Module 5: Emerging Technology

Nanotechnology 

Nanotechnology has been around for 1959 until K. Eric Drexler popularized the word 'nanotechnology' in the 1980’s; he was talking about building machines on the scale of molecules, a few nanometres wide (National Nanotechnology Initiative, 2012). Nanotechnology is the manipulation, understanding and control of matter at the nanoscale, at dimensions between approximately 1 and 100 nanometres. Literally nanotech was about shrinking down matter smaller than our red blood cell which enables us to make motors, robot arms, and even whole computers, far smaller than a cell.

Nanotechnology is helping to considerably to improve, even revolutionize, many technology and industry sectors we used today due to its flexibility. For example information technology, energy, environmental science, medicine, homeland security, food safety, and transportation can be intergraded and improved by nanotech. By understanding matter on microscopic level we are able to make many high-quality products at very low cost, but it will allow making new nanofactories at the same low cost and at the same rapid speed. Video below give a visual understanding of nanotechnology.

Social impact

The difficulty of meeting the world’s energy demand is compounded by the growing need to protect our environment. In the future, nanotechnology can also benefit the energy sector. The development of more effective energy-producing, energy-absorbing, and energy storage products in smaller and more efficient devices is possible with this technology. Such items like batteries, fuel cells, and solar cells can be built smaller but can be made to be more effective with this technology as shown on the video above.

Nanotechnologies are also changing how food reacts to us when we consume it. According to Science Daily (2012) scientists today are exploring nanotech’s potential to encapsulate and deliver nutrients directly into targeted tissues, enhance the flavour and other sensory characteristics of foods, and introduce antibacterial nanostructures into foods, among other applications. The potential benefits are not just in foods themselves but also in the things that “surround” foods, like food packaging, food processing and sensory systems, and basic food and nutrition science research. Nano-engineered materials in the food industry include nanocomposites in food containers to minimize carbon dioxide leakage out of carbonated beverages, or reduce oxygen inflow, moisture outflow, or the growth of bacteria in order to keep food fresher and safer, longer. Nanosensors built into plastic packaging can warn against spoiled food. Nanosensors are being developed to detect salmonella, pesticides, and other contaminates on food before packaging and distribution.

Nanotech fabric. Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/05/sci_nat_nanotechnology_in_our_lives/img/4.jpg

Microorganism like viruses, bacteria, and fungi cause many well-known diseases to human and they are all around us. With the help of nanotechnology we are able to live a better environment without dangerous microbes. Let’s start with our everyday materials we use, the cloth we are wearing. With the help of expanding nanotechnology additives in polymer composite materials we can make fabrics that resist bacterial growth, self sanitising and further modification even provide lightweight ballistic energy deflection in personal body armour. Also, nanoscale materials in cosmetic products provide greater clarity or coverage; cleansing; absorption; personalization; and antioxidant, anti-microbial, and other health properties in sunscreens, cleansers, complexion treatments, creams and lotions, shampoos, and specialized makeup. Besides that laptop keyboard can be coated in nanosilver to prevent the spread of bacteria.

According to National Nanotechnology Initiative (2012) nanotechnology application that holds the promise of providing great benefits for society in the future is in the realm of medicine. Nanotechnology is already being used as the basis for new, more effective drug delivery systems and is in early stage development as scaffolding in nerve regeneration research. Moreover, the National Cancer Institute has created the Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer in the hope that investments in this branch of nanomedicine could lead to breakthroughs in terms of detecting, diagnosing, and treating various forms of cancer as showed in the video above.

Nanotechnology medical developments over the coming years will have a wide variety of uses and could potentially save a great number of lives while making it affordable to everyone. Nanotechnology is already moving from being used in passive structures (external contact of medicine) to active structures (internal contact of medicine), through more targeted drug therapies or “smart drugs.” These new drug therapies have already been shown to cause fewer side effects and be more effective than traditional therapies. In the future, nanotechnology will also aid in the formation of molecular systems that may be strikingly similar to living systems. These molecular structures could be the basis for the regeneration or replacement of body parts that are currently lost to infection, accident, or disease.

These predictions for the future have great significance not only in encouraging nanotechnology research and development but also in determining a means of oversight. The number of products process is likely to grow as time moves forward and as new nanotechnology applications are developed.

