Friday, November 15, 2013

Reflections

After the 12 sessions of TWC, i certainly had many takeaways. 

In terms of knowledge gained, the course provided me with the opportunity to see many interesting technologies that i would otherwise have never heard of. From this course several key ideas keep resurfacing. Firstly, no piece of technology is perfect and without its cons. Every piece of technology that can greatly help us in our lives will inevitably bring some harm to us as well. It is therefore important to always try and mitigate these cons. Secondly, change is here. We should embrace it. The world is ever changing and it will continue to. It is therefore important to adapt to changes if we want to stay ahead and not become obsolete. Keeping us with change will only allow you to survive. In order to be above the rest, you need to be the change, you need to lead the change. 

In terms of skills gained, the course provided me with many opportunities to help groom my skills. I never created a blog in my life before and this course taught me how to do it. For the group project, we are supposed to create web based report, another area that i never ventured into. After i learnt how to create websites, i actually used the same idea for my other course, thus it is very useful skills gained. Throughout this course, we are required to come out with 2 presentations. Both individual and group. This gave us a platform to hone our presentation skills. As TWC is one of the first few courses taken during my University life, it gave me the opportunity to train up my presenting skills, which will be useful for the other courses. The individual research paper taught me how to go about finding information and putting these information together. In addition, I also learnt how to do citations, which will help me in my future research papers.

In conclusion, I feel that TWC is a good course to help students transit into a university life. Content wise it is more of general knowledge and it is not content heavy. The skills taught are the important things i took away from the class. Good luck to everyone for the finals! 

Cheers! Signing off the last time
Luo Xindi

 

TWC Session 12: Group presentations 4-8

Today marks the end of the TWC course. The last 5 groups presented on their research topics and it was an enriching experience.

The first group touched on mind controlled prosthetics, while the second group's topic was transhumanism. This two topics are closely related and similar, so i will discuss them in one section. I feel that this area of technology is full of potential, and can make a huge difference in many people's lives. There are many people around the world who are handicapped and this severely affects their quality of life. These prosthetics, despite the risks, can great enhance their lives and is therefore extremely beneficial.

The third group was...awesome. Because its my group, and we discussed on food technologies. The rationale my group came up with this topic is because we really felt that food is one of the most pressing issues around the world. Millions are trapped in hunger and this certainly calls for a change. With technology, hopefully many more lives can be enriched. Our topic also ties in with Yali's question presented at the start of the course. Therefore we find this topic very interesting.

Fourth group touched on Sex in advertising, and was certainly...captivating. The class immediately woke up at the sight of the website, and certainly interested the prof as well. I feel that this topic is especially relevant in an age where "sex sells". As our society becomes more and more open towards the idea of sex, more companies are making use of sexuality to sell their products. Most of the time, these sex ads bear no significance to the product they are trying to advertise. Over time, this caused the objectification of woman and made sex seem rather casual.

The last group presented on virtual reality and their presentation was very interesting. The introduction certainly captured my attention and was really well rehearsed. Virtual reality is gradually gainly popularity in many areas. One area that interested me was the area of military use. In the past, much land was dedicated for military use. However, with virtual reality, these land can be put to better use. From personal experience, i certainly seen the pros and cons of the technology of virtual reality. I worked in the airforce during national service, and my job scope was to launch fighter planes. The launching process consists of a lot of risks, and by having virtual simulation, all these risks are reduced. For the pilot, simulator training gives them the chance to hone their skills. More importantly, it can train them how to react in the event of emergencies. This cannot be trained in real life. Even though the benefits are there, being in a simulation is never the same as doing the real thing. Despite this, virtual reality can definitely help our lives and make it better.  

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Cars: Yesterday, Today, And Tomorrow[1]
Luo Xindi (xindi.luo.2013@accountancy.smu.edu.sg), 1st Year student, Bachelor of Accountancy, Singapore Management University
Executive Summary
The world is currently facing increasing concerns of global warming and depletion of natural resources. As a result of this, more efficient, sustainable, and less polluting modes of transportation have become increasingly vital.
This paper examines the history of automobiles and examines how these automobiles have evolved over the centuries. It then explains how the current automobiles have served their purpose and also the social, economic and environmental impacts caused by these vehicles. This paper also raises pressing issues on pollution and depletion of resources and how future develops can help to alleviate these issues. Finally the paper questions the considerations future automobile technologies, such as electric and nitrogen cars, have on our world in terms of environmental, economic and social impacts.

