Change

I was reading cnn.com, economist.com, newsweek.com about the changes in our world, technological or otherwise and I came up with this mini reflection.

The world is truly changing. Societal norms are constantly being revised. Culture is updated more frequently that future generations will not have a culture to hold on to but a culture to modify. The gift of reminiscing will slowly fade away with time and people will struggle to find the time to truly ponder about the past and the good times that came with it.

We live in exponential times where change is not only constant but rapid. I fear we will one day lose the beauty of enjoying the moment because we now have the ability to do so much is such a short span of time. I’m not against the progress of society, far from. I am however pondering the fact that we may one day have this culture of rushing through life that we simply forget that the true wonders of life happen when we simply stop and absorb. We can’t fight the evolution of mankind. What we can do is to evolve rationally to fuze the old with the new, culture with modernity, love with infatuation.

While we are intelligent beings we are also simple ones. We can have everything is the world but we are driven by emotion and if we can’t satisfy them, everything else material would not matter.

Nicholas

Session 12

Today was officially the final day of our TWC course and I must say I will miss this class. I think I chose the right subject for the first semester of my university life because it thought me to be more open to change and progress. I used to think that if an input brings a negative output, then we should forgo the input. However with TWC, I learn to compromise. If the input brings in certain positive outputs along with the negative, we should find a way to eliminate the negative outputs so that we can enjoy the positive outputs rather then eradicating the input as a whole. We live in times where change happens constantly and at exponential rates and we as future change leaders should learn how to be at the forefront of this pattern.

One of the groups that presented today talked about the drug problem and how legalizing them would be a possible solution. However there are certain problems that may arise as a result of legalizing the drug. For example, when I was in Amsterdam, I visited coffee shops that sold marijuana legally. However these coffee shops were also illegally selling other times of drugs like cocaine as well. The problem with legalizing one drug to be sold is that it becomes a gateway to other forms of drugs. These coffee shops in Amsterdam now have a platform to sell other forms of drugs, which in the long run I feel does not really help solve the problem as a whole. Of course economically in the long run, revenue generated from taxation of these legalized drugs will benefit the governments but it does nothing to solve the social problems that come with drug use. When you think about it, the fight against drugs will always be a never- ending battle. What we can do is to develop new and better ways using technology to effectively catch drug smugglers and sellers. The main point I’m trying to make is that it is impossible to legalize marijuana and assume that other drugs would not become more easily accessible. It is like alcohol. There are no illegal forms of alcohol because they are essentially the same thing but in different degrees of potency. Therefore if you legalize or ban one, you have to do the same for the rest.

My groups project was on holograms and the future it brings as a form of visual technology. The main reason why we were so excited about it was because of the massive potential that is has it terms of changing the way we function. Can you imagine communicating with your loved one where he or she appears as a hologram? You might not need because it will soon be reality. Before starting University and this course, I was under the impression that technology such as holograms and augmented reality are distant possibilities because these are things you only really witness in sci-fi shows. However when we started on our group project, I came to find out that I was misinformed. The technology is here and almost ready to use. The question is how can we use it to help the masses? How can we use it as future change leaders? We all definitely have the ability to answer that.

In conclusion, TWC has thought me to be more confident. If there is something that needs to change or an idea worth exploring, do not hesitate or think twice. Be the person that steps up to the challenge.

Session 11

The start of the group presentations was truly intriguing. A few unique ideas were put forth making the future a very exciting prospect, from 3D animation to genetic warfare. However I thought it would be nice to present the other side of it.

What was particularly interesting was perhaps sports technology. It has really revolutionized the way sports are played today. Swimming with state of the art swim gear, is that a true test of your talent? And if you allow the wearing of this swimsuits, then what difference does it make, the fastest swimmer before will still be the fastest swimmer now if everyone wears it. The only difference is the time set. If I wanted to see who could reach such lighting speed timings, I would rather just race speedboats. Sometimes, the presence of technological advancements is redundant. Just because the can do it does not mean that it is necessary. Sport is about passion and determination. Yes if you can use technology to improve fine but Sports should be focused around the technological breakthroughs. I love playing soccer and sure it’s fine if they develop boots to make you run faster. However if they develop soccer boots that can eventually transmit virtual imaging of a scope so you can better aim and shoot the ball then it’ll defeat the purpose of soccer being a sport about skill. Sadly that is what I envision happening because we will have the capability to do it. While I appreciate the technological advancement I appreciate being human more.

