random Tech Transfer paper

I recently wrote a short paper for a class called Technology Transfer. I probably didn't have to write half as much as I did but I kinda went on about things and ended up with a short paper instead of four short answers. So for whatever reason, I'm publishing it here.

Technologically speaking, I don't think a lot has really changed in the past few years. To be sure, computers have gotten better, faster and for the most part, cheaper, but what was true then is just as true now. Because of that, the question of whether we are headed in the right direction may be just as important as the matter of the speed in which we are traveling. That is, just how long will making bigger hard drives and faster processors really go for before technological advances change in their nature? If that is the “right direction” then regardless of the speed at which these developments occur, we are undoubtedly headed in it. However, if computerizing every single thing in our lives is the “wrong direction” then we may soon find ourselves in a bad place we can't easily turn back from.

Technology has become nigh ubiquitous in our daily lives and, as all things, brings with it positive and negative consequences. It makes a lot of things in our lives much easier compared to having to do things manually. For instance, paperwork in just about every field has been drastically reduced because of computers. That, in and of itself, has a consequent result, which is that it helps the environment. The opposite side of the same coin, however, is that as computers are manufactured by the millions, the efforts to recycle them, once people begin to throw them away with each upgrade, become more and more impaired. Again, as the article plainly shows, as computers continue to replace certain processes in our lives, while in many instances they often maximize our effectivity, they may also hinder us in ways that the non-computerized way would not. The woman in Houston with the “smart house” would never have to “restart” her house previous to its computerization, and the 8 hour process of her doing so is surely a bother, but because of said technology, she may be saving electricity, water and have added security.

Ultimately, the degree to which we use technology will not only be a case by case basis, but in general terms come down to each individual's decision to adopt or not. While there are certain technological advances that are practically inescapable, like this year's switch to digital transmissions, most technologies are opted into. For example, the article starts out recounting the story of Nancy as she “joined an elite group” when she purchased her car. Certainly, there have to be cautious, sound minds calculating the possible outcomes of technologies that are developed. The government will always have a certain amount of control over the process of policing technology but I think when it all comes down to it, the consumer is the one that determines what stays and what goes and that is you and I. So in the end, a degree of constraint is all but necessary as with technology's awesome potential for good, is inextricably connected to the power to harm.

©2008 Emilio Gándara