Month: October 2016

1D | Interview

Interviewee: Amy Wen
Occupation: Medical Student
Location: Paramatta Restaurant
Time: 4pm

The interview was conducted at 4pm on a Tuesday afternoon in a quiet Paramatta restaurant. The interviewee was Amy Wen, a medical student at the University of New South Wales who is currently in her final year doing research on Crohn’s disease at Liverpool hospital.

Initially I asked her how her day was and what she got up to and she responded with her travelling to the hospital to continue with her medical research. She sounded excited so I asked her what interests her the most about studying medicine. She responded with a heartfelt ‘human relationships’ and through that, bringing value to her occupation. Therefore, I approached the interview on a social level seeing the past and present views on society as indicators on one’s perspective on the future.
Amy was born in Australia and has first generation Chinese parents. Her chosen career path was influenced by the cultural ideals shared by many Chinese parents of medicine being the ultimate occupation. She attended primary and high school with education at the focus of her childhood. In February 2016, Amy went to Beijing to visit family and has been five years prior. When asked if there were any dramatic changes in China, she stated ‘no, but primarily cultural shifts’ which included ‘increased focus on fashion, globalisation and western culture’. Beijing has also taken a turn to use renewable energy, which was noticed by Amy while she was taking a train from home to the city. Products that China has been known to produce have improved in quality. There is also an increase in the education of the English language as a conversation with Chinese youth could be held compared to five years ago when English was rarely spoken.

Currently in Sydney, Amy lives about one and a half hours away from the city and therefore, much of her views on the future were focused on improving transportation. During the discussion, I asked what kind of future she saw and she responded with hopes for a society that becomes more environmentally aware and envisions a sustainable means of energy use.

Amy lives with her parents and when asked about her sleeping habits she commented that they were standard, she has the freedom of a private bedroom in a two storey house, brushes her teeth and showers before bed. However, due to assessments and procrastination she has been sleeping from ideally a nine-hour time frame to seven hours per night. Due to the lack of sleep she has noticed shortness of concentration and lack of energy during the day. Her father suffers from severe sleep apnea for most of his adulthood and uses a cpap machine. He finds it difficult to sleep at night and therefore asks his children to sleep earlier. If he is not well rested, this affects his moods during the day and he complains during the day to Amy in which sometimes she becomes aggravated.

Through much of this interview, I realised much of an individual’s background, culture, education and environment influences their perspective on the future. It is these aspects that shape what the individual values in the future and where efforts are placed to see change in the world.

 

1a. Sleep and Capitalism

Ever had a long day and all you can think about was collapsing into a blissful slumber in your warm, comfy bed. Not having to think or do anything except relax and recharge? What if you got home to find your bed gone? Lights are bright and music is blaring and there is no way to turn them off. How will you get a good night’s sleep in these conditions? What if this goes on for months? For some it has.

Sleep deprivation has been use as a torture technique for centuries. In the Pentagon’s ‘First Special Interrogation Plan’ Mohammed al-Qahtani was one of many prisoners to be subjected to this form of torture. He was incarcerated for two months in a brightly lit, tiny cubicle, in which he was unable to lie down. Loud music was broadcast around the clock. The affects of sleep deprivation in the short-term include psychosis, and after several weeks neurological damage begins to occur (Crary 2013).

The statement ‘The denial of sleep is the violent dispossession of self by external force, the calculated shattering of an individual’ (Crary 2013) allows us to see that Crary views the forceful removal of sleep as the removal of a basic requirement of human life.

For about eight years the US Defense Department has been funding studies of the white-crowned sparrow. This bird can stay awake for up to seven days during their migration period. The aim of this research is to discover ways to allow human beings to go without sleep while continuing to function productively and efficiently. The initial objective is the creation of the sleepless solider. This study is one of many in the quest to gain mastery over sleep, including neurochemicals, gene therapy and transcranial magnetic stimulation (Crary 2013).

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If this research amounts to anything in the future I believe this technology could also be marketed to scientists, surgeons, shift workers and even students – anyone who is fighting against a deadline or needs to stay awake and alert. However, as a species we may need to think about the reasons why we are doing this and the long-term consequences this may have on society and individuals. Maybe we need to think: are we meddling too much with nature?

References

Britt Neech

1b. Human technology relationships

 

In my opinion, the future of human technology relation lies in the development of wearable technology. There are already many wearable tech gadgets on the market. The Fitbit, worn on the wrist or around the neck, comes to mind as a current everyday wearable technology. This gadget automatically tracks your steps, distance, calories burned, hourly activity, how long and how well you sleep and will even wake you up peacefully with a silent alarm (Fitbit 2016). In a similar category lies the Apple Watch, which has features that allow you to make contactless transactions, track your physical activity, health and wellbeing. It even comes with an app that reminds you to relax and breathe (Apple 2016). With the release of the iPhone 7 came the cordless earphones Apple AirPods. The AirPods change our interaction with technology by removing hindrances that many users found clunky or inconvenient and allow easy integration into our everyday lives (Sarah Emerson 2016).

