9) imagine

This week was possibly the best for me so far as we turned our attention to the new emerging technologies that could change the world as we know it in the years to come. The lesson started off for me on an excellent note, with the very inspirational (and life re-evaluating) quotes about imagination and creating our dreams. This sparked off the chorus of ‘I believe I can fly’ in my head in Hollywood fashion, which I must say improved my mood considerably. It also made me think of another quote:

“Few people have the imagination for reality” – Goethe

I think imagination shapes reality in ways that we hardly acknowledge. To try and further relate this quote into the context at hand: Without imagination, much of the reality we see today would not exist, and similarly the future cannot exist without imagination. The world is hardly set in stone, and to ignore that fact would be to deny progress and change completely, therefore it is essential to imagine and constantly dream; the truth is that imagination is really what governs the world (Napoleon).

Over the last few weeks, lessons have taken on a rather serious tone, as we focused and discussed many relevant, pressing issues that affect us in the present or may possibly do so in the future. We looked at many technologies as responses to existing needs or rising needs. This week, however, seemed a little more lighthearted as we looked at some innovations that may hardly be necessary but would improve life all the same, and honestly fascinated me.

We started off with an overview and general discussion about some emerging technologies in the world today, and prof mentioned something about the difference between advertising and marketing, and how it is important to create the demand. I thought that the idea was quite interesting, that companies need to make us, as the consumer believe that we need something when it is not truly a need, per se. I think that nothing is necessary until you decide you can’t live without it. And this is so true for many gadgets or technology we have today. Like my phone, for instance. It is always in my hand, and if it isn’t, I feel slightly disoriented.

I think we, as a collective society have come to realise how we don’t actually need many of the things we have, but the mentality is that – why should we have to live without them when they exist? Which recalls session 1 of TWC, Guns, Germs and Steel: Why should anyone have to live without something when they can have it? There is this trend now, especially on twitter, of complaining about things such as electrical appliances malfunctioning, or other annoyances and marking them “#firstworldproblems”. These are things that have no real significance, but we still find them important. We recognise how spoilt we are being, but we are proudly advertising it. This represents how much the world has shifted, from the focus on necessities, to the indulgence in luxury, to now the view of luxury as the norm, without the guilt of the past. While there is no need for guilt whatsoever, it merely reflects that now technologies can be developed for wants rather than needs, and marketing possibly does not have to be so convincing. We are willing to buy everything and anything, and if we are lucky, we will be at the forefront of technological revolution.

The presentations this week were especially impressive, especially Michelle’s and Gideon’s which practically left me awestruck with the content they were presenting. After Michelle’s presentation and the discussion we had earlier on in class, I downloaded the Layar app and realised that I have had Google goggles all along (oops), but being the technologically un-savvy person I am, still have not figured out how to use them properly. But I definitely will. soon. The implications that this kind of informative technology could have on the way we relate to one another would be extensive! Not to mention how much more convenient it would be to get information that already seems to be at our fingertips. With this technology, its practically in our hands. (And looking at the examples of augmented reality visual displays, this could be literal!)

Gideon’s presentation on the future of aviation was equally fascinating. On the most personal level, everyone loves to travel but most of us hate having to actually sit in the cramped (economy) seats and deal with the lack of leg-room, the snoring neighbours and the complete boredom of watching movie after movie on a long haul flight. With this kind of technology, airplane rides would be… incredible. Almost, dare I say, better than the eventual destination…? I don’t feel like investment into this kind of massive overhaul of the aviation industry is a waste of effort or finances, as I’m sure demand will continue to exist long into the future. Like Eliza mentioned in class, there are innovations like the Concord that we abandoned before and now could possibly go back and revisit, and hopefully even redevelop to redefine aviation even further!

After all this time, I’m sure you’d have expected this from me, but I don’t feel like computer generated simulation could ever be a substitute for the excitement and adventure of travel. Perhaps the only thing that could render airplanes obsolete would be teleportation, but somehow I’m not really holding my breath for that technology anytime soon.

I really enjoyed class this week and definitely learnt a lot, as usual. Often we are tempted to second guess our imagination and keep it ‘realistic’, but seeing all the innovations around us that people 100 years ago may have considered impossible, I believe I will continue to dream.