Futurism

Very intriguing articles from both author. I agree with both author and see the angle which they are coming from. However, I am more inclined to agree with Joy's point of view. Joy's point of view has been showcased in movies such as the terminator, stealth and most recently I robot with Will smith. With the exponential growth of technology as predicted by Kurzweil sooner or later computers will become an even more neccesity then it is already today. If we develop technology to a stage where computers can make decisions as well as a human, we would have reached a situation where we are playing god and nothing good can come out of that.

On one hand I am very excited about the prospect these technologicl advances will bring to enhance life but i am also concerned about how integrated these machines become with our lives. In 5 years time, will we be able to survive without any machines. It's hard enough today with all of us becoming increasingly dependent but if information starts being projected on our retina there will be no escape from our dependence on techonology. Another issue that concerns me is the amount of privacy one will have. How integrated into us will these computer become.

Turing Test

The Computer has made a long way from its humble origins. Now, we have progressed to a stage where the computer can fool us into thinking it is human.

To make a computer even more humanistic and make it even more difficult to distinguish between the human and the computer.

Besides the ability to understand writing, it must also be able to formulate answers to the question which will would be able to satisfy the human intellect. Furthermore, it must be able to think and react to human emotions. Anger and sarcasm are just two areas which might pose a problem to the computer. I feel that the scope is just too big for the computer to be able to beat a human at this age.

We should focus more on autonomous AI robots. This would be the next logically step towards the final push towards humanlike AI.

Mash Ups

http://ugux.com/shopping/

This site allows you to search both amazon and ebay for products and find the cheaperst available option. This is really good for a addicted net shopper like me. Thanks


http://www.airtightinteractive.com/projects/related_tag_browser/app/

great site to find pictures that you like. Search FlickR by tags makes it alot easier to find and i tried it out and it works better then google and yahoo images.


http://www.doubletab.com/

great website that uses Youtube and Live videos to provide up to date sports coverage. Great for me as i can find highlights as well as live videos from one web site and make my surfing easier.

Digital Divide

The Digital Divide waas something I never expected to be so apparent in a developed city like San Francisco. I guess we are very fortunate to be exposed to technology from such a young age and being able to fully utilize the advancement it has made. However, there are still issues as not all of society are moving forward together.

Education

With not all students having access to computers and internet, the speed at which people are exposed to these technology will determine the stage at which the student's starting level is at. Education is a one size fit all system and the outlying minority will suffer from the inflexibility of this system. For example, when asking students to submit a paper in electronical form, potential problems students without as much exposure to technology might face would include taking additional time to figure out how to use the word processing software and increase their stress level. Secondly, students without easy access to technology in their homes will have the additional task of finding an available computer system and increase their workload with meaningless task. However, I feel that schools are trying intensively to close this divide by providing optional courses for students lacking in computer skills and providing terminals in the library.

Government

I feel that the government should definitely be pushing the frontiers of technology. However at the same time they should also be concern about those lacking behind. Information for immigration and policy are great to have at your finger tips for those who are techonologically competent and there is not reason to stop furthering this. However, I think its also a good idea that the old channels of relaying information are kept open such as the provision of information pamphlets and the always critical human voice to clear doubts. Back home in Singapore, we have community centers which provide government sponsored computer lesson as well as computer centers which always have people to help those with technological issues out.

health

Many lives have been saved with the use of technology. There is a Doctor's online forum where doctors can exchange thoughts with other doctors and find cures for rarer diseases. I feel that there is no harm in pushing forward and the pros out weighs the cons. People will definitely catch up with technology (although at different speeds ) but I'm sure that everyone within 1 level of seperation knows another person who is technologically competent.


entertainment

The current switch to HDtv is a great example of this. Its good to see the government helping out by providing free convertor boxes and running informational ads to help the public. Entertainment is a choice and not a neccesity and people will find means to get the entertainment they desire. I feel that we shouldnt worry too much in this area. When there is a will there is a way.


work

Work is based on supply and demand and there is no way to stop the trend on increasing reliances on technology. Its good to see companies having retraining programs for older workers who lack techonological skills and the increase reliance on technology has also pressure the government to increase funding to incorporate technologial classes into all schools.

Sharing or Piracy

With the onset of the internet downloading and distribution of media has taken a whole new dimension. The debate between sharing and piracy is a constant struggle between distributors and the end consumer and has equally strong arguments on both side.

I personally feel that there are some limits to what should and shouldnt be allowed.

- Downloading a song you don't own from a major label artist.

I dont think this should be acceptable. You are ripping off the artist hardwork and your actions might result in them not producing more music.

- Downloading a song you don't own from a struggling independent artist.

This one is more grey. I feel that both parties benefit from you downloading the music. These struggling artist will get more airplay as a result from your download and the benefits that come along with the increase in airplay will bring about more money and sponsorship from big time labels. The end consumer also benefit with free music. The idea behind it to me is the opportunity cost as a result of the download. With the struggling independent artist, the positive externalities outweigh the negative.

- Downloading another copy of a song you already own.

I definitely think there is nothing wrong with this as you already paid for the music. Furthermore, making another copy of the song does not limit the use of the same good by another and harms nobody.


- Shoplifting a CD from a store.

This is straight forward wrong and is punishable by the full extent of the law.


- Downloading a song to "try it out" - if you like it enough, you'll buy the CD.

I think this would be the best solution in an ideal world. Music is like any other product and the consumer should be able to return it if they are not fully satisfied with the product. This process just warps the cycle a little bit with the consumer paying only after he decides he is satisfied with the product.


- Copying a CD from a friend.- Making music you own available online to share with a couple of friends & Making music you own publicly available on the Internet, such as through KazAa or Limewire

I personally wouldnt because of the consequences you could face. I pretty torn down the middle about this one.

A world of Transition

I am a full supporter of the shift from Analog to Digital. This change has brought about a great improvement in the quality of pictures, music, videos that I get to enjoy today. Being able to remove red eyes from digitally shot pictures or make minor adjustments to the lighting or setting has been a real help in helping me publish posters and articles exactly the way I want it to be. I feel this also provides a much bigger avenue for young budding artist and musicians to make their impact on the world. This also benefits the end users as the diversity of media available now has exponentially increased since the analog stone age. With regards to quality of music produced through analog or digital means, my humble ears cant tell the difference and the ease of which music is available (itunes; illegal downloads) is extraordinary. I have seen all the episodes of star wars and see the big difference especially with Yoda. Personally, I prefer the new age version which are digitally produced, it makes the characters and the action seem so much smoother and alot more believable as compared to a puppet Yoda. I am therefore very thankful for the advances technology has made and hope that it keeps improving.

E waste

As much as I feel for polluting the enviroment with E waste, i think it is part and parcel of the global pehnomenom of technoligization. In such a situation, i feel a lassiez faire approach towards this issue should be take. Sure there is waste being dumped out in the thrid world countries, but have you considered the people who actually benefit from this. Although the benefits might be small but a few selected individuals are depending on us to earn a lively hood and put food on the table for their families. I know that there is an adverse effect on the enviroment and my heart goes out to mother nature. However in the mean time, till we can find a better solution for this ( sending these old parts back to the company so they can reprocess them and suck more money out of our wallets is not an option ), i think this process is doing more good then it does harm. However, I will still think twice and put in a silent prayer the next time i toss my old electronics into the trash.