Google Glass, unveiled in 2012, is a pair of glasses that allowed users to view the time, send photos, receive messages and many other features traditionally associated with mobile phones, right in front of your eyes. This product ceased production in 2015 due to its poor battery life, and the fact that is was ‘a product plagued by bugs’. Google Glass also raised security concerns; with people becoming concerned they would be recorded during private moments (Bilton 2015).

And who said wearable tech was limited to the outside of your body? Some people have also gone as far as human micro chipping. Co-founder and CEO of Epicenter, Patrick Mesterton, explains that they offer the opportunity for their employees to have a rice grain sized microchip implanted under their skin via a syringe. The procedure only takes a few seconds and requires no anesthetic (Funnell 2016). At Epicenter, they use a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip that allows employees to digitalise professional information and communicate with devices. This includes both personal devices, such as a mobile phone or computer and public devices like printers and lock systems. This process aims to streamline the workplace. It is currently illegal to force someone to be micro chipped; it is an entirely voluntary process (Funnell 2016). Many find this kind of technological progress unnerving and even frightening.

iphone-6-microchip-nfc.jpg

‘Progress lies deeply embedded in the culture of science. Knowledge is thought to be progressive, accumulative, and qualitatively on a trajectory of either evolutionary or revolutionary improvement. And insofar as technologies are today associated with science and its culture, the same belief in progressivism is often held. That is why contemporary doubts about technological progress cut so deeply’ (Ihde 1993, p.62).

Only time will tell how far and in what way technology will progress and how this will affect human’s relationships with technology.

References

Britt Neech

1d PRIMARY RESEARCH

Date: 26/10/16

Location: Macquarie Bank Headquarters

Interviewee: Leo Wang

The interviewee is Leo Wang a graduate of unsw currently working as an investment banker at the Macquarie bank. The interviewee I conducted was a semi-formal interview where I provide questions and he answered as best as he could

  1. how do you picture the future

When I ask Leo how he saw the future he described it as a cold and efficient place where most of the work force is replaced by automated machinery and people are in a constant struggle to find work. He also believed that the cities would get larger and that the difference in social classes would also increase. I then asked him about what the environment would be like and he responded with in the city there would be little to no green aside from parks but as you got further out the natural environment would come back into play

  1. what is your daily schedule like

 

When I asked him about his daily schedule I was quite shocked at how he was living. He told me that he would get to work at 8am-9am and would work till 12am-3am. He would have a 1-hour lunch break but aside from that he had to constantly be at the office for work. He even told be on some days him and his team would just spend the night at work to get through their work load on time.

 

  1. Do you believe that sleep is an important part of your daily routine if so why

When I asking him this I was surprised to his answer main due to the fact that he didn’t get much sleep due to work. He answered with yes he believe that sleep was an important part or your daily routine and it was main due to the fact that sleep help you retain information that you have leant that day. Also that it refreshes your mind allowing you to work more efficiently.

  1. How much sleep do you usually get and how do you feel about it

When asked Leo answered with on average he would get 3-4 hours of sleep a day but he also told me that he used to get much less when he lived further away from work. Because of the hours he spent at work he decide that it would be much for efficient if he moved closer to work allowing for him to rest long and travel lest. When asked about how he felt about it at first he said he felt horrible when he first started work but now that he was used to the work life and sleeping hours he said that it wasn’t too bad.

I found Leo’s life style to be quite interesting mainly due to how extreme it was and how little sleep he had and how he was still able to function. It also showed me how people are able to get used to anything if you give them enough time. At the end of the interview, I asked him if he would be fine with continuing his current life style where he replied with no. main because it knew that he would burn out sooner or later. He told me that he was going to continue working like this for another year or two.

 

1c A review of a future scenario

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The scenario being proposed in this future is one of high-tech and permeant sleep. In this movie which I’m sure everyone has seen technology has right the highest possible level where it has become self-aware and now controls the world. It was force people into a permeant slumber showing the effects long term sleep and it also shown the opposite as well where people are no able to sleep due to problems with housing and health problems. The environment of the movie is dark and life less. People are born in two different way one being natural and the other being artificial. Living conditions for those who are parentally asleep are sleeping pods with article foods. Whereas the people who are awake and have problems with sleep live in small claustrophobic room have little to no food and are constantly worried about their safety.

