I’m partial to Week 11’s content so I’ll talk mostly about it in this reflection blog.
The sixth sense concept is really interesting. I feel like this particular manifestation of the idea (thing hanging around your neck, etc.) is a bit premature and clunky, but someday I can picture us living this way and using this technology in 10 years or so.
In the mid-1990’s I got a device for free (from a magazine, I think) called a CueCat. CueCat was a glorified barcode scanner that plugged into the PS/2 (keyboard) port of your computer. A few publications started putting CueCat barcodes into their magazines, newspapers, etc. You scan the barcode with your device and it brings up a web page or whatever. Sound familiar? We’re seeing those 2D QR barcodes everywhere nowadays, and they do basically the same thing. CueCat went under. The masses were not ready at that time – which is part of it. I think that there’s a little more to it, though – the technology wasn’t there like it is today for instant availability. More people have smartphones than don’t, so seeing the barcodes and scanning them in is a very easy process. CueCat was a bit more clunky because you needed to be AT your computer to do it.
Anyhow – I think Sixth Sense is probably in the same boat. We’re not ready for it. The technology isn’t quite there for it. It will crash and burn. In 10 years, though, we’ll see it in another reincarnation and we’ll be ready for it at that point.
With regard to the other part of week 11 – the war-fighting robots. I think it’s a scary concept, for sure. I spent 4 years in the Marine Corps Infantry with 3 combat tours to Iraq. I’ve spent countless hours training and preparing for battle. How to move properly as a team/squad/convoy – how to cover all the bases and ensure we’re safe. It’s a totally new dimension to have to consider the flying robot that you can’t see that can drop bombs on you. All I can say is that I’m glad the enemy didn’t have it when I was in, and I feel sorry for the guys that have to deal with it when it happens. Maintaining 360 degree security is hard enough – adding the above-ground 180 is a whole different task.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Reflection Blog 3
Reflection Blog 3-Submitted by Michelle Lampkins
The last few weeks engaged us in very interesting topics. I particularly enjoyed some of the material we covered that helped us analyze whether we realize the effects of our interactions with technology. We asked ourselves questions about how we present ourselves on the internet when we communicate with others. Are we being our authentic self on line or do we have an alias personality when dealing with others online. Do we conduct ourselves differently in a business setting compared to a casual setting? For example if we seek interactions on a dating website do we present our true self or do we create a vision that is different from our reality. Do we post old photos of ourselves when we thought we looked better, do we share truth about us sooner or much later.
We also discussed our purpose and identity when we surf the web and the question of whether we surf the web out of the pure escape of boredom and mindless surfing with no real purpose. The web has so much to offer and the information you can obtain is beyond our ever discovering everything on the internet, so when there is a bottomless pit, we can easily be drawn in to continue digging and digging as long as we desire, because there is no end in sight for the information available on the world wide web.
The information on sixth sense technology was indeed interesting. I did send a link of the discussion on technology being developed for the sixth sense technology to a co-worker who is a techie and loves technical articles. His response was in the initial stages of the development of this technology, he felt it was too cumbersome to have all the gadgets tied to individuals and it would take a long time for the general population to adopt such technology, and we laughed about that fact and said while the ideas and amazing features this technology has, it is something to marvel at, but not going to be embraced for some time to come.
I also found it interesting to consider the ethical issues that arise when considering the use of robotics in warfare. We discussed how the robots could help in warfare by possibly reducing human casualties since they would replace soldiers on the ground in some instances, however there is still a measure of precautions necessary to take because these robots have to still be controlled and making moral decisions about when to act and if robotics can perceive a true threat compared to being engaged to kill first ask questions later, this could result in unnecessary casualties. Also just as our cultural may develop robotic warriors so can other governments and we could face the same issues as those we may attack using these machines. Although this is new technology it does come with reasons to be wary and fearful.
