How Technology is Transforming the Civilized World (1304 hits)
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Submitted by Habeeb Thomas <cr3do2000.at.yahoo.com> (View user info) at 2003-09-27 02:28:35 EDT
Since the beginning of time, man has been looking for ways to store and retrieve information more efficiently. With these advances, progress is inevitable. The last 100 hundreds years has seen more technological advances than ever before. We now travel in space, conduct business, and communications without wires, and are sometimes stressed to the point of death. More demands are placed on the average person today. With the advance in technology, body parts can be replaced, medicines can cure more diseases and annoying "diseases" like A.D.D., and hyper- activity can be "controlled". The human being has been reduced to a number, whether that is a social security number of a credit card number, etc... But then again, would we want to give up the conveniences modern technology has provided us with?
Technology is information. Whether that be verbal, drawings, written, it main goal is to transfer information from one person of group of people to a different one. The last hundred years has seen the creation of the computer, the most amazing thing ever created. Digital computers make possible the creation of huge databases in which information can be stored and retrieved. The computer controls almost every aspect of modern life whether we like it or not. Some people say the computer has made life easier for people, ... well obviously. The convenience it provides has made possible everything we see around us. It also has given many of us jobs. The computer industry employs millions of people worldwide. Computer technology has given us calculators, cell
phones, pagers, etc. and will continue to make our lives easier until one day it doesn't. The Internet has revolutionized the way people do business, communicate, of have fun and it is hardly ten years old.
Technology is transportation. It is important to get around, especially today. People must travel from work to school etc. and they must do it economically and safely. The automobile is in my opinion the second most amazing thing ever created. Although Henry Ford didn't create the automobile, he did create the assembly line, another important leap in technological success. Cars come in all sorts, from boring, economical Escorts; to huge, gas guzzling Town Cars to powerful, emotion producing Corvettes. Those are all just American cars. Japan, Germany, Korea, England, Italy, and other countries all produce cars. We even have computers on our cars. They control the engine speed, gas intake, etc. Along with cars, trains, planes, and boats help us to get around. Boeing has just recently released the 777 Jetliner. It can hold almost five -hundred people and has a massive fuel tank that allows it to travel from New York to London and back without refueling. In Japan, Hyper-Trains can travel in excess of two -hundred miles -per -hour. I am sure there are also many big boats on which people can travel.
Technology is health. Today people live longer than ever before. Polio and other diseases have been cured. Heart transplant surgery, which was once thought to be impossible, is now a standard procedure given to many patients. Even if medicine can't keep those parts working, you can just have replacements installed. Organs, bones, joints, limbs, can all be replaced. Vaccinations are helping to control diseases that children and the elderly face. We are even beginning to understand what the human body is made of. It is estimated that by 2005, the Human Genome Project will be completed. That project is allowing scientists to be able to know what proteins and such DNA is made of. Once they know that, then they can be able to identify what strain, or lack of a strand, is responsible for various diseases and abnormalities. We are already reaping benefits from this project. Scientists have already cloned sheep and other small animals and they say the day when spare human parts can be "grown" for use isn't to far away.
Technology is fun. People always need to have fun. It helps them to relax and forget about the troubles of life. The way we have fun has changed dramatically. Back in the 1800's rolling a ball with a stick was action packed. Today, if we ever roll a ball with a stick, it would be on a computer. Computers are not only useful, they provide an imaginary world in which we can wreak havoc, play sports, or create cities. After the introduction of the personal computer in the 1970's, software companies exploded in the Silicon Valley in southern California. Today, that region is one of the wealthiest in the country and has produced countless millionaires. The home game market is also huge. Nintendo, Sony, Sega, and to a lesser extent, 3DO, Atari, Turbo Graphix, have all contributed to the downfall of the arcade. Why would someone want to go somewhere when they could play as good or better games at home? Cable and satellite TV are also technological revolutions. They allow people to view the outside world from the comfort of their own home. Before the small satellite dishes were released in the mid- nineties, not many people had their own dishes. Now, almost every house has one. The more powerful computers get, the more entertainment we will get.
Of course, like all good things, there are negative aspects. Each one of these categories has some problems that affect society in some way, some more severe than others. Society has had to deal with change brought on by technology all throughout history. Sometimes these problems are resolved easily, but more often, they require much thought and debate to reach a reasonable conclusion.