Reference List

Answer. (2012). What are the advantages of nanotechnologies. Retrieved from Answer: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_advantage_of_nanotechnology

Johnson, D. (2012). The Future of Nanotechnology in mobile phone. Retrieved from ieee spectrum: http://spectrum.ieee.org/nanoclast/semiconductors/nanotechnology/the-future-of-nanotechnology-in-the-mobile-phone

National Nanotechnology Initiative. (2012). Nanotechnology 101. Retrieved from Nano.GOV: http://www.nano.gov/nanotech-101/what/definition

Science Daily. (2012). Nanotechnology. Retrieved from Science Daily: http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/n/nanotechnology.htm

Which? (2012). Nanotechnology. Retrieved from Which?: http://www.which.co.uk/campaigns/technology/what-you-need-to-know-about-nanotechnology/where-is-nanotechnology-used/

Youtube. (2010, 6 14). Nanotechnology and food. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iwH8AsqEDg

Module 4: Cultures and Technology

The Maori

“Māori” originally mean local people or the original people. Back at the time Māori was a word which used to identified local or original. Until the arrival of white European immigrant in 1815 (known as pakeha in Maori language), the word Maori became an identifier for the Maori people.

Basically Maori ancestors were the Polynesian people from south-East Asia. But in the other hand some analyst discover that early Polynesian immigrants of New Zealand were migrating from China, making a long traveling journey via Taiwan, pass through South Pacific and arrived at Aotearoa (known as New Zealand today). As learning to live in New Zealand they shaped their thinking and their beliefs until became Te Maori, which clearly different from other Polynesian cultures (New Zealand in History, 2008, Para 1).

Religions

Maori have a lot of mythology stories from across the Pacific Ocean. The traditional Maori beliefs have their origins in Polynesian culture with the Polynesian concepts. With their belief in their daily living such as tapu (sacred), noa (nonsacred), mana (authority) and wairua. In the beginning of time Maori people have their beliefs every living thing in the earth are from God and it in form of mountain, river and lakes. Maori people also beliefs that all things have on type of soul (wairua). As Whitmore (2012) state “Certain geographical features of New Zealand are important anchors for Māori identity. For example, the Wanganui River has a particular cultural and spiritual significance for the Māori. Mount Ngaruahoe and Mount Ruapehu, both situated in the North Island, are sacred (tapu) to the Māori” (para.7).

These beliefs remain until Europeans come to New Zealand and it supplants Maori religion and mythology by Christianity. As the result today Maori people are becoming the followers of Presbyterianism, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), or Maori Christian groups and also Catholic, Anglican and Methodist. Somehow there still a very small community of Muslims Maori.

Maori Technology

Gardening

The plants that survive when brought to New Zealand kumara, gourd (hue), taro and yam (uwhi). Kumara is a sweet potato it can be grown through the northern and coastal North Island and in northern South Island; Kumara was a main crop back then.  The other plant was Aute (paper mulberry), it can produce fiber that used to made tapa cloth, but it only can grown in warm northern locations.

Picture above show the gardening system of Maori people

Source: http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/gardens/1/1

Gardening Tools

Ko

In maori gardening tools Ko is used to loosened the ground by scattering the sand and small stone.

Source: http://www.new-guinea-tribal-art.com/wp/index.php/2011/11/06/native-weapons-maori/

Timo and Ketu

This kind of tools uses to weed the crops. They usually were made of hard woods such as matai and manuka. For timo it was fashioned from a forked branch with the blade being flattened.

Source:http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/site_resources/library/Education/Teachers_Guide/Teacher_Resources_Library/Maori_Education_Kits/Maori_09MaoriTechnology_1_.pdf

Fishing

Before arrive at New Zealand Maori people already have the knowledge of fishing method. Maori are very skilled fishers. With their fishing nets, hooks, lures, spears, and traps they can have a lot food from the ocean.

Fishing hook

Maori fishing lines were made of twisted flax fibers and sinkers from stones. With the different sizes and shapes of shell, bone, wood and stones. Bone hooks can be made by drilling the central part of the hood and fiiling it with sandstone. Sometimes fishermen used a gorge, it is a sharp bit of bone that can fish in a mouth. For the lures fishermen usually use colourful abalone or paua shells to attract certain kind of fish. Such as sea trout or kahawai.

Source: http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/Whi04Anci-fig-Whi04AnciP002a.html

Fishing nets

In developing fishing nets maori people also make it vary at size, with the small one called tutoko to the very big one call kaharoa. Kahoroa is really a big fishing nets, it trequire several people to handle it and usually to catch a lot of fish at one time. The fishermen attach stone to the bottom of  the nets as the sinkers and use gourds, coconuts, or woods at the top for the net to float. According to Watchmen (2010), “The largest documented Maori seine net, documented in 1886 at Maketu, was roughly a mile long. It was made for a huge tribal gathering, and it took the entire community to haul in the catch. Green flax was the most commonly used net-making material” (para.2).