I definitely enjoyed learning about Kwame Anthony Appiah and his views on cosmopolitanism. I could relate to his views on being accepting of other cultures without abandoning our our culture. The world we live in has technology that allows us to communicate daily on a global scale. I know some had a problem with his views about taking responsiblity for each other on a world wide scale, but I did think perhaps he meant in our communications and interactions with other cultures. I felt the need to try to learn more about other cultures going forward in life. I thought it was interesting when he highlighted the different family responsibilities between different cultures. For example with his Father of Ghana descent, the brother to the mother in the household was responsible for the care and upbringing of any children she had, yet in the English household of his Mother, his Father and likewise Fathers bear the responsibility for children in the home. I didn't know that and thought wow, that is a different take altogether from the way we do things in the US. Yet Kwame asked the question which action is right or wrong and his approach was he shouldn't say either is right or wrong.
The other point Kwame made is sometimes we require people to become more like us to accept people, whereas a cosmopolitan view is excepting of other views. Kwame didn't think we should retreat to our own group and live a moral life, and he also didn't think you have to abandon your own to embrace other viewpoints, so the bottom line is in this global culture we must find a way to strike a balance and that is taking the cosmopolitan approach.
We did learn a lot about global communications and I found myself really enjoying the video clips and ideas of the thinking people out there that constantly study the effects of technology in our day to day dealings and future events.
Final Blog Entry
Out of the last few weeks of readings there were two specific things that I continue to think about.
One thing was the sixth sense technology that was presented by Pranav Mistry. I still can't get over the fact as to how unimpressed I was with his new technology. Maybe it's because the presentation makes it look so easy to use the technology and everyone in the video ooh'd and ahh'd, but in all reality, whenever a new technology comes out no one knows how to use it and it's full potential is never truly realized. Maybe it's the old man talking in me, but I'm pretty comfortable with the technology that I have right now. I think people still have a lot of catching up to do as far as learning about technology and what it can offer. It's really hard/frustrating as a human being to finally feel like you've mastered something, only to find out that what you've mastered is now obsolete and you must now start from square one.
The second thing that I found my mind dwelling upon is the ideology of cosmopolitanism. In my life I've always had this sort of ideology without even knowing it. I don't know if it's been religion that has shaped my attitude, maybe it was just the way I was raised, or maybe it's even in my genes. However, in watching the video of Kwame Anthony Appiah, I've noticed that I might only hold this ideology to a point. There are numerous global issues, cultures, societies that I remain ignorant about. I also choose to remain complacent in learning about these other cultures. By choosing to remain complacent in learning about other cultures am I not fully adopting the ideology of cosmopolitanism? Or, does it only count when I actually encounter a different situation and not actually seek one out? Also, how do we handle a situation where we have to choose between our close knit group, or the well being of the entire world? If, according to Appiah, we have to learn to live with both, how do we put a priority on one or the other when it's called for?
One thing was the sixth sense technology that was presented by Pranav Mistry. I still can't get over the fact as to how unimpressed I was with his new technology. Maybe it's because the presentation makes it look so easy to use the technology and everyone in the video ooh'd and ahh'd, but in all reality, whenever a new technology comes out no one knows how to use it and it's full potential is never truly realized. Maybe it's the old man talking in me, but I'm pretty comfortable with the technology that I have right now. I think people still have a lot of catching up to do as far as learning about technology and what it can offer. It's really hard/frustrating as a human being to finally feel like you've mastered something, only to find out that what you've mastered is now obsolete and you must now start from square one.
The second thing that I found my mind dwelling upon is the ideology of cosmopolitanism. In my life I've always had this sort of ideology without even knowing it. I don't know if it's been religion that has shaped my attitude, maybe it was just the way I was raised, or maybe it's even in my genes. However, in watching the video of Kwame Anthony Appiah, I've noticed that I might only hold this ideology to a point. There are numerous global issues, cultures, societies that I remain ignorant about. I also choose to remain complacent in learning about these other cultures. By choosing to remain complacent in learning about other cultures am I not fully adopting the ideology of cosmopolitanism? Or, does it only count when I actually encounter a different situation and not actually seek one out? Also, how do we handle a situation where we have to choose between our close knit group, or the well being of the entire world? If, according to Appiah, we have to learn to live with both, how do we put a priority on one or the other when it's called for?