In 1978, Simon Nora and Alain Mine published The Computerization of Society. The report was given to the President of France and was a serious attempt at what was at that time, the emerging technology of computers and communications. The results were remarkably accurate. "They concluded that data processing makes possible and accelerates the rise of a very highly productive society, with work and jobs much different than those required in the industrial society. They suggested that these changes could produce a less structured society with a danger of confrontation between innumerable mobile groups. They felt that telematics (communication over the Internet) would affect both language and knowledge ... resulting in both equality and discrimination between social groups." The results said that in the near future, a battle between those with computer and Internet skills will get superior jobs to those who lack them. They were right on the money! The advent of the Information Age has come! E - Mail and E- Business are becoming household names. Today, computer skills are necessary for any kind of job. However, not all people can afford these classes, and therefore, are already behind those who can.
Another major issue concerning computer technology surrounds the Internet. Many people blame the Internet for giving people access to bomb making sites and pornography sites. Big deal. If someone wants to see these things, they sure don't need the Internet. Maybe those who are worried should educate their children as to why they feel this is inappropriate. I agree that the Internet has some questionable material, but, the Internet is not forcing any one to view this material, so prevention begins at the home.
Everywhere you go today, video cameras are recording your every move. Privacy has concerned people since long ago. Privacy on the Internet is not very certain. Improvements have been and are being made, but this issue still concerns people. There are cases where credit card numbers and other private information have been stolen by computer hackers. Computer hackers didn't exist forty years ago. This relatively new group of people has caused millions of dollars of damage to public and private Internet companies. Just recently, many businesses had to shut down temporarily due to hacker damage. Hackers are not bad people; they just use their knowledge in an anti-social way. I think the Internet is too new to really judge it too seriously. It has amazing potential, but, can also be very intimidating and disastrous to those who don't respect it.
A person needs to be concentrating in order to drive an automobile. Cell phones, onboard navigation systems and entertainment systems make this difficult. Sometimes, those things can be useful; especially the phone and navigation systems, but many people blame them for many accidents. Why do you need a TV in a car? I can understand in the back of a van or a sport utility vehicle, but it defeats the point of driving. The latest trend is a HUD, or heads up display, commonly found on jets. The HUD will eventually integrate most or all of the features found in the cell phone, sound system, navigation system, and will display information about the car. This will make driving the same, because instead of focusing on the road, the driver will be reading the display. Because of all this terrible danger, airbags are now as common as engines in cars. There are side, frontal and head airbags which all prevent the body from making contact with doom. What ever happen to big engines and horsepower?
People have always said that TV is the down fall of our children. They sit in front of it and it teaches and raises them. TV has always been the target for angry moms and tree hugging hippies, but as with the Internet, no one is forcing anyone to watch certain questionable programs. A rating system has been created to monitor the content of the shows, but that does nothing. It actually makes a child want to see something more. Doom, a computer and video game, is said to be one of the things that push kids to commit high school massacres. OK, ... I guess. If people look like werewolves and pigs and shoot fire from their bellies, and the shooter is a massive ex -marine and can carry a machine gun and rocket launcher and shot gun and bullets all at once and take a point blank or two shot from a double -barrel shotgun and just say "Ohhhhh". It annoys me when people blame something so serious on a game. As technology advances, our children will naturally be exposed to more things that are graphic. Instead of pointing blame, we should talk or just not allow at all.
Everyone gets sick. It use to be when you got really sick you just died. But amazing technology has given us better ways to treat the sick. Antibiotics and penicillin allow us to live normal lives. However, they are also expensive and those who cannot afford them still die. As medical technology advances, some ethical questions arise. Should we clone people? I do not see why because we already have too many, but it could be useful. Scientists say that they won't ever clone a whole human (sure), but instead they will clone pieces like arms and hearts. If something goes wrong or falls off, you just go and get a replacement. The ethical question this raises is mind boggling.
