Prof has shared many interesting videos with the class today, another “video” sharing class. Started off the lesson with an interesting video, People are able to create the things that they want almost immediately, through molding. They are able to adjust the model to the way they like it to be and changing the color as well. That’s the power of technology! We might see that happening in the near future! The immediate action that could be done to the model will be beneficial for the different meetings conducted, any of the people are able to visually see and change the model to their own preference. Some advantages of this would be saving time from repeatedly changing the prototype to suit the client’s preference; they are able to change it on the spot. :)
Some of the drivers for these would be
1. Market driven (recommended for new entrepreneurs as they can start off based on the market need for the technologies)
2. Technology driven - growing technical knowledge (need to create the technology, require people to agree with your technology.
3. Supply may create demand – it is only until the people realize the existence of the technologies available and realized that they actually need it, thus creating the demand for it. E.g. Smartphone
4. Mass media and advertising – the power of mass media
4 SMARTS
- SMART people
- SMART idea
- SMART money
- SMART alliances and partnerships
Sales – Push: Trying to sell off the things that you have on hand.
Marketing – Pull: people will come looking for you to ask you for the things that you have.
The ROBOT: Perfect woman
Wow... it’s amazing to see robots that resemble so much to a real human! I was quite shock when I first saw it as I really thought it’s a real woman, only until the camera zoom out to the whole body shot that I realized it’s actually a robot. Robot is not something that we’re unfamiliar with. We’ve know that Japan is one of the countries that has the most advanced technologies and also it is actively involved in the research of creating smart robots, robots that can help humans in their daily lives.
For the perfect woman, I find it quite scary because it’s not as “normal” as humans, the way it speaks and the overall appearance looks and feels eerie to me. HAHA! But no doubt, it is a good creation by the creators.
Where will we be in the near future?
In 10 years to come, Singapore will definitely not be what we’re seeing now. It will change quite drastically, the “integration” of technology and new innovations in the future will be instilled in the near future. Of course, the change is for the better…. We might be able to see robots functioning as maids in households in maybe 20 years later? The fact that the experimentation on robots is highly seen in countries like Japan, there is no doubt that this change will be expanded to rest of the world.
Presentations today are very insightful, introducing us to the various types of possible future technologies. Be it nanotechnology or the change in the user experience during flights, these sharings are no doubt informative for me, quite an eye opener, and how amazing will it be if we’re really able to see these future technologies in 20 years.
Rating: 9/10
Saturday 22 October 2011
Friday 14 October 2011
Lesson 8: Energy (Past Present Future)
Today's lesson was talking about Energy. One of the world's energy sources would be fossil fuels which is a non-renewable source of energy. It has affected the Earth greatly as the burning of fossil fuels and other non-renewable sources has resulted in global warming, which means that the world's temperature has been increasing every year.
As the people are now more aware of the environmental impacts from all these activities, more and more companies are now changing or at least reducing their usage on non-renewable energy to using renewable energy.
From what Prof mentioned in class, one of the renewable energy, the solar energy, is actually able to provide enough energy for our consumption. But why are we not making use of the solar energy to provide for our use? I think that even though there is this solar panel which is able to acquire energy from the sun, it is not widely used in Asian countries as compared to Western countries. One of the reasons may be that the one-time costs involved in getting the panels are expensive, and due to the resistance to change among Asians.
From the video shown by prof, the westerners made use of the land area for rearing of animals to place their solar panels to obtain their solar energy, i think that they are creative. HAHA.. this is because usually from the impression that i have, westerners are better in making use of the limited space that they have in doing multiple activities. If all the countries are able to make use of their available space to acquire solar energy, i think that the energy consumption would then not depend highly on fossil fuels.
An interesting and informative video that i found related to today's topic:
i think that Singapore is also able to play a part in reducing on non-renewable energy consumption and finding new ways to use renewable sources of energy to help in ensuring the reduction of negative environmental impact on Earth.
Really hope that from what today's session focuses on, the next industrial revolution (from fossil fuels to renewables), will be able to ensure that there will be enough energy for our next and future generations. Shifting from fossil fuels which are non-renewable to renewables, besides ensuring that we will be able to reduce the negative impacts on Earth, also to make sure that there will be enough energy for consumption for our future generations.
