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Technopolies and their transformation of society

Technologies have always been considered an import part of human culture. Many people say, it is one of the important things that defines as more than animals, the ability to create and continually evolve tools to better manipulate our environment. But how has technology changed our society? Have the tools we created simply done their intended purpose, or have they continued to evolve with use, and in effect cause transformations to our culture that no one would have believed in the beginning? This idea is discussed in the article “Technopoly,� by Neil Postman. The word “technopoly� describes his belief that technology, when introduced to a culture, will always be mastered by few before many. It is in this fact, that for a while only a few hold the ability to use this new technology, that a false sense of knowledge is bestowed upon them. People slowly begin to believe that this new technology or system, because it is different and novel, must be better than the current ways. The instant promises and advances of the new system blinds the possible downfalls of the technology later on in its life. A technology never is used just for the purpose it was intended for, people find new uses and ways to use of exploit it. So the question then becomes, when should technologies not be introduced? Just because we have invented it, does it mean that it should be used, now that we know that that technology will evolve into unpredictable uses?
Instead of speaking about a technology in the past and how its uses have evolved over time from its original purpose, such as the television, internet, or written word, I decided to explore a different aspect of the issue of technopoly. Stem cell research is brand new field of technology currently being developed. For being such a new development, it is remarkably well known about by the people in both America and the world. This is because people are worried about not only what the technology currently does, by what it can turn into to. From viewing the past, people are finally starting to catch on about the idea of “evolving:� technologies. So when a technology as fundamentally life changing as stem cell research is invented, instead of viewing it at face value, they turn to the future and imagine what it might become. So the question turns up again, should we allow the continued development of a technology that could save millions of lives, when in the future, it could possible lead to unwanted skills? For example, stem cells, because of their incredible regenerative properties, could lead to cures in diseases such as cancer and diabetes and also allow for the regeneration of damaged cells in stroke patients or people with Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s. But the negative connotations to the research, is what it might be used for in the future. The development of stem cell research has already lead to the technology of humans being able to clone humans. Although that new technology is still in its very primitive stages, it changes society whole concept of what is human life. People are fighting between the ways of the past and the ways of the “future,� but which is right? All of this plays directly into the questions asked by the article. So should we stop stem cell research, and all that it can do for us, because of what is happening and what may happen in the future, or do we try to control it for as long as possible and continue to push on for it current advantages?
Life will always change, so why shouldn’t our tools, but when does new always mean better?

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The field of architecture and mathematics has always been closely related throughout history. One of the first and most prominent examples of this interconnection is seen in Greek and Roman architecture that proudly displays the use of the golden ration.

The specific building that I am evaluating is the Greek Parthenon, designed by the Greek designer Phidias. Located in Athens, Greece, it is one of the best examples of the golden mean or in the case of the Parthenon, the golden rectangle. A Golden Rectangle is a rectangle with proportions that are two consecutive numbers from the Fibonacci sequence.

The Fibonacci sequence is 1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21… The addition of the first number and the second number equals the third number. The second and third number equals the fourth number and so on…..

This proportion was thought to be pleasing to the eyes, especially because it is found so often in nature, from flowers to the human bone structure. Because of this, it was used extensively in architecture.

Another less known example of the golden ratio, is its use in the Great Pyramid of Giza. Instead of using a golden rectangle, the pyramid uses what is called, a golden triangle. “The golden ratio is represented by the ratio of the length of the face (the slope height), inclined at an angle θ to the ground, to half the length of the side of the square base, equivalent to the secant of the angle θ.� Or in other much less complicated words, it's an isosceles triangle with base angles equal to 72 degrees and vertex equal to 36 degrees. If you divide the long side by the short side you get Phi or the Golden Ratio. Another interesting aspect is if you bisect one of the 72 angles, you get a smaller one exactly proportional to it. And next to it is an obtuse triangle with angles 36-36-108. You also created another golden section. This repeating number has been observed when scientists and mathematicians surveyed the lengths of the Great Pyramid.