Reflection Blog 2
Reflection Blog 2nd Entry- Submitted by Michelle Lampkins
I am going to reflect on the readings and discussions from week 7 and the information we learned about freedom of information, and speech and the impact of whistle blowing and the actions of Wikileaks activities on the internet. The discussions around this topic highlighted how much everyone values freedom of expression and not having restrictions imposed on us in using this cyber technology.
I was engaged in the readings about Wikileaks and gaining more insight to why Julian Assande is motivated to do what he does through this organization. I felt that when you look at what he wants to do, he wants to expose people to reality and what is really going on in the world and what world governments are involved in and I think he just reminds us that when we watch the news we don't always get a true reading of events that happen in the world. The media, many times, presents stories, ideas and images in one light and it is common that presenting a news story one way can result in a lack of knowledge of what is really happening in the world. I wonder sometimes if we believe in freedom of expression and speech, what is really wrong with us having the freedom to know the real truth about events and make our own conclusions instead of the media or government involvement trying to shape our perceptions of the events that occur in our times and events that have occurred in past history. The least engaging Portion of the reading had to do with whistle blowing, because I felt that again in our society whenever someone wants to reveal the truth about wrongdoing, the corrupt ones want to punish the individual who takes a stand and hide the truth. There are so many stories of people being afraid to speak up due to the consequences of their actions, namely probably losing their job.
I learned this week that many people feel that regarding censorship that children should be protected from bad content and exposure to explicit, violent or other ill content, but adults not so much. I thought it was interesting that you don't want a child's mentality to be shaped by others ill content but when you become an adult it is ok if you choose, to expose yourself to these ill thoughts and activities, because we believe in freedom of choice and expression.
The things I learned this week will cause me to do more research on things I read about on the internet. There are indeed many different perspectives presented on the internet via blogs, news websites and even in social media. I usually read content on the internet and I think like most of us we can accept some content on the internet due to what resonates with our outlook and views about life and how we may approach life, but I learned that critical thinking and analyzing a matter and being open to looking at an idea in more than a couple of ways will help broaden my understanding of the various viewpoints on any given topics I choose to read about on the internet.
I am going to reflect on the readings and discussions from week 7 and the information we learned about freedom of information, and speech and the impact of whistle blowing and the actions of Wikileaks activities on the internet. The discussions around this topic highlighted how much everyone values freedom of expression and not having restrictions imposed on us in using this cyber technology.
I was engaged in the readings about Wikileaks and gaining more insight to why Julian Assande is motivated to do what he does through this organization. I felt that when you look at what he wants to do, he wants to expose people to reality and what is really going on in the world and what world governments are involved in and I think he just reminds us that when we watch the news we don't always get a true reading of events that happen in the world. The media, many times, presents stories, ideas and images in one light and it is common that presenting a news story one way can result in a lack of knowledge of what is really happening in the world. I wonder sometimes if we believe in freedom of expression and speech, what is really wrong with us having the freedom to know the real truth about events and make our own conclusions instead of the media or government involvement trying to shape our perceptions of the events that occur in our times and events that have occurred in past history. The least engaging Portion of the reading had to do with whistle blowing, because I felt that again in our society whenever someone wants to reveal the truth about wrongdoing, the corrupt ones want to punish the individual who takes a stand and hide the truth. There are so many stories of people being afraid to speak up due to the consequences of their actions, namely probably losing their job.
I learned this week that many people feel that regarding censorship that children should be protected from bad content and exposure to explicit, violent or other ill content, but adults not so much. I thought it was interesting that you don't want a child's mentality to be shaped by others ill content but when you become an adult it is ok if you choose, to expose yourself to these ill thoughts and activities, because we believe in freedom of choice and expression.
