Monday, April 2, 2012

Module 13

This was a very interesting course; I can honestly say that it makes me look at things in a whole new light. There were points in the class that the reading really played on my fears as a mother and a wife, it made me stress about the world that my children and grandchildren will be living in. However, the reading also made me see that we can not judge the future as if it was today. I find this very refreshing, remembering that the world as we know it is changing that what is most important or influential today may not be that in the future. Thinking about the fact my own mother had these fears, but she worried about us not having manufactoring jobs. my children and grandchildren will have their own challenges and worries but I know they are going to be about things we are only dreaming of today.
I really enjoyed learning about how off shoring and outsourcing actuall works to benefit all of the people invoved.
Our fears of the unknown have great power over us as people. We listen to the radio and TV shows talk about the doom and gloom we face in the future, I have had many conversations expressing fears with friends about how they feel America is at a great disadvantage because of this new option. I now understnad that this is not the case, we are actually at an advantage, anyone can now use the best resources around the world, to be the most effective as they desire to be.
"Why the future doesn't need us", was very challenging to get through for me. I don't know if it was just too deep or if the message that was being shared was just to scary to think about. I have great hope in the human race; I also have grear fear in the capabilities gone awry.
I enjoyed reading the story of " A Logic Named Joe", I found it intriguing that the ideas that we read about in the story, are things that to a degree we use in our daily lives today. it just reinforced what I have always been taught, we are driven by our dreams. What we dream of today will be our reality tomorrow. As much as I enjoyed reading about the similarities and found the story of Joe entertaining, I could not help but remember that fact when I read about GNR technologies. I am grateful that Bill JOy had the same anxieties about the dangers we are facing in the future. I do appreciate the way the class material was presented to us. I feel that it gave us the information and or tools to be able to thoughtfully think about the information, and be able to ask thoughtful questions in the future.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Lesson 12

Summarize what GNR is and why Joy fears its three components, What is your personal reaction to the author's fear? Are they justified or not? What should we do?

My wish is that we should strive for the reality given in the Engines of Creation, Drexler's utopiam while keeping an educated eye on the white and black sides of every invention. This is not the first time that the human race has found itself on the new frontier of technologyand information. We have stood at this threshold many times before. We have always faced these challenges with the same human emotions and desires for power, wealth and greed. as we strive to make the workd that we live in a better place, there is always a danger of what a person with an ill intention can do with it. We have learned that we are very good and change. we have learned through this class that we can not build up the walls to protect ourselves. we saw how Walmart through the use of computers, built an efficient, prosperous company. They became the king of the hill for a time, we learned that things where over looked for a time, while everyones attention was focused on their growth and efficently they became oblivious to the human rights side of their company. Through the laws we chose to live with in to protect our freedoms they are being put in check.
GNR is the self- replication of genetic engineering. I am not willing to take the leap from a colds ability to evolve and become immune to antibiotics, to a computer that will evolve, which means grow by a means of its own. to the point it wants to take over the earth, unbeknown to humans? not only do we need to make robots conscious but we have to give them spirit.
He worries that knowledge is a weapon that we wield against ourselves. that we will fall victim to our own technologies, that we will do so by not acknowledging the possibilities. I see why he has these fears, he is forgetting to give the human race any credit, however, I believe that we are capable of perserving the structure of life as we understand it while constantly changing the comfort of our lives.

Lesson 11

Describe how computers and networks are used in the film, is the use of computers realistic,probable, or ridiculous and what ocial or cultural issues are raised by the film?

The Matrix is a SciFi, near future film that invites in to a computer hackers journey where he discovers that life as he knows it is nothing more then an elaborate facade by "THE MAN", which in this film is intelligent machines that are man made, that now control themselves. They are harvest bioelectrical energy of humans, that are kept docile with in the Matrix, a simulated reality of the world as it was in 1999. The Machines are now at war with the " Unplugged". This film is giving a new voice to the anti-government enthusiast; I can only imagine how many nights sleep have been lost by the conspiracy believers. When this film came out it introduced the world to a new theory about how are reality could be manipulated by machines that we are creating, they are running with the what if reasoning. I like the way they gave dashavoo an explanation that lends itself perfectly to the plot of the movie. Even though I logically know that computers are lacking in the ability for logic, personal connection, common sense, desire for world domination on their own will. It did make me think what if? The use of computers is totally ridiculous; the film dos not take the laws of science or logic in to consideration at all. It's a new spin on the guys version of a perfect film, the underdog saves the day and gets the girl. while fighting against the bully, dodging bullets and wearing leather.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Module 10

