our junk, this junk will come back to us. In time to come, when we say that 70% of our Earth is made up of water, if things get serious enough, we might as well say that 50% of the Earth is made up of plastic.
Unless things are done, the situations are going to get worst. I am for the idea of totally eradicating plastic that are non-biodegradable because of the simple fact that not all human beings think the same. It is very hard to achieve common consensus as we know that there wis bound to be black sheeps in the human herd. Therefore, why not solve the problem from the root, and never to face this problem again.
This session is 10/10! because we learrnt a lot from one another, while providing insights and giving feedback to each other.
Plastic vortex is already telling us that we have been abusing Earth. Its true. If we do not control our junk, this junk will come back to us. In time to come, when we say that 70% of our Earth is made up of water, if things get serious enough, we might as well say that 50% of the Earth is made up of plastic.
Unless things are done, the situations are going to get worst. I am for the idea of totally eradicating plastic that are non-biodegradable because of the simple fact that not all human beings think the same. It is very hard to achieve common consensus as we know that there wis bound to be black sheeps in the human herd. Therefore, why not solve the problem from the root, and never to face this problem again.
This session is 10/10! because we learrnt a lot from one another, while providing insights and giving feedback to each other.
Friday, 28 October 2011
Lesson 10 - 24 Oct 11
Technology assessment and forecasting
In a rapidly changing world, i feel that it is important to change your strategies to suit the times, unless you can change the times to suit you
The present is shaped by the past, but dwelling on the past is definitely not the way to go.
I believed that in Singapore, how we came to where we are today, we owe it to good foresights.
We owed it to the governments who set policies and recommendations for the various industries that are of the cloud and summit opportunities, so that we could experience rapid economic growth.
We also owed it to our forefathers who came to Singapore in search for better job opportunities, in which they have found themselves a better home. With rapid economic growth, free of natural disaster, stable political growth, and high technology advances here, i think we are in one of the best places to live in.
A check on the Purchasing Power Index : Singapore is ranked top 3!
Perhaps this is why on the public transports, first we see the Nokia mobile phones, which was the SMS era, then came the PSP era, where everyone took gaming on the go, then now, eventually we reached the 3G era. We could use our iPhones, iPads, Blackberrys and other gadgets to engage in social networking or business communication on the go. We have such good purchasing power that we are bring lifestyle out on the roads!
When you travel to other country, you don't see it everywhere, but here, you see it EVERYWHERE. It's that common. When you go to other countries and take their public transport, you may feel alienated with you using social networking, or wait, 3G coverage isn't that widespread in bigger countries actually. The challenge is of course the distance, which Singapore does not face.
Back to forecasting, I'm really glad i get to experience these lifestyle changes as it really shows me that mobile technology allows me to save time and process more information at the same time.
Session rating : 10/10!
+fascinated with the future!
-Implications are quite a killjoy, we have to work on this to ensure that the technology doesn't backfire.
Issues for discussion :
Can you imagine life now if Singapore is suddenly without 3G, WIFI, or broadband?
In a rapidly changing world, i feel that it is important to change your strategies to suit the times, unless you can change the times to suit you
The present is shaped by the past, but dwelling on the past is definitely not the way to go.
I believed that in Singapore, how we came to where we are today, we owe it to good foresights.
We owed it to the governments who set policies and recommendations for the various industries that are of the cloud and summit opportunities, so that we could experience rapid economic growth.
We also owed it to our forefathers who came to Singapore in search for better job opportunities, in which they have found themselves a better home. With rapid economic growth, free of natural disaster, stable political growth, and high technology advances here, i think we are in one of the best places to live in.
A check on the Purchasing Power Index : Singapore is ranked top 3!
Perhaps this is why on the public transports, first we see the Nokia mobile phones, which was the SMS era, then came the PSP era, where everyone took gaming on the go, then now, eventually we reached the 3G era. We could use our iPhones, iPads, Blackberrys and other gadgets to engage in social networking or business communication on the go. We have such good purchasing power that we are bring lifestyle out on the roads!
When you travel to other country, you don't see it everywhere, but here, you see it EVERYWHERE. It's that common. When you go to other countries and take their public transport, you may feel alienated with you using social networking, or wait, 3G coverage isn't that widespread in bigger countries actually. The challenge is of course the distance, which Singapore does not face.
Back to forecasting, I'm really glad i get to experience these lifestyle changes as it really shows me that mobile technology allows me to save time and process more information at the same time.
Session rating : 10/10!
+fascinated with the future!
-Implications are quite a killjoy, we have to work on this to ensure that the technology doesn't backfire.
Issues for discussion :
Can you imagine life now if Singapore is suddenly without 3G, WIFI, or broadband?
Sunday, 23 October 2011
Lesson 9 - 19 Oct 11
During Lesson, i saw this sentence, and i thought that it was really true of us human beings :
So, lets see what were the criticisms of the iPad debut,
ØSupply can sometimes create demand – where people don’t realize they need it until they experience it (eg walkman, iPhone)
So, lets see what were the criticisms of the iPad debut,
- sounds like female hygiene products
- no flash player?
- no multitasking?
- whats the new for a blown up iPod touch?
- no e-book reader apps?
- no stylus?
- no camera?
Now, look at the different types people that are using iPad,
- Singapore Armed forces Soldiers
- Students & Instructors
- Point of Sale transaction stores
- Businessman
- Designers
- Politicians
and many more to be named. Basically, everyone has a use for the iPad now. But back then, who could have thought of it?