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Perhaps the opposition that is most obvious in my life right now, is the opposition between students and thieves. In Middlebrook, the residence hall where I live, 4 computers have been stolen in the past week alone. Now I am not talking about missing pens and pencils, these are thousand dollar machines that people are walking out with because of how our society is deigned. Now that last sentence may seem far fetched, but if you think about it, our society has been shaped to create many social oppositions. For example, we want people to not steal our things, and yet we let random people into the building without even thinking about it, because society dictates that it would be rude to shut the door in their face, just to make sure they have their card and live there. Over 80 percent of the time, I don’t have to use my u card to enter my residence hall. Determining the solution to this opposition though becomes very tricky because it is a social problem. Do we shut the door, demand that each person prove they live in the door, change to more sophisticated locks (because they are being picked), or do we continue to hold that door open, because no one wants to dig in their backpack for their card, and deep down, you would rather give people the benefit of the doubt? Does society have to become more strict because of the few that decide to take advantage of the system? Other example of society’s duality or inherent opposition is “tell the truth, but never say something that will hurt other people’s feelings,� or “freedom or religion and speech� and yet people are ridiculed everyday for what religion they believe in, or the political rally they participated last Monday. In order to solve these societal oppositions, we must decide what side is more important and deal with the consequences. But in the case of the computers, our current solution is not working, because students cant afford to deal with consequences.

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Perhaps the greatest difference between iron and steel is their make up. Iron is an actual pure metal, like the stuff you dig out of the ground. Any way, steel is the product of the combination of iron and carbon, classifying it as an alloy.
Iron became popular in architecture, with the creation of “cast iron buildings.� This term was used for any building that used iron for structural or ascetic purposes. They began to use iron instead of masonry in the 1800’s. In the middle of the 1800’s wrought-iron beams were introduces became an efficient, prefabricated method of construction. This type of architecture was nicknamed “skeletal construction.�

The best example of the this construction is Joseph Paxton's Crystal palace in London, constructed in 1851. Glass was often incorporated into cast iron buildings. The most influential architect to use the cast iron technique in America was James Bogardus. It was his use of cast iron exteriors in commercial building designs in New York City that eventually lead use of steel-frame construction for entire buildings.
Although steel was expensive, because of it qualities, it quickly became the metal of choice to use in the construction of buildings. Steel was stronger, harder and lighter than iron, and was used to construct the first skyscraper, the Home Insurance Building in Chicago.
It is also probably important to mention that another reason why steal was preferred in the construction of skyscrapers, was for its resilience when either stretched of compressed. This would become more and more important as skyscrapers became taller.

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Blog: Find and document – visually and textually – a phenomena. It should include things, frameworks, and clockworks.

A phenomenon is usually a temporary event that is perceived by one of the senses of the mind. A phenomenon can be broken down into three parts, clockwork, framework and things.

The phenomenon I chose to blog about, is one that is currently occurring at the U of M campus. All around us trees are changing from green to brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow, due to the changing seasons.

Things – The things in this phenomenon are the leaves, because they are physical entities. Like all matter that has mass and weight, you can eat a leaf (even though I am not too sure you would want to). Also, a leaf or a tree is measurable and weighable.

Frameworks – I suppose the framework for this phenomenon is the tree that the leaves are connected too. Although the leaves are changing and falling, the tree always stays as it is. It doesn’t change with the season. The trunk, the branches, the twigs, all of them are set forever in alternating or opposite relationships (you like that tie into my biogeography class don’t you. Stupid biogeography, filling my head with clouds and trees).

Clockwork – Clockwork drives this whole phenomenon. This particular clockwork is the 4 seasons, winter, spring, summer and fall. Ever repeating, in a completely predictable pattern, that comes each year.

