Thursday, January 8, 2009

prepare for changes

What’s New and what’s Next in terms of technology, how would you prepare for these changes? (at least 2,000 words)


One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man. ~Elbert Hubbard, The Roycroft Dictionary and Book of Epigrams, 1923

The above quote is true people always create machine to make the work easier and replace workers by machine. For me if the work is hazardous to the health of the man then it must be replaced by machine.

Technology helps a lot in us and especially in our society. Gadgets like iPod, cellular phones, flash drives and cameras. According to Gadgettastic.com here are some of the new and latest in the world of technology.
• Sandisk Ultra Backup USB Drives
o retractable USB connector feature on their Cruzer range of USB drives
o one touch backup button with will instantly backup files from your PC from the folders you have chosen.
o password protection and 256 bit AES hardware encryption
• Nextar Z10 LCOS Micro Projector
o projector and it is capable of displaying images of up to 20 inches in a 4:3 aspect ratio at a resolution of 640 x480.
• HP Firebird Voodo DNA Gaming PCs
• HP unveils Mini 2140 Netbook
• Headphonies Mini Speakers
• Lenovo announces IdeaCentre A600 All in one PC
• 3G iPhone Unlock now available - Yellowsn0w
• Papercraft Millennium Falcon
• PS3 XCM Dominator Joystick
• Samsung NC20 Netbook
• The Aquapict LED Jellyfish Aquarium
• The Antique Brass Cross USB Flash Drive


In future of technology these are some of the predictions according to the site futureforall.org
• Artificial Intelligence
o Intelligent machines
o Computers that predict the future
In the near future machines will answer all the questions that was asked by a person. And maybe computers can see the future and even can see the past life of a person.
• Biology/biotechnology/medicine
o Extended/eternal life
o Synthetic life
o Repairing/manipulating DNA
o Organ replacement / growing organs
o Designer babies / designer bodies
o Personalized drugs
o Gene therapy/manipulation
o Biostasis
o Human cloning
o Virtual/robot medicine
o Instant pain relief
o Bionic implants to allow for extreme strength
o Morphing of the human body
o Age reversal
o Creation of organisms
o Synthetic organs
o Enhanced senses
• Brain
o Download your memories/brain
o Complete digital record of your life
o Mind/emotion control devices
o Dream control devices
o Brain enhancement implants - memory, telepathy
o Transfer of information into the visual cortex or subconscious mind
• Chemistry
o Replication and/or transformation of one chemical element to another
o Super lubricant
• City
o Megacities/entire world is one city
o Moving/floating/underwater cities
o Large city-like hydroponic & aquaponic structures
o Underground cities
o Cities/houses could be one huge organism which can repair itself
• Communication
o Instant information
o Virtual presence
o Wireless everything
o One small mobile device does everything
o Virtual reality
o Internet-connection implant
o All media (movies, tv shows, etc.) on-demand
o Holographic messages
o Language translator implants
o Telepathy
o Phone implant
• Computer
o Computers equivalent to the human brain
o Nanoscale computers everywhere
o Optical computers
o DNA computers
o Quantum computers
o Global network
o Computers that animals can use
o Self editing software
o Faster than Light or Instant Data transfer
• Earth
o Weather control
o Abundant food and water supply from technology
o Eco-manipulation (deserts into forests)
• Electronics
o Printable/paintable/flexible/see-through electronics, screens, touch panels, solar panels
o Invisible video/sensor surveillance
o Holograms
o Holographic tv on your wrist
o Voice/brain command over computers and appliances
o Contact lens displays
o Nuclear powered devices
o Nano devices
• Energy
o Eco-friendly fuel
o Unlimited renewable energy
o Energy force fields
o Alternative nuclear energy (fusion, antimatter...)
• Home
o Printable/self constructing homes and buildings.
o Eternal beer fountain (Uncle Walt's prediction)
o Smart homes
o Self washing, drying, and folding clothes
o Intelligent/adaptable fabrics and clothing
o Personalized ergonomics
o Ultrasonic "showers"
• Nanotechnology
o Manipulate matter at the atomic scale
o Custom molecules
o Intelligent/adaptable materials
o Self replicating machines
o Desktop nano-factories build anything
• Physics
o Artificial black holes
o Artificial worm holes
o Traveling faster than light
o Invisibility cloaks
• Robotics
o Personal/care giving/cleaning robots
o Nanobots
o Robots perform majority of labor jobs
o Robot partners (wife/husband)
o Exoskeletons
o Sentient robots
o Robotic prosthetics
o Robots controlled remotely with mind link
• Society
o Digital money
o Language translators
o Anti-technology groups
o Transhumanism
o Identification/credit card implant
o Cashless society
o Paperless society
o Personalized advertising
o Compatibility testers
o Mental entertainment
o Bio-identification
• Space
o Translight transportation (starships)
o Orbital stations
o Planetary/terra formation
o Colonizing space
o Alien contact
o Space elevator
• Transportation
o Self-driving cars on smart-highways
o Flying cars - Anti-gravity devices
o Teleportation
o Time machine
o Inertia dampeners, anti acceleration or anti breaking devices
o Ion or electromagnetic propulsion
o Flying boots
o Underground highways

