Artifact four

In the video with the pencil sharpener, the company is taking a rather old technology and updating its performance.   Manual pencil sharpeners have either one hole or two holes with one small and one large. This pencil company has mastered the art of pencil sharpeners.  They figured out what blades sharpened the wood without sharpening the graphite, and what blade sharpened the graphite and not the wood.  The video demonstrates how to sharpen perfectly a pencil.  First, a person takes a Palomino- Kum long point pencil sharpener and a Palomino pencil.   Then take the pencil and put it into the first hole to shave the wood off the pencil.  After that, put the pencil into the second hole to sharpen the graphite.  When sharpening the graphite make sure not to put too much pressure on the pencil because otherwise it will break.  It is also important to keep the pencil at a slight angle for the best results. 

The second video was of a robot woman.  The woman appeared to be alive but her lack of facial expressions and synthetic hair distinguished her as a robot.  There was man that had an electronic device hocked up to him controlling what the robot woman’s actions.  When he would shake his head, she would shake hers.  He controlled her movements. At one point, the robot woman talked and her mouth moved but she did not have any facial expression that would be visible on humans.  Her bottom lips moved and words came out but it looked unnatural.  She looked “robotic”.  Her movements were stiff and tight.   She did show expression on her forehead but that was the only visible movement.  The man controlling the robot woman moved her eye and head.  Her eye movements were quicker than humans were.  Near the end of the video, the robot woman rocked back and forth, this looked unnatural but very impressive for a robot.  The point of the video was to demonstrate how the robot worked and operated. 

If I had to pick between a pencil and a pen I would pick a pencil easily, especially regular pencils.  I like how they write and how smooth they are on paper.  Finding a good pencil with a good eraser is hard find now days.  I would be interested in buying a Palomino pencil and a pencil sharpener because it looks like it would fit my needs.  The instructional video was very professional and basic.  The man was understandable and spoke clearly. 

 My initial reaction of the video was creepy.  The woman’s face looked like a person who just got plastic surgery.  I was more frightened because the robot woman actually resembled a human and not metal “robot”.  She had human characteristics like hair, skin, a mouth and arms.  It was very impressive that technology allows people to create a robot that can pass as a human.  Who knows what will happen next with this development in technology.  In the future, will robots be able to think like humans, talk like humans, and nurture like humans?   Will robots replace humans in the work force? I guess we will just have to see. 

artifact 3

In last ten years, technology and computers have been used more than ever before.  People live in a society where computers are used on a regular basis for communication, searching new information, and surfing the web.  The internet phenomenon has been very influential and distracting in our daily lives.  In The Shallows: What the Internet is doing to our Brains by Nicholas Carr, explains that the internet is constructing our brain’s thoughts.  His main claim is that the internet inundates people with distractions, and they slowly lose the ability to have deep thought or concentration on something.  He starts by talking about his troubles with technology.  When he would read a book, he would have the urge to pick up his smart phone to check his email, post a tweet, or wait for a text message.  He could not concentrate on one particular thing without being distracted by the internet.   Therefore, he wanted to know the history of technology.  In his discoveries, he learned about the intellectual technology that referred to what people use to think with and influence the way people think.  The map and the clock were early examples that gave people an abstract way to ponder.  The next big development in technology was the book.  Reading became solitary that allowed deeper thoughts with the author.  Paying attention began because of the book.  Reading and writing came into deep focus and deep thinking.  The internet is the opposite of intellectual technology because it overwhelms us with distractions.  Carr states that the internet is a hyper-tech system, multimedia system, messaging system, and interrupting system.  The more technology we have the more distracted people become.  Humans spend a lot of time online because they crave being interrupted.  Unfortunately, every time people are interrupted their concentration is broken.  Carr thinks that it decreases people’s ability to take information and store it into long-term memory.  With the internet, things are going into our short-term memory and not sticking with people because there is too much information bombarding them too quickly.  People lose attention and the process to remember things and have deeper thought.  Carr goes on to state that the internet is not pure evil and has positive attributes.  The internet can sharpen visual characteristics that help to expand short-term memory and hand-eye coordination, but there are further studies that state as a person becomes better at multi-tasking he or she loses the ability to think critically.  Carr recommends that people should begin to step away from technology but not totally give it up.  Having a balance with technology will keep a person’s mind active and less interrupted. 

Nicholas Carr makes interesting claims in this video and the more I think about what he is saying the more I agree with him.  I believe that the internet is causing people to have less concentration and critical thinking skills.  The internet is a fantastic tool but I miss the times when I was younger, and I only used the internet once a week.  When I was using the computer, I did not have the desire to socialize with hundreds of friends on Facebook and spend hours online looking at pictures.  I had more fun without technology and spent my time hanging with my friends outside.  It would be impossible now to step away from technology completely, but I definitely need a balance with technology time and “me” time.  My goal is to not be so dependent on technology and just use it when it is necessary. 

Technology is constantly changing

Technology is constantly changing.  Every year new technology comes out on the market, which replaces older versions.  Technology is improving the way we live, and it is becoming easier to use.  Some of the everyday things like reading the newspaper or paying bills can be done online; therefore, paper is being used less and some think that its uses will no longer be needed.  What was done on paper will now be done electronically.  Some people think that paper will no longer be used in the next twenty years.  Younger generations will not be familiar with paper because everything will be on a computer screen.  We are moving futher into the age to technology, but I agree with William Powers from the video when he says that paper will not die.  It will become more valuable with the development of technology.  Three- dimensional objects like paper are easier on the mind in certain ways verses a screen.  Technology will not override paper but I believe that it will become a larger part of a person’s life.  The changes with technology is a new chapter in this millennium, it is a way to connect with people.  The downside of technology is that we are not present when we connect with other friends and family.  We could be eating, talking, doing homework and texting someone all at the same time.  It has been a tool of deficiency.  Now, people rarely use the phone because they feel it is intruding on someone’s time.  Different rules of etiquette have developed from technology.  Home phones are used less often because people use email or text messaging to send a message.  The way people communicate will continue to change. 

Are we missing something with all this technology?

Snow Day! 1-2-11

When new technology comes out on the market, I usually get excited.  I guess I create a lot of hype for the wonderful, new advances of technology.  On the other hand, I do pay attention to the negative characteristics of the product.  I read reviews, and like to be informed before I buy a new product.  I would not call myself a technology determinist because I do not think that technology is the only reason for the change in social interaction.  Using communication with technology is not the way to conserve with friends because people miss the social cues that they would experience if they were face-to-face.  CMC can cause people to be antisocial because they are using the technology to communicate and disconnecting with the outside world.  Do you think that CMC is hindering newer generations communicating skills?