Nowadays, technology really makes our living become more convenient. We can easily get much information from the world and it also gives us a way to express the information. Such like the weblog I use in this course. Although I not often look and post the blog on it, no doubt that it really give us have another method to give more information from our classmate or the lecturer. For example, every week the presenter will post the content of their present on the weblog, we can watch more detail of the present. It can help us understand more of the present and understand more of the lecture of that week. It is very helpful for those students who have missed the presentation.
After I have studied this course, I start to think about one question – am I cyborg? Also, what the relation between human and body? I very agree that in nowadays, people really cannot live without the technology. Use myself as an example. Computer and mobile phone is the necessity of the daily life. I cannot imagine if one day I have lost these two things, how I get contact with my family and friend or how I do my assignment. I know that sound a little bit crazy but that the truth. Nowadays people are too relying on the technology. For example, nowadays every teacher will use powerpoint to present their lecture, student usually to read it on the computer at their home. Also, nowadays every people will use mobile to get contact with their friend. I can imagine if they lost their mobile, how nervous they will be. It is because the technologies make people forget how to have communication with other by face to face.
Before I think that cyborg is meaning those people who have machine inside their body, so it makes them become different with normal people. But the new technology has changed my mind because in nowadays people have very close relation with the machine. For example, medical use, etc. As I mentioned before, nowadays we cannot live without the technology, so I will also make us become cyborg. And it has change how people think about what is cyborg. I think it is interest that to discuss the question about cyborg because there have much different definition about it. I think it is time for us to have new understanding about cyborg and ourselves.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Evaluation of the Use of Blogs for Learning Purpose - Wong Cho Yi, Joey
This is my first time to experience learning on a weblog and it’s an interesting way to learn with an online platform.
This kind of platform allows us to express our own point of view, especially for student who might not participate actively during class time. Hong Kong students tend to remain silent in class time, thus we used to have a unilateral learning with only teachers’ voice of teaching. However this weblog allows student to access anytime, and it is exoteric. Therefore those shy students who do not speak during class time can also voice out their thought and share with others once they have any idea on this unit.
The platform stimulates learning between students. Students can learn from others when they see any comment on the weblog. Some students may have a uniquely thought come up in their mind after class. When we do not have this weblog, that special idea would only stay in the student’s mind and will never publish. But now, thanks to the weblog establishment, those particular thought can be share after class and expand the area of how we think and develop our view.
I regard that I am a cyborg even before I use this weblog for learning. People nowadays rely on computer to manage their work, to communicate with friends, to gain information. All those actions require people to stick with a device and connect to the internet. Of course, I am one of them. Opening computer is the first thing I do when I go back home. Checking e-mail, facebook or working on my assignment, so the time I sit in front of the computer is much longer than the time I spend with my parents. On the other hand, when I am on my way (to school or to work), I always put on my earphone and listen to my ipod. Seems like I am with different kind of devices at different moment. So no doubt to say I am not a cyborg.
This unit is the most ambiguous course I have ever seen. All topics in this unit are also describing things round us, but at the same time, feel like I haven’t seen them in the reality. I think it is because of the nature of technology. Technology is the thing that it has so many ways to transform. It can be a tool for human to have a more convenient life style, but it can be a instrument to alter our society.
This kind of platform allows us to express our own point of view, especially for student who might not participate actively during class time. Hong Kong students tend to remain silent in class time, thus we used to have a unilateral learning with only teachers’ voice of teaching. However this weblog allows student to access anytime, and it is exoteric. Therefore those shy students who do not speak during class time can also voice out their thought and share with others once they have any idea on this unit.
The platform stimulates learning between students. Students can learn from others when they see any comment on the weblog. Some students may have a uniquely thought come up in their mind after class. When we do not have this weblog, that special idea would only stay in the student’s mind and will never publish. But now, thanks to the weblog establishment, those particular thought can be share after class and expand the area of how we think and develop our view.
I regard that I am a cyborg even before I use this weblog for learning. People nowadays rely on computer to manage their work, to communicate with friends, to gain information. All those actions require people to stick with a device and connect to the internet. Of course, I am one of them. Opening computer is the first thing I do when I go back home. Checking e-mail, facebook or working on my assignment, so the time I sit in front of the computer is much longer than the time I spend with my parents. On the other hand, when I am on my way (to school or to work), I always put on my earphone and listen to my ipod. Seems like I am with different kind of devices at different moment. So no doubt to say I am not a cyborg.
This unit is the most ambiguous course I have ever seen. All topics in this unit are also describing things round us, but at the same time, feel like I haven’t seen them in the reality. I think it is because of the nature of technology. Technology is the thing that it has so many ways to transform. It can be a tool for human to have a more convenient life style, but it can be a instrument to alter our society.
Evaluation of the Use of Blog for Learning Purpose - Poyu Ng
When I knew that I have to study a unit called " Self. Net Identity in the Digital Age", I really have no idea what I will going to learn in this unit. Will it very difficult for me or will it is about some interesting topics or about something of your personal? This makes me rise up a lot of questions in my mind.
I still remember the first lesson of this unit, that was about cyborgs. What is cyborgs? From that moment I started interested in this unit.I also feel this unit is a bit surprise in some topics, that is because I never thought about that can be linked which all are related in our daily life.
