Rhetoric 3371 Spring 2007

The three forms of technology that I thought were most significant were the telephone, the automobile, and the computer.
The telephone was very important because it was a great way of communicating at a fast speed to long distances. The initial forms of the telephone have really evolved into more efficient devices like cordless phones and cell phones. I think that more and more people rely on phones (cell) everyday, whether they are checking the time, entering important dates, or calling in an emergency it seems that phones come handy everywhere and all the time.
The automobile was very important also. Like we talked about in class, it helped us gain freedom and manage our lives in a faster and more efficient way. People could go where they want, when they want. Automobiles sure beat loud, busy, un-timely trains, in my opinion.
Lastly, I love the computer. I think that it plays an essential role in everybody’s live today and it will continue to run our lives even more in the future. Computers are everywhere which is great because they make our lives much easier. They organize, count, remember, take in endless amounts of information and much more. I am exited to see the future of computers and what roles they will play in our lives in 30 years.

I think that the concept of making tools and machines more efficient for human labor have been significant in our society. In our current society, the majority of the people are addicted to efficiency. For example, people went from always having to dine inside restaurants to having options of having options like drive-ins, drive-throughs, and home deliveries. There was a funny commercial on TV a couple of days ago of a man calling up a pizza place from his kitchen and then had the pizza catapulted into his kitchen a few moments later. This just goes to show that people like things to be done efficiently.

I think that the technologies that have greatly benefited and transformed our society are transportation vehicles, telephones, and electricity. Along with electricity, I'd like to add computers. I think that those technologies have not only connected people together and spread news in a much more efficient way, but that they also made like a lot easier and "comfortable."

I think the three concepts that really stuck out to me are significant in my life are electricity, the cell phone and the comptuer. I really enjoyed watching the documentary "Kilowatt Ours" about electricity and how we can conserve on our electrical uses. That unit really opened my eyes to how I can personally conserve energy and save money doing so.

The cell phone was also another unit/concept that we discussed that I thought was significant because almost everyone has one. People in our society are so dependent on their cell phones and I certialy realize that when I accidentally leave my at home - I feel lost without it and like I am missing something.

The computer, I think, was one of the most significant technologies to everyone. Life as a college student would be very difficult without a computer and I do not know if I could manage without one. I do all of my work on a computer and even my job is centered around a computer. The computer is one technology that I think is very significant to everyone's lives.

Looking back on the semester and re-reading some posts and my notes I thought about what were the most significant technologies we have discussed. I tried to think of what was the single most significant technological advancement, and I couldn’t think of just one. The more significant ones, such as: canals. Dams, the railroad, the automobile, and computer are each extremely significant in their own way. I began to realize that technology isn’t just one thing, it isn’t just one invention- technology is a process. Each new development is something that was based on ideas previous to it. Technology builds on itself. That is why I had a hard time stating which technological development was most important, because they all are.
In the beginning of the semester we had talked about how we are technological creatures and the use of tools is what makes us “human.” After analyzing all of the technological advancements we have made in recent years, it seems that we are using more tools. Does this make us more human? Are we more human now than we have ever been? I don’t think this is the case, our ability to reason is what makes us human, but that ability to reason has allowed the human population to dominant the environmental landscape with the use of tools people have developed.
As we have seen, technologies are influential elements of culture. It is natural for a person to feel the need to use tools. Technology is an integral part of what makes us, well, us. As much as people try to abstain from the use of modern technology they still can’t get away from it. Everyone hears stories about people who try to get away from modern society and live in the woods in an effort to get back to their primitive roots. These people still use technology although it is technology at its most primitive form. Shaping of a rock or wooden stick into an object used for digging or clubbing is still using technology. Primates exhibit this behavior, and as we already know we are closely related. Technology is an integral part of being human, and even in the people who try the hardest to get away from it (by sleeping in the woods or whatever) still can’t help but use it.
Also over the semester we have seen that technology is regularly changing. As we also have seen, and that I have written in my notes “change is rarely, if ever, uncontroversial.” Every new technological development we went over in class held this statement to be true. As for short examples, people thought the dam was great until it ruined natural landscape, but did that stop us from using them? People thought the railroad was great until the damaging effects on the natural landscape, like shooting buffalo out the windows of moving train cars and the effects of railroad tracks on the natural terrain, surfaced. Don’t we still use trains? The most recent example I can think of is when people were talking about the changes in Facebook and how most people didn’t like them. Don’t a lot of people still use Facebook? Change is controversial, yes, but so far with these technologies the changes still haven’t deterred people from utilizing them.
Technology is an integral part of the human disposition. We use tools to better ourselves and develop new tools to better the old ones. Analyzing the past we have seen that man has always been, and always will be, a technological creature. This thing we call technology is a never ending process that strives for more efficient ways of, what it seems like, being human. Thinking faster, moving quicker, getting more. People are problem solvers and innovators who have utilized their surroundings to better their own species. Technologically use and our ability to reason is what separates us from other organisms in the animal kingdom.