True that many of the criticisms were answered with constant upgrades to the software, but the fact that the hardware aspect was ready for these apps showed that it was a calculated move. They could release these apps to generate more interest, and with the power of media and word of mouth, demand is multiplied!
When iPhone was introduced, who would have thought that everyone's holding on to one now?
I am never going to underestimate the power of Supply generating Demand too. I admit, i was skeptical at first about the iPad because of the existence of ebook readers like kindle, music players like iPod Touch, and tablet PCs which were doing fine at that point of time. I was thinking, why would I need an iPad?
Slowly, the idea of using a tablet makes more sense now. It made even more sense with our telcos releasing mobile 3G internet service for bringing broadband on the go. Portability and lifestyle was simply too much to give up for, just like how the first MP3 players came to the market.
They used to appear like flash drive looking capsule, with black and white displays that only shows you the words, with a very simple user interface and firmware, to navigate songs. 128mb was quite a luxury to me at that time. Now, where do you see 128mb?
So let's think of how technology is going to work for us, instead of how we are going to reject technology because it seems useless now.
Overall, 10/10! I learnt a lot, explored a lot, and saw lots of discussions and predictions for the future.
I am more optimistic now =)
Pointers that i wished that was discussed : I am really wondering, would there be a revolutionary IT product, that China can come out with? Not talking about the parts since we know most of the parts come from there but the ability to market and sell it well is another issue.
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
Lesson 8 - 10 Oct 11
Today we talked about Energy, and world change.
All these while we recognised that fossil fuels are running out, coal is running out and it's pollution, there is a need for us to find alternative resources.
We explored renewable resources like water, wind and solar energy. One astonishing fact is that the Sun produces so much energy that an hour of solar energy is enough to power up the world for a year. Why aren't we able to harness it?
Sometimes i really wished that we have abundant energy, so we can have one less worry. The cost of electricity are postulated to rise if our contemporary renewable energies run out and we will have to depend on Nuclear or renewable energies already.
However, not all nations are made for renewable energy of one kind. For example, Singapore. Let me list down a few types of renewable energy and my own forecasting :
1) Nuclear - Won't happen. If a meltdown happens Singapore will not exist anymore
2) Geothermal - Don't think it exist here.
3) Wind - May account for less than 10% of our energy needs?
4) Solar - May account for 50% of our energy usage in the future if we harness properly!
5) Water - No way... does Marina Barrage count?
6) Biomass - Not sustainable unless we are really loaded.
I believe there will be many others that we can consider, but at looking at Singapore's current options, if nuclear can be made much safer, I believe that we can branch into that aspect.
Prime Minister Lee has not played down the possibilities of nuclear energy in Singapore despite efforts of tightening regulation, however my personal take is that we could make use of what is provided free from the Sun : Solar energy, and we try to harness it as much as possible.
There now exists portable Solar panel chargers for portable mobile devices already, i saw it when i was walking around Sim Lim. Around the landed properties at Lorong Chuan area i see Solar Panels, apparently these are being used around, but not proliferated enough.
Looking at the infrastructure of SMU, it is not frightening to see an expensive utility bill, perhaps if we can ever integrate Solar Panels with windows, wouldn't it be nice?
Overall, 9/10!
I enjoyed today's exploration and discussion a lot as this is a huge determinant of how we are going to survive in the future.
Points for further discussion :
How is Singapore going to sustain her energy needs in the future?
All these while we recognised that fossil fuels are running out, coal is running out and it's pollution, there is a need for us to find alternative resources.
We explored renewable resources like water, wind and solar energy. One astonishing fact is that the Sun produces so much energy that an hour of solar energy is enough to power up the world for a year. Why aren't we able to harness it?
Sometimes i really wished that we have abundant energy, so we can have one less worry. The cost of electricity are postulated to rise if our contemporary renewable energies run out and we will have to depend on Nuclear or renewable energies already.
However, not all nations are made for renewable energy of one kind. For example, Singapore. Let me list down a few types of renewable energy and my own forecasting :
1) Nuclear - Won't happen. If a meltdown happens Singapore will not exist anymore
2) Geothermal - Don't think it exist here.
3) Wind - May account for less than 10% of our energy needs?
4) Solar - May account for 50% of our energy usage in the future if we harness properly!
5) Water - No way... does Marina Barrage count?
6) Biomass - Not sustainable unless we are really loaded.
I believe there will be many others that we can consider, but at looking at Singapore's current options, if nuclear can be made much safer, I believe that we can branch into that aspect.
Prime Minister Lee has not played down the possibilities of nuclear energy in Singapore despite efforts of tightening regulation, however my personal take is that we could make use of what is provided free from the Sun : Solar energy, and we try to harness it as much as possible.
There now exists portable Solar panel chargers for portable mobile devices already, i saw it when i was walking around Sim Lim. Around the landed properties at Lorong Chuan area i see Solar Panels, apparently these are being used around, but not proliferated enough.
Looking at the infrastructure of SMU, it is not frightening to see an expensive utility bill, perhaps if we can ever integrate Solar Panels with windows, wouldn't it be nice?
Overall, 9/10!
I enjoyed today's exploration and discussion a lot as this is a huge determinant of how we are going to survive in the future.
Points for further discussion :
How is Singapore going to sustain her energy needs in the future?
Sunday, 9 October 2011
Individual Topic Review Paper DRAFT
Here it is!