Also, this unit is different from other units is that there is a weblog platform for us to share the works and comment on every week topic. Before, I used blog to express my own feeling about my daily life or just type a few words about the day.Now, blog is different to me that I can use it in acadamic works and share different feelings about the unit, this is a new study format for me.
I think this weblog is quite useful for me, it is because we can see all the works done by our classmates and can learn from them or share any idea in different topics that in our unit and the presentation discuss question and express our idea after class. This makes the learning place not only at school but also in every where that you can access to the interent and this is what makes the boundary between study and leisure blured, but I think this is new try for me and this helps me to learn more besides from school.
I still remember the first lesson of this unit, that was about cyborgs. What is cyborgs? From that moment I started interested in this unit.I also feel this unit is a bit surprise in some topics, that is because I never thought about that can be linked which all are related in our daily life.
Also, this unit is different from other units is that there is a weblog platform for us to share the works and comment on every week topic. Before, I used blog to express my own feeling about my daily life or just type a few words about the day.Now, blog is different to me that I can use it in acadamic works and share different feelings about the unit, this is a new study format for me.
I think this weblog is quite useful for me, it is because we can see all the works done by our classmates and can learn from them or share any idea in different topics that in our unit and the presentation discuss question and express our idea after class. This makes the learning place not only at school but also in every where that you can access to the interent and this is what makes the boundary between study and leisure blured, but I think this is new try for me and this helps me to learn more besides from school.
Evaluation of the Use of Blog for Learning Purpose_BETTY WU KI YAN
When I signed up for this course “Self Net identity in digital age”, I didn’t really know what to expect. In the beginning I had my fears. For instance I was concerned that the class was going to be fraught with imagine to future, some virtual things. So I was a bit apprehensive, but it turned out not to be as scary as I’d originally thought it would be. In contrast, I think this course is quite fun. At the beginning of this course, I learnt about the cyborg theory, then in the group present I have presented a topic about “Friends” which about the relationship between Facebook friends and real life friends. It was a quite come to life experience for us since we always surf on Facebook. And through this course can let me think more about internet, real life, and social network relationship.
Other that the feeling of this course, I think the blog is meaningless to me. First, in my opinion, blog is not like this. This “Blog” to me is just a message board for UWA students to hand in their homework. Different classmates posted the Webliography, present summary, and comment on this blog. It is no doubt that it can increase the interaction between classmates, however, for the real blog, I think this is not. I have a real blog and that blog is already run almost 7 years. The blog mainly record my feeling in my daily life, my experience, and some lyrics I liked. If I got some interesting things happen in my daily life, I will record in it. You can say this is not a real blog since everyone has different definition with blogging. However, if compare two blogs, my own blog and this UWA blog, I will say mine is better.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Evaluation of the Use of Blog for Learning Purpose - Ellis Wong
Before studying this unit, I have never used a blog before. I have never created my own blog and also never posted anything on a blog for learning purpose. However, after studying this unit, I first found it quite useful because it has allowed me to creat new posts and to comment on my classmates' posts.
At first, I doubted that what is the use of this blog because I thought it could not provide us any theoretical concepts and useful materials related to this unit. However, after all of us had posted our introductory posts, I know what each of my classmates know about this unit; for example, many of us posted the film "Cyborg She" and introduced it in their post. Even I myself had introduced this film in my first introductory post, as I have watched this film before and found it very interesting.
Following the next couples of weeks, each of the groups had to post the information about their presentation every week. It allows me to read through the details about each week's topic and sometimes I posted comments on some of the posts. It is a good way for me to interact with my classmates and to exchange our ideas concerning each week's topic on the blog.
Moreover, we used the blog to post our assignments like the webliography and the news reflection. I found it is a new way to sumbit our assignments as well as to learn some new things that were included in my classmates' posts. Therefore, I think my experience of first using a blog has made my learing more convenient and easier.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tutorial Presentation: Posthuman Conclusions
The topic of this week is posthuman conclusions. To start with, we have to find out the difference between human nowadays and posthuman generation. Traditionally, there is always the existence of dualities, which means if you are not a man, then you must be a woman. In view of this, humans are limited by their organic bodies. From the point of view of posthuman, it helps people understand the world from multiple heterogeneous perspectives.
Posthumanism suggests the breaking down of the real and nature. It insists that there is no absolute truth existing in the world. The existing dualities are only constructed by human and forced upon us. It also states that human’s perceptions are not rational and easily affected by the environment and the factors; for example, The Madhouse and 4D movies. Posthumanism possesses a view that people cannot love without technology. It sees our bodies as original prosthesis and we should learn to manipulate. Moreover, the boundary between body and computer will be blurred.
For embodiment, human’s body is viewed from a cultural perspective, which means the representation of human is socially constructed; for example, we consider people with long hair must be girls. Embodiment means the experience from the inside, including feelings, emotions and sensations. Human’s bodies are closely related to their embodiment. They are related to unconscious expressions like the posture of how we sit, people touching their ears when they are feeling nervous. Human embodiment is not naturally constructed, but rather affected by the environment and things. For instance, different gender will have different reactions when watching horror films.
