Module 13

                When I first started IS&T 1100, I really wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew that the class would entail something about computers, but I did not know that I would be learning so much about the origin of the internet, how it has been adapted for business, and ongoing property issues. There were a few things that I think could have been skipped, as I do not think they added much importance to the class, but I really enjoyed the research papers.

                Not knowing what other text are out there for this class, I am going to guess the The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman was the best choice to cover all of the class objectives. I started reading the first chapter word by word and was truly fascinated by the information that was presented. Unfortunately, with the large amount of weekly reading material and my lack of time, I was unable to continue reading the text as intently.  From the first chapter, I was amazed at how much I had taken the internet for granted and I did not realize how many daily processes rely on the internet and computers for simply daily functions.  I also keep reminding my wife every time we use the McDonalds drive through that the order taker could possibly be in another state.  The text was compelling as it explained the events leading up to the invention of the internet and how it became readily accessible.  I had not thought much about outsourcing or offshoring before taking this class, but now I think about it every time I read about unemployment rates and how jobs are being moved out of country. My shopping trips to Wal Mart have become quite interesting as I wonder how long it will take to restock the items I just purchased. The example of the Wal Mart supply chain has me wondering what other business could benefit by allowing all their suppliers have access to their main database, and how more efficient they would be able to serve customers.  The reading also provided a great refresher on how Google has affected large, small and personal business. I am old enough to remember when you could only get product information online, but there was little to no online shopping. Now, online shopping has pretty much dominated the holiday shopping season. I was also impressed with Friedman’s concern about intellectual property, and how this text was written almost eight years prior to it becoming a federal issue. Overall, I feel that the required text was quite informative based on the class description.  

                There are only a few topics that were discussed during this course that I do not think were entirely applicable to the class objectives. While it was interesting to learn, I think the chapters covering CQ+PQ=IQ and skills personality could have been skipped. This is good knowledge to have generally going into the workforce, but I think they might have deterred from the specifics of this class. I also think the same thing about the material presented in Module 7, which covered chapters 10-13. Topics in these chapters included comparative advantage, self-directed consumer, and globalization vs. Americanization.  Where as the class started off discussing the development and growth of the internet and online communications, I feel that these chapters lead the reader on a bit of a tangent, leaving me confused as to what this class was trying to cover.  The chapter discussing the production of a Dell computer was interesting, but I feel that most of this information could have been combined with Chapter 2, World Flattner #7- Supply-Chaining and Wal Mart. Chapter 16: The Dell Theory of Conflict Prevent seemed to be slightly redundant, or maybe I missed the point. Lastly, I would have eliminated the chapter discussing the Curse of Oil. Again, another tangent that left me wondering the direction of this course. Instead, I would have liked to spend more time on various research papers or science fiction reading.

                Typically when I read though a class syllabus, I get slightly disappointed when the class work or reading is not from the text, such as research papers.  These assignments seem to be busy work as the instructor has run out of reading material. This is the first class that I can honestly say I enjoyed the work outside the text.  At first I was hesitant, but the additional reading was very interesting and correlated well with the text. From my interview paper, I learned more about what my brother-in-law does for the Navy, as well as other various IT jobs that other students wrote about.  I was amazed at how much I use a computer and online services when I wrote about how I have used the computer for my education. The science fiction piece and the article by Bill Joy left me thinking of how far our technology has come and the concerns we have yet to address, and the movie review paper was a good excuse to  watch an old favorite.

                I learned many things from this class- some will help me with my career and others are just good pieces of knowledge to have.  Overall, I think the text and additional course work helped to achieve the course objectives, and made this an enjoyable class.

Module 12

Bill Joy starts his article “Why the future doesn’t need us” by explaining that he never really thought about robots and such taking over society. He states that most of his thoughts of the future and technological advancements were based on watching Star Trek as a child. I think, like Joy, many of us have not really thought about what our daily technological advancements can lead to in the future. Joy states that he is most afraid of are advances in genetics, nanotechnology and robotics (GNR), and while his fears can be justified, there may not be much that the lay population can do to push forth regulations.

GNR is Joy’s acronym for the advancement in genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics. Genetics covers the genetic engineering of foods and cures for diseases. Nanotechnology is technology that is microscopic or that can occur on the molecular level. This broad category includes advancements in things such as cheap energy, changes to the human immune system, and smaller electronic devices. Robotics is simply robots that are used to for manufacturing and operating machinery or controlling operations. These three categories are areas of that have seen radical advancements within the past few years. These advancements may have come so quickly that the ethical consequences may have not been fully considered.

Joy’s concerns for GNR can be justified, but he uses few examples of current events to explain this. He regurgitates much that he reads and hears and perused the reader into thinking that he is presenting new information. The one example that Joy uses and tries to try it into GNR is the development of the atomic bomb. Unfortunately, his story falls short of really explaining to the reader how this experiment and GNR are related. While reading this article, I though of advancements such as the automobile. One hundred years ago, one could not have predicted the environmental and economic crisis that would one day evolve. Now that we have come completely dependent on our gas guzzling car, trucks, and SUV’s and now that over 30% of the population has become obese in part to a lack of exercise by not walking or pedaling a bicycle upon other consequences, we have gone beyond the point of eliminating this form of transportation. In 1911, Proctor and Gamble starting producing the first tubs of Crisco. It did not take long for Crisco to be a main ingredient in breads, pies, cookies and cakes. In 1940’s, research began on the correlation of trans fat and cancer, with positive results. Yet, society chose to ignore it. Again, we have developed such dependency on this technology that we are having hard time letting it go, even though it has lead to major health concerns. Other examples include genetically engineer salmon that the FDA deemed safe to eat and does not have to be labeled so that consumers know what they are purchasing, the development and FDA approved medication Phen-Phen, and our dependency on cell phones, laptops and other electronic devices. So, I agree that Joy is right to express his concern in these areas of rapid development, but he needs to provide better examples.

The greatest concern is not necessarily with the developments themselves, but with the way that these technologies are regulated. Joy fears that we may become a society that is overrun by robots that can think for themselves. These robots will have not use for us and will exterminate us. While I am hopeful that as a society we are intelligent enough to remain in control of our electronics, I am more concerned with genetics. When Social Security was first developed, the average life expectancy was much lower that it is today. This increase of years lived is due in part to advances in medicine. We now have cure to many illnesses and have the ability to perform complex surgeries. This is already causing an economic drain on society and has gotten to the point where Social Security will no longer provide a retirement for many people my age. I am also concerned with the engineering of foods. As of now, we have no idea how this will affect our health 20-30 years down the road, much like the development of trans fat. There comes a point were we, as a society can not fully rely on our government officials to protect us. It has come to a point were we must start thinking for ourselves and making our own educated decisions on what we eat, what we use for transportation, and how we conduct ourselves.