Computing's Use in the Andes:
In this chapter, a group of researchers went to the Peruvian Andes in an attempt to improve lives. The plan to accomplish this goal was to bring computers, and all their glory, to the area. The main use of the computers would be for connecting the villagers to information that they could use to better themselves. This included information on farming techniques, water cleanliness, heath issues, education issues, and much more.
Problems:
The most immediate problems that faced the engineers were the regional and environmental ones. While the Andes environment does not exactly present the same level of hostility that some of the PLC's environments we talked about do, it’s still an environment not anywhere near the perfect 75° and breezy. A big problem was the amount of moisture in the atmosphere and how unkind said moisture can be towards electronics. The chapter did not go into much depth regarding a solution to this, but I imagine that a nice room with good insulation and dehumidifiers would do the trick. Another problem was dense clouds overhead and their effect on satellite coverage. This problem was solved by being careful in selecting a satellite system (SatMex5 was used) and well thought out placing and angling of the satellites.
Another host of problems that had to be overcome were social/cultural/political in nature. The way society is set up in this area is very unlike America's legal centric, “we must sign this 50 page contract before anything happens” way of doing things. People genuinely trust each other there and someone's verbal word is stronger than their signature. Unfortunately though, people took advantage of this quality and began harming the villagers. Mining companies would pol...
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...ost important thing that these researchers did was focus on self-sustainability, really taking the “teach a hungry man how to fish instead of just giving him fish” adage to heart. By doing this the researchers did not only help the villagers solve their current problems, but built a system in which future and more hidden problems could be solved. For example, look at how some of the villager’s self-esteem issues were solved. The researchers did not explicitly set out to help those with self-esteem issues; rather the solution came from ingenuity among the villagers who began using the computers as ways to sell goods via The Internet, making some feel more useful. Another way they increased self-sustainability was by training locals on how to fix the computers, so the villagers would not need outside help when something inevitably goes wrong.
Conclusion and Problems:
there is a deeper reason. One possibility is that the people of this village of
...ble environmental concerns, no matter the cost while meeting them where they are. Dr. Farmer’s story states that helping the suffering poor is possible. This gentle, humble, and peaceful man has fought the courageous battle against man’s opinion of the oppressed and excitedly, he has won.
Science and technology go hand in hand. Scientific discoveries result in technology advancements for the people. In today’s technological world, it has progressed to a whole new level. This type of modernization opened doors for new and improved computers, cell phones, medical treatment, and machinery. In a reference article, “Computers and the Internet in America: Modern World” by Christopher Cumo, he discusses how computers and the internet have impacted human life since the 20th century. Technology has always been a part of society and as
In this book, Forster is able to portray a reality that could become true if we, human beings, keep depending on technology for survival. Although it is very distressing that people became dependable to the Machine to the extent where they loose their humanity and become like a machine as well, with no mind of their own. It is incredible how people were not able to survive when the Machine stopped working; it is understandable that people nowadays will also have a hard time surviving without technology since we were born into a technological world. But the World will be well when people like Kuno remind humans what is really important in life.
According to the lecture presented by Hutchinson in module four, technology is explained as a system as opposed to our everyday electronics. Many individuals today think of technology in the terms of electrical appliances and the everyday uses of electricity. However, we see that technology is much bigger than that. In the book, Ways of Social Change, technology is understood in three ways. First, technology includes knowledge; we must know how to operate certain things, we must know the skills used for operation, and understand routines. Hutchinson simply puts it as knowing “how” to do things. Secondly, we must understand technology as a technique; it is simply knowing the “why” of how we do certain things the way we do. Lastly, technology
With the growth of technology it allowed for the growth of available information as well as advanced ways of communication. The initial intention of computers and technology was to serve the working or business class, to help companies create better products for their consumers. Next, the tools that were previously only used to facilitate businesses then started becoming more domestic, little by little people and families began owning desktop computers in their homes .By innovating t...