The things I learned this week will cause me to do more research on things I read about on the internet. There are indeed many different perspectives presented on the internet via blogs, news websites and even in social media. I usually read content on the internet and I think like most of us we can accept some content on the internet due to what resonates with our outlook and views about life and how we may approach life, but I learned that critical thinking and analyzing a matter and being open to looking at an idea in more than a couple of ways will help broaden my understanding of the various viewpoints on any given topics I choose to read about on the internet.
Blog 3-Sami Atari
Two of my favorite topics that we have covered in these last couple weeks are Crosscultural / Intercultural Ethics and Globalism, Social Inclusion, and the Digital Divide. I’ve always found anything that has to deal with different cultures, globalism, and different ethnicities fascinating. I feel particularly drawn to these subjects due to the fact that I have family members in different countries, as well as friends with different ethnicities.
I particularly found the case-study in Ess’s Digital Media Ethics about the Muhammad Cartoons very interesting since my family is Muslim. I think that the people in my family would take offense to these stereo types that were published in Europe. Even though I don’t consider myself “Muslim” because I do not strictly follow all traditions, I still take offense to it as well. Perhaps the reason I get angry is because I know it would offend the people I know. Would Christians get angry if this was the same way but with Jesus Christ? For this reason, I feel like that Muslims are always getting short changed.
Another great example the Ess brings up is about women cartoon characters showing skin and that some places there are people that don’t take offense to it, but in some they do. In countries with a huge Muslim population then there probably wouldn’t be a problems because incidents like this probably won’t happen. If you live in a none-Muslim country than they shouldn’t really complain about it, because it is a part of their culture. It’s almost redundant because they complain about people not respecting their cultural, but they should know that what they are offended by is actually someone else’s culture. All this also ties into the chapter on cross cultural.
There are always going to be people that aren’t as open as others. They have been closed off from the rest of the world and either will never break out to discover otherness or will never get the opportunity. I love to ask people where they are from and talk to them about their culture. One main reason I do this is so I can compare them to my culture, and find similarities. My parents always taught me to be open about this, and I feel that I am. I like to talk about another cultures food, traditions, and also try to learn a couple things from their language.
I feel bad for the people that are sheltered and don’t get to experience other cultures. They have been put into a little bubble and don’t know how to get out.
I particularly found the case-study in Ess’s Digital Media Ethics about the Muhammad Cartoons very interesting since my family is Muslim. I think that the people in my family would take offense to these stereo types that were published in Europe. Even though I don’t consider myself “Muslim” because I do not strictly follow all traditions, I still take offense to it as well. Perhaps the reason I get angry is because I know it would offend the people I know. Would Christians get angry if this was the same way but with Jesus Christ? For this reason, I feel like that Muslims are always getting short changed.
Another great example the Ess brings up is about women cartoon characters showing skin and that some places there are people that don’t take offense to it, but in some they do. In countries with a huge Muslim population then there probably wouldn’t be a problems because incidents like this probably won’t happen. If you live in a none-Muslim country than they shouldn’t really complain about it, because it is a part of their culture. It’s almost redundant because they complain about people not respecting their cultural, but they should know that what they are offended by is actually someone else’s culture. All this also ties into the chapter on cross cultural.
There are always going to be people that aren’t as open as others. They have been closed off from the rest of the world and either will never break out to discover otherness or will never get the opportunity. I love to ask people where they are from and talk to them about their culture. One main reason I do this is so I can compare them to my culture, and find similarities. My parents always taught me to be open about this, and I feel that I am. I like to talk about another cultures food, traditions, and also try to learn a couple things from their language.
I feel bad for the people that are sheltered and don’t get to experience other cultures. They have been put into a little bubble and don’t know how to get out.
