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Tuesday, August 13, 2013

The Modern Era

Today I watched 101 Gadgets That Changed the World on the H2 channel, and discovered very interesting insights on the major advancements in technology this world has made. Some top gadgets were the light bulb, alarm clock, wristwatch, microwave, calculator, airplane, and more.Though I honestly thought the automobile was going to come in at number one, but surprisingly, what came in as number one was...the smartphone. The smartphone consists of many tools that is very convenient for us today: (of course calling and text) television, music, games, internet, radio, email, social media, and the list goes on. It's amazing what we as humans have accomplished throughout the past 200 years or so. It's no doubt that we can accomplish more in technology that can definitely aid us throughout lifetime generations. However, I hope this seemly everlasting expansion of knowledge on technology doesn't hurt us in longevity. We should not use this technology in a negative way (at least not anymore). For example, the alarm clock was, and sure enough, still is being used as a time bomb. Technology should not be taken advantage of negatively, yet that's what I feel the World State in Brave New World was doing. The process of just creating brand new human beings whenever you desire right off the bat is a bit unnecessary as to how we should properly utilize this technology. I just hope we don't go that same route, not just as a country, but a world universally.
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3 comments:

  1. UnknownAugust 13, 2013 at 5:31 PM

    I find it interesting that those are listed as the major advancements in technology, i mean a microwave? really? i would have thought maybe artificial hearts or something more potentially life saving. I'm not surprised about the smart phones, because they really have affected the way we live our lives (whether for better or worse i can't really say). Also as i read about what you said about how technology should not be used negatively i thought about the scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey in which the apes discover that they can use a bone to kill for food (which of course is beneficial to them), but then begin to realize that it can also be used as a weapon, and begin using the bone to create fear and establish a hierarchy. and eventually to kill and conquer. My point being that an object is an object, and that its not the technology that is necessarily "evil", but the people who decide to use it for evil. for example, a mop is a mop, and you can either clean the floor with that mop or you can kill someone with it, its not the mops fault, and its not the mop factories fault, its your fault. the technology will not hurt us, it is our own selves and fellow human beings that will.

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    1. UnknownAugust 14, 2013 at 10:22 PM

      I agree with you, Hannah; I am not surprised that the smartphone is the number one top gadget because it is a convenient tool for us today. However, I do believe that the microwave can be considered as a major advancement. You and everyone who has lived with a microwave in your house all your lives may not think so, but imagine if it were never invented. Think of how it works - electromagnetic radiation causes molecules in food to rotate and build up energy, heating it. On my recent trip to Cambodia, a third world country, I noticed that most homes (including upper/lower middle class homes) did not have microwaves - actually, I did not see one microwave at all during my trip there (and I did step foot into an appliance store) - so I would say the microwave is a major advancement even for today. What I found strange, though, was that many people there had smartphones (and lots of Apple products), while it was not very common for middle class homes to have refrigerators. However, in total, I agree with you that something that helps us survive and live longer would be a major advancement. Another thing I agree with you on: "an object is an object". Technology itself is not harming us, but how we utilize technology is harming us - in more ways than one.

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  2. UnknownAugust 13, 2013 at 10:40 PM

    I ultimately think we will be ran by technology in the future. Many of us are not even able to put our phones down to do this homework but as soon as we put it down, we are right onto another form of technology in the computer. We aren't able to escape technology and it will catch up with us because we are so dependent on it.

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