Sorry there wont be pictures! updated 16 october 2011 3.05pm
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1N2gEnu9Kk0oiXEQzCW1dttBDI1tL8vsgeNkHd5lHFoI/edit?hl=en_US
Sorry there wont be pictures! updated 16 october 2011 3.05pm
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1N2gEnu9Kk0oiXEQzCW1dttBDI1tL8vsgeNkHd5lHFoI/edit?hl=en_US
Tuesday, 27 September 2011
Lesson 7 - 26 Sep 11
Biobusiness part 2.
I saw one part about Bioremediation and I thought it was very fascinating. So i went on to google and here is what i found.
1) Bioremediation involves the use of bacteria
2) The bacteria can de-contaminate the area by digesting nuclear radioactive waste
3) Mycofiltration involves using fungi to disassemble contaminants, to become CO2 and H20, which are much less harmful.
4) It is amendable, meaning that you can ionize it, to suit different type of situations.
I think one very practical use is for Japan's Nuclear situation, one potential use is to decontaminate the water at the reactors which is said to have leaked radioactive wastes that contaminated the sea.
Another practical use is on the superfund sites, where the lakes and seas in those identified areas have been polluted via industrialisation. This would void the need to use expensive machinery, chemicals and employment of extra manpower to clean up the sites.
We finally have an answer to these pollution and bioremediation does not require much machinery and manpower to operate. This has much cost savings and the money could be used in further research&development for better techniques to remove pollution.
I am going to talk about Genetically Modified Food (GM Food), it may sound very cliche by now because everyone is talking about it, but I really do not understand why there are so much objections against this? Is it because they are modified to beyond the purpose of providing more food?
Why in my opinion GM Food is good.
1) Increases yield.
GM crops are modified in such a way that they can withstand conditions that naturally it can't, and also to resist pests. This is very useful for our well-being, as well as for the farmers because a bad yield means wasted effort resources invested for the crop. With that, we can increase the quantity sold to the market and for consumption. In economics terms, with an increase in supply, keep demand constant, the seller would be able to sell more at a lower price, with an overall profit, and the overall benefit to both the consumer and the supplier in the market will increase too.
2) It alleviates food shortage
Let's face it. Lets look at the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and we see how far our target is. And if we look at our world's current problem, i do not think that attention will be given to those poverty as stated in the MDG. We had the Japan Earthquake recently, then Greece and USA's economical problem, with recession looming in the world, i am certainly not very optimistic about the climate of the situation, in the short-run(1-3years), unless we really come out with something useful.
GM food can help. If GM food can retain the same or if not, more nutrition with better yield, that will really help people in the poorer countries, to obtain more food, for survival.
I wished we could talk more about bioremediation, i thought it was quite interesting to see that there are other friendly bacterias, than we see at yakult and vitagen.
Overall : 8/10!
I saw one part about Bioremediation and I thought it was very fascinating. So i went on to google and here is what i found.
1) Bioremediation involves the use of bacteria
2) The bacteria can de-contaminate the area by digesting nuclear radioactive waste
3) Mycofiltration involves using fungi to disassemble contaminants, to become CO2 and H20, which are much less harmful.
4) It is amendable, meaning that you can ionize it, to suit different type of situations.
I think one very practical use is for Japan's Nuclear situation, one potential use is to decontaminate the water at the reactors which is said to have leaked radioactive wastes that contaminated the sea.
Another practical use is on the superfund sites, where the lakes and seas in those identified areas have been polluted via industrialisation. This would void the need to use expensive machinery, chemicals and employment of extra manpower to clean up the sites.
We finally have an answer to these pollution and bioremediation does not require much machinery and manpower to operate. This has much cost savings and the money could be used in further research&development for better techniques to remove pollution.
I am going to talk about Genetically Modified Food (GM Food), it may sound very cliche by now because everyone is talking about it, but I really do not understand why there are so much objections against this? Is it because they are modified to beyond the purpose of providing more food?
Why in my opinion GM Food is good.
1) Increases yield.
GM crops are modified in such a way that they can withstand conditions that naturally it can't, and also to resist pests. This is very useful for our well-being, as well as for the farmers because a bad yield means wasted effort resources invested for the crop. With that, we can increase the quantity sold to the market and for consumption. In economics terms, with an increase in supply, keep demand constant, the seller would be able to sell more at a lower price, with an overall profit, and the overall benefit to both the consumer and the supplier in the market will increase too.
2) It alleviates food shortage
Let's face it. Lets look at the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and we see how far our target is. And if we look at our world's current problem, i do not think that attention will be given to those poverty as stated in the MDG. We had the Japan Earthquake recently, then Greece and USA's economical problem, with recession looming in the world, i am certainly not very optimistic about the climate of the situation, in the short-run(1-3years), unless we really come out with something useful.
GM food can help. If GM food can retain the same or if not, more nutrition with better yield, that will really help people in the poorer countries, to obtain more food, for survival.
I wished we could talk more about bioremediation, i thought it was quite interesting to see that there are other friendly bacterias, than we see at yakult and vitagen.
Overall : 8/10!
Thursday, 22 September 2011
Lesson 6 - 19 Sep 2011
Today's lesson is on BioBusiness Revolution: Healthcare and Biomedical Sciences.
When I look at this topic, i get reminded of the development of Stem cells. It seems to be the area of research and development with the greatest potentials and benefits to be reaped.
Stem cells, is widely known to have great potential to improve our lives. As i read on about it, i realised that they have 2 main characteristics :
1) Self-replicating : Able to multiply on its own
2) Morphing : it can morph into specialised cells, that is used for different purpose.