Reflection Blog 1
Reflection Blog 1-Submitted by Michelle Lampkins
The material we have covered the first few weeks in this class is an indication that there are many ways to look at ethical considerations for cybertechnology. The readings have used examples that we must analyze today with the advent of modern technology. The laws in place that were originally intended for physical copies of information now have to be reconsidered due to the different forms of content and the easier access to such content due to the internet and the avenues that the internet provide for access to such information. The fact that information is now accessible in different formats raises ethical issues with regard to the rights of creators of such content and whether or not we are violating the rights of the creators of such content by the way we access and use such content. There is also the consideration of privacy issues, because so much information is so easily accessible, an individuals right to privacy can and has been violated and such issues really give us an opportunity to reflect on these issues. The reading material also gave us an opportunity to reflect on various ethical viewpoints with regard to different scenarios in the world of cybertechnology. It is very interesting that there are many different ways to look at a problem and to be willing to consider more than one theory before reaching a conclusion that can be the most practical application of a theory to an issue raised. I found myself having a mixture of viewpoints with regard to certain scenarios, based a little on my personal feelings and then having my viewpoint challenged by other viewpoints that I thought was fair to consider in addition to my own personal feelings.
I did learn that we really need ethical theories, as Tavani points out in his book on page 53, and we do in fact need to approach ethical theories in a similar manner as the approach to investigate scientific theories and how one needs to gather facts and information to form the basis for the best conclusion, and we can provide a framework to analyze moral issues in a "coherent, consistent, comprehensive and systematic" way. We must recognize that there is not always going to be a clear answer for issues raised because cybertechnology is a global force. The fact that cybertechnology is global, when considering ethics, we have to be open minded and recognize that the morals in our Western culture will differ from other cultures around the globe. The difficulty of trying to find a theory that can cover all beliefs is near to impossible. I learned that we may have to consider moral theories that allow for more than one viewpoint.
The example in Tavani's book that I had an immediate opinion about was the cyberstalking incident that was discussed. I took a Deontology/Ethical Absolutism viewpoint. I thought it was morally wrong for this woman to be a victim of this person who used the internet to track down, stalk and murder this young woman. I felt the woman's privacy was violated and it was absolutely wrong for this person to use the internet to help him get access to this woman's personal information and use this information to track down and murder this young woman. This man was able to gain access to this young woman's information with the help of websites that made it possible to do such research. Instead of just blaming the murderer this story also raised issues about whom else should be considered responsible and share blame, because access was provided by these other entities. There is no question that the action of this murderer was wrong, there is no other plausible defense for him. Freedom of speech and freedom to access such information can't be considered in this scenario, because the end result and purpose of what this murderer did is not justified period.
The other issue that was highlighted in numerous examples is the current discussion about downloading movies and music. Many ethical questions arise, is it considered stealing due to copyright laws that exist today? The western culture verses other cultures may have a different take on using copyrighted materials in a digital format. Some may think it is ok to make a back up copy of such material. Some may feel it is ok to download and make copies as long as they are not selling the data for a profit, they may compare it to past actions like making a recording off the radio using a cassette recorder or making a second vhs copy of a movie to let a friend or family see at a later date. Doing this in the past may allow people to feel they are doing the same thing today and there is nothing wrong with this action. Some people dont care that it is copyrighted material and there are laws that state the owner of such material reserves the option for how he/she material is used. Some people use the thinking that the record companies overcharge consumers and the recording artists and companies get paid millions, but in further analysis this may on be true if everyone steals the content on the market, or they "download" a copy of such content. I did learn that in Asian cultures an example was presented specifically the Confucius way of thinking is based on their culture that they that show honor to creators of digital content by sharing with others, which runs contrary to Western laws. This shows that there is not a clear theory that would cover this way of thinking and action. The Western culture may use "ultilitarian theory" while knowing our countries laws would deem we use "deontologian theory " or even ethical absolutism. However when considering multicultural viewpoints, one may consider using "ethical relativism" or other perspectives like "confucius ethics". This presents the dilemma of finding a sound ethical theory that would satisfy all parties involved.
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