Be ready for the future

Hi every body,

I would like to share you my opinion about this interesting topic. I think that technology might bring some worry aspects. However, it could bring solutions.

It is not easy predicting the future as well as we cannot stop the pace of technology, which has become a main factor in our daily lives. Therefore, being realistic would help to find out the correct analysis and logic predictions.

As sequence, I am really optimistic that the future will carry wonderful surprising in many aspects in our lives. Surely, it would be some considers which are normal things would come with any changes. So, we have to be ready for those difficulties to deal with any situations.


Mohammed Almalki

The Future

We live in a particularly unpredictable and unstable world.

It's not surprising when you consider the extraordinary changes that have taken place over the last few hundred years. 500 years ago, different cultures were quite separate from each other, but the process of globalisation means we are suddenly living on top of each other in a "global village".

What's more, the accelerating speed of technological development is making the world a smaller place. What happens in another part of the world can have an immediate influence on us and vice versa.

All of which makes the future particularly uncertain. In the past, the future was quite predictable- it would be broadly similar to the present or the past. People lived according to the changing seasons and the rules of their religions, and, except for the occasional bad harvest or drought, life was fairly similar from one year to the next.

Nowadays, every year is different and no one can predict what the future will be like. That doesn't stop some people from trying, like Ray Kurzwiel- famous futurologist and inventor. He predicts that the speed of technological change will become so fast in the next 40 years, that humans will have to revolutionise their way of thinking in order to understand the new world in which we will find ourselves. He calls this a technological singularity. He is also convinced that computers will be used to re-design human beings, creating a new species of human/computer hybrids.

What about you- are you optimistic about the future? Do you think that technology will solve the major problems that humanity currently faces and we will enjoy a future of global harmony? Or do you see a dystopian future of ethnic violence, environmental degradation and diminishing resources?

Do you think we can influence the future or do we just have to wait passively and see what happens?

Please leave a comment, either long or short, to say what you think. Alternatively leave a video or picture or link. It can be something thought-provoking, funny, serious, jokey, as long as it is connected to this week’s theme of the future.

Topic for Week 4

The Blog topic for week 4 is:

CCTV Cameras: is Britain becoming a surveillance society?

Have a look at the news stories about CCTV cameras in Britain by clicking on the links below.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6108496.stm

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1205607/Shock-figures-reveal-Britain-CCTV-camera-14-people--China.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/may/06/ukcrime1

How do you feel about the idea of being caught on camera an average of 300 times daily, according to the Mail Online? If, as the police say, CCTV cameras have failed to slash crime, what are they for?

Post your comments here on the Blog and let us know.

Gadgets or homework? Am I old-fashioned??

One of the problems with gadgets (mobile phones, iPods, blackberries) is that we can't leave them alone! As a mum, I was often concerned about how my children could focus on their studies when they were, at the same time, listening to their iPod, responding to the ringtone of the next text coming in, or every 3 minutes checking Messenger or Facebook to see if a friend had contacted them. I used to ask them 'How can you concentrate on writing an essay when you interrupt yourself every minute to respond to someone else? How can you focus on your work when you're listening to loud rock music?' They told me I was old-fashioned, and that it was easy - hadn't I heard of 'multi-tasking' ? 'Oh yes,' I would reply. 'I do it all the time with practical jobs, but not when I'm studying or reading!'

What do you think? Does studying needs full concentration? Or do gadgets help? Let us know your ideas!

hi everyone,

Technological developments have transformed our daily life and the form of communication. It is hard to say that technology is not inherently good or bad in our society. On the one hand, it is convenience for people to face-to-face communication and talk over the phone by new technology. On the other hand, the times of visiting relatives and friends are gradually decreasing owing to using of technology such as msn and facebook. In my opinion, it is no doubt that new technology play a important role in our life, but heavy reliance on technology is not an advisable action.

Technology and our lives

Hi every class mate

It is widely believed that devices decrease distances between people and the world now become as a small village. I totally agree that are more advantages than disadvantages.

There appear to be two principle reasons for using technology . Firstly, communication become easier than tow decade or more. For example, one from Brazilian student in the UK can see and hear his family in Brazil very clearly.

The second main issue is that documents, files and pictures are sending over the world during seconds. Whereas in the past they took long time.

However, is has not all been positive , it changes our daily lives. For instance, people completely depend on that technology. As a result, most of them forget hand skills such as writing . In addition, technology dose not only affect on skills but impact for the relationship between young people and old . this means the considerable numbers of users these devices spend long time lonely.


DHAFER

Social aspect and our thinking

Hi my friends,

I would like to add some points concern caution that was mentioned by Helen. It is true that technological devices have impact on some traditional skills. They also could change how our brains work which i would talk about. Therefor, I will try to explain how our using for technological items could affect us socially and our mind.

According to some researches there is growing evidence that the constant using for personal technology such as mobile phone, computer and video games could lead to lose of the ability to focus properly on some task as reading book. Furthermore, using technology may affect our senses such listening as a result of using headphone for a long time, in particular, loud sound. Moreover, scientific evidences show that our brains have a limited capacity for processing information which increases relatively if we use our brains frequently, on other word, keep it active. As consequently, if we activate our brains, they will keep on running and active state. However, active brain capable of focusing fully on the present moment and keeping in touch with what is happening around us.

Additionally, we cannot ignore how using technology affect us regarding to social cohesion, we can analyze this issue in two views. Firstly, which is positive, using technology contributes to increase our social relations because we can contact with our parents, friends and relatives at any time. Pressing icon or sending email connects me to my job, old friend and my neighbor. Secondly, which is negative, using technology cause kind of cold feelings in our social lives as a result of the easy connections because we lost a warm moments that we were living in when we waiting our treasures and our relatives. I have remembered haw i feel when I receive much letters from my brother or my mam when i leave them a few months. I save some samples of those letters which take me back to that time with warm feeling, i think we missed such feelings which may do not back forever.


My respect,
Mohammed Almalki