Rating: 8/10
As the people are now more aware of the environmental impacts from all these activities, more and more companies are now changing or at least reducing their usage on non-renewable energy to using renewable energy.
From what Prof mentioned in class, one of the renewable energy, the solar energy, is actually able to provide enough energy for our consumption. But why are we not making use of the solar energy to provide for our use? I think that even though there is this solar panel which is able to acquire energy from the sun, it is not widely used in Asian countries as compared to Western countries. One of the reasons may be that the one-time costs involved in getting the panels are expensive, and due to the resistance to change among Asians.
From the video shown by prof, the westerners made use of the land area for rearing of animals to place their solar panels to obtain their solar energy, i think that they are creative. HAHA.. this is because usually from the impression that i have, westerners are better in making use of the limited space that they have in doing multiple activities. If all the countries are able to make use of their available space to acquire solar energy, i think that the energy consumption would then not depend highly on fossil fuels.
An interesting and informative video that i found related to today's topic:
i think that Singapore is also able to play a part in reducing on non-renewable energy consumption and finding new ways to use renewable sources of energy to help in ensuring the reduction of negative environmental impact on Earth.
Really hope that from what today's session focuses on, the next industrial revolution (from fossil fuels to renewables), will be able to ensure that there will be enough energy for our next and future generations. Shifting from fossil fuels which are non-renewable to renewables, besides ensuring that we will be able to reduce the negative impacts on Earth, also to make sure that there will be enough energy for consumption for our future generations.
Rating: 8/10
Sunday 2 October 2011
Lesson 7: BioBusiness - Agriculture
"There’s enough on this planet for everyone’s need but not for everyone’s greed.”
- Mahatma Gandhi
I think the above quote really reflected reality...
When people in the richer countries are throwing away leftovers, can they imagine that the other part of the world are facing food shortages?
If not, how come there are children with obesity and the some children facing malnutrition? These are all related to food security and stability...
If a group of people are not facing any problems with their source of food, they will just spend their money to get whatever food they want to eat and buying any amount of food, even though the amount is far too much for themselves.
We spent quite some time discuss about the food labels. I personally would not really look at the food labels to know whether the food is Genetically Modified. Reason for this is that i believed that the food that is available in Singapore are safe to consume, even though it is GM food, it is still edible and will not have much negative impact. Come to think of it, even though the labels on the food are shown as not GM food, how can you be sure that it is not GM food? How about the seed? if the seed is genetically modified, would the label show that the food is GM food even though only the seed is GM? We can't be sure of course.
I think what really matters to me is that whether the food is safe to be consumed.
Mentioned and discuss quite a lot on genetically modified crops. GM crops are able to curb the shortage of food supply and ensure that the poor farmers will have their crops harvested at the end of the period. E.g. herbicide resistance crops will ensure that the weeds will not fight for the nutrients of the crops; insect resistance crops will ensure that the crops will not be destroyed by certain types of "popular destroyers" of the crops. This could ensure food stability as the farmers will be harvesting the crops.
With the help of biotechnology on agriculture, we're able to end world hunger, but it is also with the HELP of people that this world hunger will really end.
Re-emphasize on quote again: "There’s enough on this planet for everyone’s need but not for everyone’s greed.” - Mahatma Gandhi
Just get what you need!
Rating: 8.5/10
- Mahatma Gandhi
I think the above quote really reflected reality...
When people in the richer countries are throwing away leftovers, can they imagine that the other part of the world are facing food shortages?
If not, how come there are children with obesity and the some children facing malnutrition? These are all related to food security and stability...
If a group of people are not facing any problems with their source of food, they will just spend their money to get whatever food they want to eat and buying any amount of food, even though the amount is far too much for themselves.
We spent quite some time discuss about the food labels. I personally would not really look at the food labels to know whether the food is Genetically Modified. Reason for this is that i believed that the food that is available in Singapore are safe to consume, even though it is GM food, it is still edible and will not have much negative impact. Come to think of it, even though the labels on the food are shown as not GM food, how can you be sure that it is not GM food? How about the seed? if the seed is genetically modified, would the label show that the food is GM food even though only the seed is GM? We can't be sure of course.
I think what really matters to me is that whether the food is safe to be consumed.
