session 9 wk 10

This session's topic was a really interesting one. The fact that we are predicting what is going to happen in future is an exciting task. This session, I was really inspired by the quote given in Professor's powerpoint. “You see things; and you say, 'Why?'But I dream things that never were; and I say, 'Why not?'”. That is the spirit of a successful innovator. Many people blame their failure on their luck. They say those who succeed were lucky enough to have the opportunity. However, I would say that most of these opportunities are actually created, not given. When the same idea come across their minds, some people will say "Why? This is impossible."; while will say "Why not? There must be a way to do it." It is the "never say die" fighting spirit that urge people to move on until they achieve the impossible. Looking at professor's readings, I was truly amazed by the future technology they came up with. Ideas like the Global Electronic Library, Vibrational Medicine, Superlearning Systems, will change our era. What impressed me most is not their creativity, it is their courage to pen down their ideas and put it into action. Many people have brilliant ideas but do not have the guts to expose it to the world in fear of mockery. Thanks to these brave people, our society is what it is now and will prosper in future.

Looking at the content of some of presentations, I was and still fascinated by the ideas and future innovations. Firstly, is the idea about wireless electricity. The article suggest 2 methods in replacement of the wires to transmit electricity: mutual induction and electromagnetic waves. This is indeed a idea as it is a common sight, especially in office where computers are essentials, that wires get entangled or people experiencing the anxiety of bringing the charger with long messy wires everywhere they go. With this innovation, all these will no longer be a problem. However, I believe that the society will have questions about the safety of this innovation. Nobody knows whether having a close contract with these waves on a long term basis will have an impact on our health. As we all know that some waves can be harmful (radioactive waves), one may never know whether these waves used to replace wires will change our body system since we are exposed to it wherever we go. So, I doubt this innovation will be widely utilised unless researchers are able to prove that long term exposure will not have an impact on us.

The other innovation that was mentioned was also an interesting one. The idea of falling in love with virtual people seems ridiculous at first. However, looking at the explanation given in the article, this idea is indeed feasible for some of the people. People fall in love with another person might be for several reasons: appearance, behavior, personalities. If a robot is able to fulfill the criteria and is constructed completely based on people's preference, why would people not fall in love with it? In our society, some people commit suicide or undergo depression due to the loss of their love ones. If these virtual robots are used to imitate their love ones and calm them down, suicide and depression rate will decrease. However, this might be unacceptable to some people. Some people might argue that the knowledge that "she" or "he" is non-human will stop them from falling in love with virtual people. In addition, all parents will not be happy if their children fall in love with a robot. This is because robots are not able to produce our future generations with human. Imagine a society where everyone is in love with a virtual person, I believe that the world's population will decrease drastically. Thus, I feel that this innovation is interesting but is not feasible and will not be widely recognised.

I would rate this session 9.5/10. I truly enjoy this session a lot. New ideas introduced were fascinating. Especially the presentation about invisibility. I bet the idea of being invisible has been in people's mind for quite some time but only until now that people have the ability solve part of this problem. However, as I always mention, technology is a double edge sword. While looking at the benefits future technologies will bring about, scientist should also spare a thought for the harmful impacts they might have on the society. For example, if the invisibility cloak is invented, what will happen to the safety of our society? CCTV will be useless and chances of criminal escaping will be very great. Even if they are caught, there is also a high chance of them escaping law as there is no witness!