The Final TWC Lesson

Akin to giving birth after 9 months of labor, the module has come to a close and it can be said to be both a relief (the mother no longer has to bear the weight of the child) and rewarding (a new life is born). The end has been coming, and time has been expedited with learning and workload, making the closure arrive seemingly faster than predicted. It had been a good journey of learning and exposure, yet at the same time I do not deny that I am glad that I am slowly letting go of one of my heaviest modules thus far.

This last lesson of TWC is the day of my group presentation, and how apt our project is with regards to the timeline of the course. The end is indeed here. My group project spoke of the end of the world. Many ways of destruction were discussed. However, the focus of our project is a theory we formulated on our own based on technology changing the world, and this technology is artificial intelligence. We created a Pyramid Theory, whereby a three-tier society is formed in a scenario that we foresee could happen if the current situation of artificial intelligence is allowed to continue growing without sufficient regulation. At the same time, we proposed some solutions to this problem. Throughout this entire course, we have learnt about how technology can be used to change the world, and technology can lead to the world's demise, if we aren't careful.

The next group that came after mine had a website that looked exactly the opposite of the one my group created. While ours reeked of gloom and doom, with the pages in intended disarray and filled with black skies and deathly colours, the website of the other group was white-based, neat, and was created with a desire to attend to the world's medical needs. They had many interesting ideas, such as using mosquitos to spread vaccines. It may or may not be feasible, but they are certain ideas that are creative and intriguing. At the same time, I feel that the pertinent issue in medicine is not so much of these little things they propose, but more of finding cures for diseases or improving on them. However, it is noted that these issues are too technical for our understanding. It was quite amusing when Prof corrected a piece of information the group presented, stating a chemical cannot be used to cure yellow fever. Almost forgotten that Prof is a medical resident.

The last two groups talked about art and technology surrounding women today. Art is an appealing subject, but it is very subjective and many people might have no interest in this topic at all. The group presented the topic in great depth, and covered many areas from photoshop to swapping the pen with a stylus. I feel that technology in art has ruined a fraction of it by reducing its value. However, softwares that cause this such as photoshop is also a great and convenient way of creating art as well. So where should we stand on this? With the large array of tools that photoshop provides, I guess we have to take a step back elsewhere, such as always second-guessing if an image looks good inherently or because it was tweaked and edited.

The final group (an all girls group) spoke of women and technology. Their presentation was interesting and fun to watch, but it remains rather queer to me that they seem to be putting themselves down with the way they speak about women. This is just a curious observation. God knows what girls talk about when they are together in a group like that.

On the whole TWC course, I feel it is a very unique course as most of the course was based on presentations after presentations, whether is it individual or group presentations. It is good, because it allows everyone to be exposed to different forms and parts of technology, and I am sure many of us would have at least learnt a thing or two about technology throughout this time, no matter how well-read about technology we were before this. However, only a course like this can have a teaching style as such, and it breaks us from the monotony of the other lessons. There is only one problem for these two weeks, I feel there isn't much interactions within the class.

TWC has ended. It has been a long road, and we have reached the destination. Whoever is reading this, I wish you well, and may the end of this road open up new roads for you to explore and reach your true potential.

7.5/10

Goodbye. Take care!

Down and out

For the first time in months, I came down with fever and a throat infection. My temperature on Monday morning measured at 38.7°C, rendering me unable to attend all the my lessons on this fateful day and the next, as I rested at home and tried to sleep the fever off. Well, it was a little regretful being unable to attend lesson, as I missed out on presentations as well as quite a bit of things. After updating myself by asking around and looking through some of the websites created by my peers, I was able to gain a little insight on what went on during the session.

There were two notable quotes presented in class. One of them was "Knowledge is a process of piling up facts; wisdom lies in their simplification." by Martin H Fischer. Knowledge is no longer as highly valued as before, due to the abundance of information sources and the increasing ease of attaining access to these sources just about by anyone, at any place, at any time. The information available is also generally quite accurate. True value lies in wisdom. However, I wouldn't say that wisdom is the simplification of knowledge, although it is a part of it. I would term wisdom as the ability to see beyond the piece of information and attaining new meaning through knowledge. It is to be able to reach an epiphany through self-thought and realization. It is sad to see that the students nowadays are laden with knowledge, yet the wise ones are few and far between.