Mentioned and discuss quite a lot on genetically modified crops. GM crops are able to curb the shortage of food supply and ensure that the poor farmers will have their crops harvested at the end of the period. E.g. herbicide resistance crops will ensure that the weeds will not fight for the nutrients of the crops; insect resistance crops will ensure that the crops will not be destroyed by certain types of "popular destroyers" of the crops. This could ensure food stability as the farmers will be harvesting the crops.
With the help of biotechnology on agriculture, we're able to end world hunger, but it is also with the HELP of people that this world hunger will really end.
Re-emphasize on quote again: "There’s enough on this planet for everyone’s need but not for everyone’s greed.” - Mahatma Gandhi
Just get what you need!
Rating: 8.5/10
Saturday 24 September 2011
Lesson 6: BioBusiness - Healthcare
BioBusiness is a commercial activity based on an understanding of life sciences and life science processes such as biomedical, agri-veterinary and environmental/industrial.
It has already constitutes over 25% of global GDP and 40% of the world’s labor force are dependent on this sector in 2001. What's the reasons behind these? Why did BioBusiness contribute to such a high percentage of the global GDP?
As seen all over the world, we're moving towards an ageing population. Singapore alone, has about 9% of the population are elderly aged 65 and above in 2011, and will worsen to 22% in 2025. What an astonishing proportion, 1/5 of the total population! That would emphasize on the importance of healthcare.
The potential of healthcare has been showing for the past years. People are more focus on getting a longer lifespan, to be able to live longer. So, they will spend any amount that they can afford to to extend their lifespan. This will be one of the reasons why large amounts of investments have gone into advancing the technologies in the healthcare sector. As a result of this, consumers have also been spending alot on healthcare.
I've found some interesting points in one of the readings, "Will Disruptive Innovations Cure Health Care?". Basically, for this article, the main point focus on whether the disruptive innovations are able to improve the quality of healthcare present currently. Disruptive Innovations as mentioned in the article refers to cheaper, simpler, more convenient products or services that start by meeting the needs of less-demanding consumers.
Not all customers are demanding for the same quality of services provided by healthcare, thus it is not right to impose one's thinking on others and therefore making these less-demanding consumers to absorb the high cost of healthcare services.
The following is one of the diagrams extracted from the article which i find interesting:
Apart from that, different professions in the healthcare are now catering to different groups of consumers. The nurses in hospitals are taking up different roles to provide services to consumers who used to be the doctors' job. If it's just a mild illness or common illness such as flu or cold, the less-demanding consumers will not go and see a specialist to incur high costs which provides the same quality of service to that of a general physician.
Last but not least, i would like to point out some points about the video, this is too futuristic but who knows? it might really happen in the future with fast pace of technology advancement. How nice would it be when there's a notification shown just before you on your medication, and getting to know which medication to take without afraid of losing the sticky labels on it? in this case, we don't have to worry about the elderly getting the wrong medications! :)
Presentation on immortality is thought-provoking. It has always been in the movies/dramas related to Chinese history. Will it be a fantasy of the past or a possibility of the future? I think neither. Reason be that although true immortality is really too far fetch, it's not considered as a fantasy of the past as people has been extending their lifespan through the help of technology. On the other hand, neither a possibility of the future as it is for sure that humans have a fixed lifespan, and it is for sure that we will pass away one day. Attaining immortality may be a realm that people hope to be in, but will we be happy? if you're the only one alive in this world, without anyone to share. I guess no.
Rating for this session 7/10.
Looking forward to the 2nd part of BioBusiness.
My turn to do the presentation~ :)
It has already constitutes over 25% of global GDP and 40% of the world’s labor force are dependent on this sector in 2001. What's the reasons behind these? Why did BioBusiness contribute to such a high percentage of the global GDP?
As seen all over the world, we're moving towards an ageing population. Singapore alone, has about 9% of the population are elderly aged 65 and above in 2011, and will worsen to 22% in 2025. What an astonishing proportion, 1/5 of the total population! That would emphasize on the importance of healthcare.
The potential of healthcare has been showing for the past years. People are more focus on getting a longer lifespan, to be able to live longer. So, they will spend any amount that they can afford to to extend their lifespan. This will be one of the reasons why large amounts of investments have gone into advancing the technologies in the healthcare sector. As a result of this, consumers have also been spending alot on healthcare.