Stem cells are found in our body, in various tissues. When cultured in a particular way, we get a type of cell that will develop in a purpose that we want it to serve. What are the benefits?
taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stem_cell
Looking at the potentials, for human mankind alone, it can already help in so many ways. Many of the disabling or life-threatening ailments now have a potential solution.
This is why it is very important to advance our research in that area and reach a stable technology, these illnesses are very undesirable to people and I believe the world will be a much happier place with such a treatment becomes widely available. With resistance and cures to ailments, humans will now be able to search deeper frontiers which had not been explored.
I was disappointed when the top scientists we "poached" from overseas left Singapore for other opportunities. They cited reasons like our government's red tape, bureaucracy, lack of support and funding. I found it quite a waste that Singapore spent so much money on the development of infrastructure, mainly at the biopolis and the science park, and that when the top researchers left, there was media coverage and it does not reflect very well of our country.
Based on World Health's Organisation data, General government expenditure on health as a percentage of total expenditure on health, over the years in the world have been close to 70%.
(source : http://apps.who.int/ghodata/?vid=1901#)
This signifies that governments around the world recognises the need for healthcare to be developed and provided for their citizens. This may be due to it's relatively high cost and it is inevitable that humans will fall ill. Therefore there needs to be resources allocated for the flourishing of the biomedical field to flourish.
I feel that at our current rate we would eventually be able to reach a level that stem cells would be 'mass-produced' for mankind to use for cures. However, this process would be very slow due to ethics, red tapes, and government regulation issues which would hinder the growth of that sector. This i guess cannot be helped as there are also a lot of situations which require immediate attention, and as compared to R&D in biomedicine as the yield may not be seen as quickly.
I rate this session a 9/10
+ I was envisioning a better future in this world, that gives me hope to live longer.
- Ethics issue tend to come to play when we talk about genetic engineering, which i felt that there will be no end to the discussion.
Are there any hopes for Singapore to be like the past, in the golden times where Biology was thought to be the new niche?
When I look at this topic, i get reminded of the development of Stem cells. It seems to be the area of research and development with the greatest potentials and benefits to be reaped.
Stem cells, is widely known to have great potential to improve our lives. As i read on about it, i realised that they have 2 main characteristics :
1) Self-replicating : Able to multiply on its own
2) Morphing : it can morph into specialised cells, that is used for different purpose.
Stem cells are found in our body, in various tissues. When cultured in a particular way, we get a type of cell that will develop in a purpose that we want it to serve. What are the benefits?
taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stem_cell
Looking at the potentials, for human mankind alone, it can already help in so many ways. Many of the disabling or life-threatening ailments now have a potential solution.
This is why it is very important to advance our research in that area and reach a stable technology, these illnesses are very undesirable to people and I believe the world will be a much happier place with such a treatment becomes widely available. With resistance and cures to ailments, humans will now be able to search deeper frontiers which had not been explored.
I was disappointed when the top scientists we "poached" from overseas left Singapore for other opportunities. They cited reasons like our government's red tape, bureaucracy, lack of support and funding. I found it quite a waste that Singapore spent so much money on the development of infrastructure, mainly at the biopolis and the science park, and that when the top researchers left, there was media coverage and it does not reflect very well of our country.
Based on World Health's Organisation data, General government expenditure on health as a percentage of total expenditure on health, over the years in the world have been close to 70%.
(source : http://apps.who.int/ghodata/?vid=1901#)
This signifies that governments around the world recognises the need for healthcare to be developed and provided for their citizens. This may be due to it's relatively high cost and it is inevitable that humans will fall ill. Therefore there needs to be resources allocated for the flourishing of the biomedical field to flourish.
I feel that at our current rate we would eventually be able to reach a level that stem cells would be 'mass-produced' for mankind to use for cures. However, this process would be very slow due to ethics, red tapes, and government regulation issues which would hinder the growth of that sector. This i guess cannot be helped as there are also a lot of situations which require immediate attention, and as compared to R&D in biomedicine as the yield may not be seen as quickly.
I rate this session a 9/10
+ I was envisioning a better future in this world, that gives me hope to live longer.
- Ethics issue tend to come to play when we talk about genetic engineering, which i felt that there will be no end to the discussion.
Are there any hopes for Singapore to be like the past, in the golden times where Biology was thought to be the new niche?
Saturday, 17 September 2011
Lesson 5 - 12 Sep 2011
Today we went on to talk about ICT and world change.
I would like to zoom in on one particular topic : Cloud Computing.
When we discussed this, it struck me hard that it is everywhere. It is announced by apple to be the next big thing in the iOS5, where personalisation and other information may be saved in an online database, without the need for iTunes syncing with from the device to the computer.
Many people marveled at it's capabilities. Comments about the marvellous cloud computing sprang up after the Apple WWDC (WorldWide Developer's Conference).
Wait a minute, did they not realise that Cloud Computing is all around us?
The most native form of cloud computing could be illustrated with e-mails or even web hosting. If information is not stored in your computer but accessible anytime on-demand, that is cloud computing!
Cloud computing is also related to cost savings, which firms and consumers would take a liking to that very attribute. Cost of physical storage (Hard disk) over portability may not be as attractive as Storage on clod computing. Simply said, you save more and it's more portable and convenient. Good deal isn't it?
