When I first looked into exploring self driving cars, I was fascinated with how they worked and surprised at how frequent they are becoming in testing and actually being used on our roads. It is not a simple technology, there is so many man hours in creating them and putting them together and the work is quite complex. My original questions thought about laws that would have to keep up with them, what would the consequences would be if there was a system error and who gets what justice for accidents or crashes. I looked into the history of the topic, and found that the idea isn’t new and has been around for a long time, like the Houdina Radio Control Company’s first public demonstration of a driverless car back in 1925. We now have much more intricate systems but it was a nice start. Looking beyond the…
Computers have become a part of peoples everyday lives along with other electronics such as smartphones and even smart-assistants. Because of this I recently decided to build my own PC since I was relying too much on my laptop, but while researching different parts and builds along with where I could buy them I started to wonder what actually happens to, specifically computers, but also any electronic device after it has reached the end of its life cycle? The answer was, I had no idea.
Computers are something we use in our everyday life, whether it be for work, school, entertainment or even just learning in general by looking up new things. Cryptocurrency mining is one activity that uses parts of a PC to earn somebody a source of income by quite literally sitting there doing nothing (well after you have gotten everything set up that is).
For my digital artefact I wanted to make something. Something that while satisfying the ‘digital’ part of the project was also a physical manifestation of the research. For that reason, additive manufacturing (more commonly known as 3D-printing) was the perfect medium for the assignment.
So, I knew I wanted to print something, but relating 3d-printing to the concepts presented in the Future Cultures subject was the part I needed to figure out. It wasn’t until Chris spoke about objects that we take for granted like eye-glasses or phones or SHOES, making us ‘cyborgs’ did it hit me. They were the perfect pairing; the cyborg, a melding of machine and man, and the future capabilities of a technology like additive manufacturing.
Figuring out how I was going to do this was the next step. This wasn’t hard, with the talk in class of the ‘cyborg’ concept being far simpler than the…
I’m a Digital Media student, so I was interested in looking at movies and televisions shows, and in particular, the power they have to alter our perception of the reality, and also the influence they have on the future.
My main texts of research for this project were a journal article written by N.J. Schweitzer and Michael J. Sacks about ‘The CSI Effect’ and a movie directed by George Nolfi called ‘The Adjustment Bureau’. The CSI effect is essentially the phenomena where people believe what is being portrayed on television and movies as being the truth. For example, crime procedurals like CSI show a lot of technology and processes that are not real and false, yet people take it as the truth. Disregarding the main love story, The Adjustment Bureau showcases a form of teleportation technology where doors become portholes to other places. I used a fusion of both…
Over the course of this semester, I have read, highlighted, circled and noted a tonne of information on cyborgs, technology, societal thoughts, pop culture and prosthesis. As a result of this ten week journey I have managed to produce a body of work which is made with a hope of sharing some much needed positivism in our dark and gloomy world.
My main research aim was to discuss technological prosthesis in order normalise the concept of the cyborg in mainstream societal thought. The podcast delves into the negative associations society has around technological advancements, particularly the relationship between humanity and machines. I describe the role of popular culture by using interviews and surveys I conducted myself. This process went really well, the only thing that could have been improved was the amount of responses I received. I do acknowledge that twenty responses is not a lot in the grand…
For my digital artefact, I attempted to create virtual reality using a program called Unity. I was aiming to teach myself through self-exploration and also through Youtube tutorials, and documenting my successes, failures and just overall progress through a series of blog posts. My main goal was to try and make a house, however this aim changed as I progressed with my digital artefact and I realised that I wanted to create a virtual city, so a virtual reality environment in other words, rather than one specific thing. While undertaking this, I wanted to use my experience to teach others about using Unity and also quite possibly educate them on virtual reality.
Bioethics is the debate of the ethical issues surrounding modern biotechnologies, In an era where the rate of technological advancement is increasing more dramatically than ever, the introduction and application of new technologies – more often than not – comes hand in hand with the question just because we can do something, does it mean that we should? Bioethics helps us answer this question. I would like to explore the conversations that this question generates, investigating the ethical concerns surrounding emerging biotechnologies. Biotechnology can be defined as ‘the manipulation of living organisms or their components’ (Merriam-Webster Dictionary), the term was coined in 1919 by Hungarian agricultural engineer Karoly Ereky to describe a technology based on converting raw materials into a more useful product, which he predicted could provide solutions to societal crises such as food and energy shortages. Biotechnologies have been met with resistance on various fronts, primarily…
For my digital artefact, I created a YouTube Channel with useful information and discussions on the ethical implications on tracking humans. This channel has four videos currently but can be expanded by getting more families to discuss their own opinions on the issue. To go to the channel, click here!
Contextual Essay:
The area of study I choice to explore encompassed an aspect of cyber surveillance, geoslavery and tracking devices which has not yet been fully unraveled by society. Throughout this project I have been able to draw conclusions using my own experiences as someone who has been tracked along with using academic, pop culture, news and political sources to frame my argument involving the ethics of tracking humans.
In the context of this investigation, I cumulatively utilised primary experimental research (a discussion video with my family) and secondary research to fully engross myself in the content…
The original ‘White Paper’ of Bitcoin written by the still mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonym used by Bitcoins inventor(s). The paper theorises an online payment system in which electronic cash is sent directly from one user to another without the need for a third-party institution such as a bank. It is now recognised that Nakamoto did more than invent a currency. He also solved a longstanding problem in computing, to do with data and networks. His solution was complex, but it involved the use of an infrastructure comprising “blocks” of confirmed transactions that form a chronologically linked “chain”. This paper is essential reading for anyone wanting to understand the theory behind blockchain and how Bitcoin was born. It is important to note that before every new cryptocurrency is launched, a white paper is written by its creators. A white paper…
For my digital artefact, I created a YouTube Channel with useful information and discussions on the ethical implications on tracking humans. This channel has four videos currently but can be expanded by getting more families to discuss their own opinions on the issue. To go to the channel, 
Future Cultures 