I was intrigued by the similarities that Joe had with today’s Siri.
Today if you are an owner of a Iphone4s you can simply ask your phone,
Siri lets you use your voice to send messages, Schedule meetings, Place phone calls and face to face calls. Siri with understand what you say and knows what your mean, and even talks back.
Although Joe was much more willing to give us dumb humans the  answers to every question that we could think up to ask.
Siri will also answer any question that we could think up to ask. However, in the real world, us dumb humans know that just because we have the directions on how to do a illegal activity, dos not allow us to follow them.
We now have the face to face, and skyp. All you have to do is have a camera or apple product and you can push a couple of keys and speak face to face with anyone else who also has one.
It would be nice if there was someone to hold responsible for the information that is out on the World Wide Web. In the story, all they had to do was call the logic services to shut it down. I believe that even today there have been husbands that have drove around fretting about the thought of their wife going online and finding out about their dirty little secrets. We are all very aware that once the information is out, it can not be removed.
In the story the wife, wanted to get as much dirt on the neighbors before the flow of information was shut down. Today, we have more access to everyone’s dirt that it is almost a morbid fixation. We waste a mind boggling amount of time and energy in this current time, fixated on judging the actions of other people. In both realities it serves no purpose.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Module 9

Describe the building of a Dell laptop,
The building of a Dell laptop starts with a very efficient supply chain, in which all of Dells suppliers are wired in to receive updates on which parts are needed and the quantity. They ship them to a supplier logistics factory, when an order is placed with Dell for a laptop, an update go's out to the SLC. The product is pulled and shipped out every ninety minutes, for the product that was ordered in the last two hour window.
Once the parts are delivered they are entered in to the tracking system and sent off to be assembled.
The design and actual production of the parts came from globel teamwork.
"It's a supply chain symphony-from order over the phone to production to delivery to my house-is one of the wonders of the flat world." This is a perfect example of outsourcing, supply chain and a company that embraced the world of change, that is our reality.

Does al-Qaeda have a supply chain?
I am going to have to say no, I can see how in certain aspects of their activities it would appear that their desire to corner the market on giving Arabs-Muslims a sense of personal fullfillment via Terrorist. That the steps involved in the training of a terrorist,planning of an attack and then the making of an info-mercial. could be broken down and looked in to and the supply chain formula applied. I think that it fits the definition of an organization- is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal.

What is the curse of oil?
There are no checks or balance, within the countries that have  natural resource that they can drill for oil.
The ruling government is like a bully that is holding your lunch above your reachand there is nothing you can do to get him to give it back. You know that it is wrong but there is nothing you can do to get him to stop.
the total slant in power, is the one thing that is holding them all back from being able to live in a country that focuses on the developing real institutions,property rights,rule of law,independent courts,modern education,foreign trade,foreign investment,freedom of thought, and scientific inquiry. because these are the things that people do for themselves, so that they can live a greater life. we sacrific a certain about of our freedoms and money to live with in a system that protect us and encourages us to become the best member of society that we are capable of. Their personal power is seen as a threat, so it has been mathodically taken. by those that have fallen to the curse of oil.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Module 8

the easy access to the computerized world we now live in is the direct reason that I am now continuing my education.
I am a 35 year old mom of five who lives in a rural area. I am lucky enough to have a full time job. Before the world went flat I would have never had the time to drive the hundred miles to college daily to attend six hours of class a day or even a week. However, I now get to reap some of the benefits of this new flat world.
The easy and  affordable access has allowed most colleges now offer online courses. I now log on to my online account, where I find my courses. I get to have a college experience from where ever I log on from.
I get the college education with out having to put in the person to person time.this is a life changing opportunity,that is incredible.  
 
Working with computers on has been a daily accuracy since I was a senior in high school, (1994) I can say that when I was waiting for my computer to dial up to Netscape I  never imagined that the computer or Internet would play such a Vital role in my life not only in a work place environment, but in ever aspect of my life. From the car I drive,the phone I talk to loved ones on. The way I get my new,tv and now education.I not only access the direction in my classes, I read most  of my coarse books online from my computer. I write my papers on my computer. Submit then to my online blog from my computer. I have a program that allows me to write on my iPad, using a app that stores it as a corse note book on my iPad. I no longer need to use paper note books.I can only imagine what what's next to come from and to our flat world.

Module 7

Module 7
Why are some countries or regions better at doing something's than other countries or regions?
I believe that it boils down to how hungry that country or region is. How bad the masses want a better life. 
Take China for instance a majority of the people have lived in such a stifling environment that they were just waiting for a chance to spread their wings. China has Such a hunger that has been growing for generations. They're like the water pushing agents a dame,once they find a minuet crack it rushes through with great force at first, trickling down to be a constant familiar flow.
On the other side you have Mexico, although they have layers of people that are suppressed they have a top layer that are living their ideal life. This difference makes it impossible for them to feed their hunger.
I believe that all countries or regions are capable of doing great things, it all depends on the wisdom , knowledge and willingness to work together for change.
What is self-directed consumers? Why that would be me. I want to feel that I have a say in every aspect of my life, I don't want to have someone tell me that I am limited in anyway, the more a company makes me feel like I'm in control the happier I am. I related to the story on about the photographer. I'm a proud mom that thinks her children are the cutest things ever to grace this world, I love to take pictures of everything then I can upload them using soft ware that totally agrees with me.allows me to adjust them or it will do it for me. The days of the red eyes and blurs are long gone.

Does globalization mean Americanization? 
In the beginning that is what globalization meant.
We are the ones that have castes the longest shadow for quite some time. As globalization has evolved it has now morphed in to a passion for people in all of the lands to become the best they can be using the help of the rest of the world. They are now unwilling to be limited by Someones else's idles of perfection.they want to create their own shadow.