Source: http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Bes02Maor-t1-body-d9.html

Food Storages

Food storages are the most useful place to storages the food stock when it comes to winter. After the food being preserved it was being stored inside the food storages. For examples cooked birds are place in gourds and seals with the fat, because by cooking it killed the bacteria and sealed with fat prevent the contamination. The gourd can be decorate with some feathers or any decorations to label down what it contain inside.

Picture above known as calabash is enclosed in a closely woven flax container, and has been mounted on three elaborately carved legs adorned with split kereru feathers. A carved mouthpiece has been attached to the gourd.

Source: http://tekakano.aucklandmuseum.com/objectdetail.asp?database=maori&objectid=916

Stone Tools

The most well use tools at that time are toki (adzes) and chisels. It commonly used for chopping and carving wood. The blades were made from fine grained rock such as argillite, basalt, greywacke and pounamu (jade, greenstone). Flax cord was used to tie up the blades to the wood handle.

This early example is one of the toki photographed at Auckland Museum. It was found near Hamilton and is made from greywacke stone. Regional construction styles

Source: http://maorilifestyles.blogspot.co.nz/2010_01_01_archive.html

Drill were used to make holes in both wood and stone also for making one piece bone fish hook. They were made from various materials, particularly chert, but also obsidian and some of the same rock types used for adzes.

Source:http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document//Volume_39_1930/Volume_39,_No._154/Experiments_in_Kaitahu_%28Ngai-tahu%29_methods_of_drilling,_by_R._H._Steele,_p_181-188/p1

Carving

The Maori are famous for their beautiful and unique carvings. These type of carving can be found on their houses, boats, statues, and jewelry they are made. The material of their carving is varying from using jade, bone, silver and wood. Furthermore each shape in their carving has a special meaning.

Tattooing

Maori people used tattoo to identify the status and rank. This practice is being brought from their Polynesian homelands to the New Zealand when they immigrate. Maori society most people were tattooed, the type and amount of tattoos reflected their status which changed and increased along with the change and increase of their performance. Slaves were also marked with tattoos. Many slaves advanced their position within the society to the point where they actually became the master. Maori tattoos were also used to attract the opposite sex. Maori women usually had their lips and chins tattooed.

Tattooing usually call as Ta Moko in Maori language. It uses a bone chisel with an extremely sharp edge for tattooing. The first stage of the tattoo commenced with the graving of deep cuts into the skin. Next, a chisel was dipped into a sooty type pigment such as burnt Kauri gum or burnt vegetable caterpillars, and then tapped into the skin. It was really a long and painful process and for the healing process they use leaves from karaka tree and place it at the swollen tattoo cut.

Bone Chisel used for tattooing.

Source: http://www.poriruatattoo.com/ta-moko/

Maori language

The Maori language also known as te reo Maori. It has status as official language in New Zealand. But now Maori languages are not really well used in the community. According to Wikipedia (2010) “since 1890 Maori MPs realized the importance of English literacy to Maori and insisted that all Maori children are taught in English. Therefore many of Maori school exclusively teaching in Maori language were being enforced to teach by using English”.

In many areas of New Zealand, Maori lost it important as a community language that has been used by notable people at the war time. Therefore with call sovereignty and for the righting of social injustices from 1970s onwards, New Zealand schools now teach Māori culture and language as an option, and pre-school have started, which teach young children exclusively in Māori. These now extend right through secondary schools. Most preschool centres teach basics such as colors, numerals and greetings in Maori songs and chants (Wikipedia. 2010).

Batak Tribe in Indonesia

The term Batak is used to refer the original resident of North Sumatra, Indonesia. The areas referred to as their country is stretching from Medan up to the areas around Lake Toba and further South in Mandailing regency, the border of West and North Sumatra.

There are 4 sub-group to identify the Batak tribe such as Batak Karo, Batak Toba, Batak Mandailing, and Batak Simalungun. They just have different of tribe; there is no physical or social different among them. Just slightly different on speaking dialect and behavior, which are not really visible. By referring their names we can identify from where they come. 

Cultivating

Batak people also have tools for growing crops for their live, by using simple tools such as hue, plough, poles and knife to harvest the crops. Plough is known in Batak language as tenggala used to plow the soils usually drown by buffalo.