Killing someone that has a certain genetic make-up. I can’t believe it has come to that. Yes it’s fantastic that with this we can minimize the collateral damage. However is this where we are going at as citizens of this world. Centuries of violence, disputes and disagreements and rather then learning to evolve into people of peace, we shift our focus on minimizing the damage to our friends but maximizing the damage to our enemies. I feel that they more we have the ability to create such weapons the harder it will be to search for peace. Perhaps these weapons will be like Nuclear weapons where we might never have to use it but the paranoia that results from having weapons like these in your arsenal can be just as dangerous.

I have many positive views as well. However I felt that maybe showing a little of the negative light would provide a more balance argument.

Overall it was an interesting lesson filled with thought provoking ideas. Hopefully we can carry it on into the next lesson.

Session 10

Classes officially came to an end today and I feel that a very fitting question that we should try to answer so that we can take away something positive from this course is perhaps how can we come up with new an innovative ways to bring about change in this world? The key I feel is to be an open book. As Melinda Gates so perfectly put it, we have to learn from innovators from every sector. We have to adapt to changes as quickly as possible to that our vision of the future is not outdated and in these exponential times, it’s quite a challenge.

Jerry Lewis’ presentation today talked about the possible steps to eradicate poverty. While I still hold an air of skepticism, I don’t doubt people’s ability to reduce poverty. We live in a giving and charitable society. Once we experience giving and the way it makes us feel, we tend to carry on that trend because of the satisfaction it gives us. That’s what we need. We need people to take initiatives rather then the dependence on organizations as a whole. Look at Kiva.com. All it took was one visionary woman to make that change. She saw that it wasn’t money perse that these people were looking for but rather help. They wanted help so that in turn they can learn to help themselves. Sometimes we doubt the ability of people to be independent and that can be catastrophic. When we forget people can learn to be independent, we look to big organizations to solve the problem because we assume that people in poverty are looking for someone to depend on permanently rather then to learn from in the hopes that one day they can do it themselves.

My favorite quote of the whole course came today. “We should work back from the future rather then work from present to future”. It has totally changed my perception on life and how we should live it. It’s not a new concept. We’ve all heard it before for example, “begin with the end in mind”. However I suppose I took it for granted. I realize working back from the future allows you to constantly work at achieving your goals rather working to achieve your goals and that can make all the difference.

Overall, this course has thought me to not be burdened by barriers but be motivated by opportunities to make a difference in the world for we are not truly privileged until we have made a difference in the lives of people.

Session 9 Emerging and future technologies

Today’s session discussed the emerging and future technologies and it’s feasibilities. Future technologies can literally happen in any sector as was mentioned during class. However just because we have the ability to create these new technologies, is it necessary that we utilize it?

Nanotechnology and Cryonic technology used to resurrect the dead. Many people in the class feel that it is unnecessary as death is essentially a natural process of life and that we should not interfere with it. Of course there are many reasons why it is unnecessary. However the most valid one I feel is probably the ethical reasoning. Should we focus on bringing back people from the dead? Or should the money be better spent invested on improving the quality of life of the people who are living. It is more practical so ensure that we focus on technologies that help people live the best possible way with whatever time they have on earth rather then merely living up to an age of 500 simply because we found a way to ensure you never have to die. However one must admit that skepticism arises when we have yet to actually resurrect someone. When the time comes when we do, then we will be in a better position to weigh the pros and cons of having someone who lived in the 60’s to be living in the 21^st century while maintaining his youth.

Another topic discussed today was Nuclear Fusion and whether it’s the best form of alternative energy. We should definitely focus on it and put more emphasis on it because this is one form on energy that can essential solve our energy needs instead of having a few options like solar energy or wind generators. If we can successfully create as much energy as the sun then, then problems such as providing energy for a rising population or finding new forms of sustainable energy will become mute. Countries will also become more self sufficient in creating energy for its population and never have to worry about the lack of it thus facilitating progress. Hence why not focus on Nuclear Fusion? We can basically solve every energy related problem.

