Monday, November 8, 2010

Science Fiction In The "Real World?"

Based upon your recent reading of articles in Google Reader regarding science and technology, what connections or observations can you make about your read article(s) and the concepts and stories we have read or viewed? Please complete this blog response in class on 11-08-10.

24 comments:

  1. Arrest Made in Lexington Barn Vandalism Case

    that was the article that popped out to me most. the idea that someone would go through unprovoked and cut the manes and tails of horses off is beyond appalling to me; whomever is responsible for this should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. This is entirely unacceptable and I find myself enraged further because of how often this seems to have been happening. Recently at the stables in which I train and give lessons at there has been a sudden influx in the cutting of the manes and tails of horses. This enrages me not only because of aesthetics but, also because manes and tails of horses are necessary for warding off pests and maintaining body heat. I can only hope that whomever is responsible for this type of inhumane treatment is punished severely so that others will be warned against it in the future.

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  2. By reading the articles in Google Reader, I have noticed that there is always something new to read about and learn. It's amazing how technology allows us to spread news so quickly! Although there wasn't anything new to read about in the science section, it's crazy how much more there is to read about the entire world. Even the sports section had 127 new articles!
    The previous science articles, however, were very interesting. The wide array of subjects, from technology to chemistry to cars, is incredible and definitely something that can constantly be studied.

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  3. These google reader articles on science and Technology are a good reminder that anything can be done or created if someone puts thier mind to it. And that connects to the stories in class because of the things made up in the older stories. Which soon became reality later on in history, like radar.

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  4. Based on what i have read, many things that are in science fiction stories, are just extrapolations of concepts and technology that we have today. For instance, in the stories the characters have powerful spaceships for traveling, but the ideas for these ships are based off the spaceships we have today. Or even the weapons that the characters use are still just imaginative advancements in weapons we have today in our society.

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  5. I have skimmed through an article regarding how shocking the brain with a mild non-painful jolt of electricity can boost your electricity. I have found this to relate to the scene in Forbidden Planet in which one of the commanders uses the doctor's machine in an attempt to become smarter, just ending up killing himself in the process.

    The thing is, however, is that this is just a mild jolt of electricity while in Forbidden Planet it was something completely different in nature.

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  6. There was an article about evidence of precognitive powers in people. If people truly are gaining precognitive powers and are able to perceive the future, it's cool, but slightly worrisome. People could see them as different people and start exhibiting xenophobia towards them.

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  7. I learned that technology is always advancing, and there is always something new to use. One article I read talked about some new technology advances in atomic physics. There was a breakthrough in the use of radio frequency and laser light. This break through solved a decade old problem. So as you can see there is always breakthrough in the world of technology, sometimes they are extremely important and sometimes they are not as important.

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  8. In the reading i have recently read it talks about new designs for smaller and more efficient hotel rooms. They can be moved and interchanged to the owners pleasure. I think this shows that the world is in an ever-changing state and progress is unstoppable

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  9. In the universe that we live in things are constantly changing and we are always being affected by it. In the article that I read about, dark matter is being discovered and explored more in depth. I found that the whole idea of dark matter is also a theme in science fiction stories. Dark matter has always and still is very mysterious but in science fiction stories they have found uses for it and possible conclusions to how it got there.

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  10. Google reader seems to think that me searching for information on hydrogen fuel cell research means that I also want to be directed to anything concerning environmentalist pages and hybrid vehicles. Google is very wrong, but the application does seem like a good way to get specific information once one can find the right pages to subscribe to.

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  11. I found many articles about things that have been somewhat depicted in the stories we have read and watched. Things such as spaceships, cultural differences, new technology, and mean other things who's existence may have been "predicted" through science fiction stories of the past. This seems to be a comonality in mosst science fiction stories; they almost cna tell us what the future will be like. It is very strange how acurate some of the stories can be, eventhough they may be somewhat far fetched.

