TWC session 12 marks the end of the module.
I would say my attitude about the world have changed, I myself have taken the use of technology a step further than what I usually do. Now I am using cloud technology. Everything in synchronisation real time any time any where. A simple drop of my document in my dropbox and it becomes available on my laptop, desktop, ipad and iphone. What beauty!
Session 12 also marks my final TWC presentation.
Our web report, was a research on Epidemic Management. *Highly compressed
To experts out there, I am really sorry for that oversimplified version of epidemic management, but what I wish to draw your attention to is really the future of epidemic management. The use of Game Theory, by following the works of Bruce Bueno De Mesquita.
The idea here is to use Game Theory to address conflicts which may result from negotiations when attempting to deal with epidemic outbreaks. For example, during the case of H1n1 when there was the shortage of vaccine, politicians are at a lost on how to address the situation. With game theory, the software will predict and project the likely outcome that is going to occur base on the following 4 factors in a negotiation:
1)What are their choices?
2)The Chances People are willing to take?
3)What are their principles and values?
4)What they belief about other people?
I understand the issue here is about the inequalities in life. The rich and famous, the most influential will get their desired outcome, throughout all negotiations. However, if you think about it, in real life, such factors cannot be eliminated, simply because we are dealing with something innate within all mankind. We do things to our self-interest. Instead of being concerned about the inequalities, shouldn't we place priorities to deal the issues that are a cause of concern or attempt to achieve equality which is never going to occur.
In Jared Diamond's Guns Germs and Steel. The moment we are born, the environment that we are in already subjects us to different advantage and disadvantage. Is there a solution? I don't foresee any in the future.
Nonethless, I am not putting my decisions in life under the control of a computer software. What I wish to achieve with Game Theory is to facilitate the negotiation, and recognise that inequalities cannot be eliminated. Skip the conflicts in negotiation, and get things done.
Here's a presentation by Mr. Bruce Bueno de Mesquitas:
Monday, November 14, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
TWC Session 11
Session 11 marks,the beginning of group presentations. To create a web report, on a subject and applying what we have learned in Technology and world change. Well, perhaps two presentations left an impression on me. First is the presentation on designer babies. Following is the presentation on space tourism.
The team presenting on the designer babies started off the presentation with a short skit. A story of a mother-to-be trying to decide what's best for her kid. How each area of experts depict what is good and bad for the future of designer babies.
Similar to every technology available out there, over human progress entails a trade off that we cannot forgo. Each individial has a stake in how we progress and all humans are rational when it comes to decision making. The future of designer babies is restricted by the question of ethics. The playing of human genome to create the perfect human. Makes me wonder why society cannot accept the future of designer babies when we are already advocating Darwinism. Obtaining the best genes so that our future generation be better than before.
Surprisingly, I saw parallels between ethical issues of designers and the storyline of a famous Japanese Anime: Gundam Seed.
In this anime, mankind is divided over human genetic engineering, with normal humans known as 'Naturals' and the genetically altered humans known as Coordinators. The animation included the issues of racism, a vision of the future in a world fraught with talk of GM food and cloning providing food for thought on social issues surrounding the future of designer babies.
Indeed a creative and thoughtful piece by the Japanese. Would be fun to see the presentation done on Designer Babies to draw parallels between this sci-fi fiction and what is available in reality.
The next presentation that caught my attention, was the presentation on space tourism. First thing I told myself, why would anyone in the right mind want to travel out to space for a long period of time. Apart from anti gravity. I think, we pretty much have nothing to enjoy about. I raised the issue of muscle deterioration if one would to travel out to space for a long period of time. Now, that's the beauty of gravity. Guys, if you want to look built and ripped.
You need gravity. For the people who first travelled out to moon, the lack of gravity during the space travel caused them to be terribly weakened upon landing back on land. For space travel to be sustainable in the future. The space shift that we build must provide the means of maintaining gravity, perhaps through the use of centripetal force.
Travelling out to space has always been seen as throwing resources into space at achieving nothing. Space toursim can be the next "in" thing, but I feel that the team missed out on the opportunities on the progress that we can aim for if we start to colonise space. Then again, human progress is no different from an epidemic outbreak of disease. Earth will be destroyed soon enough, a spread of our population to other planets will probably destroy the whole solar system.
The team presenting on the designer babies started off the presentation with a short skit. A story of a mother-to-be trying to decide what's best for her kid. How each area of experts depict what is good and bad for the future of designer babies.
Similar to every technology available out there, over human progress entails a trade off that we cannot forgo. Each individial has a stake in how we progress and all humans are rational when it comes to decision making. The future of designer babies is restricted by the question of ethics. The playing of human genome to create the perfect human. Makes me wonder why society cannot accept the future of designer babies when we are already advocating Darwinism. Obtaining the best genes so that our future generation be better than before.
Surprisingly, I saw parallels between ethical issues of designers and the storyline of a famous Japanese Anime: Gundam Seed.
In this anime, mankind is divided over human genetic engineering, with normal humans known as 'Naturals' and the genetically altered humans known as Coordinators. The animation included the issues of racism, a vision of the future in a world fraught with talk of GM food and cloning providing food for thought on social issues surrounding the future of designer babies.
Indeed a creative and thoughtful piece by the Japanese. Would be fun to see the presentation done on Designer Babies to draw parallels between this sci-fi fiction and what is available in reality.
The next presentation that caught my attention, was the presentation on space tourism. First thing I told myself, why would anyone in the right mind want to travel out to space for a long period of time. Apart from anti gravity. I think, we pretty much have nothing to enjoy about. I raised the issue of muscle deterioration if one would to travel out to space for a long period of time. Now, that's the beauty of gravity. Guys, if you want to look built and ripped.
You need gravity. For the people who first travelled out to moon, the lack of gravity during the space travel caused them to be terribly weakened upon landing back on land. For space travel to be sustainable in the future. The space shift that we build must provide the means of maintaining gravity, perhaps through the use of centripetal force.
Travelling out to space has always been seen as throwing resources into space at achieving nothing. Space toursim can be the next "in" thing, but I feel that the team missed out on the opportunities on the progress that we can aim for if we start to colonise space. Then again, human progress is no different from an epidemic outbreak of disease. Earth will be destroyed soon enough, a spread of our population to other planets will probably destroy the whole solar system.
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