Reflection

Capstone night went very well for me. I think my presentation was better than my in class one due to the inclusion of visuals, and because I was more comfortable with the presentation. The volunteers were helpful, they asked good questions and gave good constructive criticisms. The other presenters also presented well, but theirs were more casually presented than mine.

I thought my reading skills were excellent. For most of my sources, I was able to determine relevancy and pull out facts through skimming.

My skills as a researcher were good. My sources were all valid and I did not plagiarize. My note taking was not great. most of my information never left the computer and I did not use the annotation feature of diigo.

As a writer, my skills were so-so. My voice was good, but I feel that I summarized too much. My analyzing wasn’t very good considering the complexity of some of my topics, but my citations and works cited were good.

My media was decent. I did not include it at first, but added it later. It was somewhat effective, but was mostly just to provide background.

My presentation was excellent. I spoke louder than I normally would, and projected well. I struck a good balance between looking at notes and eye contact, and I didn’t have any filler.

Research Progress

My initial knowledge of the technological dangers was existent, but limited. I knew that there were many positive aspects of technology and some negative aspects, but I also knew there had to be more to it. I started looking into newer technologies that could have potential dangers, such as molecular manufacturing and directed energy weapons. A lengthy Wired article led me to several other sources, each specializing on a different controversial technology. Several of these technologies, when used improperly or without caution, have the potential to be disastrous. however, these technologies were unheard of to me, so I had to do more reading on them to discover what exactly they were and how these dangers could come about. More recently, I have begun trying to find dangers of current technologies, such as social networking, cell phones, and microwaves, and trying to answer my research questions.

Thankfully, my research process has been mostly struggle-free. My biggest issue has been finding people who are experts on technological dangers, and I have also had trouble finding answers to some of my research questions. I have had a very easy time finding relevant sources about future technology (although I didn't at first) and writing sections one through 3 of my report.



My newer sources have been directed toward answering my research questions, such as where e-waste is shipped and what the dangers of social networking are. I have also found sources That address dangers of current technologies, especially use of multiple screens at once. These articles address furiously debated issues with social media, which is good, but not ideal. I would like to find sources that discuss concerns and dangers that no one thinks about.

Video Source

 This video is a 2010 interview with Barrie Trower, a former Royal Navy microwave expert, on the dangers of microwave technology as well as other wave technology such as wifi and cell phones.

I haven't watched the whole thing yet because it's very long, but it seems that there are several health concerns from these technologies, but we still have them because companies make an immense profit off of them. I'm not sure how good of a source this will be since this guy seems like a total pessimist, but I will look into the facts of what he is saying.

Book Source

For my book source I plan to use The Age of Spiritual Machines by Ray Kurzweil. The topic of singularity is what I find to be the most interesting part of my project, and I look forward to reading this book. This book will most likely be a good source because it can answer some of my more abstract research questions as well as provide information on the rapid advancement of technology.

Graff Template

The general argument made by Bill Joy in his work, “Why the future doesn’t need us”

is that Humans will eventually fuse with, or become dependent on, machines. He writes, “Humans clearly face extinction.”

 In this passage, Joy is suggesting that He agrees with the new views on our future that he has discovered.

In conclusion, Joy’s belief is that people who think this way are right.

 In my view, Joy is wrong/right, because the scenario he describes could very likely happen.

More specifically, I believe that this HAS to happen eventually, even if it takes centuries.

Although X might object to becoming artificial to live longer, I maintain that most people would take this option.

Therefore, I conclude that people will become dependent on machines.

Possible topic

The Dangers of Technology

Possible Topic

Possible topic: Technology

Know: Technology is evolving rapidly, perhaps too rapidly. Things we have today were unimaginable a decade ago, but to us they are commonplace. Technology that seems far off is already a reality, but hasn't become mainstream.

Want to learn: What kind of futuristic devices are already a reality? Have any crimes recently been committed through advanced technology? Could human augmentation become a problem?