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

2. 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.

 

3. 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.

4. 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

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

 

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 21^st 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 21^st century, you are almost never without technology in your daily life.

In the 21^st 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.

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.

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 21^st century has formed quite a few relationships the most notable ones are with luxury, property, and housing. Sleep in the 21^st 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/>.

The future of sleep

This will just be a few idea I have on these questions further research will be needed.

What is the relationship between sleep and luxury?

I think that sleep will become a luxury that most people in the future will not be able to afford. I don’t mean that people won’t be sleeping at all but most people just won’t have the time to sleep. Hence sleep becomes a luxury which only a few people can afford. The general people will constantly be sleep deprived where as the people who are well off will not.
What is the relationship between sleep and capitalism?

Capitalism will affect sleep in a large amount. This is mainly due to the work force that supports capitalism. Capitalism will be one of the main reasons why the general population is forces to get used to less sleeping hours and being constantly sleep deprived
What is the relationship between sleep and property?

The relationship between sleep and property will main be about the quality of sleep you will be getting. This is mainly due to the problem we have in our scenario which is air pollution. This relates to property because if you are of a higher class in social status you would be able to afford a property in a cleaner and less polluted area which in turn has better air quality allowing for a better sleep.
What is the relationship between sleep and housing?

Housing will also affect the quality of sleep you will have. This is also due to the area you will be sleeping in. if you are sleeping in a smaller house you might not have the space to have a product which cleans the air around you. You are also forced to deal with the pollution that comes from houses around you as well. So for example if you were living in an apartment the air quality would be now where near as good as if you were living in a house by yourself.

Wilson