Session 12 (8/11) Reflections

Brief overview

There were five presentations this week. Group 1 looked at eBooks, some of the benefits and disadvantages as well as possible future applications. Group 5 considered how nuclear power could be used to drive the green regime. Group 6 explored techniques of weather control and their implications. Group 7 looked at 3D technology in the film industry. And lastly, group 8 examined genetic engineering and its associated problems.

Group presentations

Group 1’s video interview of SMU students regarding the use of eBooks for education was interesting. Some advantages and disadvantages mentioned include pricing of books, convenience of carrying an eBook reader with multiple textbooks stored inside rather than physical copies and saving the environment. In my opinion, the recent popularity of tablet devices such as the iPad as well as continually improving technologies such as the Kindle’s E Ink, will encourage the use of eBooks in the future. However, as the group rightly notes, the issue of protection of copyright and piracy has to be addressed in order for the publishing community to embrace eBooks to a greater extent. This needs to be overcome so that more titles are available before people would adopt eBooks. Pricing is also a very important consideration for the widespread adoption of technology, for example, Amazon currently subsidizes its eBooks in order to encourage more people to adopt its Kindle reader. Most e-readers cost hundreds of dollars and it is up to technology developments in order to reduce the cost of the e-readers.

Group 5 presented a very comprehensive argument for the adoption of nuclear energy as well as the potential challenges facing such adoption. I felt that their presentation was very relevant to the future of energy supply in Singapore, since the Prime Minister has said recently that nuclear energy was a possibility in the near future. An interesting point raised during the Q&A was that given the small size of Singapore, it would be hard to prevent widespread damage to lives and infrastructure should an accident occur. Also, although the waste generated from nuclear energy for the lifetime of family of four is only the size of a golf ball, when multiplied by a large population, this would still amount to a sizeable volume of waste which needs to be very carefully disposed of. It is important to note that adopting nuclear energy would not mean that Singapore is energy secure, since uranium would still have to be imported from overseas.  

Group 6 presented on weather control and introduced techniques such as cloud seeding and hurricane control. I found the part on various countries’ legislation as well as international agreements on the weather control interesting. As the group mentioned, it is important for researchers and governments to use these weather control techniques responsibly as they risk upsetting the natural weather patterns or diverting destructive hurricanes to neighbouring inhabited areas.

Group 7’s presentation looked at 3D technology. The section on the future development of 3D technology was interesting, the use of 3D in dentistry, augmented reality as well as 3D virtual learning environments were suggested. The group’s topic however does not seem to have much scope for discussion of economic or social impacts and appears to be largely technology-centric and descriptive.

Group 8’s presentation on genetic engineering and its associated problems was largely similar to the discussion in session 6 and 7 and raises the same issues, although the group did take the analysis to a greater depth by looking at certain case studies.

Rating

7/10

Session 11 (1/11) Reflections

Brief Overview

This week we had three group project presentations. Group 2 presented on technology and beauty focusing largely on the evolution of plastic and cosmetic surgery (www.wix.com/techwcg8/twc-cosmeticsurgery).  The next group covered the development of technology and crime (http://www.wix.com/twcsmu2010/cyberfelony). And my group looked at the challenges facing water management, water technologies as well as proposed some solutions (http://www.wix.com/twcwater/home).

Interesting ideas/observations

Technology & Beauty

The group looked at the personal, social and economic aspects of cosmetic surgery. It is clear that cosmetic surgery has a very close connection with personal aspects such as self-esteem and mental health. Advances in surgery procedures due to improvements in method and technologies have contributed to its increased popularity as patients are able to recover faster and procedures are safer. The group also considered the social pressures which result in individuals resorting to cosmetic surgery, for example, discrimination at work.

I felt that the economic aspect of plastic surgery was particularly interesting. The group mentioned that cosmetic surgery provided a boost in revenue for the medical industry including, more specifically, the medical tourism sector. The black market for cosmetic surgery and the risks of such procedures was briefly covered. Interestingly, the group considered that plastic surgery might have an indirect positive impact on the entertainment industry as well.

In general, the group’s topic is potentially very interesting, however, they could improve on the presentation of their website as several aspects of it such as the pictures and animation tend to distract from the delivery of the content. The use of appropriate media is important in presenting information clearly and the group’s website did not capitalize well on the medium used.

Cybercrime and Technology

From the group’s presentation, we see that the increasing reliance on computer systems and the Internet in our daily lives (e.g. online shopping, operation of energy and water services etc) has actually created a large incentive for criminals to exploit security loopholes in order to reap monetary benefit or create chaos. The sections on counter and future measures  and the group’s recommendations were very well thought out covering both technological options as well as legislative, governmental and international solutions to combat cybercrime. It is clear that a holistic approach is necessary to reduce cybercrime now and in the future.

The group’s presentation as well as the website was very in-depth but bordered on being a little too technical, which is a problem that arises when tackling a topic that involves technical jargon and the technology involved is complex. Also, their website background is rather distracting and makes it hard to read the content.

Key Takeaway Points

• Cosmetic surgery methods are rapidly improving as consumers drive demand, however it is necessary to consider the personal as well as societal implications of the use of such technologies.
• As we increasingly rely on computer systems and the Internet for our daily activities, criminals will be likely to continue to try and exploit loopholes to gain monetary benefits or disrupt services.
• A holistic approach including improving cybersecurity through technology and software advances, education, legislation and international cooperation is necessary to fight cybercrime.

Issues for Further Discussion

The group which discussed technology and beauty mentioned in the section on the future the possibility that societal perceptions of beauty will change as cosmetic surgery gains popularity and widespread acceptance, leading to possible problems such as increased discrimination based on appearance as well as more widespread mental and emotional disorders in society. The group mentioned that cosmetic surgery may one day be considered a necessity rather than an option. In my opinion, the group could have expanded on this point and consider the impact on the less well off members of society compared to the rich. It is possible that the poor-rich divide may manifest itself as an ugly-pretty divide, as the rich are able to afford the surgeries while the poor may not. Also, if there is an increasing obsession with beauty in society, would it stop at just changing one’s appearance after birth through surgery, or would it spill over to encourage a eugenics movement? 

For the topic of cybercrime, more could be discussed on the concept of cyberwarfare between nations and the need to train a team of experts (cyber army) to deal with attacks in the future.  

Rating

7/10