Donna Haraway has said “Human and technology will enable us to download our consciousness into computers, thereby escaping the frailties of the human body, especially mortality”. She points out the possible relations between humans and technology in the future. She even sees the future that technology can help human beings from mortality. Another schlor, Andy Clark, mentions that “technologies have always coevolved with the human brain”. During the lecture this week, we have learnt that technology is designed for human’s use; and humans will then get used to it. Therefore, human’s brains and technology are influencing each other.
An example will be computer video game players. When game players are playing games, they use a joystick have a control of their movements in the game. According to the readings, the joystick is seen as an extension of the hands of computer games players. Thus, the players have to biologically adapt to the joystick and use it as their own hands. But why can they do it? It is because human’s flexible neural system enables them to do so.
Clark has also mentioned that “Not in the merely superficial sense of combining flesh and wires, but in the more profound sense of being human-technology symbiots: thinking and reasoning systems whose minds and selves are spread across biological brain and non-biological circuitry”. He states that cyborgs are not only the mixture of flesh and wires, but a mixture of human beings and technology.
In the readings, Hayles points out that cogntion is a systemic activity throughout environment. There are also many cognizing agents; however, being the most powerful is intelligent machines (technology). On the other hand, humans are not only grasped by their conscious mind, but also having interactions with the environment. Technology is for humans and when technology changes, humans’ brains adapt to it. And this is seen as a two-way influence.
Discussion:
1. What will you do when you go back do?
2. It is no doubt that technology influences us a lot, like what? E.g. life experience, consumer habits, learning habits.
3. How many people will use credit card / Octopus card more often than paying cash? Why? Does it change your concept about money?
4. Does technology change your consumer habits? Online shopping rather than go out shopping?
5. If there is no power point for presentation / no Word for doing essay. What will you do?
6. Do you want to own a pillow like this (the pillow we have shown during our presentation)?
7. Heartbeat seems the uniqueness of animals, but now you can hear your lover’s heartbeat through a machine. Will you think the technology will replace the human uniqueness in the future? E.g. Memory / brain.
Posthumanism suggests the breaking down of the real and nature. It insists that there is no absolute truth existing in the world. The existing dualities are only constructed by human and forced upon us. It also states that human’s perceptions are not rational and easily affected by the environment and the factors; for example, The Madhouse and 4D movies. Posthumanism possesses a view that people cannot love without technology. It sees our bodies as original prosthesis and we should learn to manipulate. Moreover, the boundary between body and computer will be blurred.
For embodiment, human’s body is viewed from a cultural perspective, which means the representation of human is socially constructed; for example, we consider people with long hair must be girls. Embodiment means the experience from the inside, including feelings, emotions and sensations. Human’s bodies are closely related to their embodiment. They are related to unconscious expressions like the posture of how we sit, people touching their ears when they are feeling nervous. Human embodiment is not naturally constructed, but rather affected by the environment and things. For instance, different gender will have different reactions when watching horror films.
Donna Haraway has said “Human and technology will enable us to download our consciousness into computers, thereby escaping the frailties of the human body, especially mortality”. She points out the possible relations between humans and technology in the future. She even sees the future that technology can help human beings from mortality. Another schlor, Andy Clark, mentions that “technologies have always coevolved with the human brain”. During the lecture this week, we have learnt that technology is designed for human’s use; and humans will then get used to it. Therefore, human’s brains and technology are influencing each other.
An example will be computer video game players. When game players are playing games, they use a joystick have a control of their movements in the game. According to the readings, the joystick is seen as an extension of the hands of computer games players. Thus, the players have to biologically adapt to the joystick and use it as their own hands. But why can they do it? It is because human’s flexible neural system enables them to do so.
Clark has also mentioned that “Not in the merely superficial sense of combining flesh and wires, but in the more profound sense of being human-technology symbiots: thinking and reasoning systems whose minds and selves are spread across biological brain and non-biological circuitry”. He states that cyborgs are not only the mixture of flesh and wires, but a mixture of human beings and technology.
In the readings, Hayles points out that cogntion is a systemic activity throughout environment. There are also many cognizing agents; however, being the most powerful is intelligent machines (technology). On the other hand, humans are not only grasped by their conscious mind, but also having interactions with the environment. Technology is for humans and when technology changes, humans’ brains adapt to it. And this is seen as a two-way influence.
Discussion:
1. What will you do when you go back do?
2. It is no doubt that technology influences us a lot, like what? E.g. life experience, consumer habits, learning habits.
3. How many people will use credit card / Octopus card more often than paying cash? Why? Does it change your concept about money?
4. Does technology change your consumer habits? Online shopping rather than go out shopping?
5. If there is no power point for presentation / no Word for doing essay. What will you do?
6. Do you want to own a pillow like this (the pillow we have shown during our presentation)?
7. Heartbeat seems the uniqueness of animals, but now you can hear your lover’s heartbeat through a machine. Will you think the technology will replace the human uniqueness in the future? E.g. Memory / brain.
By:
Ellis Wong / Ashley Yeung / Yan Shek
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Evaluation of the use of blog for learning purpose_Charlene Yim
After these twelve weeks, I have found that blogging can be a very useful learning tool. In the past, I will make use of blog as a tool to record my daily life or feelings. But I have never thought of any academic purpose, this course had given me a chance to discover a new way to use blogging. It is great to have a platform that we can share our findings or feelings with our classmates. I believed that it has created a win-win situation. While you posted the information on the blog, you can read others’ post as to widen our reading horizon.
