The first group’s presentation about futuristic buildings
tackled quite a number of pressing issues our planet is currently facing. It
has also taught me the history of buildings and the current interesting
technologies used in buildings. It was really interesting as they brought a
model along to show us how their design of the futuristic building would look
like. In my opinion, their model would be able to tackle a number of problems.
Rising sea levels
Global warming has caused quite a number of problems for our
environment. The increased global temperature has caused huge icebergs to melt
in the poles, and that is raising our seawater levels. As such, a
floating/waterproof home does sound like a very feasible technology for
low-lying countries that will be affected. Furthermore, evidences has shown
that the increased global temperature has also caused stronger and more
frequent typhoons and hurricanes to be formed. Such could cause extreme
flooding and devastation to areas affected. A recent example would be hurricane
haiyan that devastated Philippines. As
such, a floating house could help them reduce the damage incurred as it would
be able to float amidst all the flooding and increase survival rates for those
affected.
Lack of land
There has been a lack of land for residential purposes in
many developed nations and cities recently. Singapore has been experiencing a
lack of land for many years now as seen from our high prices for property. The
fact that our HDBs are being built higher can also be seen as evidence of our
land shortage. As such, living in/on the sea would greatly ease the land crunch
on such developing countries as they would be able to allocate housing on the
sea. Such would lead to more people being able to afford housing as the
increased supply of housing would drive prices of housing down.
However, the important issue here is the price of such
buildings. Would they be a novelty only available to the rich? From the
presentation, it seems like the technology needed to build such a structure is
pricey and is very likely unavailable to the less well-off. Underwater turbines
and solar panels are all expensive structures. It is important that we do not
get complacent when we complete such technology and continue to strive for and
innovate ideas to drive the cost down. For example, with the extensive research
done on plastic recently, could we possibly build the structure out of the
cheaper plastics instead?
Group 2: Clean energy
http://thisishoyee.wix.com/cleanenergy
My group was the second to present and our topic was clean
energy. Due to our negative approach to presenting, we exceeded the timing
pretty badly. As such, this has actually taught me that when presenting an idea
to an audience, we should always try to capture their attention and allow them
to participate. We should have only presented on the ideas that were
interesting instead of reading word to word from our website. Throughout my
research of clean energy, I have come across many interesting applications and
types of hydroelectricity. Through all the research, it seems like the world
already possess the technology necessary to be sustainable, but many political
and social issues are preventing that from taking place.
Nanotechnology is one of the upcoming technologies that will
revolutionize the way we do things. It is exciting to know the wide variety of
ways nanotechnology could be applied to. Such include
Healthcare
The group talked about how nanotechnology could be used to
kill cancer cells without harming the normal cells. Such is a huge improvement
from our current chemotherapy methods were all the cells within the vicinity
are damaged and destroyed. Such could make cancer treatments much more
tolerable as the heavy side effects such as vomiting from the chemotherapy
could be avoided. Furthermore, nanorobots that can specifically target cancer
cells seem like a much more efficient way of curing cancer as compared to
chemotherapy where some portions of the cancerous cells may not be destroyed.
Hydrophobic nano particles
I have seen many videos that shows how such hydrophobic
particles work. It really seem like magic to me the first time I saw it, on how
mud water or water can just slide off cotton materials as if the surface was
waxed. If anyone is interested, here's the video.
The first thing that came to my mind was how it could be
applied to army equipment. Imagine spraying such a coating on my boots, field
camp would be so much more bearable with dry feet! Such technology could also
be used for windscreens for cars during a storm to increase visibility, or
sprayed on to glasses so that they do not fog up or get wet in humid environments.
However, as prof always says, technology is easy but people
are hard. There are many possible consequences of such technology and I believe
we should properly assess and forecast Nanotechnology so as to be prepared and
prevent any negative impacts it could bring. As I stated in one of the post
below, movies often showcase the possible implications of future technologies.
In movies such as GI Joe: The rise of the Cobra(2009) or The Day the earth
stood still(2008), it all shows how nanotechnology has been converted into weapons
capable of mass destruction. Although such movies are based on fictions, I believe
such concerns does stand true. If some scientist managed to convert
nanotechnology into workable weapons, the consequences would be dire.
To conclude, the presentations gave me great insights into
different technologies and has helped me broaden my knowledge base. I would
give this lesson a 9/10!
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