Module 13

By

Hunter DeVries

            “A man is like a novel: until the very last page you don't know how it will end. Otherwise it wouldn't be worth reading.” -Yevgeny Zamyatin, It is time to say our goodbyes but let’s remember that we learned about a story that is unfolding, not one that is finished.   But I would like to take a moment and review over the information that stuck out to me and what I would recommend to make the class better.

            History I believe is a mere glance at our past and an opportunity to learn from our mistakes and repeat our successes. Funny enough that is the constant that we have in history, that there are ups and downs. We learned many things about the technological advancements that were made put I believe that it didn’t focus very strongly on the challenges and sacrifices that were made to create our present times. It seems that what makes it so fun to watch and see these fictional creations of Jules Verne, Leonardo da Vinci, and Thomas Edison come alive in our days. It seems that we as a society are starting to be more of demanding society, instead of a society that is amazed at each advancement. My hope is that we continue to be innovative, but we don’t sacrifice our common courtesy to others and be understanding.

            Connections are made that throughout the world can help create a more interconnected society. I think that is what is helping the consumer receive their product at a more affordable rate, which helps us save. I love Amazon because I can get good merchandise and typically very quick at an affordable rate. How just creating that certain kind of company created a massive change to how online shopping had to be modeled.  I also personally enjoyed learning about how Dell Laptops are assembled and the logistics that goes into making them. I think that it has been fascinating learning about the ins and outs of online business, especially since I work in that business.

            Overall, I think the class was perfect and it really gave us the time to get the assignments done and learn at the same time. I have and will continue to recommend this class to everyone that I come in contact with. I am going to end with a good quote that I think accounts for journey that we will continue to go on in this ever learning technology world.  It's time to say goodbye, but I think goodbyes are sad and I'd much rather say hello. Hello to a new adventure. -Ernie Harwell. 

Module 12

By

Hunter DeVries

           

            Your intellect may be confused, but your emotions will never lie to you. –Roger Ebert. I believe this is the motivation of the author towards his paper. I would like to explain a bit about “Why the future doesn’t need us” by Bill Joy, explained by some of the emotions or feelings, which drove him to write this paper.      

            Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. – Ralph Waldo Emerson. The imagination is a feeling of wisdom that leads great men and women of the world to the technological advancements such as genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics. These have unleashed a whole new universe of scientific exploration. The results thus far have been incredible on one side but have been destructive on the other. From the medical advancements that have been able to help millions if not billions of people, to the atomic bomb which did the opposite of help, it created devastation and fear.

            The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown – H. P. Lovecraft. I think that this quote explains exactly how the author feels towards the future of technology. Now don’t get me wrong I believe that Bill Joy is a genius and he is very persuasive in his essay, but it motivated by fear of what may or may not happen. But fear shouldn’t hold us back from what can help people for generations to come. There will always an opposition to all things, and that is why it’s worth taking the risk.

The biggest risk is not taking any risk…. In a world that's changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks. – Mark Zuckerberg. Fighting to make something happen is worth the risk in my opinion. I think that when you have the opportunity to make a positive difference in the world, it is worth the risk. Imagine if we would not have taken the venture into cancer treatments that have helped numberless amounts of people. This article was written back in 2000, which means if we would have taken his advice we wouldn’t have anything that we typically use on a daily basis.

Overall, I am not convinced by the evidence that he presented in the article, because even though the past can teach us doesn’t mean it always applies. I admit that he contributed to many of the foundational parts and principles of the technology that we have today, but he shouldn’t be afraid of the opportunity for technology to grow. None the less a great article which has some real depth to his argument, like the depth of our future, phenomenal.