Week 2: Technology, Development and The Chicken or Egg Theory

Leaders’ decisions have a huge impact on the development of the country – affecting social, political, economic and technological areas within the country. Take China for example. As discussed in class, Admiral Cheng Ho’s pride and his unwillingness to learn from others during his travel abroad resulted in China falling from a leading country in the world to one of slow economic growth. They were probably a rising star or a dominant society in the past, but due to Admiral Cheng’s short-sightedness, China had become a falling star not long after.

What’s important and essential is not the just the potential of the community to grow, such as raw materials and various resources, but the attitude of the community is what matters. As long as communities have the right attitude and mindset, they will be able to grow and develop; even if the community may be a dominant one already, there’s still a possibility for them to be a rising star as well.

There are many ways technology has changed the world, in both good and bad ways. It has changed the way we socialise and communicate with others; changed the political scene in many countries, with the help of media; affected religion and our beliefs. Culture has not been left untouched. The degradation of our culture may or may not have been affected by technology. But we have definitely tried using technology to retain our culture. Technology has become an integral part of our lives that permeates in every area of our individual lives, community and world.

It can be seen that technology has brought about development, but it's because of development that technology has rapidly changed and will change our lives, forevermore.

Personal rating: 7/10

Week 1: Staring at Technology in the face

I’ve always had this thwarted, myopic view of technology. Yes, I know it has changed the world in ways that words cannot describe; it’s revolutionary. Yet, despite the advancements in technology getting faster and faster; as newer and better gadgets and devices are introduced to the world, I’ve never appreciated the convenience and power brought about with the possession of these products. Maybe I’m stubborn and refuse to accept technology, choosing instead to live in the Stone Age.

But when I really sit down and think about it, everything around me is a part of technology. Everything is what it is because of technological advances. Everything IS technology. Even the most basic part of everyday life like pencil or paper was created by technology.

I owned my first mobile phone fairly recently, when I was close to 17 years of age. I would say I got my mobile phone fairly recently seeing as my friends had gotten theirs when they were only 12 years old! Nowadays, mobile phones are the most basic gadgets. Almost everyone has a mobile phone. Hard drives with extremely large amounts of space (i.e. 1TB, 5TB) are being introduced to the market within a couple of months after one is out. Technology is advancing in so many different ways, yet there are some like me, who choose to live in the Stone Age just because we are not “techies”.

Then again, technology is not all about gadgets and cars, or even the latest toy which is voice activated. Technology is about science too. Cloning is now possible. Test tube babies are a common sight. Scientists are trying to create life from just a single cell – creating a cell which can have emotions and respond to changes around them.

People are afraid of robots, machines, artificial life taking over the human race. But what we do not realise is that most of us have willingly allowed machines to take over our lives. Our electronic devices remind us of appointments. Important numbers and documents are stored in them. Slowly, little by little, humans are using less of our brains and relying on our electronic devices. We’ve so willingly done so because of convenience-sake. But how much have we really thought about the consequences of us doing so? Even worse, are we still able to think for ourselves without these seeking answers from our electronic devices?