Introduction
Since the first human civilization, humans began to travel around to find more food, better shelter, and to escape from danger. As human civilization progressed, we learnt to harness the strengths of our surroundings and began to make use of our surrounding resources to help us travel. Different civilizations began using different animals to help them move from one destination to another. The Egyptians used the donkeys, Chinese used the water buffalo, South Americans used llamas and Ukrainians used horses (McGrath, n.d). While humans strived for constant improvement, the pace and the range of animals became insufficient for us. Thus humans began to venture into technologies that can travel far greater distances, without being limited by the fatigue of the animals. This led to the development of the first self-propelled forms of transportation, which gradually evolved into our present day automobiles.
With the cars we have today, humankind managed to travel great distances with great speed. Even though there was the benefit of convenience, it came with many negative consequences as well. This paper will explain these impacts brought about by automobiles, and explore what future technologies can bring us. This paper will also look at how future technologies can mitigate these negative impacts of our current automobiles.

Historical Perspectives
First form of transportation: Animals
The first form of transportation was riding on animals’ backs. Humans realized that they can capitalize on the traits of other organisms in the planet for transportation and started domesticating animals such as horses for transport. This domestication of animals is known as the Equine Revolution (McLaughlin, 2001). Domestication of horses occurred as early as 5,600 years ago. The presence of high concentrations of horse manure in the soil near ancient settlements helps to back this claim (Hoffmann, 2006). Ancient civilizations first domesticated horses for their meat and milk, but soon realized horses can be a great form of transportation(McGrath, n.d). Together with the inventions of wheels in 3,500 BC, chariots and carriages were attached to horses and gradually; it became a key mode of transportation (McGrath, n.d).
This revolution was a key milestone in human history because people soon realized the convenience of having a mode of transportation without having to use their own legs. This drove the evolution of transportation to what it is today. The discovery of animals as a mode of transportation not just enabled faster communication of messages between faraway lands; it also aided in the exchange of knowledge and is therefore key in the civilization of humans (McLaughlin, 2001). This discovery enabled explorers such as Marco Polo to travel great distances to facilitate the exchange of goods between the East and the West (Wright, 1854).

First self-propelled vehicle
The Industrial Revolution began in the 18th century, causing great changes to all aspects of human life. This mechanization of processes, in areas such as agriculture, manufacturing, mining and transport, caused a huge improvement in the efficiency of people’s lives. The Industrial Revolution enabled the invention of steam engine in 1763, followed by the invention of the first self-propelled road vehicle in 1769 by Nicholas Joseph Cugnot (Lawrence, 2008). He was French engineer and mechanic who designed this vehicle as a military tractor for military use. This steam engine powered vehicle was used by the French Army to tow the huge artillery guns, moving these equipment at a speed of 4km/h. Cugnot then managed to alter the design of his vehicle, allowing it to carry four passengers, making it the first ever self-propelled passenger vehicle (Bellis, n.d). However, one major limitation of this vehicle was that it needed to be rested every ten to fifteen minutes for it to build up the steam power. Moreover, these steam engines were extremely heavy and inefficient, causing them to be impractical to be used on roads (Bellis, n.d).
This was the start of self propelled vehicles and gradually, other types of engines were invented that made the steam engine obsolete. However, the steam engine was still extremely popular for the locomotives. Building on the idea of self-propelled vehicles, more practical forms of engines soon emerged, such as the gasoline powered engines and electric engines (Cox, 2013).

Birth of first modern automobile
Even though Nicholas Joseph Cugnot built the first automobile, many history books credited the invention of the first automobile to Karl Benz. This is because Benz invented gasoline-powered vehicles that were highly successful and practical. The cars we see today are modeled from Benz’s design of the first automobile and works similarly (Deffree, 2013). However, it is unfair to say that Benz invented the modern automobile because the development of the automobile did not happen overnight. It was a culmination of efforts from different scientists and engineers to achieve the first car (Bearden, n.d).
Karl Benz created the first modern automobile in 1886, powered by 0.75 horsepower one-cylinder four-stroke gasoline engine; it could reach a top speed of 16km/h. It contained water-cooled internal combustion engine, three wheels, tubular framework, and a seat for 2. The vehicle also contained electric ignition, differential, mechanical valves, carburetor, oil and grease cups for lubrication and a braking system (Christopher, 2010). After this successful piece of invention, Benz successfully applied for a German patent and began his production of automobiles. His company later developed into one of the top automobile companies in the world: Mercedes-Benz (Deffree, 2013).
Despite the practicality and success of the first automobile, it had a high price tag and was unaffordable by most people. As a result, cars were not in abundance until Henry Ford revolutionized the automobile market.

