Stress

I am really stressed out about my future right now. Should I do research? Should I co-op? Should I intern? Should I study abroad? Should I work abroad? Stress is such a big thing in all of our lives, especially those of us who attend Georgia Tech. Robots are lucky that they don't feel stress. They don't have to worry about failing or what they have to do in the future. They only do what they are programmed to do and if they fail, then humans are the ones who have to work to fix them. I feel like we take stress for granted. Of course we hate being stressed, but it causes us to work harder and changes the paces of our lives. If we didn't have stress, we would live at the same pace all the time, which would get boring. I feel this would make us miss stress in the future if robots do everything for us. We never realize what we have until we lose it. This cliche proves very true and if we lose all the privileges and things we do now, then we will regret letting technology take over and we will miss our old human lives. What do we do? We hate to be stressed but if we let technology take over, we will miss it. We hate physically working hard, but if we let technology take over, we will become obese. We hate having to carry several things, but if we have everything in the form of technology, we will lose culture. Technology can be good but evil at the same time. It is up to us and how much we use and depend on technology that determines what will happen to us humans in the future.

Books: I don't read

So we discussed the transition of books from actual text to digital technology today in class. This is an awful idea. Books make the world go round. I don't even read, but I can appreciate a good book. Hard copy books and texts are what govern our society. The Constitution, the Bible, maps, etc. We can't betray them. We can't let  the digital age take over because we are too lazy to carry another 5 pounds or because we want the newest craze. We can't give in to technology. We can't let them take over. The next thing you know, there will be food, our minds will be computers, we will import data, and ultimately, we will become robots/cyborgs. Turning books into electronics is just another step on the path to towards technology taking over.

Bjork, "All is Full of Love"

In this music video, there is a scene of a robotic "woman" kissing another robotic woman which looks very similar to the other one. Maybe the director decided to make both of them look the same because robots are factory-made and all look the same and function the same. Maybe the director is hinting that if we humans give in to technology, we will all have robotic body parts that all look the same and thus, we will all look the same on the outside. Maybe he is saying that if we let technology take over, we will not have any element of individuality or creativity. Maybe the director is saying that humans are already all the same because we all generally follow what is considered the norm or whatever everyone else is doing. Maybe the director is arguing that we need to branch from society and do whatever we want to rather than just what everyone else is doing.

Also, maybe the director did this to show people's obsessions with themselves. Everyone likes who they are and if they didn't, they would change and be someone else. If they are too lazy to change, then that's their fault for who they are and how their lives are and no one else's. Of course this is not true that everyone loves themselves to such an extent but it can be argued that everyone is content and happy with who they are. But perhaps the director is suggesting that people are in love with themselves. People will do bad things just to get what they want for themselves. They will through out all morals, they will put aside family, friends, priorities. They will work too much or too little, binge eat or not eat, through out morals and do whatever feels good. Is this a bad thing? Maybe not. Is this a good thing? Definitely not. So it's up to us who we want to be and for whom/what we live. What's your motivation?

Gossip Girl

So my girlfriend was telling me about the TV show "Gossip Girl". In this show, one mean, jealous college girl uses an alias, Gossip Girl, and posts news and the scoop about a group of others in the show. Gossip Girl uses a website I think and sends texts whenever she finds out something new or just wants to start gossip. At one point in the show, Gossip Girl gets personally involved with these students and tries to sabotage the life of one of them. She says Serena (the sabotaged) has an STD and everyone talks about it and believes it. GG also says that Serena slept with one of the other girls' boyfriend. That girl believe GG over her boyfriend as well.

The point I want to make is how does this one girl who makes up lies to hurt others influence what people think of them. Why do all of these people believe what a website says? GG uses technology to spread the word about these kids and people follow her. It seems that everyone in the show is subscribed to GG and she plays a large part of their lives. It's like a newspaper for teens and about teens. So does this describe how we use technology today? Do we get most of our information through technology rather than traditional newspapers and mail? I think so. Many people get information and news online from websites such as Facebook, Yahoo, MSN, YouTube, email, etc. We even register for classes online. Everything is online these days, which can be good and bad. It is good in a sense that everyone can access it from the comfort of their home and they can view any website they like and connect to billions of people around the world. It is bad in a sense that everyone can access it from the comfort of their home and they can view any website they like and connect to billions of people around the world. It causes laziness, lack of real interactions, etc. People don't exercise as much anymore. Also, if one day, every computer somehow shut down and the Internet was destroyed, we would be left with nothing. How would we check our grades? Where would our money be? This is the extent to which we now rely on technology and quite frankly, I don't think it's a good thing.

Future Feelings

As people continue to depend on technology and robotic body parts, will we not lose our sense of feeling? How can metal feel the cold breeze on a winter's day or the scorching heat from the summer sun? How can a metal nose smell the delicious aroma of freshly baked bread or of one's beautiful spouse? How can a prosthetic tongue taste the splendid taste of a mother's cooking or a delicious warm pretzel from the mall? We will lose the function of our senses if we continue to physically depend on technology. I understand that fake nerves can be developed but will they be compatible with the brain? How will we know if rather than feeling the actual environment that the "nerves" don't just make the brain "feel" what it thinks it is supposed to be feeling? For example, what if there existed a delicious-looking steak right in front of someone and to that person (who has no technological body parts), the steak has an awful smell like garbage. But another person walks by and the fake nerves implanted in his body make him smell what he is "supposed" to smell, a delightful steak rather than the garbage. I understand this idea is a bit far-fetched but just think about it.

We must work hard to keep our bodies as human as possible and not to give in to technology. There can be arguments from all sides of this statement but there is no doubt in what is happening to humanity. People are increasingly using technology and whether they admit it or not, are becoming more dependent on it..

Peer Illustrated Argumentative Essay

I loved ALL the illustrated argumentative essays I saw today. One which particularly stood out to me was the project with a hand made of blades of grass touching the tip of its finger with that of a hand made of aluminum foil and metal. I did not find an artist's letter for this piece but it definitely caught my attention. The two fingers were touching only on the tip like E.T. The project looked so simple yet so profound. Just two hands, touching as if in agreement or understanding. As if they wanted to fuse together and create some sort of metallic/grass hand. As if they wanted to be a cyborg.

What I got from this piece was the fact that nature and technology are continuously growing closer to being one. I see that humans continue to become more dependent on technology and that all over the world, industry is taking over. I see that we humans also create technology and robots that increasingly develop qualities of humanity and become more humanlike. Both opposite ends of the spectrum are becoming more like one another and eventually they will meet. This is what I feel the project was exemplifying.

This idea in my opinion is terrible!!!! Why would be want to become robots?! Why would we want to be programmed and not have to do anything?! That's the beauty of life! Having to walk around and breathe in the fresh air, having to deal with problems we have without the use of technology. If humanity and technology ever meet and reach a point when they are the same, there would be nothing to distinguish us from technology. I can't imagine technology ever having true emotions or feelings. I can't imagine technology having a conscience and knowing what is right from what is wrong. A new species will have been created, one which God did not create. It will have been one which we humans will have created and we should not have that power. We ought not have the power to control life nor take it away. Now I'm reaching a moral concept that is more appropriate to be discussed elsewhere.

There is no doubt that humans and technology are increasingly becoming closer to being one another, but there is something we can do about it. But no one is willing to. The ease and efficiency technology brings to us makes us addicted and dependent to it. Maybe the point when humans and technology meet is inevitable, or maybe everyone will one day realize that there must be a stopping point. But who knows what that point will be?