The second quote is "You know more than you think you know, just as you know less than you want to know.". We have knowledge tucked away at the depths of our brains, thus we know more than we think we do. However, the fact of life is that we will never know everything; it is just impossible. However, we always yearn to attain new knowledge for various reasons, whether it is of use to us, or to give us an edge over others. We should never stop doing that, because if not we will stagnate and the human race would have never grown to the magnitude that we see today. This quote seems to be more motivational than meaningful.

Poking my nose around the websites, the one on land constraints caught my eye. Personally, I am quite affected and empathetic of this constraint scenario. Every day on Orchard Road, or in SMU, or in the MRT train, I feel the effects of this constraint; our population is rising, but we do not have the land to allow us to retain the same population density, and each and every one of us has less and less space. This, coupled with the heat and humidity of Singapore, is making the country an increasingly unpleasant place to live in. I feel that many of the solutions proposed by the group presented a very concise summary of what the world can do to counter the problem of land constraint. It is also quite well structured, giving the viewer a clear idea of what the website plans to achieve. However, I feel that the measures may not be extremely effective; it might come to a point in time where overpopulation and the lack of land will overwhelm the human race. Perhaps the world should look at controlling birth rate and slowly reducing population growth as a possible solution as well. After all, humans are the problem.

Flying cars on the other website provided a fresh and futuristic perspective as compared to the land constraint problem. It is interesting, and we may be driving such cars in the future. However, I am quite skeptical about the idea due to various reasons, such as the danger, regulation problem and overall unfeasibility.

Having missed the lesson, I feel it is inaccurate for me to give a rating on the lesson itself or give insights on what to improve. I think that would come next week, which will be the day of my group's presentation. I would give a rating, nonetheless, on the groups' work and the quotes given.

8/10

A little teaser.. The end is coming.

Look into the crystal ball

The past is history and nothing more than a mere memory. The future, however, is in our hands. A better way to put it is that the 'now' that builds the future is entirely up to us. There are many quotes that support this stand, such as 'Tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.' and 'Now is pregnant with the future.'. As such, we must do whatever we can to shape our future. There are many forecasting techniques that gives us a better understanding of the prospective future, such as brainstorming and cost-benefit analysis.Forecasting has become a very valuable asset today.

In today's world, every individual has access to the same information from the same sources, and at the same speed and time. In short, everyone is equal. Therefore, it is definitely harder to shine in the corporate world now as compared to before. One method of distinguishing oneself from others is innovation. Innovative individuals who can make their ideas work generally get promoted quickly. There is another way, and it is to become a leader of the future. The accuracy of the futuristic story you tell is the key to your success. At the same time, it allows you to be ever-ready for the constantly changing world, giving you an edge over everyone else.

Forecasting has allowed us to comprehend the fact that the world will run out of fuels soon. There is an interesting video (shown below) that reports about a man who has stumbled upon a new fuel while researching for a cure for cancer. By passing radio waves through saltwater, which happens to be the most abundant entity in this planet, he was able to create a flame that burned up to 150 centigrade. Despite it being an unintended discovery, our forecast of vanishing fuels could find a cure in saltwater, and that is only because we know what the future encompasses.

However, the future is not as cherry as it seems. There are many critics of being too forward-looking. There is a saying with goes like this - we should not worry about the future, because it is extremely uncertain and our mentalities then will most probably be different. They are two very valid arguments. The uncertainty of the future has made many plans redundant, and forcing many people to play by ear. At the same time, if our philosophy and ideology have altered from the past to now, it is possibly similar for the future as well. With a different mentality, many things can change, elevating the level of uncertainty of any event. However, does this mean that we should not attempt to forecast at all?

The answer is no. It is precisely because of the uncertainty of the future that necessitates forecasting. Regardless of how small a difference it makes, it will reduce the probability of being unable to react when variability kicks in. The idea above is mainly to assist people in reducing their anxiety when dealing with matters of the future. Its purpose is to stop us from worrying about the future. But this does not mean we should not plan and forecast. If we do not do that, it is unlikely that the human race would survive and expand over a period of a few thousand years. It is what distinguishes us from other living organisms.

The class has been very interesting, leaving me with much food for thought and many captivating quotes. However, I feel that the downside of this lesson is that it is very one-sided. There is no arguments against forecasting and looking toward the future. It seems as though it has been taken for granted that everyone agrees that the future is paramount and nothing can surpass its importance. This may or may not be true, and can be a very debatable topic.