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephanberlin/5374306698/

Religion and Beliefs

Although the people of Batak have been following Christianity and Islam, the original ideas on belief which is written on a wood skin is still alive. This concept is called "Tarombo", Tarombo explain about the creation of man kind, genealogical lineages, and the concept of universe creation, and the spirit who control nature's phenomena. Concept about psyche are two types, one is the spirit got from the women of the mother called "Tondi" which make human being alive, and spirit got at the same time as Tondi, but it makes human being respected by others called "Sahala".

Picture above is Karo Batak Christian Church

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat

Language

Batak language also has the variation which are spoken by sub ethnics such Karo dialect, Pakpak dialect, Simalungun dialect, and Toba dialect spoken by the Toba, angkola and Mandailing. There are two major branches such as northern branch with Pakpak Dairi, Alas-Kluet and Karo language, which are same with each and the other is southern branch, with the same dialect Toba, Angkola and Mandailing.

Batak language is still being used until now. As reid (2008) state “Batak language has the axistance of a linguistic continuum that often blurs the lines between Batak dialect, but Batak dialect still influences the dialect in Medan city until now”. It is likely that the Batak people originally received their writing system from southern Sumatra.

Art

Batak people have the traditional dance called Tor Tor dance (magical factor) and serampang dua belas dance (nature of entertainment). Traditional Musical instrument such as Gong and Saga saga.

Batak tribe has a weaving craft call ulos cloth. This is one of the tradition that really still being reliant until now. This cloth always been used in wedding ceremony, funeral ceremony, celebrating after establishing house, transfer of estate, welcomed honored guests and ceremony for Tor Tor dance. The clothes are always being used as the tradition that Batak ancestors inheritance generation by generation.

Video above show one of the Batak traditional dance

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIOKX-6sUIQ&feature=related

Reference List

Maori info. (2005). Maori of New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.maori.info/index.htm

New Zealand Tourism Guide. (2012). Maori Stories and Legend. Retrieved from http://www.tourism.net.nz/new-zealand/about-new-zealand/maori-stories-and-legends.html

Wikipedia. (2010). Maori People. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C4%81ori_people#Language

Whitmore. (2012). The Maori. Retrieved from http://history-nz.org/maori.html#top

Mader. (2008). Maori Source-The Bone Art Place. Retrieved from http://www.maorisource.com/

Bistur. (2001).  The Batak People. Retrieved from http://www.balitouring.com/culture/batak.htm

Hidayah. (2011). The Culture of Batak Tribe. Retrieved from http://www.history-ofculture.com/2011/10/tribe-batak-culture.html

Wikipedia. (2012). Batak. Retrieved fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batak#Ritual_cannibalism

Module 3: Ethic

Global Warming Increase Due to Human Behavior

Global Warming

Global warming can be described as condition in where the temperature of earth and ocean are higher than average level. This gives a picture our world is getting hotter and hotter. According to America’s Climate Choice (2011) state that, “Since the early 20th century, Earth's mean surface temperature has increased by about 0.8 °C (1.4 °F), with about two-thirds of the increase occurring since 1980” (p. 15). Increasing of temperature have been studied by scientist and with result shown that the global temperature increased due to high level of greenhouse gas concentration at the atmosphere, it produce from human activities such as burning of fossil fuels and deforestation. Greenhouses gas (GHG) contain of water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone. Greenhouses gas trap the heat and the light from the sun at the earth atmosphere therefore temperature keep on rising. 

Global Warming Effect 

Video above briefly explain how the Global warming destroying our planet.

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo678wes1zg&feature=player_embedded

Artic Sea Ice Melting

With the planet condition warming from North Pole to South Pole and area around there, ice is melting worldwide. This includes mountain glaciers, ice sheets that cover West Antartica and Greenland, alsi Artic sea ice. Not only that, with the planet getting warm it also shifting precipitation pattern and change animal habitat.

Picture below is the report from the National Snow and Ice Data Center. It clearly show that the area cover by snow or ice is decrease as the time pass cause by global warming.

Source: http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/sea_ice_nsidc.html

Sea Level Rise

As we know when water is heated it will expand, with this practical it explains the cause of sea level to rise. Together with water melting come from glaciers and arctic it clearly shown measureable amount of sea level rise.