I will regard myself as an involuntary cyborg. The reason for me to sit in front of my computer, most of the time is doing homework. At my leisure time, I seldom use computer. I would prefer going out with my family or friends, have some outdoor activities rather than sitting in front of this cold machine. In recent years, there is a large improvement in technology, people can easily access to the Internet by the mobile phones, iPads or tablets. Actually, I think that this is not a good scenario to the society. When you travel by public transportation, it is not difficult to see a lot of people busy with their own “business”. Everyone is tapping on their cell phones. I always see couple busy with their iPhones and having no conversation all through the journey. There is no doubt that technology has greatly improved our quality of life. However, I think that it has greatly widened the distance between people. Nowadays, people always communicate with others by sms, msn or whatsapp, etc. This technology seems shorten the distances between people in some other places. But how about the person besides us? I believed that this is a question that deserved our introspection.
This unit has brought to me a lot of new concepts such as cyborg which I have never heard before. And it had give me a lot of chance to explore on the Internet.
I will regard myself as an involuntary cyborg. The reason for me to sit in front of my computer, most of the time is doing homework. At my leisure time, I seldom use computer. I would prefer going out with my family or friends, have some outdoor activities rather than sitting in front of this cold machine. In recent years, there is a large improvement in technology, people can easily access to the Internet by the mobile phones, iPads or tablets. Actually, I think that this is not a good scenario to the society. When you travel by public transportation, it is not difficult to see a lot of people busy with their own “business”. Everyone is tapping on their cell phones. I always see couple busy with their iPhones and having no conversation all through the journey. There is no doubt that technology has greatly improved our quality of life. However, I think that it has greatly widened the distance between people. Nowadays, people always communicate with others by sms, msn or whatsapp, etc. This technology seems shorten the distances between people in some other places. But how about the person besides us? I believed that this is a question that deserved our introspection.
This unit has brought to me a lot of new concepts such as cyborg which I have never heard before. And it had give me a lot of chance to explore on the Internet.
Evaluation of the use of blogs for learning purposes- Jessica Wong Yi Yan
Blogging is undoubtedly a useful tool for communicating, as it provides a platform for centralizing a variety of opinions. However it only works well when people have great interaction with it. The blog cannot exert its largest function if each comment is separated bit by bit. Personally speaking, it was a good experience of using the blog for discussion, but it would be much better if bloggers can be more active in using the tool to express their views. Some of the comments were very impressive and the questions have given us a golden opportunity to have self-examination.
From those questions, we may think about not only the content of studies, but a reflection of self identity. Such as do we call ourselves cyborg? I regard myself as cyborg as I rely on technologies so much that I could not even resist the temptation. Except from sleeping, most of the time I have been merged with computers and the mobile phone. It is hard for me to separate the private life and public life as technologies has blurred their absolute territory. For instance, the Facebook has given us the opportunity to publicize our private life, every minor things happens in our daily life can be posted online for others to view.
The best thing in this unit was the perspective of gender. I found myself obsess with the view of feminism. Since I have got deeper into the perspective of feminism, things surrounding me have revealed a smell of male chauvinism and the stereotype of female behavior. Henceforth, I have a deeper realization of myself living in a society structured identity. This realization had changed the way of my personal world view.
Yet, there are lots of ambiguities in this unit. The more I study the unit, the more difficulties I confront in learning. The unit has been too complex for us to understand in between twelve weeks. Everything has become uncertain which I found a bit lost in the ambiguously structured world.
From those questions, we may think about not only the content of studies, but a reflection of self identity. Such as do we call ourselves cyborg? I regard myself as cyborg as I rely on technologies so much that I could not even resist the temptation. Except from sleeping, most of the time I have been merged with computers and the mobile phone. It is hard for me to separate the private life and public life as technologies has blurred their absolute territory. For instance, the Facebook has given us the opportunity to publicize our private life, every minor things happens in our daily life can be posted online for others to view.
The best thing in this unit was the perspective of gender. I found myself obsess with the view of feminism. Since I have got deeper into the perspective of feminism, things surrounding me have revealed a smell of male chauvinism and the stereotype of female behavior. Henceforth, I have a deeper realization of myself living in a society structured identity. This realization had changed the way of my personal world view.
Yet, there are lots of ambiguities in this unit. The more I study the unit, the more difficulties I confront in learning. The unit has been too complex for us to understand in between twelve weeks. Everything has become uncertain which I found a bit lost in the ambiguously structured world.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Webliography - Charlene Yim
Question 2: “The machine/organism relationships are obsolete, uncessary” writes Haraway. In what ways have our relations to machines been theorized?
