The cotton gin and how technology does not always positively affect society

In class and journals I have talked about some of the unintended consequences with technology and how we do not really know what the future holds. As a society, we just blindly invent things without full understanding of what impact those inventions will have on the future. I would like to use this journal to show an example of an invention that looked like it was making life easier, however, ended up having a negative effect on our society; the cotton gin.

The cotton gin was invented in 1793. This allowed for cotton to be easily cleaned. The inventor of the cotton gin, Eli Whitney, was an activist for African-Americans and felt slavery should be abolished. He invented the cotton gin to help African-Americans cultivate cotton. This invention did make it easier for slave to cultivate the cotton for their white owners and made cotton profitable in the United States. In the short term, cotton became a major commodity in the United States and significantly improved the economy. In the long term, we still wear cotton shirts today and the invention of the cotton gin allowed cotton to become a very popular material in the clothing we wear today.

However, there was a major negative consequence in the technology that was the cotton gin. Because the cultivation of cotton became profitable and prominent, it added further incentive to slave owners to own slaves for the cultivation of the material. The cotton gin made owning slaves much more profitable and way more entrenched in the economy. By not having slaves, the economy would take a huge hit, due in large part to the invention of the cotton gin. “Although there was some hope immediately after the Revolution that the ideals of independence and equality would extend to the black American population, this hope died with the invention of the cotton gin in 1793… Suddenly cotton became a profitable crop, transforming the southern economy and changing the dynamics of slavery (pbs.org).”

Therefore, the cotton gin, although originally created as a way to help slaves, had a negative impact on our society. This further demonstrates how technology may seem to be helping our society, but could end up being a detriment.

“Growth and Entrenchment of Slavery.” Pbs.
< http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3narr6.html>

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

       Beginning under the Bush administration, the United States military began utilizing drone strikes as a means of eliminating high level targets in the Middle East. Drones are unmanned aerial vehicles that fly at an incredibly high altitude and enable the military to attack targets undetected. They also allow the military to strike in areas where ground troops or pilots may not be able to enter safely. The drone program has not only continued, but has expanded under the Obama administration.

       Currently, the drone strikes are located primarily in Pakistan. This enables the U.S. military to deliver strikes within a country that does not have a U.S. troop presence on the ground. The use of drones in Pakistani air space has been a great source of tension between the two countries. On one side, the U.S. claims that it is acting to protect U.S. security by eliminating terrorist targets within Pakistan. The Pakistani's however, fervently oppose the program as it has caused collateral damage and the deaths of innocent bystanders.
       We know that Al Qaeda and the Taliban have a military presence in Pakistan. These terrorist pose a significant threat to our own security and that of our allies. This is a very deadly program, however, and it is being executed by an unmanned aerial vehicle with incredibly deadly force. Do you feel that the U.S. has the right to militarily intervene in Pakistan? What could this drone technology lead to in the future? Is it the beginning of highly mechanized warfare, with less and less troops actually on the ground?

Hosenball, Mark. "U.S. drones attack militants in Pakistan, Yemen." Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/30/us-usa-drones-idUSBRE82T1C520120330.

College Students

            It is safe to say technology has a definite “place in the world”.  I think we need to look at how technology has evolved over that last half century, and realize technology is still rather young.  While technology definitely serves many different roles, I believe it continues to benefit more people each day.  Technology doesn’t stick to one particular thing; it is very flexible in its capabilities.  From farmers to stockbrokers technology plays a vital role in our society.  The great thing about technology is that each day it changes in some way, only expanding our potential.  Thus technology’s place in society is ever expanding and helps millions of us accomplish tasks daily.

            So many things are possible nowadays thanks in major part to technology.  It powers our nation and economy, which is vital for our survival.  “As a student who has a visual impairment, providing screen magnification software has provided me access to my school’s library services and to computers for reading, writing, and research—skills that I am using throughout my college career,” another student shared (US Dept. of Education).  For me personally as a college student I cant imagine life with out it.  I rely on it daily for email access, phone service and Wi-Fi to accomplish work and keep in touch with others.  Its place amongst my peers and myself is crucial for our education and work thereafter.  Not only does it have a major place in society as a whole but individually for those who are lucky enough to have access to it.