However something in the class really affected me, and which may not necessarily pertain to TWC directly but why would any man or woman for that matter want to fall in love with a ROBOT? Correct if I’m wrong but isn’t part of falling in love with someone related to chase and the mini dance you do when you try and court someone? It’s not possible to do that with a Robot that you program to focus on you. I don’t doubt that they will have the intelligence of human and certain emotions but there is one thing we cannot have with Robots and that is “chemistry”. That is just a personal opinion but one which I am almost certain our generation can relate to. However I wouldn’t be surprised in the age our children grow up it, falling in love with robots maybe a norm because it’s a societal norm.

Overall is was a good class, thought provoking and never ceasing to break my boundaries.

Session 8 Renewable energy

If there is one thing to take a way from today’s session is that the biggest barrier that hinders renewable energy from reaching its potential is cooperation. This is evident in the reading son vista as well as from the presentations today.

Reading 3 from vista states that energy policy makers have to consider many other factors and not solely on energy. For instance, the social impact, the economic impact among others. The problem here is that people are so focused on their own current needs that they forget the big picture and thus do not provide the appropriate concession for it. Below are some factors to explain my point:

- People only focus on investing in renewable energy if it will bring in profits in the long run for themselves. Therefore renewable energy becomes a business decision. So if we find a renewable energy source that it not profitable do we through away the idea? We might if we carry on with a business mindset.

- Governments and various organizations tend to see renewable energy as an alternative energy source. Yes 10 to 20 years ago that might have been the case. Not anymore. We have to change that mindset and realize that we have to eventually make renewable energy our only source of energy. A simple change of words from alternative to main energy source can make a difference.

- Minor barriers or excuses? Fossil fuels are cheaper alternatives. How long can we hide behind that excuse? Sustainable development is the only way we can carry on with our extensive energy consumption without resulting in end of the world situations. It is essential to change to these problems into opportunities to find ways to make renewable energy a cheaper solution, which there are many cases of.

What lessons can we take away from this? One is that we need to be more cooperative when it comes to moving renewable energy in the right direction, which is forward. Secondly, we need to change our mindset and realize that the future is now and that renewable energy is which was the solution for the future has become the solution for now.

I would rate this session an 8/10 because it brought about more insight the actual progress on renewable energy. Although things are being done, it is not nearly enough and we have to find ways to reach the maximum potential or renewable energy.

Session 7

I suppose I’m very narrow minded in my thinking and I should broaden my views and thoughts a little more. No matter what topic is being discussed or presented, I can only seem to focus on the human element more then the science or the technology. To simplify it, whenever someone talks about a particular topic, I immediately shift my focus to…. “Okay, this technology is out there, we have the capabilities. How can we use this to help the people who need it the most?” Because when it comes down to it, we should capitalize on these technological shifts to help people who we could not have helped before effectively.

Juvan was talking about how GM foods are everywhere whether we accept it or not. So why are there still Anti-GM groups against the whole idea? Looking ahead, the question shouldn’t be whether GM foods are good or bad for us now or in the long run. The question should be how can we carry on with the development or GM foods and at the same time find ways to eradicate the negative impacts that come with. We now have efficient solutions to solve poverty as well as allow people and countries to be more self- sufficient, so there is no reason why we should not capitalize on it.

Bandana’s presentation seemed to bring up the point, which has been around for the past couple of weeks. Can we find the balance between profit oriented and being socially responsible? It may not be an either or situation but neither is it a 50-50 one. From the presentation, Monsanto does not seem to be ethical in it’s practices but I do agree with the point that use when they are being sued. They are trying to solve one of the MDG. Being profit driven is what fuels you to constantly improve what you have so that it benefits more people and more effectively. This is exactly what you need to bring about change.

However I’m still sitting on the fence as I’m not too sure of myself. Does it solve the root problem of the MDG? We can only effectively eradicate problems such as poverty and starvation if we give people the tools to combat themselves rather then giving them a quick fix. Prevention is always better than cure. It’s a tricky thing to find the right balance. However it is not impossible.

I felt this class was a 7/10. Thought provoking and relatively easy to follow.

