For my research project the topic I have chosen is what are the affects technology has had on human labor and what could happen to human labor if technology keeps advancing. This is just a rough copy of my topic. I still have to breakdown this idea more so form a better some specific topic. I came up with this idea after reading the sources that David Nye, used in Technology Matters.
In Technology: The Emergence of a Hazardous Concept, Leo Marx writes about how technology has become so advanced and out of human control. He also discusses the things that go wrong with technology. The other source I read was Player Piano, by Kurt Vonnegut. It is about a society where technology takes over all need for human labor and society is controlled by engineers.
These readings helped me form my topic both sources talk about things that go wrong with technology and society. I became interested in this topic because after reading player piano I wondered what would happen if technology keeps advancing. Could it ever replace or reduce the need for human labor even more?
I think that technology could be created that would reduce the need for human labor. But nothing could be created to fully replace human labor. I believe that if a society like the one in Player Piano was created a similar rebellion would take place. I think humans would start a rebellion because they would not be able to remain powerless or idle.
Marx also brought up a good point by saying that technology has become so advanced because of humans. If humans did not choose to create new technology then our society would not be so technology dependant. But people chose to develop new technology and eventually there will become a time when it will grow out of society’s control.
As an engineer or someone that creates technology I would say that technology is not becoming too advanced. Technology is created to make things more efficient. But as a consumer I would say that technology is becoming advanced and we do not need all of the technology that was created to survive in our society.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Assignment 7
In order to write the essay on Nye, I had to go through Technology Matters and find sources that I thought helped prove Nye ideas. I used Player Piano by Vonnegut and Technology: The Emergence of a Hazardous Concept by Leo Marx.
I think that the online peer editing was more helpful last time around. More people commented on my paper last time so I had different insight and ideas to take into account to improve my paper. But the comments left this time were still helpful. I find peer editing useful because the comments left on my paper usually have positives and negatives. I am told what to keep, what to expand on, and what to change. This is helpful because it shows if the reader understands the point I am trying to get across in my paper.
Writing this paper helped me understand how important using sources are. They help the writer prove the points they are trying to make and if the writer uses the sources to explain their ideas well then the reader will be able to understand more.
It is sometimes hard to find reliable sources that help get the writers ideas across. This is one thing that I think is going to be challenging when I am my research paper.
I think that the online peer editing was more helpful last time around. More people commented on my paper last time so I had different insight and ideas to take into account to improve my paper. But the comments left this time were still helpful. I find peer editing useful because the comments left on my paper usually have positives and negatives. I am told what to keep, what to expand on, and what to change. This is helpful because it shows if the reader understands the point I am trying to get across in my paper.
Writing this paper helped me understand how important using sources are. They help the writer prove the points they are trying to make and if the writer uses the sources to explain their ideas well then the reader will be able to understand more.
It is sometimes hard to find reliable sources that help get the writers ideas across. This is one thing that I think is going to be challenging when I am my research paper.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
paper 2- assignment 5
Both the novel Player Piano, by Kurt Vonnegut and Technology: The Emergencies of a hazardous Concept, by Leo Marx bring up interesting points about technology. Vonnegut writes about a machines taking over the U.S. society and Marx writes about how technology is becoming way too advanced. Both of these sources connect because if technology keeps advancing, something could eventually be created that lessens the need for human labor.
The novel, Player Piano, is set in the United States in the future. The U.S. society is highly technologically advanced and most human labor is eliminated because of the use of machines. Engineers keep the society running and they regulate the machinery that is being used. Eventually a conflict between the upper class, the engineers, and the lower class emerges. The lower class is upset because they were replaced and their jobs were taken over by machines. Paul Proteus is the leader of the rebellion against the machine society and eventually they are able to defeat the machine society. The title Player Piano is used because it was one of the first applications of automation being used.
Nye writes about Player Piano in Chapter 7, Work More or Less, Better or Worse. He uses this example because he was talking about our society being taken over by the use of machines and other forms of technology. Nye states that “Vonnegut depicted a future in which most people are idle, purposeless, and powerless” (121). The fear of machines taking over the need for human labor was a major concern from 1930-1980 (120).Vonnegut wrote player piano in 1952 to show what could become of the American society if everyone’s fears came true. But some jobs have already been taken over by the use of machinery. Assembly lines were created to make jobs go faster. The need for human labor did not disappear because of the use of assembly lines and other technology. In Piano Player, people were watched over by the engineers and they were taken care of and given what they needed to survive. But there was a rebellion because not everyone was content with this situation. A society like the one is player piano would not be possible because I don’t think people could live an idle life without a purpose or power. But new technology is always being created so, could something that took over the need for human labor eventually be created?
Technology: The Emergence of a Hazardous Concept, is about things that go wrong with technology. Marx discusses how technology is a threat to society because people have turned technology into something apart from people who invent it. He sees technology as something that is outside of society’s control.
Nye writes about Marx in the Chapter 1 of Technology Matter. Nye discusses what technology and what type of objects can be considered technology. Technology: The emergence of a Hazardous Concept, was used because Marx describes how technology is becoming so advanced that is could cause problems in our society. Technology has become so advanced because people in our society have made it that way. Nye also used this novel as an example because Mark’s discusses how technology is getting out society’s control because it is getting so advanced and eventually most people will not understand how to use it.
The novel, Player Piano, is set in the United States in the future. The U.S. society is highly technologically advanced and most human labor is eliminated because of the use of machines. Engineers keep the society running and they regulate the machinery that is being used. Eventually a conflict between the upper class, the engineers, and the lower class emerges. The lower class is upset because they were replaced and their jobs were taken over by machines. Paul Proteus is the leader of the rebellion against the machine society and eventually they are able to defeat the machine society. The title Player Piano is used because it was one of the first applications of automation being used.