"Technology Can Revolutionize Education for College Students with Disabilities." 
     Homeroom. US Department of Education, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2012. 
     <http://www.ed.gov/blog/2011/12/ 
     technology-can-revolutionize-education-for-college-students-with-disabilities/>.

See Through Walls!?

Imagine having a phone that allows you to see through walls! Talk about an invasion of privacy. Terahertz scanners have the ability to see through walls, and inside pockets and wallets. However, due to their large size, the pricy materials needed to make this device which leads to its high expense, and the high-powered nanolasers, these characteristics limit their everyday use. A new approach is being carried out to make everyday mobile phones with similar functions as terahertz scanners.

The electromagnetic waves in the terahertz range have the ability to penetrate where optical light cannot; therefore, they can sense any molecule. Terahertz is useful for security scanners, medical devices, and has many other applications as well. Unfortunately, their large size is due to the large amount of energy and multiple lenses needed to focus the light. The professor of electrical engineering at the University of Texas of Dallas, Kenneth O, is developing new versions of this mobile device that would not require multiple lenses. The key breakthrough was the fabrication of complementary metal-oxide semiconductors, the CMOS chips that power most consumer devices.  “The combination of CMOS and terahertz means you could put this chip and receiver on the back of a cell phone, turning it into a device carried in your pocket that can see through objects,” O said in a statement. At the moment Kenneth and his team plan to limit its range to less than four inches. Still, this development means handheld THz scanners may not be far off at all (Boyle, 2012).

I personally do not feel like it would be a good thing to have a phone that allows one to see through walls! Or even have the ability to see through people! Like what if you had a phone that allowed you to watch a person through a wall punch in their pin code at a bank, or a pin code on a door? That type of stuff should be completely private. But now people could have the ability to access someone else’s bank account, etc. The same thing could happen with a computer. One could access all their personal information with this device. This could cause even more problems relating to an invasion of privacy.

My concern with this device would be the help effects that it has on humans. When cell phones first came out there was a scare about how the use of these mobile devices increase the chances on one developing brain cancer. If it is possible for this device to see though walls while on such a high frequency, what kind of long term effects would we see on the human brain since we already know about lower frequencies causing such negative effects.

How do you feel about having a device that allows you to do this in the palm of your hand?!

Boyle, Rebecca. "Terahertz-Band Cell Phones Could See Through Walls." PopSci. 18 Apr. 2012. Web. 18 Apr. 2012. <http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2012-04/terahertz-band-cell-phones-could-send-faster-texts-and-see-through-walls>.

Isn't it Illuminating?

            How much is too much to pay for an electronic?  Is $200 too much for a phone?  It isn’t in Apple’s eyes.  The lowest price that Apple is charging for the iPhone 4S is $200 – so it doesn’t seem to be too much!  Is $60 too much for a light bulb?  Philips hopes not.  This Sunday (Earth Day), they will release a $60 light bulb to the public, a light bulb that could last a consumer 20 years!  

Are They Truly Singers?

For my final blog, I tried to think of something we hadn't really discussed in class, although it seems that we have covered so many different topics dealing with technology. I finally decided on the technology of auto tuning. There have been multiple new singers over the years, but how many of them can truly sing? Many of the new singers were originally actors that wanted to try the singer fame. But how much has auto-tuning actually helped them? When a song first comes out by a new artist, everyone is talking about it. There are YouTube videos of the new song or the song is played on the radio so as to get as many people as possible to listen to it and hopefully enjoy it.

Technology is Becoming Too Much

            I recently read an article about new social networks that are gaining popularity. Facebook accounts are often open to more than one’s close friends. This can sometimes force users to filter what they post or the photos and information that they share.