Begin of personal cars
In the 1900s, Henry Ford founded The Ford Motor Company and began the manufacturing of automobiles. At the start, the company only had a few employees and produced a few cars a day. However, Ford introduced the first conveyor belt assembly line, which reduced the cost of production by reducing assembly time. As a result of the assembly line, the company was able to produce one car every one and a half hours (Goss, n.d). Ford was so efficient that at one point of time, he produced more cars in a year than all 87 other automobile companies combined. In addition to this innovation of work process, Ford introduced a car model that was so successful that the automobile industry was revolutionized. ("Henry ford changes," 2005)
Henry Ford is always quoted saying, “I will build a motorcar for the great multitude”. As such, Ford introduced the Model T, the first automobile that targets the mass. It was a relatively affordable car at that point of time. When other car models were sold for an average of $1,000, the Model T was only $850 when it was first introduced in 1908. By 1925, the car was less than $300 (Bearden, n.d). Ford managed to sell 15 million of Model T around the world and it was more than 50% of the total car population at that time. Model T was the beginning of automobile for the masses, and from that point onwards, privately owned cars became more and more popular. ("The model T ford," 2012)
From that point onwards, the automobile industry grew astronomically and automobiles underwent multiple improvements. Cars soon no longer required hand cranking, but electric starters instead. Cars then became air-conditioned, airbags were introduced, and slowly these cars began to resemble what we see on our roads today.

Current Situation
With the fast pace of our society today, the need to travel quickly from one point to another is becoming extremely important. As a result, the numbers of cars on our roads have hit a new high in recent years. The car population of the world exceeded 1 billion in 2010 and is expected to reach 2.5 billion in 2050 (Tencer, 2011). The most common types of cars on our roads nowadays are cars running on petrol or diesel. Compared to the first car invented, cars nowadays have better design, more comfortable driving experience, and also better fuel efficiency. This large car population around the world has several impacts on our society, economy, and environment.
Social Impacts
In terms of social impact, the invention of the car has drastically changed humans’ way of life. The biggest advantage cars gave humans is no doubt the increased convenience to travel further and faster. The car effectively broke down the geographical barriers and people were free to travel as long as there were roads. This has made society a more efficient place and also increased connectivity between people.
However, there are also negative social impacts caused by the invention of the car. Firstly, the invention of cars has taken away many lives as a result of traffic accidents. Before cars were invented, serious injuries and deaths caused by horse carriages were minimal. However with the invention of machines capable at travelling a few times the speed of horses, accidents became more severe. According to statistics, 1.3 million people die from traffic accidents every year, and another 50 million people are seriously injured (Olarte, 2011). Even though there are technologies such as airbags to help prevent fatalities in the event of road accident, the cases of deaths has been steadily increasing and is therefore a serious concern.  
Secondly, the invention of the car has caused negative health impacts on humans. As cars are being more accessible and many countries have public transport systems, there is increasing reliance on technologies to travel. This has caused sedentary behavior that may lead to health problems such as obesity. As a result of the combustion of fuels in the car engine, harmful gases are released into the air. The exhaust fumes of cars contain hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, particulates, and sulphur dioxide, all of which fall into the category of hazardous air pollutants. These harmful substances are toxic and can be detrimental to one’s health in the long run. Some harmful effects include chronic lung diseases, liver damage and even cancer (Rossman, n.d).
Environmental Impacts
In terms of environmental impact, the car has caused massive air, water and land pollution. Air pollution occurs when harmful gases are released into the atmosphere as a result of the combustion in the car engines. These pollutants contain gases that can cause ozone depletion and global warming. The car population these days is said to contribute to approximately one fifth of the total greenhouse emissions (TDG Community, 2008).
Water and land pollutions are closely related to air pollution. As a result of emissions of gases such as sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide, acid rain will be formed. Acid rain causes soil to be acidified, and in the long run will affect the fertility of the soil. Moreover, scrapped cars takes up immense amounts of space in landfills and scrapyards, therefor causing land pollution. When the acid rain falls into water bodies, it causes the water to be polluted and thus may affect marine live in the water bodies.
Cars also cause severe depletion of our energy source. According to sources, the amount of fossil fuels we have left is rapidly decreasing. It is expected that this fuel will be used up in the near future. Cars take up a huge proportion of the consumption of fossil fuels.
Economic Impacts
In terms of economic impact, the automobile industry is a huge part of the world economy and many peripheral industries are closely linked with the automobile industry. Car making companies makes up a huge proportion of the GDP of some countries. In order to support these industries, many peripheral companies offering car repairs, car servicing, tires, fuel are closely linked with the auto making industry. It is therefore a huge component of the economy and is extremely beneficial. These industries can also create many employment opportunities.