I believe that this is quite a possible future well at least some parts of it. The main part that I believe are plausible would be reaching that level of technology this is main due to the fact that we are already starting to go into the world of artificial intelligence with siri and Cortana. Another part of the movie I think might happen is the fact that people may start to sleep in capsules which can also be seen now in japan and the artificial food isn’t too far off as well. But the scenario that has been shown in the movie will probably never happen main due to the fact that I believe that even if we ventured into artificial intelligence we would have safety protocols to stop the thing that happened in the movie from taking place. We are able to relate to the movie quite a bit this is main due to the fact that apart from the environment that they are in the outfits spaces and objects used in the movie can be seen around us right now. For example, the clothing has not changed much, the computers in use are similar to ours, and there living and sleeping areas are not too different to some apartments in the crowded cities of Asia.

Social

  • People now live in tight groups
  • High trust in one another
  • Aside from group people are often isolated
  • Extremely strict lifestyle for survival of the human race
    • No luxuries in the real world
    • Little food
  • Running for your life is the norm

 

Technological

  • Advanced technology
  • Robotics has reached its peak
  • Cybernetics has reached its peak
  • Past technologies have been lost to time

 

Environmental

  • Hostile environment
  • People living in condensed underground cities
  • People who live above ground are sleeping in pod
  • No sunlight
  • Ruined cities of the past
  • Most food is artificial

 

Economic

  • No economic structure
  • People have reached the point where they help each other out of need
  • No monetary system
  • Jobs based on what you are best suited for

 

Political

  • Military based politics
  • Everything is decided by a conceal
  • Everything is for the survival of mankind

 

Matrix movie posters, 2016, posters at movie poster warehouse movieposter.com, viewed 26 October 2016, <https://au.movieposter.com/q/Matrix_posters.html>.

The Matrix 1999, Warner Bros, Village Roadshow Pictures, Sydney

1b Human technology relationships

First off what is technology? In the 21st century, main people you ask will simply say it’s a smart phone or a computer which in some sense is true but technology isn’t just a product it surrounds us and is the only reason why we are able to live such luxurious live compared to the past. The definition Technology is the usage of knowledge for making and modification of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems, methods in order to solve a problem

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Data can be seen as the language of technology it is what allows us to understand our surrounds and improve on past products and solve past mistakes. In our current age data is no often seen as 1 and 0 this is due to the digital era where data is no longer stored in book but now on digital servers. The definition of data is a series if observation, measurements, fact and information.

Robot and cyborgs are quite similar and also quite different. First, of they are similar in the fact that both of them are a byproduct of technology and both of them are created to help with the problems faced by mankind. The way they differ is mainly the fact that one was completely created from technology and has no leaving parts to it these are the robots whereas cyborgs are considered modified humans. From the article “the real cyborgs” we are able to see that even now in the 21st century we have people who would be considered cyborgs. These are people with heart pacers and also people who have an artificial limb or have technology replace a body part.

Our relationship with technology has greatly changed over time this can be seen with how we currently are and how we were in the past. We have people now who would not be alive or even consider life without technology this show how much people have come to rely on technology compared to the past where people didn’t trust it anywhere as much and it was seen as this new thing that caused many problems but as we started to get used to it and learn from it. We discovered how technology could make our lives easier. In the 21st century, you are almost never without technology in your daily life.

In the 21st century, we have reached the point where we have given genders to technology this is main done thought design. The design of a product has a profound effect on deciding which gender the product is this can be seen in all different types of devices from small products like phones to large products like car. The design of the product defines the gender of its technology

Technology also has an interesting relationship with culture this is main due to the fact that different cultures view and use technology differently allowing for many vernation in technology. This is important because it allows people to see how one problem may have many solution depending on their understanding of technology. Thus showing how technology can be different from place to place making it culturally specific.

Telegraph.co.uk, 2016, The real cyborgs – in-depth feature about people merging with machines, viewed 26 October 2016, <http://s.telegraph.co.uk/graphics/projects/the-future-is-android/>.

Technology, 2016, Technology, viewed 26 October 2016.<https://www.citelighter.com/technology/technology/knowledgecards/technology>.

Gigaom, 2016, Open journalism also means opening up your data, so others can use and improve it, viewed 26 October 2016, <https://gigaom.com/2014/08/25/open-journalism-also-means-opening-up-your-data-so-others-can-use-and-improve-it/>.

1a The future of sleep

Sleep is one of the most important parts of life which is why I find it interesting that it has greatly changed over time we can see this right now if we were to compare our sleeping patterns to our past sleeping patterns. This is main due to the fact that in the past we had been forced to sleep more. This was mainly due to technology. For example, when night came in the past it was dark and most people would stay home and call it a night whereas not with light and night no longer being a barrier it once was people are now more free to go out during night hence reducing sleep time.