1. Nordqvist ,Christian. “Artificial Limbs Attached Directly To Human Skeleton.” Medical News Today 03 Jul 2006 - 13:00 PST. 20 Apr 2011. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/46475.php>
This article is introducing the Intraosseous Transcutaneous Amputation Prosthesis technique which studied by the Scientists from University College London and tested on the patient of Mount Vernon Hospital, Middlesex, England. The testing process has achieved a great success. By this technique, artificial limb can be directly connected to disables and controlled by their CNS (central nervous system). This new technology has a lot of great benefits to disable patient. Firstly, it can greatly reduce the chance of wound infection as the artificial limb is attached to the bone by a titanium rod so that all the artificial limbs are strapped onto the outside of the patient’s body. Moreover, according to the scientist, the skin around the titanium rod will fuse and a seal will be formed. In this way, the artificial limb will not breach the skin so the risk of wound infection can greatly reduced, or even be avoided. Secondly, the soreness and/or numbness produced by the artificial limb to the patient can be eliminated. It is because the soreness and/or numbness are created by the pressure of the artificial limb against the limb. In this new technology, it was connected by the titanium rod so the soreness and/or numbness can be avoided.
2. Halley, Drew. The Future of Sex: Androids, VR, and the Orgasm Button. Singularity Hub. 20 May 2009. 20 Apr 2011. <http://singularityhub.com/2009/05/20/the-future-of-sex-androids-vr-and-the-orgasm-button/>
In the article, “The Future of Sex: Androids, VR, and the Orgasm Button”, the writer discuss on how may human’s sex life become in the future. Sex is a primitive desire of human being. But there is a huge change on the purpose as time goes by. At the very beginning, it is for reproductive purpose. But, for now, it may about pleasure more than reproduction as there are a lot of contraception methods. So that human can enjoy sex with a minimum chance of being pregnant. And it brought up the idea that human’s sex mode may be shifted will the developed off technology.
In 1953, Dr. John C.Lilly from the National Institute of Mental Health conducted an experiment on a male monkey. He put two electrodes in its brain and found the area which responsible for erection, ejaculation, and orgasm. Through a series of experiment, he found out that orgasm of the male monkey can be produced by electrical stimulation.
In the passage, it also pointed out that technology has greatly influenced human life. However, is this influence good or bad? This is the question that left by the writer for the reader to have an introspection.
3. Denton, Michael. “ARE WE SPIRITUAL MACHINES? | Chapter 3: Organism and Machine — The Flawed Analogy”. Kurzweil. 7 Jun 2001. 20 Apr 2011. < http://www.kurzweilai.net/chapter-3-organism-and-machine-the-flawed-analogy >
The passage “ARE WE SPIRITUAL MACHINES? | Chapter 3: Organism and Machine — The Flawed Analogy” was written by Michael Denton in 2001. In the article, Michael has discussed on the topic of the combination of organism and machine. He wanted to question the validity of the machine/organism analogy upon which the whole mechanistic tradition is based. He brought up the idea that it may be not possible to create a “spiritual machine” as human can rarely find an exact instantiation in artificial manmade systems.
One of the reasons that proposed by the writer is the variation in genome. Human reproduction is very complicated process. It is something that happened in an entirely natural way, no one can have any prediction on it. The combination of the two set of chromosome can create a huge number of variation, that’s why human is so unique. This uniqueness cannot be replaced by machine.
The writer addressed that human/organisms and machines cannot be analog as organisms are having some kind of properties which machines will never have a similar behavior. If human/organisms and machines can be analog, a lot of problem will be created. The whole mechanistic framework of modern biology would have to be abandoned. The human evolution theory will have to be reformulated also.
4. Bar-Cohen, Yoseph. “Bionic Humans Using EAP as Artificial Muscles Reality and Challenges”. ARS Journal. 3 Sept 2004. 20 Apr 2011. < http://www.ars-journal.com/ars/Free_Articles/Bar-Cohen.htm >
The passage “Bionic Humans Using EAP as Artificial Muscles Reality and Challenges” which written by Yoseph Bar-Cohen was discussed on the idea of connecting bionic muscle to human body. The idea often appeared in movie, however, it may come true in the future. From the article, it stated that nowadays’ medical science had developed a new material which called electroactive polymers (EAP). Although the techniques still need to be studied, it was a great step on the bionic muscle medical science.
Materials that are available to replaced human body tissue have long been a trouble to the medical science as the number of patients that needed an organ transplant is always a lot more than the number supplied. Therefore, artificial alternatives are always required. However, the development in artificial human organ is not an easy process. There are a lot of aspects that required the scientist to give consideration to, for example, the biological compatibility as rejection will even cause death of the patient and the effectiveness of the artificial human organ.
The passage also brought up the idea of making human-like robot by the electroactive polymers (EAP) technology. By the technology of the present days, we are able to make robot that have facial expression. Along the development of the technology, body movement related to the facial expressions of the robot will be possible in which to make these robots become more human-like.
5. Boyle, Jen. “Sex and the Body in Technology”. Net Industries. 20 Apr 2011. 20 Apr 2011. < http://science.jrank.org/pages/63427/Sex-Body-in-Technology.html >
In the article “Sex and the Body in Technology”, the writer addressed that the concept of body has been changed along with the development of the technology and the change in the cultural environment.
In the past, human being can only studied ourselves in a physical way. As technology improved, we are able to study human to a genetic extent. From the nineteenth centuries, there was a great step in the human biological studies technology. That is the succeed in the Human Genome Project. This project provided a full profile of human genetic material through data-basing the human DNA sequences which highly contributory to the preventing of genetic disease and also the eugenic researches.
The writer also stated that the studies in human body would produce a great help in the development of the prostheses which could help a lot of disables. Moreover, the development in technology would allow people become more powerful.