Future Considerations
The current cars cause many negative impacts and it is therefore important that future innovations can help to mitigate these problems. Like any piece of technology, there are definitely positive and negative impacts to our world, it is thus important to negate these issues as far as possible. The main negative impact of cars is the polluting gases it emits. The health concerns are largely a result of these harmful gases. Many governments and automakers have realized the importance of a sustainable car. A car does not consume fossil fuels and a car that emits little air pollutants. Many companies thus invested heavily on the research of electric and hydrogen cars as alternatives to the petrol and diesel fuelled cars. The question of whether these possibilities are viable will be discussed but most importantly, they must be able to solve some social and environmental problems.
Electric Cars
Electric cars are vehicles powered by rechargeable batteries instead of the conventional internal combustion engines. There are several advantages of electric cars compared to conventional cars.
Electric cars have always been given the title of being a clean car. This is because it does not involve any form of combustion of fuel in the car and therefore have zero emissions of harmful gases. However, whether the electric car is a clean depends on more than just the amount of fumes it produces. Electric cars do not run on air, they run on electricity, which is produced at various sources. Thus, whether the car is clean or dirty depends largely on where you charge your vehicle geographically. For example, in a place where all the electricity comes from solar energy power station, the car can be said to be totally clean. However, if the car is charged in a place where much of the energy comes from burning of coals, the environmental impact could be worse than a conventional car (Oremus, 2013). Despite this, it can be argued that there is a single source of pollution for electric cars, compared to multiple sources of pollution from conventional cars. This allows relevant authorities to control, clean up and manage environmental impacts more easily.
The widespread implementation of electric cars may have positive impacts on individual’s health. While conventional cars emit harmful gases that are detrimental to one’s health, electric cars have zero emissions. Though there are still emissions of harmful gases at the source of the electricity production, these polluting power plants are often found in places with sparse population. It therefore will not cause as much damage to individuals’ health as compared to conventional cars (Decher, 2011).
Other major limitation of the electric car today is that the driving range of the electric car is extremely limited. Conventional cars can travel an average of around 500km before requiring refueling. Electric cars, on the other hand, can currently only travel approximately 160km on the average before they need to be recharged (Wisler, n.d). As such, driving an electric car in a city may be a viable option. However if one were to drive it between cities, it would be impractical because of the small range of the vehicle, and lack of infrastructure to support recharging of the batteries.
Electric cars that currently exist also take a long time to be recharged. While a conventional car requires a few minutes before the entire fuel tank is filled, the electric cars can require 4-8 hours for a complete charge (Cridland, n.d).
The large battery packs used to power most current electric vehicles are extremely heavy and take up a lot of space. This may compromise on the practically of the electric vehicle to carry passengers or loads. In addition, batteries have a limited lifespan, and after a certain number of charges, it needs to be replaced. The costs of these batteries are very high.

Nitrogen Cars
Nitrogen cars, which use nitrogen as fuel to propel the engines, may be the future of automobile. Nitrogen is stored as liquid in a cold environment. When it is released into the engines, it is heated up; causing the gaseous nitrogen to expands and provides energy to propel the vehicle. Nitrogen is a viable alternative to drive engines because of its abundance and it is able to create considerable amounts of energy per unit volume. Most importantly, it is much cheaper than electric cars. This is attributed to the fact that liquid nitrogen is a by product in the manufacturing of liquid oxygen, making it readily available and inexpensive (Dvorsky, 2012). Moreover the engines of the nitrogen-powered cars no do not produce substantial heat, therefore allowing cheaper materials to be used in the engines (Korones, 2012).
However, it is not a technology without flaws. Environmentally, it has zero emissions of harmful gases like the electric car. However, it requires electrical energy to cool the tank containing the liquid nitrogen (The Economist, 2012). This causes pollution at the source of the electricity.
There is also a major safety concern of these tanks. Unlike conventional cars, the fuel tanks of nitrogen-powered cars are a lot more dangerous. When the tanks of conventional cars malfunction, the car simply stops moving. However, for nitrogen-powered vehicles, the malfunction of the nitrogen tanks may cause catastrophic effects such as explosions (Cool car, n.d).
Reducing casualties
Other forms of technologies can help to reduce the number of fatalities on the road; therefore decreasing the negative social impact cars have on our lives. Safety has become one key consideration in many of the new designs today. Companies such as Volvo Cars have a mission statement of “Zero Accidents” (Autosphere, 2012). Some of the new innovations are collision prevention system, which will stop a car when it senses that collision is imminent (Boyer, 2013). Such technologies, if further developed and introduced in other car models, can greatly reduce the number of casualties on the road, and reduce the negative social impact on humans.