How has technology changed society? I looked at that topic and thought that would be easy. It wasn't. Look around. Everything you see is the result of technology. The building or vehicle your in, all the electronics around you was all built and developed by engineers, the plants you see are natural, but probably have been kept up by chemicals and such. Technology is like the human races' dog. It can be his best friend and help him along, or it can bite him in the ass when he least expects it. Technology is everywhere, that question probably cannot be answered fully even with our best philosophers or scientists. Technology has helped society (medicines, Internet, computers) and has hurt society (Nuclear Bombs and other war tools, medicines, Internet), or its' potential hasn't been discovered yet (Space travel, medicines, Internet, bombs, computers). What I'm trying to say is we are in the middle of a technological revolution. It begun recently and probably will never end. All we can do go along with the ride.
User Reviews
Submitted by HateMudkips (user info) at 2007-06-20 05:11:17 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
The truth is here.
Habeeb it.
Submitted by sixxforty (user info) at 2005-07-21 15:08:14 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
FUSION
Submitted by Slighty_Obnoxious (user info) at 2005-07-21 14:15:15 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Wow...Just wow.
Submitted by Unabonger (user info) at 2005-07-21 12:55:23 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by simple_catalyst (user info) at 2005-07-21 12:38:48 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
*sigh*
Submitted by c1ndy (user info) at 2005-07-21 09:09:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
blimey
Submitted by MichaelJackson (user info) at 2005-07-21 08:52:16 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
"Back in the 1800's rolling a ball with a stick was action packed. Today, if we ever roll a ball with a stick, it would be on a computer."
WOO!
<does moonwalk>
<dies>
Submitted by rad1101 (user info) at 2005-07-21 03:19:26 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by rad1101 (user info) at 2005-03-16 17:06:45 (#)
Ranking: 2
The List (689 hits)
Category: General
Rating: -1.01 on 73 reviews (Rate this item) (View all ratings)
Submitted by Carol Richards <carolarichards.at.yahoo.com> [Authenticated] (View user info) at 2005-03-16 10:15:45
ChristPuncher: Poorly drawn and humorless cartoon pornography is apparently the only idea this individual has ever had.
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I called this nigger out 4 months ago, but did anyone pay attention?
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Submitted by Axolotl (user info) at 2005-07-21 00:52:49 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
WHAT????
Submitted by thorpe (user info) at 2005-07-21 00:39:49 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Holy fucking hell.
Submitted by JMG114 (user info) at 2005-07-20 20:06:24 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Sweet Jesus.
Submitted by strwbryfanatic (user info) at 2005-07-20 16:30:45 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Habeeb...
What's with all those fucking words?
Submitted by munkeypants (user info) at 2005-07-20 16:04:14 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
holy shit
Submitted by HZRD (user info) at 2005-07-20 15:57:47 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
evil genius
Submitted by CaptainThorns (user info) at 2005-07-20 15:54:22 EDT (#)
Ranking: -1
WTF I'M NOT READING ALL OF THAT!!!
+1 for the Olsen pic, though.
Submitted by ChristPuncher (user info) at 2005-07-20 13:56:51 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
THIS MAN IS AN IMPOSTER
I DEMAND SATISFACTION
Submitted by Wiggles (user info) at 2005-07-20 13:48:11 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Hahahahahahahahaha
Submitted by spedmonkey (user info) at 2005-07-20 13:42:11 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
My, how you've changed.
Submitted by rad1101 (user info) at 2005-03-16 17:06:45 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
The List (689 hits)
Category: General
Rating: -1.01 on 73 reviews (Rate this item) (View all ratings)
Submitted by Carol Richards <carolarichards.at.yahoo.com> [Authenticated] (View user info) at 2005-03-16 10:15:45
ChristPuncher: Poorly drawn and humorless cartoon pornography is apparently the only idea this individual has ever had.
Submitted by BLITZKREIG_BOB (user info) at 2004-09-23 15:51:14 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
HAHA.
What the hell is this crap?
Submitted by Istaros (user info) at 2003-09-27 03:59:18 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
"How has technology changed society? I looked at that topic and thought that would be easy."
I think it is easy; technology HASN'T changed society. With a few minor differences, we're still the same agricultural Mesopotamians of thousands of years past. Technology(or as historians like to refer to it, "tool-kits") is pretty much just a way of making things easier -it doesn't innately change anything, except the speed and efficiency at which we do what we've always wanted to do -fuck, kill, find meaning, and die.
Submitted by atz (user info) at 2003-09-27 03:07:31 EDT (#)
Ranking: -1
-1 for posting a Windows bitmap image. That's like the third or fourth one I've seen today.