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Technology has now started to eat into our sleeping time. On average in the past the general population would get about 7-8 hours of sleep whereas now the average is at 6. This is main due to our sleeping patterns being changed due to the advancements of technology.

As for how where we sleep that really has not changed much we still sleep in bed although there are now many different types of bed to choose from some promising  a better night sleep. But the main change in where we sleep would have to be location with the increases in population people are now starting to live close to each other then they have ever lived before this often leads to problems with notice and sleep time further causing a change to sleeping patterns it can be most often seen In Asian countries where people are packed so close together cause sleepless nights.

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Due to the changes in sleep the way we designed for sleep has changed quite a fair bit. This is main due to the fact that in the past the only designs for sleep we just a simple bed now with technology and our fast past lives we have started to design for a better night of sleep even if it is reduced hours. Designers are starting to make product which allowed people to sleep see and still feel refresh with the amount of sleep they received.

Sleep is one of the most important parts of life for people. The main reason it is needed so much can be summed up in this quote “Sleep in a lot of ways is kind of like rebooting your computer” showing that people can’t stay on forever it cause  many medical problems and damages the wellbeing the people.

Sleep in the 21st century has formed quite a few relationships the most notable ones are with luxury, property, and housing. Sleep in the 21st century is now widely considered a luxury if you are able to get the right amount this is main due to the fact that the work hours for the general population has changed and now sleep is seen as something that can be cut. Sleeps relationship with property and housing is quite an interesting one this is mainly due to the fact that people often get a better sleep in their own houses and also is the property is located in a safe and clean area. This is mainly due to the fact that it helps with the reduction of stress levels.

 

Van Winkle’s, 2016, What Will Sleep Look Like in the Future?, viewed 26 October 2016, <https://vanwinkles.com/what-will-sleep-be-like-in-the-future>.

Hostelite, 2016, Old Colorful Apartments in Hong Kong, viewed 26 October 2016, < https://blog.hostelite.com/hong-kong-budget/old-colorful-apartments-in-hong-kong/>.

Women’s Health. 2016, Don’t Panic, but…Using Your Phone in Bed Can Cause Blindness., viewed 26 October 2016, <http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/temporary-blindness-caused-by-phone>.

Mayman, G. 2012, ‘100 Years of Modern Culture VS. Good Sleep Habits’, University of Michigan, viewed 30 August 2016, <http://www.mindthesciencegap.org/2012/11/26/100-years-of-modern-culture-vs-good-sleep-habits/>.

1d. Primary Research

My interview was conducted as an informal discussion with a friend, Brooke Atkinson. Brooke is a Biomedical Science and Business student at Queensland University of Technology.

When I asked Brooke the very broad question ‘What is your view of the future?’ she quickly shot back a one-word response: robots. Brooke speculates that the technology that is currently being integrated in to everyday life will rapidly expand, taking over and transforming many of the industries we know today. She references the self-checkouts at supermarkets as the beginning of technology replacing humans in the workplace. She predicts that robots will take over all manual labour jobs and only a few very personal professions, such as hairdressing and psychology, will remain human focused. As for the humans that have been replaced, they will now find jobs designing, servicing and repairing the very objects that have replaced them. Because of the rise in technology in the services industry, Brooke predicts that future generations will have less developed social skills. Most social interactions will occur on social media, through technology instead of face-to-face communication.

As a student of Biomedical Science, Brooke suggests that medical advancements such as finding preventions and cures for diseases will increase the human lifespan. She goes on to say that this will cause overpopulation issues that will result in increased joblessness and homelessness. The growing population comes with the need for more housing facilities. Brooke speculates that there will be an increase in high-rise buildings and apartment living, with only the very wealthy being able to afford to live in houses. The crowded property market will see people settling for smaller dwellings and the lower class will be forced to share homes with extended family. Brooke also mentions that the overpopulation will create a stress on resources. She predicts that if food supplies are depleting people will start growing their own food, as it would be a cheaper and more reliable option.

I asked Brooke about her view on the future of sleep in order to reflect on what I have learnt and explored this semester in the Sleep Stream of Interdisciplinary Lab A. Brooke thinks that the desire to make the most of our waking lives will result in the invention of a medicine which will allow humans to sleep for less time without the adverse affects of sleep deprivation. She ponders that this would allow humans to be more productive but wonders if this could have adverse affects on the environment combined with the overpopulation problem. How much stress can Earth take from its inhabitants? Brooke wonders if people will use their extra hours of wakefulness to attempt to find a solution to the environmental issues that will be increased due to the enormous usage of technology and overpopulation.

Britt Neech