A Little Bit of Color-Music

            For our final blog-of-choice, I will be discussing a technology that has been centuries in development, and which is still undergoing massive changes. As most physicists would tell you, light and sound are very similar in the way they are produced for our perception. They are both waves, though light is transverse and sound is longitudinal, and the frequency of their waves determine how our bodies perceive them. It would even be logical, though incorrect, to assume that light and sound are created by the same mechanisms. Because of this, the linkage of light and sound in music is a very interesting field of performance art.

Tupac Resurrection

    "Last Sunday, attendees of the 2012 Coachella music festival were shocked when infamous rapper, Tupac Shakur, took the stage in the form of a hologram to give a live performance - quite a feat, considering the man has been dead for over 15 years. Fans gawked and cheered as the incredibly realistic-looking "hologram" moved around the stage, called out to the audience, and even performed a song alongside his old friend, Snoop Dogg, before disappearing in a burst of light."

driving while texting is it as dangerious as people say?

            Growing up when I was younger I got a cell phone with texting on it.  As I grew older I became more and more dependent on texting as my primary source of communication with anyone and everyone. Texting is a very large and culturally addictive activity that we all embrace as what people do now days. But has anyone ever given any thought about how dangerous texting can be? Especially when it is behind the wheel of a car.

Blog 10

To what point is technology too controlling? How can we effectively maintain technological progress while maintaining majority control? These are two questions that need to be answered with good certainty before we can build a bridge between the technology enthusiasts and the the “Eh, it’s just really not for me,” portion of the population.

Personally, I find myself somewhere in between the two. I enjoy technology, but hold a concern for its potential as well. For example, I’m sure everyone has seen the commercial about the cars who park themselves and now can apply the breaks before the driver can. I think this is an incredible mark in technology, and it shows our progressive advance to this point in time. However, I also believe that this is an example of technology possibly having too much control. It serves a great purpose, to better ensure the safety of automobiles, however it lacks reason. I’m not saying that we should stop this progress and research, but I am saying that we should be careful how much water we allow it to hold. This is not a typical outside source, however it caught my eye because it talks about how to control technology and not let it control you (http://www.virtualbusinesslifestyle.com/2012/03/controlling-technology/).

It might not be a practical problem with technology, however it is a possible problem. Maybe the more well rounded we can make our argument for technology, the more holes we fill in, the smaller the gap will get.

Health Risks of Cell Phone Use?

Ever think technology could be causing you health risks or health problems?  Current studies show that cell phone use can cause cancer and brain tumors.  Experts say the concern over cell-phone use stems from a form of radiation that's produced when the devices communicate with their base station. Wireless phones transmit a low-frequency form of radiation that is also used in microwave ovens and AM/FM radios. While high-frequency radiation, such as in an X-RAY, is known to cause cancer at high doses, the risks of this milder form remain unclear. A cell phone's main source of RF is its antenna, from which it sends a signal to the nearest base-station antenna. The further a cell phone is from the base station, the more RF it needs to establish and maintain a connection.  Israeli researchers stated earlier this month in the American Journal of Epidemiology that long-term cell-phone users living in rural areas faced an elevated risk of developing tumors in the parotid gland compared with users who live in suburban or urban areas.  A few small studies have shown that using a cell phone for an hour each day over a 10-year period can increase the risk of developing a rare brain tumor and that those tumors are more likely to be on the side of your head that you use to talk on the phone.  The Food and Drug Administration recommends minimizing any potential risk by using hands-free devices and keeping cell-phone talk to a minimum.

It’s crazy to think that something that we believe is helping us every day can be hurting our health behind the scenes.  The average use of cell phones is 12.3 calls per day.  With this average climbing every day, the risk of cancer or tumors is also climbing.  Many people are attached to their cells phones and will continue to take the risk of these health problems in order to communicate with technological devices.

"How Safe Are Cell Phones?" The Daily Beast. Newsweek/Daily Beast, 18 Dec. 2007. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. <http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2007/12/18/how-safe-are-cell-phones.html>.