1. Nordqvist ,Christian. “Artificial Limbs Attached Directly To Human Skeleton.” Medical News Today 03 Jul 2006 - 13:00 PST. 20 Apr 2011. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/46475.php>
This article is introducing the Intraosseous Transcutaneous Amputation Prosthesis technique which studied by the Scientists from University College London and tested on the patient of Mount Vernon Hospital, Middlesex, England. The testing process has achieved a great success. By this technique, artificial limb can be directly connected to disables and controlled by their CNS (central nervous system). This new technology has a lot of great benefits to disable patient. Firstly, it can greatly reduce the chance of wound infection as the artificial limb is attached to the bone by a titanium rod so that all the artificial limbs are strapped onto the outside of the patient’s body. Moreover, according to the scientist, the skin around the titanium rod will fuse and a seal will be formed. In this way, the artificial limb will not breach the skin so the risk of wound infection can greatly reduced, or even be avoided. Secondly, the soreness and/or numbness produced by the artificial limb to the patient can be eliminated. It is because the soreness and/or numbness are created by the pressure of the artificial limb against the limb. In this new technology, it was connected by the titanium rod so the soreness and/or numbness can be avoided.
2. Halley, Drew. The Future of Sex: Androids, VR, and the Orgasm Button. Singularity Hub. 20 May 2009. 20 Apr 2011. <http://singularityhub.com/2009/05/20/the-future-of-sex-androids-vr-and-the-orgasm-button/>
In the article, “The Future of Sex: Androids, VR, and the Orgasm Button”, the writer discuss on how may human’s sex life become in the future. Sex is a primitive desire of human being. But there is a huge change on the purpose as time goes by. At the very beginning, it is for reproductive purpose. But, for now, it may about pleasure more than reproduction as there are a lot of contraception methods. So that human can enjoy sex with a minimum chance of being pregnant. And it brought up the idea that human’s sex mode may be shifted will the developed off technology.
In 1953, Dr. John C.Lilly from the National Institute of Mental Health conducted an experiment on a male monkey. He put two electrodes in its brain and found the area which responsible for erection, ejaculation, and orgasm. Through a series of experiment, he found out that orgasm of the male monkey can be produced by electrical stimulation.
In the passage, it also pointed out that technology has greatly influenced human life. However, is this influence good or bad? This is the question that left by the writer for the reader to have an introspection.
3. Denton, Michael. “ARE WE SPIRITUAL MACHINES? | Chapter 3: Organism and Machine — The Flawed Analogy”. Kurzweil. 7 Jun 2001. 20 Apr 2011. < http://www.kurzweilai.net/chapter-3-organism-and-machine-the-flawed-analogy >
The passage “ARE WE SPIRITUAL MACHINES? | Chapter 3: Organism and Machine — The Flawed Analogy” was written by Michael Denton in 2001. In the article, Michael has discussed on the topic of the combination of organism and machine. He wanted to question the validity of the machine/organism analogy upon which the whole mechanistic tradition is based. He brought up the idea that it may be not possible to create a “spiritual machine” as human can rarely find an exact instantiation in artificial manmade systems.
One of the reasons that proposed by the writer is the variation in genome. Human reproduction is very complicated process. It is something that happened in an entirely natural way, no one can have any prediction on it. The combination of the two set of chromosome can create a huge number of variation, that’s why human is so unique. This uniqueness cannot be replaced by machine.
The writer addressed that human/organisms and machines cannot be analog as organisms are having some kind of properties which machines will never have a similar behavior. If human/organisms and machines can be analog, a lot of problem will be created. The whole mechanistic framework of modern biology would have to be abandoned. The human evolution theory will have to be reformulated also.
4. Bar-Cohen, Yoseph. “Bionic Humans Using EAP as Artificial Muscles Reality and Challenges”. ARS Journal. 3 Sept 2004. 20 Apr 2011. < http://www.ars-journal.com/ars/Free_Articles/Bar-Cohen.htm >
The passage “Bionic Humans Using EAP as Artificial Muscles Reality and Challenges” which written by Yoseph Bar-Cohen was discussed on the idea of connecting bionic muscle to human body. The idea often appeared in movie, however, it may come true in the future. From the article, it stated that nowadays’ medical science had developed a new material which called electroactive polymers (EAP). Although the techniques still need to be studied, it was a great step on the bionic muscle medical science.
Materials that are available to replaced human body tissue have long been a trouble to the medical science as the number of patients that needed an organ transplant is always a lot more than the number supplied. Therefore, artificial alternatives are always required. However, the development in artificial human organ is not an easy process. There are a lot of aspects that required the scientist to give consideration to, for example, the biological compatibility as rejection will even cause death of the patient and the effectiveness of the artificial human organ.
The passage also brought up the idea of making human-like robot by the electroactive polymers (EAP) technology. By the technology of the present days, we are able to make robot that have facial expression. Along the development of the technology, body movement related to the facial expressions of the robot will be possible in which to make these robots become more human-like.
5. Boyle, Jen. “Sex and the Body in Technology”. Net Industries. 20 Apr 2011. 20 Apr 2011. < http://science.jrank.org/pages/63427/Sex-Body-in-Technology.html >
In the article “Sex and the Body in Technology”, the writer addressed that the concept of body has been changed along with the development of the technology and the change in the cultural environment.