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The place that I decided to write about was my bedroom back home. I suppose there is not much to say but here goes. It is a fairly small bedroom, around 10 1/2’ by 11’, and tucked into the basement of the house. With all of the random posters on the walls, you can hardly tell the room is painted a light blue. The posters range from ones that I got at twins games, to ones that I made in art class in middle school. Like many other bedrooms, it has a bed, dresser, closet, shelves on the wall and a desk. But perhaps the two most distinct features in my room are my bookshelf and bulletin board. Although the bookshelf is small, it is filled to capacity, and almost completely with one series. When I was younger, I began a series known as “Redwall� and fell in love with the innocent characters and the daring adventures with evil villains and valiant heroes. Several years later, and I am on book 13 and counting. Adventure, risk, love, drama….. so much of my life I experienced new and different worlds simply by cracking open a book. The other obvious aspect of my room, my bulletin board, portrays much of the same type of thing, but instead of books, it shows my softball career. It has everything from the traditional row of gleaming medals to the small patches they gave you when you were younger, because games were just for fun back then. Just looking at it reminds me of the many afternoons I spent practicing in the red dirt, or waiting at home plate as the pitcher shifts back and forth as she decides between a curveball and a change up.
Just walking into my room makes me feel safe and comfortable. Perhaps this is because it has been able to adapt to whatever I have every needed. It can be a place of solitude, during the torturous hours spent doing homework, or a place where I can rock my music, surf the web and chat with my friends. Or it is a place where I can just come and sleep in total peace. It is a place where I can control every aspect, and when I leave it, I know that it will be the same when I come back. I know that that may sound weird, but in a world that is always changing and transforming, it is nice to have a rock in my life, that never changes, never moves. A place that feels as if it is set aside in time.
And that is why it is my genius loci.

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“Find a social design issue, document it, become an advocate for it.� Those were the words we were left with when class ended. There are a million things that could fit under that category, and yet I couldn’t think of one. So like all people my age, I turned to the Internet, and searched under everything and anything. But the article I eventually found, really made me think. It was titled “Social design for Scandinavian towns,� but it wasn’t the title that grabbed my attention, it was the very first sentence of the article. “Many smaller Scandinavian cities suffer from a lack of civic pride due to depopulation and the absence of effective planning and development strategies.� I had always known that architects and engineers, designers and planners, always had large roles in society, but I never knew to what extent that role was. It is much more than just designing the buildings and roadways we use everyday, how they design those buildings effects how we see life and what choices we make. For example, the Scandinavian town in the article was lacking civic pride, because the way the town was laid out led to little community interaction and societal bonding. Why care about something that is unfamiliar to you? Something as simple as designing an open area in the town center where people can play and socialize leads to feelings of connectivity and oneness. But designs effect our lives in other ways too. For an example more close to home, America is known for it high levels of obesity. When you look at the way out country’s society is designed, it is not hard to figure out why obesity became a problem. We have laid out our whole social network to revolve around eating and moving from one place to another. Eating is normal, but as for transportation, automobiles have virtually become the only convenient way to get around. We have made it almost impossible for people to bike or walk and expect to get close to anywhere. But if we were to make better public transportation, more plaza type areas, or even just more parks, playground and walking paths, we would be actively persuading people to have healthier lifestyles.
Our decisions influence others decisions. So when we design buildings or roads or even a billboard, we have to think past the atheistic and the money, and understand that the people we design for will be influenced by our creations everyday.

Article: http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/008548.php

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We were asked go to the Midtown Market and observe, define, and list the ways we might create and exchange energy there. Although I was able to make it to the destination, I was unlucky enough to choose a time, 7:30 to be exact, when very few people were there. It was still very early in the morning, and the only store that was open was the local café. Initially I was disappointed that it was so quiet, and that I was going to miss the stereotypical hustle and bustle of which I came for. But then as I began to walk aimlessly around the market, I began to notice a new energy, not the vibrant energy of throngs of people talking and moving from one stall to the next. Instead, I found a much more subtle energy. It is hard to define exactly how it felt, but I will give it a try. Because I got there so early I was able to watch the local workers come in and begin to set up their shops, whether it was opening windows, cleaning counter tops or setting out their wears. The silent activity reminded me of the feelings you get when you realize it is a new day. Everything is starting over, fresh and new. The day is just beginning, slowly working its way up to full speed. I don’t know if that makes any sense, but for some reason it is really hard to describe. In the end, I was happy that I was able to experience something other than what I expected to find.

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