Technology
Technologies: the first thing I think of is a simple thing to make life simpler for humans.
We have shaped technology to make them better equipped during tasks. Transportation, eating, learning, medicine, etc. As time goes on, life and generations evolve, along with technology. We have abused our planets, now we are searching through technology to help undo the damage. We work with nature when creating technology, like emphasized during the lecture that Lance gave. These factors that can’t be changed are gravity, sunlight, climate, etc.
Nature is a constant in the experiment of life, what we do to it and with it are our variables. We cannot change or manipulate the constant, but what we create using nature is the resulting experiment.
For example:
We create buildings on ground, because the force & weight of a building levitating in the air would define the laws of gravitation. Although as architects we can use this knowledge to create buildings that are cantilevered and other forms of ways to manipulate structure. We reflect nature and technologies through architecture. As lance said, “ Architecture is the stable matrix of life.�
During lecture technology was broken down into 5 different categories: Tool, technique, craft, construction, and manufacturing. All of these aspects are important when creating something that reaches the objective of technology.
If we look at an airplane and critique it on these five aspects you get:
Tool: Levers, air dynamic shapes, wheel, wings, seat buckle. These are all small tools that make up the airplane.
Technologies: Using all the tools together, they create the technology of safety, flight, and transportation. Tools create new technology.
Craft: The craft of the airplane was a development first tested by the Wright Brothers. They invented something not yet known to their cultural society. Once the concept of flight and air, with motor was concretely developed, it was improved.
Construction: The construction increased in size and how much weight it could hold. It was then constructed for war, fast transportation, shipping cargo, and personal leisure.
Manufacturing: The manufacturing of the airplane has now been about convince and location. They were manufactured in many different styles and forms. Through time, the technologies were changed to improve the manufacturing abilities.
These 5 aspects of technology have influenced our culture. How we communicate to the prices of our goods. Recently an airline went bankrupt, and within hours, the other airlines almost tripled their costs to meet the demands. A two hundred dollar flight jumped to a $600 flight. The need to travel by plane, especially during the holidays has affected our culture and other cultures greatly. I fly a lot and my mom called and asked if I wanted to fly home before our spring break vacation or directly there. I have the choice if I want to fly two times in one week or four, for the convince of time. A four hour flight to the Bahamas is close to a six or plus day trip by car and boat. The convenience of the technology of the airplane has taken over my culture, at least. Would I want to go to the Bahamas if it was a six-hour plus trip, just to get there? No, my vacation time is only 7 days. The importance of technology is that they make life easier, for the people who can afford it. It depicts what cultural society you are apart of. A Mayan tribe wouldn’t be using a can opener. During discussion we talked about how the factors of transportation has affected other cultures. My personal story with traveling and affecting other cultures was during vacation to Playa de Carmen. My family and I went on an adventure tour on the sacred land of the Mayan tribe. During our tour we had a spiritual ritual, where we all sat down and breathed in a mixture and listened to the Mayan priest as if we could have protection for the day. Then all the Americans went swimming in the Mayan’s water hole. How ironic. We were told that we shouldn’t wear any perfumes, deodorants, or bug spray, because the toxins and chemicals go into their water stream and they drink and cook with it. If we didn’t have the airplanes to fly us to foreign countries, we wouldn’t be invading the smaller cultures habitat and lifestyles. And airplanes are only one modern day technology impacting the world.