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...)
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