In the past, human being can only studied ourselves in a physical way. As technology improved, we are able to study human to a genetic extent. From the nineteenth centuries, there was a great step in the human biological studies technology. That is the succeed in the Human Genome Project. This project provided a full profile of human genetic material through data-basing the human DNA sequences which highly contributory to the preventing of genetic disease and also the eugenic researches.
The writer also stated that the studies in human body would produce a great help in the development of the prostheses which could help a lot of disables. Moreover, the development in technology would allow people become more powerful.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Week 11 Presentation - Work & Play
This week lecture cover two aspects of advanced technology, they are Work and Play. However, our presentation will have a larger focus on Work.Nowadays, most women participate in workforce, and advanced technology provides women to have a wider range of choice on where and when to work. The reading titled “The Normalization of Flexible Female Labor in the Information Economy”. The main focus of this article is to question the impact of flexible working economy for women as directing women to have family & work advance in society. When information communication technology is developed from day by day, the reading suggested us to look at how technology could cooperate with businesswoman. Besides it questions the impact of this kind of flexible working economy for women, re-think their participation in work force and the meaning of ‘work’.
There are some points that are important in this article which are dualities, second shift and flexibility. These key words have a very close relationship with technology and businesswomen.
Based on the content of lecture 1, dualities are just human’s construction that is forced upon us. Things are needed to be distinguish to the extremity meaning, for example, body/ mind, human/ machine or nature/ culture. However the existence of cyborg could break down the dualities, this consequence is much like the dualities between work and home. Because when technology allows people to choice when and when to work, the meaning of private and public is become blur when people choose to do their business at home.
For the ‘second shift’, it has a greater connection with working women. When Moms choose work from home, on one hand, they work, on the other hand, they have to take care of children or do the family work. This is so called ‘second shift’ which means they are having two jobs at the same.
Is it a real flexibility for women? Maybe not.
Because the women who choose work from home, people will think that they should also take care of children. In society, it is already assume women as the primary care-giver in family relationships. Therefore, the ‘choice’, the ‘flexibility’ are just to reinforce the practices of gender division of labor in family & society.
This assumption is always shown in advertising. The following video is an example - 'Netvigator home wireless':
What’s your opinion of the position of the Mom & Dad in the video?
You may discuss by starting think of below question:
1. What does “work” means in your mind? (when, where, what, who, how)
2. What are the differences between mom and dad? And how do you feel that?
3. Is technology helping women to be more self-determination? Are women now having more bargaining power to be what they want to be?
4. Does advanced technology change women identity in workplace? Can it be able to reconstruct the gender identity or make it worst?
5. When the moms are being symbolized as a “work at home mom” and deal with two jobs at the same time. What boundaries does it break down or blur?
6. What social attitudes towards gender roles does it produce?
By
Joey Wong
Ashley Wong
Sunday, April 17, 2011
News Story Reflection - Wong Yat Sing
Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-13062379
I found a news in bbc which is talking about the cyber stalking. The title is "Police warn cyber stalking is increasing in West Mercia". In the article, the US police mentioned that the case of cyber stalking was increasing during these years. According to the article, there were over 500 cases of cyber stalking reported in 2010 while there were only around 300 in 2009.It showed that the situation is becoming worse and worse as Det Supt Williamson said.
He also mentioned that the cases of the cyber stalking will keep increasing and the problem will get worse and it will become serious too.
I think it is because the internet nowadays have already developed very well. It also provide so much freedom for the people to do whatever they want in internet.The people were willing to share their personal information to the public. The criminal can get the personal information of the stalking victims easily. Also,it still does not have a general law to protect the internet safe.
So i think that the people should protect their own personal information well in the internet and do not upload the important personal information to the internet easily.Moreover, i think the government should create some laws to protect the online personal information. So that the criminal will not get the victims' personal information easily and the cyber stalking will be improved.
I found a news in bbc which is talking about the cyber stalking. The title is "Police warn cyber stalking is increasing in West Mercia". In the article, the US police mentioned that the case of cyber stalking was increasing during these years. According to the article, there were over 500 cases of cyber stalking reported in 2010 while there were only around 300 in 2009.It showed that the situation is becoming worse and worse as Det Supt Williamson said.
He also mentioned that the cases of the cyber stalking will keep increasing and the problem will get worse and it will become serious too.
I think it is because the internet nowadays have already developed very well. It also provide so much freedom for the people to do whatever they want in internet.The people were willing to share their personal information to the public. The criminal can get the personal information of the stalking victims easily. Also,it still does not have a general law to protect the internet safe.
So i think that the people should protect their own personal information well in the internet and do not upload the important personal information to the internet easily.Moreover, i think the government should create some laws to protect the online personal information. So that the criminal will not get the victims' personal information easily and the cyber stalking will be improved.
News story reflection - Audrey Tang
Meet the real-life human cyborgs
The news raised up that the close relationship between humans and machines. Nowadays, the sufficient technique of technology is enough to be able used in human body, especially the side of medical science, it facilitates a lot of patients, even can convenient, be facilitated on their daily life as well, those can bring them up the hope and to be desirous of life. What is more, we have become cyborgs unwittingly or necessarily. This article cites four peoples who have physical defects and to try to different applications of technology, applied those tools of technological of medicine for the external on their own body.