In the near future above mention maybe possible because of the power of mind of the scientist and especially by the students. Since students and especially in our generation formulate the best technology. A person always wants to make their life easier than they can. Even environment was sacrifice because of the advancement of technology. but now people realizes that environment plays a big role in the life of human beings. Now they invented most of technology as nature friendly and health friendly because they observed that the advancement of technology cost a lot of environment to be destruct and even the life of a certain person just to make their experiment perfect.
As for me the preparation I will make to face the changes are being knowledgeable, know how to use the technology, know what the good and bad effects of the technology are and lastly always know how to use the basic of the technology. Being knowledgeable in the latest of the technology. Know how to use the technology in order for me to use the technology properly. Know the good and bad effects of the technology, as we all know things are created with a purpose and thee innovator or the inventor usually think how the technology helps the human kind but in every good effects there were incorporated by the bad effects like the creation of computers, computers produce radiation which is bad in our health and even in the environment therefore we should think whether we use this technology or not.



Reference:



Whats Possible. Future For All, retrieved January 8, 2009 from http://www.futureforall.org/whatspossible.htm


Gadgets and technology from around the world. Gadgettasti, retrieved January 8, 2009 from http://www.gadgettastic.com/



Quotations about Technology, Quote Garden, Retrieved January 8, 2009 from http://www.quotegarden.com/technology.html

effects of technological change

Enumerate the effects of technological change in our society and describe and list strategies used in the Philippines to address the skills shortage in advanced technology sectors. (at least 1,500 words)


There are lots of good and bad effects of technological change in our society. But most of the effects of this are good. Just like what we always hear, that technology makes our life easier. Like for example in a company with workers, managers, president and others of course technology is a very big part of their career or to their business. For the workers, technology make their work easier and faster and don’t need for them to work very hard and heavy and it’s a very good effect for them, for the company owners if the their workers produced products or done their works fast they also earn money easily and faster, or in short they benefit from higher yields. In the road, or transportation, technology changing took a very big part too. Because as time passes by low technology has developed to high technology, and this helps a lot in our transportation, like for example the LRT, people don’t need to take many rides because with this they can go to their place in a single ride, and of course this thing makes the traffic easier. Traffic lights and other devices that are made by technology made good effects in our society.

If there is a good effect, there is also bad effects, but most of the bad effects are not being recognize by the people in the society, just like the global warming, not all of us know what causes this global warming, that don’t know that the technology which made our life easier makes our life shorter too. Electromagnetic field from the high technology gadgets can cause bad effects to our body and can bring us to death. Just compare to the Stone Age, where there are no technology existing, people live a hundred of years because there are no such things that will cause them to illness. But as you can notice, as time passes by, as technology is changing into high technology, the lives of the people become shorter; they got lucky if they can step into 50 years of age. Also technological change gives a lot of unemployed people. Since people was replaced by machine.