After so many lessons, it is finally time for the students to teach and present our future.

8/10

Why not?

This is the question that we should ask ourselves when we imagine something futuristic and far-fetched. Unless the subject in question defies scientific laws, it is likely to be possible in the future, albeit distant. This is the spirit of innovation, and it is one of the biggest driver of technology. It is intangible, unlike a mechanical device, and it is derived from the sea of imagination that is inherent in every single human being. There are many forms of innovation, basically, if you can think it, you can attempt to do it. If you do, you might change the world.

However, in our current plight, it seems that innovation is no longer optional, it has become mandatory. Our circumstances have put us in a rock and a hard place, where we have no choice but to innovate and come up with new ideas, simply because the world is changing. Although change can be positive, it is the negative ones that are motivating innovation. For example, the fact that fossil fuels are non-renewable have resulted in innovation that seeks to sap energy from sunlight or wind. It is no longer elective, as all life on earth could end if sufficient measures are not taken before the energy crisis hits us. Even in the business world, the most innovative individuals are the ones who make it big. An important message is that innovation is not only key to success and sustainability; it has become an essential ingredient.

Another interesting hypothesis is the claim that supply can create demand. Many economists would probably look at me in disdain but I believe it is possible, and history has proven so. For instance, the Internet came along and swept everyone off their feet. Before the internet, no one actually demanded such a large-scale thing. Yet, after it was introduced, billions of people around the world are now using it everyday. At the same time, it is no longer solely about feasibility and practicality anymore. Innovation and novelty are powerful selling points of a new product as well. It is possible that people can come up with a use for something anyway. In a simple context, if there are always SMU students, there will always be a demand for professors to educate them. Supply creates demand.

At the start of the lesson, the video about claytronics fascinated me. Here is a short excerpt.

It's ability seems boundless. Basically, man can form whatever they want from this technology. Girls can have a soft toy that changed form to any cartoon character by wish. Many things can serve as multipurpose tools. One tool is enough for a toolbox. A lot of space can be saved. I am for this technology. However, I feel that these minirobots should remain dead though, as it would be frightening to have something of such versatility rebel against the human race. Similarly to the grey goo, we could be eradicated. Nanotechnology can change the world, but we must tame it to ensure nothing get out of control.

Robots are a captivating concept. Even the human sized ones. Japan has come up with a female human-size robot that claims to be the perfect woman. It can understand man. For the unfaithful, you can cheat on it and it won't even know. I guess the Japanese asked 'Why not?' when asked if a robot can replace a lady as a companion, but it was quite perturbing for me. Upon seeing that video, it struck me that the scientists who came up with that must be really eccentric. My question was similar to theirs, 'Why not?', just that i refer to the claim that it can replace a real woman. It is not possible. Human thoughts, touch and emotions are things that cannot be replicated in a relationship with a robot. The man might as well be having a relationship with himself, and only making himself feel better with a physical object next to him. There could never be love. Love is about imperfections and living with someone else that you can cuddle, love, quarrel and argue with. It is not about finding the perfect person that lives a life dedicated to fulfilling a man's ego.

I feel that the lesson lacks something. It lacks a discussion of the techniques on the process of innovation. It would be very helpful to everyone to learn to process of innovating, and would certainly be a key asset and life skill in the future. Despite the inability to 'teach' innovation, at least the students can derive a bit of inspiration from a skill set and attune themselves to thinking in a way to bring out the best in themselves. That is something we can delve into.

This has been one of the most interesting classes, as the many videos depict the exciting future that we have ahead of us. It is also one of the most interesting lessons, probably because imagination is involved. TWC has been a lot of work, but it has brought insight into my life. It is unbelievable that it is going to end soon.

9/10

The ability to perform work

The importance of energy cannot be understated. Everything on the earth would be wiped out if energy ceased to exist. Despite the physical law that says 'Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be converted from one form to another', the world is slowly beginning to panic as the threat of non-renewable energy sources running out becomes more real with each passing day. Technology has become a valuable partner to man, allowing us to tap energy from the likes of water, wind, and sunlight. Renewable energy is possibly the only thing that will save mankind after the eventual total consumption of fossil fuels and other non-renewable energy sources.