Stelios Arcadiou, who has the extra ear and it is grown in a lab from cells, and he claimed that, “....My attitude is that technology is, and always has been, an appendage of the body.”; Rob Spence, who is the cyborg, have a “All-seeing eye”, he used the video camera to implant in his false eye; Jerry Jalava, because of the motorbike accident, he installed the prosthetic finger and to turn it in a USB drive, included the programs, like Linux; Kevin Warwick, who has a robot arms and he decided to use the radio chips to link his skin and central nervous system. Moreover, the prosthetics for amputees can works like a real limbs with the myo-electric prosthetics. The amputees can response the nerve signals and operate the digits through the sensors.
In the twenty-first century, the human beings enter a "post-human" of period. The human would like to makeup, make the tattoos, foot binding, and so on to change the appearance of the body in the past. But now, we may use of surgery, reproduction, gene modification and implantation of mechanical to “create” our body, even could change the gender. In the development of high technology, as machine, always gives a cold, hard, lifeless feeling, and now, it can replace the body organs, which must is the extremely valuable tool for the doctors or researchers. Through technology to be a guidance system that assist the surgery, improve the quality of health care system, so that the mechanical and medical can achieve an effective combination. This is the great benefit to human undoubtedly, besides, the rate of cyborgs will also increase and emergence. Specially, the human can use the computer's “memory” to access “files”, we can not live without mechanical and the lines between human and machine become blur and vague increasingly.
News article : http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/meet-the-real-life-human-cyborgs-600543?artc_pg=1
Newstory Reflection - Anna Ng
Do you want to have a perfect virtual girlfriend? Cloud Girlfriend can help you to do so. By just defining the type of girl that you like, the web will help you bring “her” into existence, which is creating a fake Facebook account with a detailed profile. “She” will keep a public long distance with you by leaving messages on your Facebook, and at the same time, you can reply her messages too. It sounds an interesting idea.The CEO of this company, David Fuhriman, believed that this new service can act as a platform for people to build up their confidence, especially for those who do not have girlfriend in reality. After they thought that they are able to manage a relationship, they can try matching online and find their ideal partner. The real profile of the user will only be sent unless both sides agreed to be friends.
In my opinion, finding an ideal person to have long-term relationship in reality through online community is an unrestrained and vigorous thought. I think the information provided by others is not trustable. How can we ensure the real profile using by the others are REAL? Due to the rapid development of the internet, people can make use of its characteristics to create new identities for themselves. They may shape an ideal self to fulfill the defects in reality and individual Traits can easily be concealed. There is a significant difference between face-to-face communication and online interaction. Texts are commonly used in online communication; however, throughout this mode of communication, there is lack of non-verbal clues to measure the authenticity of the profiles of that person.
To a certain extent, I agreed these kinds of services may build up self-confidence of some people. We have different social roles in daily life. The things that we do are restricted by norms and standards in the society and family. Sometimes, it may be hard for people to obtain identification towards the identity.
As we are in the post-modern society, more people accepted the idea of multiple identities. It appears that there are no constraints in the internet. This leads the internet network become a place for people explore self-construction.
However, I have a doubt in how the interaction with virtual girlfriend trains up one’s confidence. I cannot think of any reasons to support this since the messages from virtual girlfriend are only sort out by an artificial intelligence system and not required any real people to sitting in front of the computers to talk with.
Finding fantasy dates
http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/Cloud-Girlfriend-to-deliver-the-perfect-partner-1339324.php
News story reflection by Michael Wan
A Twitter Knockoff Has China Talking
The news is about Sina Weibo took advantage of a social media vacuum to become the top micro-blogging service in China.
Weibo has become part of life of many Chinese. More than 50 million Chinese are the weibo users. It is a micro-blogging service provided by Sina. I would comment it as twitter in Chinese style. A lot of friends around me created their own Weibo accounts and become every bloggers. They usually post the short messages. Also, they love checking the status of the celebrities by becoming the “followers” of the famous stars- in order to get topic to gossip with friends. In fact, Sina uses this practice as a gimmick to attract new user.
However, can weibo users enjoy the freedom of speech under the straight censorship of Chinese government? For example, when the weibo users write message about Tiananmen Square protests, their passage will be automatic deleted as the content is sensitive. Although a lot of users complained about that practice, censorship still takes place nowadays. A lot of people know the consequence of violating the rules of the Communist Party when they see nobel peace prize winner Liu xiaobo is now in jail. In the modern countries like the U.S, Britain and other developed countries, bloggers can have right to express what they think and feel. It is sad that the Chinese government try to control the thinking of the citizens by using backward practice. I agree that Sina Weibo users' toleration of its censorship practice will determine the living space of weibo.
Are blogs journalism? I think it can’t be applied in China. As I mentioned before, there is a strict censorship in China, it is common to see Chinese government to conceal the fact in many cases. Moreover, even the trained reporters in China will create “fake news” to boost sales volume, how can we trust the news reported by normal bloggers which without watchdog? In my opinion, the passages posted on weibo can be the source of news for journalists, but only suitable for the entertainment news. Can we say weibo is blog? I won’t agree it is a blog as it can’t provide a place for people to enjoy freedom of speech.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_09/b4217039139980.htm
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