I've found some interesting points in one of the readings, "Will Disruptive Innovations Cure Health Care?". Basically, for this article, the main point focus on whether the disruptive innovations are able to improve the quality of healthcare present currently. Disruptive Innovations as mentioned in the article refers to cheaper, simpler, more convenient products or services that start by meeting the needs of less-demanding consumers.
Not all customers are demanding for the same quality of services provided by healthcare, thus it is not right to impose one's thinking on others and therefore making these less-demanding consumers to absorb the high cost of healthcare services.
The following is one of the diagrams extracted from the article which i find interesting:
Apart from that, different professions in the healthcare are now catering to different groups of consumers. The nurses in hospitals are taking up different roles to provide services to consumers who used to be the doctors' job. If it's just a mild illness or common illness such as flu or cold, the less-demanding consumers will not go and see a specialist to incur high costs which provides the same quality of service to that of a general physician.
Last but not least, i would like to point out some points about the video, this is too futuristic but who knows? it might really happen in the future with fast pace of technology advancement. How nice would it be when there's a notification shown just before you on your medication, and getting to know which medication to take without afraid of losing the sticky labels on it? in this case, we don't have to worry about the elderly getting the wrong medications! :)
Presentation on immortality is thought-provoking. It has always been in the movies/dramas related to Chinese history. Will it be a fantasy of the past or a possibility of the future? I think neither. Reason be that although true immortality is really too far fetch, it's not considered as a fantasy of the past as people has been extending their lifespan through the help of technology. On the other hand, neither a possibility of the future as it is for sure that humans have a fixed lifespan, and it is for sure that we will pass away one day. Attaining immortality may be a realm that people hope to be in, but will we be happy? if you're the only one alive in this world, without anyone to share. I guess no.
Rating for this session 7/10.
Looking forward to the 2nd part of BioBusiness.
My turn to do the presentation~ :)
Saturday 17 September 2011
Lesson 5: ICT
I was quite amazed by the interaction of Claire and the virtual boy. When Claire passed the piece of paper to him, it can actually duplicate what's being drawn on that paper! With exact same size and same color/thickness of the pen's ink.
That's the power of technology!
However, no matter what it is, there's sure bound to have the positive and negative impacts on society. Taking this technology for example, like what's being mentioned in prof's blog, it is good that lonely child at home are kept entertained and accompanied by this virtual friend, and at the same time, parents are able to monitor the situation from work. What i felt is that, yes it is good that the child has a companion, but spending long hours interacting with this virtual friend is not good for the child. Even though the child will learn how to interact and communicate with this friend, it might hinders the child's progression towards social life if the parents do not spend enough time with the child. It might isolate the child from the society, as he's been kept too long with this virtual friend. Parents have to take measures in ensuring the proper growth of the child by not overdependent on this type of technology.
Cloud computing..... I've watched this video more than 3 times previously in other modules. I find this video to have introduced cloud computing to its viewers very well. We're able to gain understanding to cloud computing and the contents are very informative and interestingly attracting us in knowing about cloud computing...
Besides that, i think the introduction of Web 1.0, Web 2.0, Web 3.0 has helped us in knowing what's the difference between these 3.
web-3.0. Retrieved September 17, 2011, from: URL http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_coj-STt1Xns/TCy3aS_mO2I/AAAAAAAAAIg/Xu0HH-NUe1o/s1600/web-3.0.png
web1_0-vs-web2_0. Retrieved September 17, 2011, from: URL http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_coj-STt1Xns/TCy3WhXBQeI/AAAAAAAAAIY/jpn9VcIy3bI/s1600/web1_0-vs-web2_0.png
web1to31. Retrieved September 17, 2011, from: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_coj-STt1Xns/TCy3Rs_u4KI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/X3FQYkeg_SQ/s1600/web1to31.jpg
web1to31. Retrieved September 17, 2011, from: http://www.stainwizards.com/page23/files/blocks_image_22_1.png
I find this analogy to be cool. Using the evolution of ape to human for Web 1.0 to Web 3.0
The improvements from the previous and how technology change has impacted on the Web 1.0 --> Web 3.0
For the presentations for this session, i find them quite interesting. I'm engaged to the presentation on the TV as the graphics and layouts used for the presentation is fascinating to me. It does not shut off the audience but keeping the audience wanting to hear the presentation. Good Job! Nice Future Predictions like clicking on the car to see the model and adding on to Shopping Cart. HAHA! even though it might seem weird to buy a car through "on-line shopping" but who knows? It might really happen in the future! Good interaction with the audience.