Interestingly, Singapore has close to zero energy security. Our reliance on the supply of energy is largely external, and if the day comes when external sources of energy are disrupted or stopped, we are in big trouble. At the same time, we do not have enough land to sacrifice for energy production. However, Singapore has been on the alert, and are already considering nuclear power as an energy source. The government has also reassured residents of potential dangers by planning to locate the power plant on a separate island entity away from the body of Singapore. Personally, I feel that it is a good idea. As technology advances, we become more equipped to deal with the dangers of a nuclear plant. It will serve us well in the future. Windmills are not feasible in Singapore due to the many high-rise buildings on our landscape. However, we can look into tapping solar energy as Singapore does not have seasonal change, it is sunny all year long.

A claim against renewable energy was put up, however, in one of the presentations. The claim is that fossil fuels have to be burnt in order to create renewable energy. That is true, for now. However, I feel that it would only take some time for all that to change. By constantly improving our technology, there will come a day where we can use renewable energy to power the production of renewable energy. This is difficult now, due to the limited conversion capability of renewable energy producers. Nevertheless, I would have no qualms on sacrificing some fossil fuels in order to propel the technology of renewable energy so that we can reap the full benefits of that one day.

The use of fossil fuels isn't all bad either. In the past, forests were preserved when wood fuels were given up for fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are also produce the highest amount of energy when burnt, providing the most efficient method of energy production. Fossil fuels such as natural gas and coal are also easily portable, and greatly reduces the costs of energy transportation. It is crucial that we do not focus solely on the downside of using fossil fuels, but we must also understand why it is beneficial for us to use them. This provides us with a more all-rounded viewpoint and broadens our mind.

One of the most monumental constructions of man lies in Switzerland. It is the large hadron collider (LHC). It has the potential to unravel the many mysteries in the realm of physics. Many people doubt the LHC to live up to its promise, however, as the concepts that it plans to uncover and prove are rather far-fetched. But what does this have to do with energy? The connection comes in the form of the superconducting magnet technology that is being pioneered and understood in the LHC. It could be all we need to build nuclear fusion power stations, which could end the energy crisis altogether.

The LHC has been briefly mentioned in one of the videos, but its impact can be far greater than anyone could imagine. I would think that it should have been given more airtime in class, as there are many ideas that the class could discuss about. Similarly, we could have covered the demand-side solutions to the possible energy crisis as well. An example is the concept of negawatt power.

This session has been quite important as it touched on one of the most pressing issues in the 20th century. Despite all our constraints, it is hard to believe that man would be stymied at this point in time after breaking through so many barriers in the past. On the whole, I feel that it is a matter of time before some technology, existing or not, turns up to replace our reliance on fossil fuels. Great session.

8.5/10

FOOD for thought

In today's world, hunger is still a prevalent notion in many third-world countries. Many people are starving to death each day. In the developed countries, a less serious problem is present. Generally, it is the problem with nutrition. Regardless of the severity of the problem, it revolves around one thing: food. The solution to both problems? Biobusiness in agriculture. From genetically modified (GM) food to increasing crop yield, the face of agriculture could be changed forever.

Gene modifications in food is not a new concept. In fact, mother nature was the one who fed us the idea of genetically modified food. Corn is a famous example of how mother nature decided to mix and match plants to form a new product. Was that meant to be an inspiration for the human race? Was mother nature urging us to look into the prospect of GM food? If it was, then we have not let her down. Nowadays, GM food is on the rise, and anyone could have ingested some GM food at some point in their lives, whether knowingly or unknowingly. Some people are skeptical of GM food, and understandably so. However, it is interesting to note that GM foods are paradoxical. Even if you insert a gene into plant A to allow it to survive pesticide-free, people are afraid to eat it. The benefits of GM food has been negated by our psychological fears. Are we gaining anything at all? Since most of the foods we eat are harmful anyway, why don't we give GM food a chance with the potential benefits they bring?

From a psychological point of view, it seems that humans are generally more willing to accept something that is altered by nature (regardless of the extent), as compared to a man-made alteration. The reason provided is that the change is much more 'natural'. Is that so? People can accept corn and kiwi, but they are unable to accept GM food. Looking at it from another perspective, a natural disaster is accepted more readily than the explosion of a nuclear plant that had been supplying enormous amounts of energy to a country for decades. Are we logical in this sense? No, I don't think so.

Religion might become an impeding factor in biotechnology in agriculture as well. For example, if fish could grow larger in size by implanting a gene from a pig into the fish, would muslims be able to consume the fish? It is probably one of those issues that would never have a conclusive answer. However, as we take bigger steps into the realm of scientific research, we discover than genetic material - on the molecular level - is minimally different from species to species. If we were to believe in science, then muslims should be able to consume the fish. However, this would overthrow the entire concept of religion, and the controversy would become a cliche battle between science and religion.