Over the semester, I believe that all of the technologies that we covered were necessary. The three technologies that I thought were the most significant were
1) The automobile: because the films we watched on suburbia were very helpful in understanding the effects that transportation has on our future.
2) The telephone: because the invention of the cell phone brought a lot of classroom debate and involvement about the topic of appropriate public usage. Also the fact that many new homes are being built without phone lines because there's no need anymore when you already have a cell phone.
3) The internet: because people spend a lot of time using it and feel that it is essential to their daily lives. Joining websites where you can create personal profiles brought in a lot of fun and humourous conversation throughout the classroom and made class more interesting and entertaining.
This class really made me thin about the future of technology and how society adapts to it. There are always new inventions coming out, but the automobile, telephone, and internet play the biggest part in our lives today.

The topic from class that had the biggest impact on me, and I think is important for the rest of our society, is the impacts technology has had on Earth along with the new technology we have to improve our relationship with the environment. When fuel technologies, such as oil and coal, were first put into use we didn’t know the harmful effects that it would have. But now we are beginning to realize that we are doing a lot of damage. I think our society needs to be educated on environmental issues and also what we can do to help (like using energy efficient appliances and light bulbs). Since learning about this in class I have been doing research on my own and about alternative and efficient energy sources, and implementing some of things I have learned.

I also liked reading about and discussing the uses of technology in communication and in the classroom. It made me think about how I use these technologies (such as cell phones and the internet) and how much it affects my life and others around me. If I never took this class I would never have thought about these technologies critically. It was also a good experience to hear the opinions of you (Prof. Nichols), and rest of the class on these issues. Cell phones and internet are a part of everyday life and we just take them for granted and don’t realize the impact they have. So it was a good to be made aware.

I think it’s a tough decision to make in deciding which forms of technology I like best. It’s tough because at one time or another, I have used just about every form of technology that we’ve discussed this semester, some more than others. I think the 4 that I use most right now as a student would be oil/cars, a house, the telephone, and the computer/internet. It’s funny how anyone can live just as easy without these 4 (except for a house of course) and skip all the costs and maintenance fees for having them. What makes it hard for someone like me to give any of them up is that I was brought up with these forms of technology and have learned to rely upon each one of them so much. I can already see myself saying this ten years from now about a new form of technology that I am currently living without very happily. Maybe if I grew up in the early 1900’s, I would look at these differently and choose something simpler such as a wrist watch for example (something which would have been a big deal at the time of growing up). But I think that of all the money that I have put forth into anything, these 4 would probably top my “best purchase list”. Even though they all need to be replaced and/or updated every so often, they are things which I use on a daily basis. I think everyone needs a home, some form of transportation, and a tool for communication. Without these necessities in today’s time, you would be considered pretty much helpless.

It’s amazing to look back at the semester to see how much technology has progressed. I find the three most significant technologies were the automobile, telephone and computer. All three have greatly contributed to productivity, efficiency as well as communication. I think they have attributed to my life dramatically. These three technologies are my favorite because I use them on a daily basis and find them as necessities.

I find the most interesting article we read in class to be “Technology and Happiness” by James Surowiecki. The reason why I enjoyed this article is because it made me contemplate people’s dependency on technology. Although the whole course made me think about the issue, I find this article did an excellent job describing people’s relationship with technology. What would we do without it?

Looking back on the semester I thought that the automobile and the internet were highly influential technological advancements. I do not think I can single these two technologies out and say that they were the most influential because we studied so many different technological advancements that all added to society in one way or another. I think that the automobile changed American culture and American landscape with the development of the suburb. I also believe the internet opened global communication and information sharing. I use both of these technologies nearly every day of my life – I think that fact itself makes both of these technologies very important. I really enjoyed this class overall; I never realized how many large and small innovations have advanced society. It is interesting to look back on how many technologies rely on each other to work properly. Many of the older advancements we take for granted today. I already take for granted the use of the internet. As a society we rely too heavily on technology. I am not sure if we will ever be without technology in our lives. It seems as though we will always have to adapt to some new technology that will change the current way of doing things.

The top 3 technologies in my life which I feel are most significant are:

3) Cars
2) Cell phones
1) The Internet

It's amazing to look back at this past semester and think about how much this class has changed me. Before I was totally oblivious to the impacts of these three technologies in my life- they were basically taken for granted. I think now I have a better appreciation of these technologies and a better understanding of their impact. I think the most significant thing we talked about was simply our dependence on them. We are so dependent on oil that we are aware we are destroying our own environment and yet we continue to get in our cars everyday or use electricity when it is not needed. I am so conscience now of not getting in my car to drive a short distance or making sure I turn off lights and things in rooms I am not using. I think this all ties into our idea of comfort which we read that interesting article on... I just wish we had more time to discuss it in class! If we were given an ultimatum of no more oil use/emissions, could we do it? Would we?