The other presentation which draws me is the one on Free economy. Even though the slides may not appear as interesting and fanciful as the previous presenter, he gave a very good presentation with good contents and examples to illustrate his point! I've enjoyed the presentation.
Overall rating for this class: 8.5/10
Saturday 10 September 2011
Lesson 4 - Drivers to Change
Started with some questions on what causes change? What drives change? There are really lots and lots of answers to these. We need to be proactive in making things happen, and respond to it. Things are happening and we’re unaware of. Prof used Dodo bird as an example, which was already extinct now. If we’re like the Dodo bird which was unaware of the changes around it, we might be going into extinction. I think awareness is another key to change. We need to be aware of the things happening around, as well as having self awareness in what we can do and do it well, what we can’t do.
The article on fourteen drives of environmental change is very informative. I find the information interesting. The experts are predicting the different types of change in 30 odd years to come. How amazing it is! We’re living in a world of constant changes and evolutions, the change that they predicted for 2060 might not necessary are the changes that might really occur then, the main reason will be the factors leading the world and the direction that the world is going to. What makes a country to be always leading? I think that’s making the change that’s positive and stand out amongst all the other countries. Be the first to make the change! Be the first to think of that change! To be revolutionary might be the key towards that!
Evolution VS Revolution
Evolution that is to make further improvements on the current innovation, technology, ideology etc..
Revolution which is to really step out of the current boundary and explore other possibilities that doesn’t exist now.
Change Management VS Change Leadership
Have to be “thick-skinned” in order to be a leader in changing the current situation because it is always tough to find followers that agree with your change. It is always tough to make the first step! The first follower plays a very crucial role in your change. Without the first follower, there won’t be 2nd, 3rd, 4th ….. followers. It is important to find the supporters towards your change. What makes leader a leader? It is not the leader and his/her characteristics, neither is the charisma that they’ll bring, BUT the followers who follow the leader.
The video that’s shown in class is a very good example:
Having quite an intense discussion on the presentation regarding CIO role. The role of the CIO has changed and is quite different from the past. The CIO needs to have technical knowledge in order to lead the whole company with regards to technology. However, for now, the CIO needs to have leadership and change management in them in order to lead.
I would rate this session 8/10.
Topic Review Paper Outline
Specific Innovation of Interest
- Renewable energy and Its Impacts
Rationale for selecting this innovation
- Fossil fuels energy has been reduced to a large extent, people are going towards renewable energy and in fact, renewable energy is on the rise/has already risen to a greater height than before.
Proposed Approach to Development of Paper
Executive Summary
- Background/Introduction
- Timeline of energy
- Introducing the widely used energy and the other alternative sources of energy
- Evolution of energy from past till present
Historical Perspective
- Some of the incidents that occurred over the world which energy is largely involved, e.g. Japan Earthquake and nuclear power plants(nuclear energy)
Current Situation
- How has the use of renewable energy change the world?
- Comparison of using non-renewable energy VS using renewable energy
- Impacts of renewable energy on economy, society
- Drawbacks & Benefits of renewable energy
Future Considerations
- What should be the areas for consideration when it comes to energy?
Conclusion
References
- Renewable energy and Its Impacts
Rationale for selecting this innovation
- Fossil fuels energy has been reduced to a large extent, people are going towards renewable energy and in fact, renewable energy is on the rise/has already risen to a greater height than before.
Proposed Approach to Development of Paper
Executive Summary
- Background/Introduction
- Timeline of energy
- Introducing the widely used energy and the other alternative sources of energy
- Evolution of energy from past till present
Historical Perspective
- Some of the incidents that occurred over the world which energy is largely involved, e.g. Japan Earthquake and nuclear power plants(nuclear energy)
Current Situation
- How has the use of renewable energy change the world?
- Comparison of using non-renewable energy VS using renewable energy
- Impacts of renewable energy on economy, society
- Drawbacks & Benefits of renewable energy
Future Considerations
- What should be the areas for consideration when it comes to energy?
Conclusion
References
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