Talk about cost saving, i remember in 2007 i read this article about OLPC (One Laptop Per Child). It's mission is to provide every child with a laptop, providing low cost computing to needy people especially in the poorer countries. I was looking at the article, sub-$100 laptops? No WAY! How on earth you can make a laptop so cheap when a typical motherboard would cost that much? I read on and realised cloud computing was used in this project.
Belowis the picture of an OLPC computer.
Looks like one that you can get from Toys R Us isnt it?
Anyway, one of the reason why they can make it so cheap is because they make use of cloud computing! They forgo physical storage as it cost a lot, they have 5GB to ensure that it is just enough for a modified windows XP to run onn the machine, and let cloud computing to do the rest.
Word processing? My personal Microsoft Office comes in a DVD, a whopping 4.7GB storage, coupled with my Windows XP which is about 3GB, how is that sufficient on the 5GB OLPC computer? Cloud computing saves the day! Word processing is done by google documents. They use cloudo, which is a web-based application which pack myriad of features! One of them is a music player.
Ever wonder what is the turning knob for? It is actually using kinetic to generate electricity for the computer in case of a lack of power supply. In rural areas there may not be any electricity sources available so that knob is quite an useful feature i would say!
Many people criticised the failure of the OLPC computer, citing reasons like poor maintenance and support for the computer. Software problem could easily be solved by flashing the OS, but hardware maintenance would prove costly to those really in need and such technical expertise may be difficult to source for in the less developed countries too. The producer would face a big challenge to cut cost, and at the same time provide an extensive support to a big geographical area.
I rate the session an 8/10, because i could better see how ICT changed the world and to relate to my own life. I did an individual presentation which i felt I could had done better.
I would like to zoom in on one particular topic : Cloud Computing.
When we discussed this, it struck me hard that it is everywhere. It is announced by apple to be the next big thing in the iOS5, where personalisation and other information may be saved in an online database, without the need for iTunes syncing with from the device to the computer.
Many people marveled at it's capabilities. Comments about the marvellous cloud computing sprang up after the Apple WWDC (WorldWide Developer's Conference).
Wait a minute, did they not realise that Cloud Computing is all around us?
The most native form of cloud computing could be illustrated with e-mails or even web hosting. If information is not stored in your computer but accessible anytime on-demand, that is cloud computing!
Cloud computing is also related to cost savings, which firms and consumers would take a liking to that very attribute. Cost of physical storage (Hard disk) over portability may not be as attractive as Storage on clod computing. Simply said, you save more and it's more portable and convenient. Good deal isn't it?
Talk about cost saving, i remember in 2007 i read this article about OLPC (One Laptop Per Child). It's mission is to provide every child with a laptop, providing low cost computing to needy people especially in the poorer countries. I was looking at the article, sub-$100 laptops? No WAY! How on earth you can make a laptop so cheap when a typical motherboard would cost that much? I read on and realised cloud computing was used in this project.
Belowis the picture of an OLPC computer.
Looks like one that you can get from Toys R Us isnt it?
Anyway, one of the reason why they can make it so cheap is because they make use of cloud computing! They forgo physical storage as it cost a lot, they have 5GB to ensure that it is just enough for a modified windows XP to run onn the machine, and let cloud computing to do the rest.
Word processing? My personal Microsoft Office comes in a DVD, a whopping 4.7GB storage, coupled with my Windows XP which is about 3GB, how is that sufficient on the 5GB OLPC computer? Cloud computing saves the day! Word processing is done by google documents. They use cloudo, which is a web-based application which pack myriad of features! One of them is a music player.
Ever wonder what is the turning knob for? It is actually using kinetic to generate electricity for the computer in case of a lack of power supply. In rural areas there may not be any electricity sources available so that knob is quite an useful feature i would say!
Many people criticised the failure of the OLPC computer, citing reasons like poor maintenance and support for the computer. Software problem could easily be solved by flashing the OS, but hardware maintenance would prove costly to those really in need and such technical expertise may be difficult to source for in the less developed countries too. The producer would face a big challenge to cut cost, and at the same time provide an extensive support to a big geographical area.
I rate the session an 8/10, because i could better see how ICT changed the world and to relate to my own life. I did an individual presentation which i felt I could had done better.
Friday, 9 September 2011
TWC Individual Topical review paper Outline and framework
Internet and Cybercrime
This paper seeks to draw the link between the proliferations of cybercrime with the innovation of internet. Additionally, this paper will first study how the internet revolution has changed our lives, and subsequently explore the effects of cybercrime on our society, with adversaries using the internet as a medium to perpetrate. More information about the difficulties of identifying these criminals will also be studied as a result of their concealment, and also what are the ongoing efforts to mitigate or eliminate such happenings. Finally we will look at any future developments and potentials to curb the cybercrimes.
The internet signifies a new age of free information flow between everyone; it is the epitome of globalization which also meant the “shrinking of the world”. Given its myriad features, we can use it for information acquisition. However, there are always antagonists who seek to abuse the features for their benefit or for disruptions. While the internet provides a proxy for anonymity, cybercrime perpetrators could use this concealment attribute to deter their true identification. Modern techniques still proved to be difficult for tracing the real identities of these people and therefore there is a rising trend and widespread of cybercrime all around the world.
- Introduction
- Rising of the internet (The innovation and modernization of internet and how it has improved our lives)
- Proliferated use of the internet (How it affected the world)
- Explain how internet is a good platform for cybercrime
- Examples of cybercrime and their effects
- Historical perspective
- Explain how internet and information evolved from past to present
- How E-Mail was used as a tool for cybercrime (One example)
- Other forms of Cybercrime (phishing and piracy)
- Trend (getting bad to worst?)