Conclusion
In summary, the automobile industry has been rapidly evolving since the first cars were produced. Throughout the years, cars have become lighter, more aesthetically appealing, faster, and more fuel-efficient. However, despite the convenience and the economic benefits the automobile industry brings us, there are many negative impacts on society and environment. With the recent increased awareness in global warming, as well as depleting natural resources, many companies realized the need for a car that runs on cleaner energy sources to satisfy future consumer demands. This leads to many companies researching into cars that run on clean energy sources and also cars that emit low amount of harmful gases. The problem of the automobile industry is pressing, and if left unattended, may cause serious environmental problems. As such companies and government should step up in the development of cleaner cars, for a cleaner tomorrow.

References
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[1] This paper was reviewed by Ng Wei Kiat Matthew and Chermain Ang

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Session 11: Group Presentations 1-3

This week's session marks the start of group presentations. Instead of the prof bringing us through the lesson, my classmates will be teaching us new stuff. Quoting Alfred North Whitehead, "Wisdom alone is true ambition's aim, wisdom is the source of virtue and of fame; obtained with labour, for mankind employed, and then, when most you share it, best enjoyed". I feel this methodology is really beneficial in one's learning, giving us a broad perspective of various areas of technology change. 

The first group really did a wonderful presentation, setting the bar high. The topic discussed was futuristic buildings, looking into sustainability, susceptibility, space, speed and design of these future infrastructures. 

Sustainability of future buildings is extremely important due to the rapid depletion of our energy sources. Currently, more and more buildings are going green and i feel that this is new direction future architecture will move into. One such example in Singapore is the City Square Mall, the first "green mall" in Singapore. The mall's saves water by using waterless urinals, and condensate water from air conditioning system is recycled, saving vast amount of water. The mall is also energy efficient, using air conditioning systems that are highly efficient. The lightings in the mall are also derived largely from natural light from the sun, reducing the dependency on electricity for lights. In the future, I see even more improvements to take our buildings more sustainable. 

The second group presented on clean energy. This is definitely in line with one of our biggest concerns today- the depletion of fossil fuels. Since we found this effective source of energy, we have been extracting and burning these energy sources at an alarming rate. Most technologies around us runs on these energy sources. It is therefore crucial we find alternative energy sources that are sustainable. I think the future energy source will be largely dependent on the situation of the various nations. For a small country like Singapore, situated near the equator, the most efficient source of sustainable energy is no doubt solar energy. We have no land to grow crops for biofuel or to build a nuclear power plant, without jeopardising the lives of the citizens. In a country like Russia, with vast amounts of uninhabited land, nuclear energy could be on key source of sustainable energy. Of course with with energy source there are side effects. We therefore need to come up with more reliable technologies to help alleviate these side effects to the largest extent possible.

The third group presented on nanotechnology. They had a very interesting introduction with helped to lighten the mood in the class. Using something small to have a great impact on society. The most interesting segment for me was the use of nanotechnology for cancer. In recent years, the occurrences of cancer has been increasing at an alarming rate. The age of cancer patients also has been steadily decreasing. With greater exposure to radiation in our daily lives, the cure for cancer has became an priority in the medical fields. Using nanotechnology can potentially safe many lives. However, like any piece of technology, people definitely tend to misuse them. Nanotechnology is extremely small and can be very hard to regulate. The effects can thus be extremely devastating. Imagine countries having war using nanotechnology. Weapons that can go into our bodies and destroying our systems without us even realising it. It is important to therefore always weigh the pros and cons of the technologies that we wish to promote.

In conclusion i felt that using of websites to present is extremely refreshing. From this experience, i managed to learn how to create a website and it is certainly a skill i picked up which can be used in other subjects. I give this lecture a rating of 8/10!

Monday, November 4, 2013

TWC Session 10: Technology Assessment and Forecasting

"My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there."