Session 6

Bio Business

Not to long ago, one of my uncle’s friends who worked at Microsoft and I were having a small talk and I asked him, are you guys worried about how Apple is catching up with you in terms of market power. His reply was short and sharp. He said that they at not so worried because the future of Microsoft is in the Healthcare sector and after seeing the video today… I guess he was right. During today’s discussion, there were 2 main points that are truly worth discussing. One, has the healthcare industry become a profiteering one? Has is lost sight of it’s main goal? Two, wellness management, is this the future of Healthcare?

On certain levels, the healthcare industry has become a profiteering one. How can it not? It’s essentially a business and a business can only survive if it’s profit margin is healthy. That’s the challenge we face in this day and age, to find that balance between helping people and making money. People under the poverty line can’t afford even basic healthcare, which is a human right. What happens to them? Even as a businessman I think it’s essential to realize that being socially responsible is important to. We live in a “We” culture not an “I” one therefore I agree that profiteering is vital for a business but let’s not forget that there are people out there who would use a helping hand. Let’s be there for them.

However at the same time, I’m quite optimistic that there will be a change in Corporate Social responsibility for the better. Why? When you do something good and you see the impact in has on those you helped, how do you feel? You feel like helping even more. You see this a lot in the big MNC’s now. Once they get into the habit of giving back to the community it’s hard to break that pattern. Plus, it shed’s a positive light on these companies as well.

On the topic of wellness management, I have a friend in yoga class and she is 60+ years old and she has not been to a doctor since she was 35. Why? She eat’s right and practices yoga everyday. I’m not saying living a healthy lifestyle will guarantee you a sickness free life but it will definitely decrease your chances of getting a disease.

Therefore wellness management should be the path that we should adopt. To educate ourselves on what must be done to achieve a truly healthy life. If we become dependant on liposuction to reduce obesity, yes we reduce obesity but that doesn’t mean we a less likely to have high cholesterol levels and a higher chance of heart disease. In terms of whether it will be adopted by the masses remains to be seen.

In conclusion, we are always in control of what we do. We do not have to have many resources to be resourceful. If you want your company to make a change in the lives of disease stricken children… you can. If you want to take control of your own well- being… you can.

Session 5

How time just goes by at the blink of an eye. It’s already week 5 even if it doesn’t quite feel like it. Today’s TWC session felt like it was sending me a message. So far the past four weeks my stand was more towards how technology is not as marvelous a thing that people make it to be. However I stand corrected. It is.

I feel somewhat more optimistic about the future and what technology can bring to the masses, especially the developing world. This ties to one of the readings that I read about how ICT can play an important role in the MDG and I agree with it to a large extent. As Prof. Shahi was saying, technology should be a human right as we move towards a knowledge bases revolution.

The reason why what the Prof said about technology being a human right affected me was mainly because I strongly believe that every child on this earth deserves a chance to make a comfortable living for himself and for his future family and society. Technology has improved so much over recent years that you do not need as much infrastructure as before to get technology such as computers to even the most rural of places. Sponsor a group of children a smart phone and install educational applications on it and he can now learn. You don’t always need a big computer to get the job done. “Leap Frogging” has been re-iterated in class many a times and I think it’s time we start acknowledging that.

A key takeaway here for me personally is that, with ICT we have a much better opportunity to accomplish our MDG’s as well as to close the gap between the developed, developing and the yet to develop countries of the world. All we need it the right attitude. Positive change is always one good deed away.

Daniel’s presentation, which discussed if education using technology would be harder because of all the distractions it comes with versus the use of print was a very intriguing one to say the least. I always thought that the distractions were my fault and not so much the technology or the internet’s fault. However after that presentation I must say I might be forced to reconsider my stand.

All this E-learning or online discussions and debates, blogs, facebook chats can appear to be a distraction itself. Yes it’s convenient, it’s always at your disposal. However we run the risk of pseudo communicating. Nothing beats a classroom environment where you talk and understand and link the person’s emotion to his/her idea. Or if you read a book where English matters as a language not just a way of getting your point across. My point is technology can offer you amazing forms of information but you might lose the personal touch of learning and understanding.