- Example of past cases
- Current situation
- What is the current impact
- Current challenges faced
- How is it being mitigated now
- Examples of modern cases
- Identifying the reasons for cybercrime, the implications, the protection put in place to deter crimes on Internet and list down case examples.
- Are people deterred from doing transactions over the Internet despite the widespread of cybercrime? Why and why not?
- Future considerations
- Predictions for the future by looking at current trend
- Emergence of cloud computing and it’s possible effects
- Various developments for the future
- What are being developed
- What do your foresee in the future in the realm of cybercrime?
- Any emerging technologies that can successfully tackle cybercrime? Or with the number of Internet users increasing everyday, will cybercrime be more and more prevalent resulting the cyber world to be less secure? Collapse of the Internet due to cybercrime? Possible?
- Conclusion
- Is there hope for the future
- Recommendations of what we can do as an individual
- Realize that cybercrime is inevitable for as long as there are users around
-Red comments are from Jerry (thanks jerry!)
-Italics denote completed portions
Last updated : 07 Oct 11, 0311hrs.
Lesson 4 - 04 Sep 2011
From Professor Shahi's slides :
“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”
- George Bernard Shaw -
“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”
- George Bernard Shaw -
"Unreasonable". This word often gives us a negative connotation. Someone who is stubborn, authoritative, and is someone who is often disliked by many. However, you can have these attributes to make changes, and be successful.
Who says being stubborn is always an obstacle to success? We can use the spirit of determination to support how this person can be successful.Thomas Edison was stubborn to failure. One of his famous quotes will justify why :
Results? Why, man, I have gotten lots of results! If I find 10,000 ways something won't work, I haven't failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is often a step forward....
- Thomas Edison
Who says that being authoritative and being disliked by many will bring us negative change? When Adolf Hitler was ruling Germany, he sure clamped down on each aspect that he can grasp his attention on. People were leading hard lives but Germany eventually improved in terms of unemployment and technology.
In modern days, I feel that being an advocator of change, we need to gain support from the masses because after all it is a democratic world now (mostly), and that people now have more freedom to choose. In order for change to happen, we have to put in more work to convince the people that it is for the right cause and it truly must be, else an uncover will banish one's reputation rock bottom and never to be raised again.
In the second part of the lesson, we visited : Pessimism VS Time curve :
Prof shared that this could be applied to Relationships too!
Uniformed Optimism - Honeymoon period
Informed Pessimism - The obstacle of living with each other's difference
Informed Realism - Get married, realised that the commitment is for real now
Completion - Hopefully, ever after
To me, I feel that running a marathon could also be applied here too.
Uniformed Optimism - I felt fresh, i felt i could go on forever.
Informed Pessimism - The breathlessness, lack of water, fatigue is wearing me down as I do not see the end anywhere near. This is the crucial point because giving up here means everything is over, while persevering till the end spells something more positive.
Informed Realism - I see a sign that leads me to the end, or that I am at the half-way point. Now I have a much clearer information of where I am at now and how long will it take for me to finish it.
Completion - The end is there, objective achieved.
Session ratings : 9/10
+ The guest presenters were really good! Now that it reminds me of my upcoming presentation in the next lesson...
- Personally, not much qualms, maybe more videos?
Wednesday, 31 August 2011
Lesson 3 - 29 Aug 2011
his lesson came as a surprise, prof didn't know about the arrangement!
Technology and industrial development: Moving towards sustainable development
My knowledge about industrialisation :
Industrial revolution has certainly brought great changes to our lives. Economic growth was exponential when it first started. People were so focused on the fact that it has increased standard of living, not until the harmful effects were felt : pollution. By the time we realised this, we cannot halt all industrial activities as the benefits were widespread.
When government stepped in, those who were penalised had to internalise the costs, whereas the others went scot-free.
Then came a time we realised that there are dwindling supply of resources (trees and fossil fuels for example), there was little effect. The immediate monetary benefit outweighs the worries that they may face in the future. When things have gotten more serious, more attention was given to it.
Alternative resources came out. Some of them are still non-renewable, some are more sustainable, but most of them proved to be more costly to use. So people carried on using up "endangered" resources. For example, 100% recycled paper are still more costly than those made from trees. Reverse osmosis treated water are more expensive than treated water from reservoirs. Green cars are more expensive than those powered by fuels.
Many articles remained optimistic about the future, with developments to alternative resources coming up now and then, while critics think that the developments are not as fast as the rate we use up resources, given that the population around the world is increasing at a increasing rate, development trend must follow too.
My opinion is with the critics that we are heading for disaster unless we do something really drastic. Leaders have to really look at what is supposed to be well-spent on. I quote figures (from http://www.spacedaily.com/news/oped-04b.html) that :
These money are definitely better spent on sustaining our livelihood rather than destroying it.
Technology and innovation management
We explored Valley, Summit and Cloud opportunities in an article by Prof Shahi. I feel that Singapore's landscape is mostly made up of industries Summit opportunities.
Those of valley opportunities were quickly shifted to somewhere else. Such a competitive setting in Singapore will not allow it to grow as it will be overshadowed by those in the Summit. Therefore it is being shifted to somewhere with potential to grow and become an industry with summit opportunities.