According to Tech Advisory Board (2008) here are some of good and bad effects in technological changes:
Technology has also brought a social change. The technological devices and other appliances have formed the major part of factories and industries. It has equally helped us in positive or negative way.
• If we talk about the positive effects then it has been the biggest help for the communication purposes. It has bridged the gap between far persons by providing the high tech fully featured mobile phones. These phones are an astonishing example of technology that we can do our office as well as our personal work with the help of durable and portable 3G mobile phones.
• Other important technological invention is computer and Internet. It is just with the help of it that we can share the data easily as well as communicate with others.
• The mp3 players and other electronic devices are the source of our entertainment as we can listen to our favorite songs on it.
But if we talk about its negative impact then there are various inventions that are proving wrong in our lives.
• The major effect occurred badly on our lives is the use of Internet. Though it provides us with the perfect knowledge and long distance communication but it is used for the unethical practices such as hacking, spamming and other criminal offense. Thus it is because of the Internet that cyber crimes are on high rise. Internet gambling has also a major effect on the people’s lives.
• Technology has also affected our lives just because of the introduction of artificial intelligent machines and gadgets. It is because of them that unemployment and thus crime is increasing in industries and other companies.
• Other disadvantage is that excessive use of machines in every field is resulting in under utilization of human brain. It is because of this man may lose his intellectual abilities and may not even be able to think. Another example is Jet planes are flown by the computers but not humans.
• It is even hampering the daily production of newspapers or printing industry as you can get everything on the Internet, easily down loadable music and movies have hampered the growth of music industry.
Skill shortage refers to the lack of the skill of workers. According to Tesda (2007) skill shortage are commonly caused by the faulty in educational system, myopic policy of labor export and the pervasive technical change. Below are some of the strategies in order to deal the problem in skill shortage according to Tesda (2007):
“Expatriation. Results revealed that hiring expatriates in filling vacancies in MNCs is seldom done. Of the surveyed MNCs only 17 percent of managers and less than 1 percent of professional and technical staff are expatriates. The reasons being are the large base of employment hopefuls and the labor market restrictions on the employment of foreigners in the country. Recruitment. Notwithstanding the large pool of applicants, the MNCs still experienced the lack of qualified applicants. Thus, they are employing various modes of recruitment to ensure the competitiveness of the selection process. Job Contracting. More than four-fifths of the Philippine sample were found to outsourced one or several tasks. The most commonly outsourced tasks are those that would require general skills such as maintenance, security and clerical. The main motivation by MNCs for job contracting is to keep its permanent staff lean but mean and for greater flexibility. Multinationals tend to maintain permanent platilla position for firm-specific skills. Training. Sample MNCs indicated that high proportion of employees in all ranks has been exposed to various forms of training whether internal or external to the company as a means of correcting skill deficiencies. Manufacturing firms located in the Philippines tend to spend higher training expenditures compared to Malaysia but lower when compared to those situated in Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. Training expenditures for business and services firms were found to be lesser in Indonesia and Malaysia but greater in Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand as compared to the Philippines.”
For me the best strategy to prevent skill shortage is to educate the people and create a curriculum that is fit to the person’s skill. And conduct a training quarterly or annually in order for the person to know the latest in their field and to keep in mind the past learnings they had.

Reference:

Skills Shortages and Training Needs of MNCs in the Philippines (Issue No. 20). TESDA Retrieved January 3, 2009, from http://www.tesda.gov.ph/page.asp?rootID=4&sID=154&pID=34
Effects of Technology. Essay Depot Retrieved January 3, 2009, from http://www.essaydepot.com/essayme/2195/index.php.
How Technology Has Effected Our Society. Tech Advisory Board Retrieved January 5, 2009, from http://www.techab.net/how-technology-has-effected-our-society/