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  12. Some connections Ive made after reading articles and and reading stories in class, Ive noticed that in the stories we have read in class humans have suceeded in creating spaceships and useing them as we use in cars today. Now NASA is trying to produce a spaceship to make it easier to fly into outer space, as well as robots to gather more information for us. Some other connections I have made is that with all this technology being created, we are going to become reliant on it and humans may become too dependent on it then be let down by some faulty wiring.

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  13. One connection that I saw between these articles and some stories that we have read in class is that many things can happen based off of the outcome of workable and non-workable technology. The story from google reader about the soldiers in Afghanastan is a good example of this. Their technology is telling them that they are located, possibly, in Africa. Because of this faulty technology there could be many bad and good outcomes from the situation.

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  14. Found: Taco Truck From The Future

    Apparently Wired Magazine accepts viewer prognostications, one each month. I found this particular article interesting, because it resembles text-book extrapolation: to infer by extending known information. A Taco Truck from the future that's completely self-sufficient. Apparently all the necessities are grown in and on this truck that sells tacos.

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  15. I read this one article on the Ipad and how it can map out allies or enemies with a certain type of app. I think this plays along with the fear that we have of others. Its shows that we take something and can make it into a defense against others. We are constantly thinking of new weapons and technology to defend ourselves against others.

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  16. Recent experiments in Finland have found a possible "cure" for blindness. A blind Finnish man, Miikka Terho, had a special chip implanted in his retina that helped capture different rays of light that could help form the shapes of different letters and numbers in his mind, and technically read again. He recently was reported to be able to read his name that was printed on a sheet of paper. This new technology shows a connection the idea that humans are becoming more and more mechanized as the technology continues to advance. Luckily with this new type of technology, it is for the benefit of mankind. Hopefully this same technology can be perfected and be available to a larger demographic in the future.

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  17. I Found a National Geographic article that was centered around new and innovationg ideas. The ideas include an infant warmer, purifying straw, and a device that helps with asthma. These ideas could change and possibly improve the lifestyles of many. That very change in lifestyle is what relates this to science fiction. Science fiction stories are full of different and odd living conditions that vary from the way things are now.

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  18. I read an article about NASA. They had a mission spacecraft called EPOXI and they used it to flyby the comet Hartley 2 on November 4. NASA has been working on this for a long time and successfully flew by it. They took a lot of pictures and it is shown on their website. The comet was going 12.3 kilometers per second (27,560 miles per hour).

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  19. After reading the Lexington arrest of a teen cutting off the tails of horses my first reaction was the same as any other person, what? As I read on I wondered what would make a person want to cut off the tails of horses and damage their food. I've come to realize that xenophobia is in relation to this story becaouse the person who was doing this was someone they knew and he was always around but never suspected.

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  20. In First Test of Interstellar GPS, Team Uses Distant Pulsars to Determine Position in Space

    This is like one of the first stories we read, Ralph 124C41+ when he's attempting to calculate the position of the person who kidnapped his lover.

    130 Feet Above the Amazon Rainforest, Scientists Sample the Last Pristine Air on Earth

    I also found this article. It doesn't necessarily connect to any specific story, but I think it connects to an idea in science fiction, that the humans are destroying there world and there are few places where even air is pure.

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  21. The article that stood out to me was one about microscopic worms that can sniff out explosives. If the worms can actually sniff out bombs then it will make explosive detection alot easier and cheaper. Dogs pigs and other mamals are usually used for detecting bombs but often make mistakes. These microscopic worms cannot make mistakes.

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  22. Many of the articles I read related to science fiction. For instance there was an article about how books and literture in general will more than likely go entirely digital. This all started from a simple ereader like a kindle or nook. And just 10 years ago no one would have thought that possible. This is just like how sciu fi operates, by extrapolating.

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  23. I learned that technology is always advancing and so far, technology has proved itself as extrapolation. I guess as to what our future looks like based on what we know. I was last on Google reader freshmen year and since then, many articles have been written. Technology has advanced over the past two years and is advancing as I write this.

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  24. I browsed around on the recommended sites page and found a pretty cool article about how scientists at Oxford were putting current through the frontal lobe of your brain which increases your ability to process numerical information. So sort of science-ey.

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