One can argue that it is up to the individual which I agree to a certain extent but children growing up in this day and age might become fully dependant on technology that they lose the art of focusing on learning rather then always multi-tasking. I must say I’m a victim of it as well.

In conclusion, resistance is futile. Embrace change and progress and see how it can help benefit the world and those who need it. At the same time, remember the importance of tried and tested methods as well. If it still is effective, don't be too quick to get rid of it because there are better options.

“Change is essentially up to the individual.” That was the key takeaway for me with regards to today’s session. It’s such a powerful phrase for me because it is often written off quickly because we brush of progress as something someone comes up with while we just simply jump on the bandwagon when the time comes. The topic today was the drivers of world change and managing it to it’s fullest potential so as to encompass all aspects of progress.

However it was the consumerism changes that come with technology that had a big impact on me. It occurred to me that essentially every industry today is now linked with the service industry because of the increasing number of competitors that each business has. What makes one online shopping portal better then the other? It’s not so much what they sell but rather what additional services they offer you that make the difference. Since the general consensus of the class (me included) is that a business can only be truly successful if it caters to the mainstream, how then does high-end retail outlets still manage to survive? The key is the additional service they provide. Take for example when you shop for Prada goods online, you can choose a selection of clothes and shoes that you like, just like any other store. However what set’s them apart is that after you order, they can have a personalized sales assistant to come to your house to help you accessorize and coordinate your clothes so that you look your absolute best with their product. Of course this comes with additional cost but the point is that they essentially cater to you own selfish needs rather then theirs so as to keep you attracted to their brand.

What this means is that globalization and technological advancements has helped break the Monopoly or Oligopoly of certain companies in certain industries, which has thus benefitted the consumers in terms of better and more personalized treatment as well as acceptable prices due to pricing competitions among businesses in the same industry. Of course this is only true to a certain extent but I think this seems to be the growing trend.

So something important that I think should be good for discussion is, since we as the consumers continue to have increasing power over companies and what they provide for us, how can we drive the change for companies to accelerate their shift towards sustainable development in an era where climate change and environmental problems are such pressing issues?

Lesson 3

Sustainable development and innovation management were among the topics discussed today. The insights provided by most of the speakers I must say were rather thought provoking and it got me thinking about certain topics more then others. In particular, the idea of sustainable development and making it happen as well as the idea of history being an open source.

For an idea that has been around since the 70’s, sustainable development is definitely taking a very long time to be implemented globally. From the discussions during class, it can be attributed to the fact that reallocating resources towards sustainable development would reduce the productivity thus reducing the current levels of profit one stands to gain. Therefore, you can have companies agreeing to cut down carbon emissions and focus on sustainable development but at the same time sticking to their normal framework of productivity. Upon further reading on environmentalleader.com, it states that US companies under the “Carbon market readiness: accounting, compliance, reporting and tax considerations under state and national carbon emissions programs, companies should consider their carbon emissions under their business and financial requirements allowing for proper taxation to be done. However many of these companies do not actually report this for tax considerations or continue to be inconsistent about information provided. So on the one hand they can agree toward a sustainable development but on the other hand their actions are not congruent.

So from this and it has been something I have been noticing throughout the 3 weeks of TWC, Regulators can only do so much. It is more the willingness of the party to want to make that change towards progress that has a positive impact on future generations. We need to start being accountable and make the change.

The presentation on Wikipedia was something I think is relevant to us because of the era that we live in. Should history be open source? Why not? The history made especially in this day and age happens to everyone. Think Obama getting elected, it affected the world. The housing bubble that subsequently led to the financial crisis in US and the a global recession happened to everyone. Even when the Iphone 4 was released. The point here is that we are all interconnected therefore to reiterate, history happens to everyone. So it is valid for anyone to have a say in it. However if history is allowed to be open source then we must also be prepared to filter for ourselves what is credible and what is not.

An issue that would be fitting for further discussion is perhaps how we can incorporate sustainable development into our lives as fast as possible rather then waiting for guidelines and regulations to be passed.

Listening to the presentations today was enjoyable because this was one of the few times for me where I got to see people present during class about something that they had a strong opinion for rather then simply presenting because they had to.