One relevant example would be Biotechnology in Singapore. It used to be of a cloud opportunity. We built infrastructures, invited renowned scientists and introduced this field in the education sector. It quickly flourished into a summit opportunity where demand was large. But shortly after it fell into decline. Top researchers began to leave Singapore.
But could this spell the beginning of more independent research? I feel that we should not lament about the loss of such talents in our country but to grow our own 'uniquely' Singaporean talent in the field of biology. After all many of the things we have now were translated from ideas. As long as we persevere and groom our researchers in the correct direction, we can still become world-class standard. After all, humans are Singapore's prime resource!
I would want to ponder about why Singapore would lose to other countries in terms of biology research, are other countries out there way more lucrative to do their research in? Could it be our shift in emphasis, regulations or even funds not sufficient/optimal for their liking?
Personally i rate the session a 9/10.
+ The videos shown were really relevant and i actually made an effort to go home and watch it again!
- Some discussions got a little more heated than the usual level and i felt it could have been better for others to contribute as well.
Technology and industrial development: Moving towards sustainable development
My knowledge about industrialisation :
Industrial revolution has certainly brought great changes to our lives. Economic growth was exponential when it first started. People were so focused on the fact that it has increased standard of living, not until the harmful effects were felt : pollution. By the time we realised this, we cannot halt all industrial activities as the benefits were widespread.
When government stepped in, those who were penalised had to internalise the costs, whereas the others went scot-free.
Then came a time we realised that there are dwindling supply of resources (trees and fossil fuels for example), there was little effect. The immediate monetary benefit outweighs the worries that they may face in the future. When things have gotten more serious, more attention was given to it.
Alternative resources came out. Some of them are still non-renewable, some are more sustainable, but most of them proved to be more costly to use. So people carried on using up "endangered" resources. For example, 100% recycled paper are still more costly than those made from trees. Reverse osmosis treated water are more expensive than treated water from reservoirs. Green cars are more expensive than those powered by fuels.
Many articles remained optimistic about the future, with developments to alternative resources coming up now and then, while critics think that the developments are not as fast as the rate we use up resources, given that the population around the world is increasing at a increasing rate, development trend must follow too.
My opinion is with the critics that we are heading for disaster unless we do something really drastic. Leaders have to really look at what is supposed to be well-spent on. I quote figures (from http://www.spacedaily.com/news/oped-04b.html) that :
- Americans spend $586.5 billion a year on gambling
- $31 billion go annually in the
- $58 billion is spent on alcohol consumption
- $250 billion are spent annually in the
These money are definitely better spent on sustaining our livelihood rather than destroying it.
Technology and innovation management
We explored Valley, Summit and Cloud opportunities in an article by Prof Shahi. I feel that Singapore's landscape is mostly made up of industries Summit opportunities.
Those of valley opportunities were quickly shifted to somewhere else. Such a competitive setting in Singapore will not allow it to grow as it will be overshadowed by those in the Summit. Therefore it is being shifted to somewhere with potential to grow and become an industry with summit opportunities.
One relevant example would be Biotechnology in Singapore. It used to be of a cloud opportunity. We built infrastructures, invited renowned scientists and introduced this field in the education sector. It quickly flourished into a summit opportunity where demand was large. But shortly after it fell into decline. Top researchers began to leave Singapore.
But could this spell the beginning of more independent research? I feel that we should not lament about the loss of such talents in our country but to grow our own 'uniquely' Singaporean talent in the field of biology. After all many of the things we have now were translated from ideas. As long as we persevere and groom our researchers in the correct direction, we can still become world-class standard. After all, humans are Singapore's prime resource!
I would want to ponder about why Singapore would lose to other countries in terms of biology research, are other countries out there way more lucrative to do their research in? Could it be our shift in emphasis, regulations or even funds not sufficient/optimal for their liking?
Personally i rate the session a 9/10.
+ The videos shown were really relevant and i actually made an effort to go home and watch it again!
- Some discussions got a little more heated than the usual level and i felt it could have been better for others to contribute as well.
Saturday, 27 August 2011
Lesson 2 - 22 Aug 2011
There went the second week of school. I am still trying to get used to the schooling culture and coping with the workload. I guess such lifestyle change would take awhile to get used to, and tests my mental ability too.
The second lesson of TWC came and there was this slide which caught my eye :
Percentage of the World Economy by Region, 1 AD – 2050 AD.
Japan Japan Japan Korea and force a dip in Japan Japan Japan Japan
The second lesson of TWC came and there was this slide which caught my eye :
Percentage of the World Economy by Region, 1 AD – 2050 AD.
I was surprised to note that most of the wealth started in India. I always thought the west were rich to begin with, so then they could start developing their countries and begin colonising other places. Subsequently
One notable trend is Japan, with it’s declining economy caused mainly by the Earthquake and Nuclear disaster, will they be able to rise back to find themselves at the top in high-tech manufacturing especially with the close competition from Korea? Although Korea face hostility with their neighbouring country, I feel that interventions from UN and USA North Korea
Another part of the lesson i wish to highlight is the : The Millennium Development Goals
The MDG aspires to alleviate poverty as much as possible, ensure that the poor have food to eat, have a shelter above their heads, and to receive education. Such resources are very common in Singapore and it reminds me again not to take things for granted, and to always help people in any other way possible.
