Blog Essay: Answering my own questions.
1.) What is your working definition of technology?
I define technology as anything that was developed through a broad range of processes into a tool to be employed in further processes to solve a particular problem
2.) What are your feelings towards technology?
I am very ambivalent in my feelings concerning technology. The technological is a large source of frustration for me and also an outlet for my own creative entertainment.
3.) What technologies do you think are a benefit to society? Why? What technologies do you think are a detriment to society? Why? Are there any technologies that you think are both beneficial and detrimental to society? Why?
I think that stop signs are a technology that has a profound benefits for individual members of society that use them. My reasoning is that if people did not use them horrendous accidents would occur with far greater frequency. I personally think that advertisements are a detriment in that they sap productivity by distracting people from more important matters. It is my opinion that most technologies are both beneficial and detrimental to society based on whether not they are used responsibly by an educated populace. Condoms for instance are one such technology, they protect people from themselves when used properly, however their use may embolden people to follow a path of abuse such as infidelity, rape, and other misuses of sex. Responsible use of any technology is highly dependent on education of the issues that surround a particular technology which is why I feel that education in general is extremely important and needs to start as early as possible.
4.) What to you is the distinction between high technology and low technology? What are some examples of each that you have used and why were you using it? How do you think people valuate high technology and low technology? Is one better than the other for any reason? How do your feelings vary when you when you compare your feelings about high technology to your feelings about low technology?
I think the distinction between high technology and low technology is directly related to the amount of knowledge one must possess to produce it and use it properly. I regularly use computers, cars, cellular phones, and other high tech. devices that require a fairly high amount of background knowledge to use to the fullest of their capability. I also use many simple low tech. tools such as wheeled carts, knives, forks, and the like regularly which most folks can figure out just be observing someone else using it for a moment. I use almost all these technologies in my pursuit to do my job as a computer support consultant as efficiently as possible. I think that people sometimes over valuate high technology as sometimes something low tech. could serve the same purpose more simply and more efficiently but they choose to use a high tech. solution because it is available. I don't think one is particularly better than the other but each individual technology whether high or low has it's own set of conditions for effective application. I feel that high tech. is more frustrating to deal with due to the need for continuing education in order to use it effectively.
5.) What technologies have you felt uncomfortable/frustrated with using? How familiar with that particular technology were you? Do you think your familiarity, or lack of familiarity, impacts how comfortable you feel using the technology? Were there other factors involved besides familiarity that made you uncomfortable? Have you continued to use the technology? If so have you become more comfortable with using whatever caused your to be uncomfortable in the first place?
I've often felt uncomfortable using copier machines and I think it is because I am very unfamiliar with copiers. I'm certain that my lack of familiarity negatively impacts my confidence in using them properly. I also feel exposed and self-concious due to the fact that copiers are often in public rooms and are often in high demand. Also nothing to me is more embarrassing that having to ask for help concerning a copier as a computer support person. I feel that if I know so much about operating computers which are a particularly complex technology I should be able to make easy use of copiers since they are relatively less complex. I've continued to use copiers and I've come to be a little more confident and familiar with their nuances; but I'm still nervous that I'm going to accidently enter a command that tells it to make way to many copies or make my copies unreadable.
6.) What technologies do you think are most important to you for developers to improve? Why?
I personally feel that all energy production and transmission technologies need to improve drastically. I feel that the fate of our nation relies on finding better ways to power our industry and technology that supports our way of life. Our country is too dependent on foreign sources for energy producing products and I believe that the costs are far greater than any other problem our country currently faces. "Necessity never made a good bargain" ~ Ben Franklin
I define technology as anything that was developed through a broad range of processes into a tool to be employed in further processes to solve a particular problem
2.) What are your feelings towards technology?
I am very ambivalent in my feelings concerning technology. The technological is a large source of frustration for me and also an outlet for my own creative entertainment.
3.) What technologies do you think are a benefit to society? Why? What technologies do you think are a detriment to society? Why? Are there any technologies that you think are both beneficial and detrimental to society? Why?
I think that stop signs are a technology that has a profound benefits for individual members of society that use them. My reasoning is that if people did not use them horrendous accidents would occur with far greater frequency. I personally think that advertisements are a detriment in that they sap productivity by distracting people from more important matters. It is my opinion that most technologies are both beneficial and detrimental to society based on whether not they are used responsibly by an educated populace. Condoms for instance are one such technology, they protect people from themselves when used properly, however their use may embolden people to follow a path of abuse such as infidelity, rape, and other misuses of sex. Responsible use of any technology is highly dependent on education of the issues that surround a particular technology which is why I feel that education in general is extremely important and needs to start as early as possible.
4.) What to you is the distinction between high technology and low technology? What are some examples of each that you have used and why were you using it? How do you think people valuate high technology and low technology? Is one better than the other for any reason? How do your feelings vary when you when you compare your feelings about high technology to your feelings about low technology?
I think the distinction between high technology and low technology is directly related to the amount of knowledge one must possess to produce it and use it properly. I regularly use computers, cars, cellular phones, and other high tech. devices that require a fairly high amount of background knowledge to use to the fullest of their capability. I also use many simple low tech. tools such as wheeled carts, knives, forks, and the like regularly which most folks can figure out just be observing someone else using it for a moment. I use almost all these technologies in my pursuit to do my job as a computer support consultant as efficiently as possible. I think that people sometimes over valuate high technology as sometimes something low tech. could serve the same purpose more simply and more efficiently but they choose to use a high tech. solution because it is available. I don't think one is particularly better than the other but each individual technology whether high or low has it's own set of conditions for effective application. I feel that high tech. is more frustrating to deal with due to the need for continuing education in order to use it effectively.
5.) What technologies have you felt uncomfortable/frustrated with using? How familiar with that particular technology were you? Do you think your familiarity, or lack of familiarity, impacts how comfortable you feel using the technology? Were there other factors involved besides familiarity that made you uncomfortable? Have you continued to use the technology? If so have you become more comfortable with using whatever caused your to be uncomfortable in the first place?
I've often felt uncomfortable using copier machines and I think it is because I am very unfamiliar with copiers. I'm certain that my lack of familiarity negatively impacts my confidence in using them properly. I also feel exposed and self-concious due to the fact that copiers are often in public rooms and are often in high demand. Also nothing to me is more embarrassing that having to ask for help concerning a copier as a computer support person. I feel that if I know so much about operating computers which are a particularly complex technology I should be able to make easy use of copiers since they are relatively less complex. I've continued to use copiers and I've come to be a little more confident and familiar with their nuances; but I'm still nervous that I'm going to accidently enter a command that tells it to make way to many copies or make my copies unreadable.
6.) What technologies do you think are most important to you for developers to improve? Why?
I personally feel that all energy production and transmission technologies need to improve drastically. I feel that the fate of our nation relies on finding better ways to power our industry and technology that supports our way of life. Our country is too dependent on foreign sources for energy producing products and I believe that the costs are far greater than any other problem our country currently faces. "Necessity never made a good bargain" ~ Ben Franklin
posted by JC at 3:43 PM
1 Comments:
I like your answer to the last question better than mine. Our dependence on non-renewable resources — especially fossil fuels — will wreak havoc on the world if we don't find better ways to meet our energy needs less destructively.
Post a Comment
<< Home