However something that really got me thinking was the triangular model showing the definitions of rising and falling stars and well as the neutral dominant powers. I was reading a Newsweek article titled “The Problem with presidents” and it states that with the world so interconnected and globalization progressing at exponential rates, now more then ever we need global leaders rather then just national leaders. Here we see the leaders of China and India and even the USA doing exactly that. They are fitting the definition of a rising star because they are countries governed by global leaders. The leaders of these countries are jumping on the globalization bandwagon because they know and as the article “Rising up to the Global Challenge” states , “growth is rarely just in the home market” because now the world is your home market. For example they are keen on investing in new ideas as well as learn from other people’s success. In short, any nation has the opportunity to be a rising star as long as they have a global perspective rather then isolating themselves. Just take a look at Brazil and President Da silva’s effort to learn from others and improve themselves transforming the nation from an economic nothing to an emerging market powerhouse.

Peoples attitude’s determine the outcome of their position in world dominance.

Another thing that intrigued me was the discussions that were brought up after the very interesting and enjoyable presentation that showed the changing roles that women play now and how they are more empowered. It made me feel rather old fashioned to think that family was more important than ambition be it whether the man or woman takes the back seat to ensure a good upbringing for one’s children but I don’t mean being a house wife/husband of course. However on the topic of the presentation, world change had allowed for the empowering of women for example the equal rights amendment…and things like this should be encouraged. If we haven’t already, we should allow women to be on the same playing field as us men be it allowing women in certain countries to finally have excess to education all the way to removing that glass ceiling that everyone talks about. There are certain things that women are much better at doing then men and if you want society to be at it’s optimal productivity, women empowerment is a key factor.

An issue for further discussion I feel should be the issue on globalization and it’s correlation with being a dominant power. Does that mean for one to be a dominant power globalization is a priority rather than an option?

Lesson 1

There were a few key topics discussed today. Among which were, why certain countries are able to make technological progress while some countries lag behind or remain stagnant altogether as well as finding the balance between our biological nature and the lifestyles that we have cultivated with the benefits brought by advancements in technology.

From the discussions as well as the video “ Guns, Germs and Steel”, it can be concluded that technology requires a step-by-step progression and if one cannot reach a certain level then technological advancement comes to a halt. Take an example from the video shown, Papa New Guineans and the Middle Easterners were both hunter, gatherers at the beginning. However over time, Middle Easterners were able to make that transition to an agricultural society because they had resources that allowed them to progress. For instance their geographical location made it possible for them to find animals they could domesticate and work for them. Therefore now they could use these animals to plough the lands allowing for a larger amount of crops to be sown. On the other hand, the Papa New Guineans continued growing crops the “old” way because they did not have the resources required to progress. So essentially, technology can only progress if there are resources available which was why the Middle Easterners were able to become more advanced technologically while the Guineans did not eventhough they were highly intelligent and highly adaptable.

This is also relevant in the modern world. With rising income inequality, lack of education and resources, a gap in created between people from different countries and even within the country itself. Therefore while technology continues to grow and change the world at an exponential rate, there are still many people who are left behind. That’s why a key takeaway for me from this is how we can bridge that gap so that technological progress, which was meant to benefit everyone, can in fact benefit everyone.

The second point mentioned in the introduction sparked a mini debate about how the biological nature of human beings is being affected negatively by technological progress. I agree to a certain extent because our body has yet to evolve to the point where we can handle our consumerist nature or the long hours we spend on the computer without exercising or even the fact that improved technology which were meant to make our lives better such as handphones, computers and MRI machines, actually produces radiation that in the long run has harmful effects on the body. However I feel this is about personal choice, therefore it is more the lack of discipline on our part to find that balance rather then it being a negative impact that technology brings.

So for me, a key takeaway from this is how do we find that balance? So that technology and world change does not bring the demise of the human race.

An issue for further discussion was the quote that was written on the white board. “Technology is easy but people are hard” We all agreed with it but we never really dug deep into why it was so? Sometimes technological progress is hindered due to moral or religious issues. Which begs the question, when do we draw the line because it is impossible to please everyone, for instance on the topic of cloning or abortions. I hope we will have the chance to discuss this.

The class out of a 10 was a 7. It was a good start, nothing too heavy but a lot of thought provoking questions to get us started and allow us to be more vocal in the future.