Nye writes about Player Piano in Chapter 7, Work More or Less, Better or Worse. He uses this example because he was talking about our society being taken over by the use of machines and other forms of technology. Nye states that “Vonnegut depicted a future in which most people are idle, purposeless, and powerless” (121). The fear of machines taking over the need for human labor was a major concern from 1930-1980 (120).Vonnegut wrote player piano in 1952 to show what could become of the American society if everyone’s fears came true. But some jobs have already been taken over by the use of machinery. Assembly lines were created to make jobs go faster. The need for human labor did not disappear because of the use of assembly lines and other technology. In Piano Player, people were watched over by the engineers and they were taken care of and given what they needed to survive. But there was a rebellion because not everyone was content with this situation. A society like the one is player piano would not be possible because I don’t think people could live an idle life without a purpose or power. But new technology is always being created so, could something that took over the need for human labor eventually be created?
Technology: The Emergence of a Hazardous Concept, is about things that go wrong with technology. Marx discusses how technology is a threat to society because people have turned technology into something apart from people who invent it. He sees technology as something that is outside of society’s control.
Nye writes about Marx in the Chapter 1 of Technology Matter. Nye discusses what technology and what type of objects can be considered technology. Technology: The emergence of a Hazardous Concept, was used because Marx describes how technology is becoming so advanced that is could cause problems in our society. Technology has become so advanced because people in our society have made it that way. Nye also used this novel as an example because Mark’s discusses how technology is getting out society’s control because it is getting so advanced and eventually most people will not understand how to use it.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Blog #6
The novel, Player Piano, by Kurt Vonnegut, is set in the United States in the future. The U.S. society is highly technologically advanced and most human labor is eliminated because of the use of machines. Engineers keep the society running and they regulate the machinery that is being used. Eventually a conflict between the upper class, the engineers, and the lower class emerges. The lower class is upset because they were replaced and there jobs were taken over by machines. Paul Proteus is the leader of the rebellion against the machine society and eventually they are able to defeat the machine society. The title Player Piano is used because it was one of the first applications of automation being used.
Technology: The Emergence of a hazardous Concept by Leo Marx, is about things that go wrong with technology. Marx discusses how technology is a threat to society because people have turned technology into something apart from people who people who invent it. He sees technology as something that is outside of society’s control.
I think Nye uses Player Piano as an example because the book discusses what could happen to the United States society. New technology is going to be created So Vonnegut was saying that eventually technology could get so advanced that it could take over the United States. Robots or other machines could be created to takeover the need for human labor. Assembly lines and other things were created that reduced the need for human labor so could a society described in Player Piano eventually come true?
Technology: The emergences of a hazardous Concept, was used because Marx describes how technology is becoming so advanced that is could cause problems in our society. Technology has become so advanced because people in our society have made it that way. Nye also used this novel as an example because Mark’s discusses how technology is getting out society’s control because it is getting so advanced and eventually most people will not understand how to use it.
Technology: The Emergence of a hazardous Concept by Leo Marx, is about things that go wrong with technology. Marx discusses how technology is a threat to society because people have turned technology into something apart from people who people who invent it. He sees technology as something that is outside of society’s control.
I think Nye uses Player Piano as an example because the book discusses what could happen to the United States society. New technology is going to be created So Vonnegut was saying that eventually technology could get so advanced that it could take over the United States. Robots or other machines could be created to takeover the need for human labor. Assembly lines and other things were created that reduced the need for human labor so could a society described in Player Piano eventually come true?
Technology: The emergences of a hazardous Concept, was used because Marx describes how technology is becoming so advanced that is could cause problems in our society. Technology has become so advanced because people in our society have made it that way. Nye also used this novel as an example because Mark’s discusses how technology is getting out society’s control because it is getting so advanced and eventually most people will not understand how to use it.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Assignment 5
Vonnegut, Vincente, and Nye all talk about the human factor. Human error can cause major disasters. Vincente made it clear that human error can occur if someone is not completely qualified for the job they are hired to do. Something can be planned out perfectly but if the person following through with the plan does not fully understand what they are doing, then it is not going to turn out. It seems that Vonnegut also believes that human error is a huge factor in what is wrong with technology. But he also writes about how carelessness can cause human error and in the end cause disaster.
Nye writes about human error in a different way. In Chapter 9 of Technology Matters,
Nye talks about how human intervening with technology can cause more disasters. But Nye is talking about natural disasters. Nye states that “at the risk of unforeseeable accidents increases, some consumers reject innovations not due to the definite knowledge of risk, but rather because of a generalized fear of the unknown” (166). Accidents happen. But some people are so afraid of these unknown accidents that they do things to try to stop things from occurring. But in the end the human factor could make things worse and cause more error or disaster.
Humans do not mean to cause problems or disasters. Unforeseeable things can occur if an unqualified person steps in or if a person tries to stop something from happen, they can actually cause more disaster to occur.
Nye writes about human error in a different way. In Chapter 9 of Technology Matters,
Nye talks about how human intervening with technology can cause more disasters. But Nye is talking about natural disasters. Nye states that “at the risk of unforeseeable accidents increases, some consumers reject innovations not due to the definite knowledge of risk, but rather because of a generalized fear of the unknown” (166). Accidents happen. But some people are so afraid of these unknown accidents that they do things to try to stop things from occurring. But in the end the human factor could make things worse and cause more error or disaster.
Humans do not mean to cause problems or disasters. Unforeseeable things can occur if an unqualified person steps in or if a person tries to stop something from happen, they can actually cause more disaster to occur.
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