Norman Borlaug was a scientist, who is nicknamed 'the father of the green revolution'. He had a famous quote, which read 'Food is the moral right of all who are born into this world.' It is sad that our world is far from achieving this target. In developed countries, people are overfed, obese and unhealthy. In third-world countries, many are starving and suffer from nutritional diseases. There must be a better way of food distribution. However, I do not think that nations lack the capability to get this done, albeit slowly. It is simply a case of neglect and insufficient empathy. Biotechnology doesn't need improvement or changing; our attitudes need.

I feel that the topic is a very wide one, and regretfully discussions in class were touch-and-go. The class could have delved deeper into certain aspects of agriculture, as I believe we can indeed acquire a lot of knowledge that way. However, as mentioned before, we are always short of time, even in a 3 hour lesson. Do we go for depth or for breath? Sometimes, I don't even know which is more beneficial.

Initially, I felt that bioagriculture would be an uninteresting topic. Clearly, it is a misjudgment.

8/10

My presentation day

The topic of biotechnology is actually very far-reaching, covering many areas from medicine to agriculture, and from genetic engineering to bioremediation. The list of subtopics were extremely extensive, and many were mentioned and discussed during class. Yet, interestingly, the subjects for the presentations for the day mainly revolved around the medical sector. Is that purely a coincidence?

I would like to point out that I was often a patient; in fact, I was a patient for 4 solid months on one occasion. It is simple to understand my choice of topic. What about the others? Were they also victims of cruel fate or is there another underlying reason for the stress on medical biotechnology? I believe this is a clear display of the impact that medicine and medical technology had on all our lives. We might not have seen actual agriculture, we might not have experienced genetic engineering, nor do some of us actively participate in putting the brakes on environmental degradation. But one thing is clear: We are in contact, experienced, or at least have heard of people falling sick, getting tumors, or even dying. Illness is a huge aspect of life, and our fear of it have been unconsciously seeping into our projection of life, and even in this simple case, our choice of a presentation subject. Yet, with biotechnology on the rise, need we continue fearing?

Diagnostics have drastically improved over the years. Nowadays, a CT scan is sufficient to map out the vital organs in your body - in 3D even. Nutraceuticals is also another interesting concept, derived from the idea of healthy eating as you become what you ingest. My presentation spoke about NOTES, a relatively new surgical procedure yet to prove itself but has the potential to be the future of surgery. However, despite so many advancements in the biomedical industry, the fear will always be there, as the pain and suffering of going through an illness would always exist. It is something that makes us very human. Similarly, we humans have another fear - of the inability to sustain our existence on this planet.

Biobusiness could be one of the only ways by which humans can attain true sustainability. Will being green be literal for humans in the future? If we could manufacture our own food in our bodies, how useful could that be? Simple chlorophyll and biobusiness could change the entire world. The idea might be aesthetically unpleasant, but who cares if the whole world is green anyway. Just like in avatar. Everyone is comfortable being blue. Now, the true problem comes. Knowing our race well enough, it is expected that we eventually would create other problems that leads to (for e.g.) the sun being blocked out from our atmosphere for good. We just have to find another idea then, do we? Our species is intriguing, as we are ironic, conflicting and at times self-destructive. Will we ever achieve sustainability?

Petroleum, a non-renewable fossil fuel, is a key ingredient of plastics. It is quite weird, because while we are running out of fossil fuels for the provision of energy, we are actually still using our precious petroleum to make plastics, which are non-biodegradable. We just killed 3 stones with one bird. Bioplastics to the rescue! They are made from renewable sources, and are biodegradable. It is clear we are heading in the right direction for sustainability.. unless we create new problems for ourselves.

Biotechnology has come a long way, with a rich history in producing some of the most common items in our everyday life, including bread, cheese and beer. It has risen to become one of the biggest components of the GDP of many nations after all these years. Biotechnology has proven its worth and lived up to its potential, now it is down to how we employ it to create a better life for everybody. One regret would actually be the inability for every subtopic to be covered in detail due to the shortage of time in class - despite already spending 3 whole hours on it. My presentation is also over, and it takes a little off my chest, at least for the moment.

:)

9/10