As we now see that Technology and Society are interdependent on each other to an extent, we must ask ourselves what is technology exactly. According to the syllabus, ”Technology can be represented as one means by which society meets its needs and solves many of its problems” Syllabus. Black and Harrison in their 1994 publication seemed to agree, stating that “Technology has been called upon, when practical solutions to problems have been called for.” (Black and Harrison, 1994, p.13) Both of these references suggest that technology is there to help us, helping us to solve problems in our everyday lives. However, we must question these practical solutions on the basis as to what the problems are? And also, who creates these problems? It could be said that it is society as a whole creates these problems which then creates a niche for these new techn...
Thesis statement: With the power of computers at our hand, our society has made several improvements in different aspects of our everyday life which can range from education, all the way up to the government itself.
Sucesivamente para los años 70’s la sociedad es llamada de la información haciendo mayor énfasis en el poder transformador de las computadoras y las nuevas tecnologías. Uno de los principales autores de esta teoría Fritz Malchup hace mención de 5 grandes grupos industriales de la información en los cuales son conformados por la educación, los medios y comunicación, computadoras, los servicios fundados en actividades de información son los grupos mencionados por el autor en los cuales se hace énfasis en la industria de la información.
She opens about talking about how good idea can become a bad thing in the real wrld ting s can get very hairy. Some of the first things the author brings up are good ideas for making everyday life easier. For example, she talks about a sniper rifle that is equipped with an advanced computer for better accuracy in and a car that lets you stream music from the internet
Back when my parents were in school they were required to do their reports with the help of the good old encyclopedia. This required numerous trips to the local library and heavy book bags. At that time computers didn’t have the benefit of the worldwide web. As time has gone by, technology has advanced numerously. The world is growing and we must grow and adapt to it.
Today, Americans are faced with the increasing change of technology in our everyday life. Sometimes the change happens and we do not realize how it affects our lives. I think it is always a good idea to talk to someone that is older than yourself, like your grandparents to remind you of the times in their younger years. Hopefully, that will open your eyes to the changes we face in this generation and the generation to come. In this chapter, the author explores the relationship of changing technology to changes in both the environment and social institutions.
Over the years, man has come up with countless inventions, each more resourceful than the last. However, as the computer age continues, mankind is threatened. Ridiculous, some may say, but I say look around! The computer has already begun to control so many of the vital functions that man has prided himself upon before. Our lives are now dependent on a computer and what it tells you. Even now, I type this essay on a computer, trusting that it will produce a result far superior to what I can do with my own to hands.
The standard 21 year old adults have exchanged 250 thousand emails, spent 5 thousand hours video gaming and 10 thousand hours using their mobile devices (Lei, 2009). When people hear the word technology, they think of microwaves, televisions, cars, NASA, different types and transportation and more. For all that, technology has occurred long ahead these discoveries. Technology is an arguable matter amongst people. .In the old days, people lived an extremely simple life without technology. They used candles to light their houses and lanterns at the dark to travel, they used fire to cook and used newspapers and mail to share news. On the other hand, technology has seized an important place in our society. People are living in a stage of progressive technology. They are using all natural reserves applicable for making their lives better and easier. The society cannot picture life without electricity since it allows them to live through their everyday life. This paper argues that technology positively impacts people’s lives.
Throughout human history the fundamental driving force behind any change culturally or technologically is the human goal. The innate human ability for abstract thought has made us able to project a plan for our own future. Originally our foresight directly pertained to our own survival, making our way to the next meal, and perpetually intertwined with our interaction with and relationship to our own environment. The living environments that we experience include the places where we live, those that we visit, and anything else that constitutes what we may see or do. Therefore our relationship to the environment which we experience is very location-dependant in terms of resources and environmental factors. For example, nomadic people who live in the desert lead drastically different lives to those who live in the rainforest or those who live in cities. In this way many different human cultures developed all over earth, and have had varying effects on the development of culture and technology. I believe that these different cultures provided different goals for each society that motivated technological innovations at different time and for different reasons. As we all, no doubt, see everyday the advent of technology has greatly affected our living environment. Twenty years ago hardly anyone had heard of the internet, and now it’s a worldwide information superhighway. People have made their lives revolve solely around the internet; fortunes have been won and lost on the computer industry. But there are countless other examples of how technology has molded and changed cultures, and so I also believe that technology and culture have a symbiotic relationship; they feed off of and grow from one another similar to what we have dubbed a feedback loop in our class discussions.