But what i felt was that these goals seemed far-fetched to me, especially in our world today where we face many problems, how are we going to cope with these problems faster than new problems can come up. With USA facing such a huge debt, and some European countries are not doing well, Japan is not doing well either. If the government in these places decide to cut spendings, certainly these humanitarian funds would be affected too because it is in the leader's interest to solve the fundamental problems in the countries. In many countries, they do not see that the social problems are the most important issue to solve. Often it is economic, political or military. If only there are global consensus to really help the people in need, and if only there are enough resources, enough outreach, then the world will really be a nicer place to live in.
Can we imagine a day when we watch the news or read the newspapers, that there will be no crime reports, no signs of social problems, no economic issues or even no political issues?
Is it that the opportunity cost is greater to tackle the social problems first than the others?
If many countries are declining in economical standards, and that money is circulating around, there should be a country that is doing extremely well in that case. Are the countries that are doing well, making use of the money that they earn for the right cause? Or are they keeping quiet so that they will not be in the limelight and be obliged to contribute more to humanitarian efforts?
These are the issues that I sometimes wonder and hope that they could be discussed.
Overall, i rate the session 9/10. Not only I learnt from the professor, but I benefited too from the "guest speakers" which offered different and new insights about what they spoke. I think having different people to present a topic is good as everyone think differently, so we can offer views and ideas which everyone can learn or even share with others.
The only negative part : not enough time to discuss, very rushed :(
Friday, 19 August 2011
Lesson 1 - 15 Aug 2011
It was the very first day of school and I really struggled to assimilate into SMU's learning culture.
Then came TWC and like any other University lessons, they are expected to deliver knowledge of a higher ,deeper and broader level, and very well it did.
Lessons proper, we were first introduced to some revolutionary developments in human history, and were then introduced to a technology timeline by BT here.
BT Technology Timeline
The timeline was made using Macromedia Flash and was found to be very interactive. Professor Shahi mentioned that some of the inventions came sooner and some of the predicted technologies in the future may came sooner than we predict!
An example from the timeline is that in 2015, oil consumption will peak. Now we have talked about alternatives like bioethanol and biofuel. If we can bring agriculture technology to greater heights and with quantity, sooner or later we will be less dependent on oil. There is still so much underutilized fertile land in the world, surely can do something about it.
Another example is in 2013, where 70% of landfills in USA will be full. With talks about space travel and more successful voyage in the recent times, I think we might be able to send non-biodegradable wastes into space. I am not sure about the ethical issues involved, but a very radical idea would be to set it to orbit and let asteroids, comets, stars or even the sun to disintegrate them completely!
We were then introduced to a short clip on YouTube, featuring :
Guns, Germs and Steel
The documentary is very interesting, Jared Diamond and his encounter with New Guineans and "Cargos". When I looked at the citizens, they seemed very tribal and have their unique way or survival in the jungle.
I guess our environment and their's are similar in a way where we use whatever technology we have and improve our standard of living. The difference is the type of technology. To them discovering new materials to making a spear could be a new technology, but on the other side we are talking about nuclear weapons.
In a world where we are so dependent on computer technology in whatever we do, I must say that I can never imagine living in that kind of setting.
Issues for further discussion :
I wished we had more time to discuss about the New Guineans, which I would like to discover more answers on why they do not have access to modern technology that we have.
From wikipedia, it says that only 18% of the New Guineans live in urban areas. It makes me wonder if there are any traces of broadband internet, iPhone or even Cable TV there?
Personal Ratings : 9/10
+ points for wonderful insight and introduction to a whole lot of other learning opportunities.
- points for knowing that there is so much work to be done. (It's for our own good! But still...)
Then came TWC and like any other University lessons, they are expected to deliver knowledge of a higher ,deeper and broader level, and very well it did.
Lessons proper, we were first introduced to some revolutionary developments in human history, and were then introduced to a technology timeline by BT here.
BT Technology Timeline
The timeline was made using Macromedia Flash and was found to be very interactive. Professor Shahi mentioned that some of the inventions came sooner and some of the predicted technologies in the future may came sooner than we predict!
An example from the timeline is that in 2015, oil consumption will peak. Now we have talked about alternatives like bioethanol and biofuel. If we can bring agriculture technology to greater heights and with quantity, sooner or later we will be less dependent on oil. There is still so much underutilized fertile land in the world, surely can do something about it.
Another example is in 2013, where 70% of landfills in USA will be full. With talks about space travel and more successful voyage in the recent times, I think we might be able to send non-biodegradable wastes into space. I am not sure about the ethical issues involved, but a very radical idea would be to set it to orbit and let asteroids, comets, stars or even the sun to disintegrate them completely!
We were then introduced to a short clip on YouTube, featuring :
Guns, Germs and Steel
The documentary is very interesting, Jared Diamond and his encounter with New Guineans and "Cargos". When I looked at the citizens, they seemed very tribal and have their unique way or survival in the jungle.
I guess our environment and their's are similar in a way where we use whatever technology we have and improve our standard of living. The difference is the type of technology. To them discovering new materials to making a spear could be a new technology, but on the other side we are talking about nuclear weapons.
In a world where we are so dependent on computer technology in whatever we do, I must say that I can never imagine living in that kind of setting.
Issues for further discussion :
I wished we had more time to discuss about the New Guineans, which I would like to discover more answers on why they do not have access to modern technology that we have.
From wikipedia, it says that only 18% of the New Guineans live in urban areas. It makes me wonder if there are any traces of broadband internet, iPhone or even Cable TV there?
Personal Ratings : 9/10
+ points for wonderful insight and introduction to a whole lot of other learning opportunities.
- points for knowing that there is so much work to be done. (It's for our own good! But still...)
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