Made to break part 2

The second part of Giles Slade book gives insight to obsolescence in the form of innovation.  The story behind the start of AM/FM radio and television is an example of the growth of technology and the positive and negative effects it has on society.  Slade builds upon the notion of technological obsolescence with radio and the changing from AM to the more advanced FM radio signal.  After millions of homes installed an AM radio, the FM radio hits the market a few years later making the AM radio useless.  This is not only a significant advancement in technology but also shows the advancement of society and how they run side to side.  Technology has become integrated into our lives to the point that when technology changes and advances, so does society.  The invention of the radio and television changed society in many ways.  The radio became the a way to get news faster then any other previous way such as the newspaper.  When the television hit the market, it again changed society in a large scale.  The story behind the invention and progress of radio and television not only shows our technological obsolescence but also how technology and society functions together, and changes together as well.

Made to Break, Part 1

"Made to break," by Giles Slade, gives insight to the evolution of how products became produces to essentially break.  These products range from the watch on your wrist to the car that you drive.  American business have produced a nation that worships the saying of out with the old and in with the new.  The book explains the history of how the American industry developed obsolescence to increase sales of their products.  Its not good business to make something that will last forever, but rather invent a way to keep the customer coming back for the same thing. 

This notion of progressive obsolescence  has a large impact on society.  It has developed a culture of people that constantly want new things with no end in sight.  I too am guilty of this as well from buying TVs, cars, cell phones, and computer when all of my previous items were still usable.  This way of life is also a large producer of waste.  Products are being mass produced at such an alarming rate only to soon be outdated or not functional.  This creates a waste problem that is depicted on the cover of Slade's book.  It is no question that the the notion of a made to break society has drastic negative effects.  As time goes on and technology becomes more and more advanced, I believe that this will only get worse.  Companies are going to find way to make things cheaper and cheaper to increase their profits, and decrease the quality of the products.

Wiki Part 2

The second part to Andrew Dalby's book further discusses Wikipedia and the reasons behind its popularity.  Dalby talks about the reasons why people love Wikipedia and also delivers reasons why Wikipedia its popular in a lot of peoples minds.  The concept of Wikipedia is truly remarkable and has revolutionized how we share and receive information.  I think the biggest concept to take from this book is how powerful Wikipedia can be, and its social consequences.  Looking at it from a communication perspective, Wikipedia has made it easy to share and edit useful information and has become a source for knowledge about almost anything.  It has evolved into an online community that consists of people from all over the world.  As Dalby says in the book, the freedom of being able to communicate your voice to this online community is why Wikipedia has been so successful. 

The unique thing about Wikipedia is that its constantly evolving from new edits and threads added every minute.  The more time that passed to more information that is added to Wikipedia and there seems to be no end.  This has a a impact on society because it has created a live source for information and a community of knowledge.  Wikipedia is another player in the emergence in social networking by being able to connect people all over the world.  This has truly changed the way people obtain information and will only grow larger as we move into the future.

Technopoly 2

In the second half of this book, Postman continues his argument about technology and its negative effects on our culture.  He believes that with every new technology that is used in our lives, it takes something away from us, and this I believe is Postman's main argument.  I agree with Postman in this sense and I can begin to see the impact that technology has on me and others around me.  For instance, I used a calculator just before I wrote this to do some simple math.  Although I could have maybe done it in my head or wrote it out by hand, I used to calculator because its fast and easy.  The more I go to this method of math the less math skills I will posses and eventually I will need the calculator to do almost all addition and subtraction.  Maybe a more notable example of Postman's argument about technology is with my cousin and his horrible driving skills.  Not only is he a bad driver but he has no sense of direction and therefor has to use his GPS for almost everywhere he goes.  The GPS works great for him and it allows him to get to where he needs to be, but it also infringes on his ability to gain a sense of direction.  He will probably never learn because as long as he has his GPS he will just have to turn when it tells him to.

These examples are the main argument that Postman delivers in his book "Technopoly."  Although I was technology on a regular basis, I have to agree with Postman and his negative view of technology.  I think that his notion of a culture that is dependent on technology has only begun and will continue to become more prevalent in time to come.

Technopoly Part 1

"Technopoly" by Neil Postman, is about the history of technology and its impact on our culture.  He begins by explaining the very start of technology and how it changes our culture.  Postman has an interesting view of technology because his argument leans toward the negative side of technology and our dependence on it.  His argument sheds light onto the other side of technology, a side that most people do not realize today.  How can something that helps us complete daily tasks everyday more effeiently be something negative?

I find it very interesting when Postman talks about the very early years of technology and the story about the invention of writing, and its negative affects.  It was argued that the ability to write had a negative impact on our ability to remember and recall information from our brains.  To even consider writing to be a technology was a bit of a surprise to me because of how embedded writing is in our daily lives.  When I hear the word technology I think of cars, cell phone, or a computer.  The first half of this book raises some interesting points about technology and its negative impact on our society and has changed my view of what technology is and its impact on our society.

"Computers"

"Computer" by Eric G. Swedin and David L. Ferro is a book about the invention of the first computer and the evolution it has taken to become what computers are today.  From the very first computer that needed to take up an entire room, to the PC's and laptops that are used today.  It is fascinating to learn the history of computers and how fast they have evolved to the technological companion they are today.  The book also gives insight to have fast technology has progressed and can only make you wonder about what the future of computers and technology will hold.

The historical journey of the computer is truly fascinating on two levels.  The first being the human ability to create such technologies and to continue to improve, make smaller, and become more efficient.  The second level is the social change that has come along with the invention of the computer.  The PC and the laptop has become and everyday tool for our culture and has truley changed the direction of our culture.  We no longer have to walk outside to pick up the daily newspaper to get our news, nor do we need to take a few more steps to our mailbox to get our mail.  Learning about the evolution of the computer only makes me ponder of what is to come in our future, and how it will once again bring social change.