The main effect of technologies is to make tasks easier, faster, and more accessible.
The phone made the world both smaller and bigger at the same time.
Same with trains and then cars.
And the computer, along with now the internet (nowadays the two usually go together after all), once again repeated the above effects.

The technologies that I thought was significant were the train, the computer, and the internet. Although, all the technology we talked about in this course is important too. I really enjoyed reading about the train and talking about it. I don’t like history, but the history of the train was interesting to learn and it is fascinating how it alone, changed our society so much. I do believe it is because of the train that we started to live in distant community rather than in a close community. But this also brought issues as of ways of communicating and thus other technologies were invented. I also enjoyed the computer and the internet. They go hand in hand, you can’t have the internet without a computer and the computer can’t be as versatile without the internet. I can’t picture myself without the computer or the internet nowadays. I remember when I was a kid, my brother bought a computer. I was so amazed by it. But I rarely touched it; I would have rather gone outside and play. I think I would still be doing that now if it wasn’t for a laptop or internet access. I mean, when I am at home and I have nothing to do, I go online. But I believe if I didn’t have a computer, I would go outside and roller skate or go for a jog. But the computer and internet has also allowed me to stay connected to my friends here, in California, and in Iraq. The computer and internet has allowed us to even move out further and still yet, we can communicate with our love ones.

I think all of the concepts and ideas we discussed in class made a lot of sense and where very critical to my understanding of how they worked and were built and how dependent we are upon them. But the three that made most impact on me in terms of the change in perspective after reading and having the class discussions would have to be 1. Cars 2. telephone 3. computer

One of reasons why is because its only 9:26 AM and i have used all of them so far.

More specifically:
1. cars- because ever since i have a kid i dreamt of having my own car and travelling all across the world in it. But to learn about the social/economic and the environmental impact cars have made in our lives is truly amazing.

2. Telephone- i have lived without a telephone growing up, therefore i appreciate how valuable it is in our lives. Almost everyone i know has a cell phone which makes things a lot easier. however there are the issues of public use and how it has started to become a nuisance. but overall, a must have if you are a college student.
3. The computer---- Because it has made life so much more easier and saves you a lot of time. you can check the weather, do some shopping and engage in global commerce and do your HW at the same time. What else do you want?

Like everyone has mentioned, the three technologies that have had the most immediate noticeable effect on our lives are cars, telephones, and computers. The term "significant" has so many conditions and is subject to so much subjectivity. Other technologies that have been around to centuries I feel have also had ENORMOUS impact on our lives but go unnoticed because they are accepted as the "norm". Many things in our lives today wouldn't be possible, for example, without the assembly line which was first perfected and widely used by Henry Ford. The train was one of the very first technological advancements and while it may not directly impact us now, it was the beginning of many technologies that would drastically modify the way we transports. The cell phone is an amazing invention but it all began with the land line.

Technology is built on stages, typically getting more efficient, useful, and complicated. Cars, cell phones, and the computer/Internet are probably the three most significant inventions of our (college students) lifestyle but it shouldn't go without noting that primary inventions like trains, houses, etc. formed the building blocks that we come to accept as "normal" today.

If I were to answer this same question a few decades ago, my immediate answer would have been the mills, the railroads and the telephone. Those were the three main things that fulfilled the major necessaties. But today, my choices have changed. With the fast pace of life if I have to cut short to three technologies they would be electricity, automobile and the telephone. Without the electricity it isn't possible to carry out almost every houshold errand. Commuting would be a big, big discomfort without my own automobile. I want to be in touch with my family and friends, so telephone-cellphone is also essential. And like Utsav, I have also made a use of all three so far since this morning . But since I have got so used of using it, I have taken it for granted. The mills also play a major role in our lives-inderectly, but its not a matter of personal concern, so its not important for me. It is a matter of choices that we make. I can also include computer to my choice, for the same reason as everyone has described, afterall, having one makes you comfortable.

When we learned about the Alaska pipeline, the Hoover Dam, and in general the America as a second creation idea, those topics stayed with me more than anything else. Thinking about technology as a way to dominate nature is something very relelvent to our society today because it's something that we've done alot here in America, and it causes a lot of problems that we will have to start fixing. Thinking about technology as nature domination was a new way to think about technology for me, and I think it will continue to be relevent for me in my life, as I try to think about ways to make people interested in the environment and want to help it. Also, thinking about technology as a way to improve nature seems to be really deep rooted in our society, which is something that I never thought about before and so I think the Nye's book is a really handy one to have.

I think that the concept of the impact the automobile has had on society and on the American landscape has been drastic. That was one of my favorite units. It still boggles my mind to think of how our culture would function without the car and all of the advancements that came along with it.
The second technology that I am fascinated by is the Internet. It seems incredbile that the Internet boom occured so quickly and now affects so many people. The Internet has allowed for such an increase in communication (if also a lack of interpersonal communication) and is such a huge source of information.
Both of these technologies have revolutionalized our society. They each have gone under many advancements as technologies, and continue to get better- or at lest provide more comfort to people.