This was a quote that really captured my attention. While people may be embracing what we have today, people with foresight already moved forward and begin to look at what may emerge in the future. This is because without a doubt, the future is where we will spend the rest of our lives...unless you can stop time.

The main idea of this session is about looking towards the future and identify possible technologies of the future. This idea of embracing change, looking towards the future is definitely one key lesson i took away from every single lecture. In the future working world, those who can identify possible opportunities will stay ahead in the race while those who only realises when change sweeps in will no doubt lose out. 

First piece of technology that intrigued me is the topic of autonomous cars, because i am a car lover since young. These new automated cars can drive themselves without the need of a human behind the wheel. The cars can communicated with each other to avoid collisions. This is definitely an exciting piece of technology for the future. The number of traffic accidents caused by human error on the road is extremely high. In fact, 90% of the traffic accidents today are caused by human errors. With the emergence of autonomous cars, many human lives could be saved. These cars can also ease traffic congestions on the roads because they are able to communicate with other cars, and thus can take steps to avoid the traffic jams. 

However, these automated cars will deprive certain groups of people of their livelihood. The taxis roaming our streets everyday and the bus captains driving our public buses will certainly lose their job when autonomous cars are in the market. Though there will other job openings as a result of autonomous cars, such as technicians to repair the systems of these automated cars, there is still the problem of structural unemployment. The skills of these taxi drivers and bus captains are not transferable to technical expertise in maintenance of cars. Another issue that may arise is the problem of malfunction in these car systems. When there is a technical glitch, the consequences may be rather severe. Personally, I enjoy driving the car and being in control, and i am sure that many others out there who thinks the same. Thus i feel that autonomous cars though may be viable, it will be difficult to transit into fully automation. Perhaps it can be like the autopilot systems in aircrafts, where on can choose to let the car move itself, or be in control.

With new technologies, come new job opportunities. With the emergence of current social media websites in recent times, many companies are using these platforms to their advantage. As social media begins to be viewed as an important platform for companies, social networking officers may become necessary in the future. These specialised group of individuals will tap on the social media for adcertisement, sales, branding etc. The potential of social media is vast and is an area with huge potential. Together with the increased reliance of Information technologies, there is also definitely going to be a demand for people to regulate social medias etc. 

Our world is also rapidly moving towards automation. People are becoming more and more lazy to do things on their own, and are starting to pass things they do not like to do to robots. With widespread of these technologies in various industries, there is also increased need for engineers and technicians to help maintain these robotic systems. There so many areas that robots can help us, ranging from mechanical soldiers to fight wars to robot surgeons to help safe lives. This will create vast opportunities for people with technical expertise in these areas. Therefore i feel that automation may be the new direction our world is taking, and who knows? Maybe we will experience "robotic revolution" in the years to come.

I feel that the lesson was interesting and i really enjoyed looking into the future. I give the lesson a rating of 8/10. I really do hope that some of these technologies really indeed become a reality. But with every piece of technology, there are shortcomings that follow definitely, and there are new problems we will have to deal with. 

Sunday, October 27, 2013

TWC Session 9: Future and Emerging Technologies



Brief Overview

This week's session was about the emerging technologies that can have a huge potential to change how we do things and change our ways of life. Technologies that were discussed included Biotechnologies, Robotics, fuel cells and other energy resources. These are some of the interesting technologies that can be of great benefit to us. 


Interesting Observations

It is also interesting to note that though most innovations are demand driven, some technologies were introduced before there was a demand for it. I observed that most of these innovations are actually society changing ones. Before there was the light bulb, people used fire as a source of light in the dark. No one though that we ever needed a device that can emit light using electricity. But when it was created and introduced, it became one key part of out daily lives. Another example is the invention of iPad. When it was first introduced by Apple, most people asked "why do we need something thats not a phone and not a computer". But far sighted steve jobs probably asked "why not?' And this is the key between creating a mediocre innovation and one with a breakthrough.


Key Takeaway 

The lecture started off with a quote from George Bernard Shaw that goes, "You see things; and you say 'Why?' But i dream things that never were and I say 'Why not'". This quote particularly grabbed my attention because i feel that this is extremely relevant throughout my entire journey. One of the key message that keeps surfacing since the first lecture was "If one refuses to change, one will soon become obsolete." Shaw's quote particularly highlights that one's mindset can play a huge part and it has the ability to change things around us. Opening your mind to new possibilities by asking yourself "Why not", opens many doors to successful technology advancements. It opens your mind to countless possibilities and can help one to think out of the box.