With the rise of sea water it covers many low land islands which are give a bad impact for the live in our planet. This gives a problem to the plants, animals and even people who live in the islands. When the water cover the plants it causing them to die and without a plants some animals lose their source of food and causing them to die also. By this people lose their two sources of food, plant and animal and to survive people need to eat. As the result they also need to immigrate or die.

These conditions called break in the food chain, one thing that happening and leads to another and so on. 

Graph above shown the sea level keep increase year by year.

Source: http://globalwarming.com/2010/05/statistics-of-the-global-warming-trend/

Extreme Weather

Since the late 20^th century, changes have been observed of some extreme weather and climate change. The more weird and wild weather are keep happen in our earth. According to Natural Resources Defense Council (2012) state that, “ This spring's prolonged heat wave gave us the hottest March since record-keeping began back in 1895 -- an astounding 671 records were broken, according to the National Weather Service. And April 2012 marked the end of the warmest 12-month stretch ever in the US” (para.1).

The nature disaster such as tropical cyclone, hurricane, rainstorm are more likely to happen and getting stronger. It give destruction to our community, damages our health and undermines our economy. “Extreme weather events cost us billions in property damages each year. And when to health it also related to costs” (Natural Resources Defense Council, 2012, Para 2).

Come to 2012, flooding become a trend in some part of the planet. For example tropical storm debby brought record of rainfall and extreme flooding to Florida in first half of 2012, 7 people were killed, destroying more than 100 homes and causing few millions of dollar in damage to beaches, business and homes.

Picture above show a house being drown by flood.

Source: http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/climate-change-impacts/

Global warming is making the temperature too hot in the earth. It cause of increase drought area in several country. The first half of 2012's historic drought saw more than 80 % of the country are abnormally being  dry or can be found as drought condition in mid- July. Drought of course threatens our water and food supplies and is driving up the cost of everything from corn to milk.

Video below show how the global warming destroy the crops.

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rAcH4MfYnLI#!

Wildfires also one of the bad effect of global warming. With the extreme heat many plants and trees leaves become so dry and easily catch fire. That’s why global warming also causes of a lot of huge forest being destroyed.

Effect on Human Health

Due to extreme weather as we discuss above, global warming also give a bad effect to human health and for the worst condition it can cause of death. With the extreme storm it cause drowning, contaminates drinking water and result in outbreaks of infectious diseases. Heat and ozone smog can affect our respiratory system such as asthma and worsen the health of people suffering from cardiac or pulmonary disease.

According to Natural Resources Defense Council (2012) state that,” Extreme heat in the first half of 2012 killed at least 74 Americans. But the climate change-related heat mortality in the first half of 2012 is just part of a deadly trend. In 2011, at least 206 people died from extreme heat, up from 138 fatalities in 2010 and nearly double the 10 year average”. And this number will keep on increasing if the usages of fossil fuel are not being reduced due to excessive heat at the atmosphere.

Solutions

Clean Energy and Green Jobs

Investing in clean energy industries, such as wind and solar, as well as energy efficiency programs and retooling manufacturing plants can lead us out of crisis and into a new clean energy economy. Also by manufacturing solar panels and wind turbines will create job opportunity for the community. Studies show that investing in clean energy technologies would produce more jobs than similar investments in oil and gas.

Drive Smart Car with Green Technology

With the advanced technology car can be manufacture with better fuel efficiency and green technology which are more environment friendly and reduced the emission gas such as hybrid and plug in hybrid. By using cars more efficient over the next ten years, we'll cut global warming pollution by more than 350 million metric tons and save 2 million barrels of oil a day.

Create Green House and Building

Building and the appliances are one of the global warming emissions contributors. Therefore new building should meet strong new energy efficiency standard that maximize energy savings. And existing homes and commercial spaces can be retrofitted to save energy by weatherizing and installing energy efficient heating, cooling and lighting systems

Build Better Public Transportation

By using public transportation it give a good contribution to reduce our global warming emissions. With the public transportation it can take people in group or larger in number compare than private car. For example commuter rail and public bus it can provide transportation services for passenger to reach their destination. With this it is not compulsory for people to use car to reach their work place, going to supermarket, store, cinema and etc.

Reference List

 

Natural Resources Defense Council. (2012). Global Warming. Retrieved from http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/default.asp

National Geographic. (2008). Effect of Global Warming. Retrieved from http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/gw-effects/

Global Warming. (2010). Statistic of Global Warming Trend. Retrieved from http://globalwarming.com/category/global-warming-statistics/

Wikipedia. (2012). Global Warming. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming#Climate_models