I. Midterm Essays
II. Assessing Technology
http://prof.chicanas.com/98/ads.htm
III. Discussants, ch. 3 “Wonders of Technology”
Paul Ford, Sonja Garcia, Lura Noyes, Valentino Quistian, Finesse Sneed
Agree/disagree with this statement. Give at least two examples and/or counter-examples to defend your view.
1. Technology is an inherently positive force..
2. Technology is an inherently negative/threatening force.
3. Technology is apolitical (not political).
4. How do you define progress?
.
.
In-Class Notes on technology 10/26/09
1. Technology is an inherently positive force.
Stuff
Media
Communicate faster
Be informed
Missing kids/amb3er alert
Less panic, more informed, not ignorant
Satellites, see what’s going on everywhere
Tech—jobs,
Incr education level?
Medicine – cures, vaccines,
Transportation—bus, carpool
Catch criminals, improve society
Lose: human contact, socialization, human costs…
Consumed by technology
2. Technology is an inherently negative/threatening force.
Losing jobs
People replaced by machi9nes
Businesses quicikly outdated
Weapons–?
–kill people
Cars, pollution,
Global warming, co2 emissions,
3. Technology is apolitical (not political).
Marketed toward everyone—
–fridge, limited by soc, energy
–Computer – access,
–class lines
Stem cell research—
Money decides—people with money decide–what gets funded/expanded
Military tech ok
Monopoly of tech by few people with polit/econ power
Medicine, transp restricted based on politics
Scie, eng, tech,
All on purpose, what we don’t see is on purpose too.
4. How do you define progress?
Advancement in positive or negative direction
Internet,
Lose contact
Manufacturing,
Economics
Neg: exploiting peole with lousy jobs, cel phones connected every minute, separation.
I was flipping through the current issue of Marie Claire (November 2009, Vol. 16, Issue 11, Pg 168) and came across a tiny column at the very back of the magazine. I was shocked and dismayed by the facts that they presented. Although it doesn’t necessarily deal with a technological issue, I thought it would be a good idea reproduce it here for everyone to see, and to see if anyone had any responses to it.
Why Health Care Reform Matters To You
Few have more at stake over the proposal for a public health insurance alternative than young professional women who resort to private insurance due to job loss or separation from a spouse. The numbers explain why:
40 states allow private insurance policies to “gender rate” their premiums. As a result, a 25-year-old woman may pay 6-45% more in premiums than a 25-year-old man.
88 percent of private insurance plans surveyed do not cover comprehensive maternity care.
9 states allow private plans to refuse coverage for domestic-violence survivors. In many policies, a previous C-section and being pregnant are also considered pre-existing conditions.
52 percent of women reported postponing or forgoing medical care because of the cost; only 39 percent of men reported doing so.
I. Discuss final projects, project teams, itinerary – see our draft teams here
II. Review midterm
Discussants postponed til Monday 10/26
Article: Girls Ask Alice for Programming Skills
As I was searching for articles about Alice, I came across information about the founder, Randy Pausch. From what I have read about him and heard from him, he seems like an amazing person. The following quote is not directly related to Alice, but it gives people a glimpse into the mind of a man who has played a role in trying to introduce programming to girls/women (and boys/men).
“Almost all of us have childhood dreams; for example, being an astronaut, or making movies or video games for a living. Sadly, most people don’t achieve theirs, and I think that’s a shame. I had several specific childhood dreams, and I’ve actually achieved most of them. More importantly, I have found ways, in particular the creation (with Don Marinelli), of CMU’s Entertainment Technology Center of helping many young people actually *achieve* their childhood dreams.” – Randy Pausch, Oct. 23, 1960 – July 25, 2008
Watch Randy Pausch’s last lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams