Pages

Monday, December 13, 2010

Technology Funny of the Week

Quote of the Week:

"There are two ways to construct a software design. Make it so simple that there are obviously no deficiencies; or make it so complicated that there are no obvious deficiencies."



 Comic of the Week:



Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Technology Discussion of the Week - Part 1

My discussion about technology this week is all about new cutting edge changes that I and others believe will alter the technology paradigm in the future. We have all seen the development of social media through the use of Facebook, Tiwtter and overall increase in exposure to the internet and mobile devices. There are more technological and demographical changes are on the horizon and I intend to discuss that with you today.


In part 1, I am going to be going over two (2) of the four (4) hot topics that I foresee changing the way YOU will interact and relate with technology:

1. New kind of connection called NFC - Near Field Communication (Link)
2. Kinect – A new way to play video games (Link)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



(http://www.instablogsimages.com/)

NFC is a relatively unknown initiative that has extensive potential to change the way we communicate with electronic devices in our everyday lives. Let me give you an example: imagine no more credit cards, debit cards, car keys, alarm codes, ID, passports and the list goes on. So how does it work?
It is simply a very short range (10 cm), hi frequency data transmitter that transmits at very fast speeds. It will be used almost exclusively on mobile phones and there are rumors that Android, Nokia, RIM phones and the next iPhone 5 will all support NFC. There are some security aspects that need to be addressed such as eavesdropping, data modification and the mere fact that your mobile device could be stolen. Massaging of this new technology is certainly needed, however the implications of NFC are endless and could quite honestly change the way we interact with other devices in the near future. Simply pondering the ability of pulling out your phone to text, surf, tweet, update, read, play and now pay for your lunch makes me smile at our ability to take technology to the extreme!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kinect is a buzz word amongst those within the gaming sector, the blogosphere and people who watch the news or read the business section. If you are one of those people that live under a rock (or don’t know much about new gaming gadgets), the Kinect is a new Xbox 360 add on to allow users to experience motion gaming. Through the use of many different cameras, a microphone, and infrared scanner a user can literally become the controller. This is the first controller-less technology that has become available to the general public ever and opens a whole new market for potential uses. We may see entire GUI’s in many different applications not ever needing input from devices such as keyboards and mice. The eventual grand finale that I like to dream about would be a completely interactive virtual 360 degree GUI completely controlled with the users hands and movements. One can dream of the day!

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Technology Funnies - November 21st

Funny of the week:



Quote of the week:

(Terminal log-on for the novice user)

Login: yes
Password: i dont have one
...
password is incorrect

Login: yes
Password: incorrect
.
.
.

Friday, November 19, 2010

What Happened This Week?

Monday
Facebook Expected To Announced New Email Service Today - http://bit.ly/9gxCp6


- Facebook is at the forefront of the social media revolution and adding email could be the next step, breaking new levels of communication. It is not just email, it integrates IM, Texting and email all in one interface.

Tuesday
How the Network Will Make Our Cities Smart and Transform the World - http://on.mash.to/bVMzjS


- If you haven’t heard, the Web 2.0 summit 2010 is happening in San Francisco. Many popular and forward thinking people are discussing future technology including Cisco Chief Globalization Officer Wim Elfrink. He discusses about future cities will be powered by ‘the Internet of things’ and how this will ‘save energy, decrease wasted water and traffic and lower crime rates.’

Wednesday
Internet Explorer inches closer to full launch, the possibility of a dominant comeback increases - http://bit.ly/cmCQb5


- Internet Explorer 9 is approaching and will need to bring a high-performance and user friendly environment in order to continue to compete with the other popular browsers such as Firefox, safari and Google chrome browser.

Thursday
RIM compares PlayBook to iPad side-by-side [video] - http://bit.ly/9hEdyo


- The first true competitor to the iPad. Smaller, Java enabled and faster in some aspects. See the side by side video comparison.

Friday
Why Social Gaming Is More Than Just a Fad - http://on.mash.to/a7mRSt


- To end the week, we have a very interesting analysis about how social gaming has evolved far beyond just a game. It is natively woven into and distributed via social networks — the Internet’s [and our] new gateway.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

How To of the Week - Hiren's

This is more of a rave about an awesome tool than a how-to but you will have to get by with it. If you are a super user or just a natural go getter with a computer, you know how important it is to keep your PC up and running. There is an awesome multi use tool that can help with almost any possible problem that you may have. Made by open source coders, Hirens boot CD will be your most used and trusted tool in your computing existence. I will prove it to you for I have listed all the types of tools it has in it (underlined ones are most popular categories):


Antivirus Tools
Archivers (Zip tools)
Backup Tools
BIOS / CMOS Tools
Browsers / File Managers
Cleaners
Editors / Viewers
FileSystems Tools
Hard Disk Tools
MBR (Master Boot Record) Tools
Network Tools
Optimizers
Partition Tools
Password Tools
Process Tools
Recovery Tools
Registry Tools
Remote Control Tools
Security / Encryption Tools
Startup Tools
System Information Tools
Testing Tools
Tweakers
Other Tools

See a full list of all categories and tools here

Each category has multiple tools so you can choose your favourite program or take advantage of different functionality between the tools. If you are constantly looking to Google to get your freeware, just download this awesome boot CD and have it all in one convenient place.

Some of the most popular tools that I use and recommend are:

Avira AntiVir Personal –personal antivirus that protects your computer and uses little resources
7-Zip – Will literally open every compressed folder...and its free
G4L Ghost 4 Linux – clones one PC to another (for advanced users)
CCleaner – Spring cleaning for your computer. Literally.
All HDD Diagnostics – Can help test your hard drive health and power (by brand)
TrueCrypt – very powerful encryption software for your personal data
GPU/CPU-Z – Informative monitoring of your temperatures and information
Acronis – Very good tool for backing up and cloning your computer

To get this all working here comes the how-to part:

1. Download the zip file(bottom of the page)
2. Extract and burn the iso file using an imaging tool (download one here) and burn to a CD
3. Restart the computer with your CD in the CD drive and it will load into the Hirens CD menu.
4. If it does not boot into the CD, you will have to select which device you are booting into (tutorial here)

I hope this saves you some time and energy in the future! Leave a comment!

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Technology Funnies - November 14th

Funny of the week:

Credit peopleattack.com
Quote of the week:

"Computers are like air conditioners: they stop working when you open windows."

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Current Blogging Schedule

Below is my current and established plan for blog updates for the rest of the year. I hope that you will come back and visit often.

Monday/Tuesday - Discussion of a current event in the Technology Industry
Wednesday/Thursday - How to. Interesting stuff you could undertake in your spare time
Friday/Saturday - Top 5 Tech blog posts of the week
Sunday - Technology funnies

For your viewing pleasure:
"To err is human... to really foul up requires the root password."

Friday, May 14, 2010

Information Overload

Over the last century, society has changed and developed in such a way that we demand instant gratification, becoming popular through the technology boom along with the development of the internet. Is our ability to simply turn to Google for information or reply to a Facebook update really necessary for our self actualization? We are being bombarded by logos, icons, text, false information, advertisements and the occasional popup describing male genital elongation. This presents some large scale problems:


Too much screen time increases insomnia and anxiety but more evidently, it stunts social growth in children, prevents face to face social interactions, and decreases physical activity. Removing the physical and personal connection with someone makes it increasingly difficult to communicate effectively. At the same time, 30%-33% of Americans are now obese because of lack of exercise and bad diet. There is no excuse for that!

Too many distractions lead to forgetting about what you need to do to make yourself happy. If you are linked in all the time to keep up with what your friends are doing, you may forget that you need something more than reading a twitter message on your smart phone. It would be easier to just meet and talk about your life with them over a beer instead of over the internet. Some people become obsessed with something online that is simply not real. 'Escaping reality' online is causing detrimental problems for people finding lovers, spreading false information quickly and deteriorating social and physical health.

Many people seem to enjoy the ability to disconnect with the existent world by connecting to an online one. The problems above are only a select few of a global shift in the way we interact with other people. Some may say that we are increasing our sociability and reach to the rest of the world but I don't think sitting with your family and updating your Twitter is being social.

Monday, May 10, 2010

E-Waste and Ethical Recycling

I have mentioned in a past posting about how our fast moving technology is leading to an unsustainable future. E-waste is any electronic waste such as TV’s, Computers, electronic gadgets that become a part of the waste system and is increasing due to our fast moving technology. The largest difference between regular trash and e-waste is the presence of many chemicals residing within. These valuable yet toxic metals present a large problem, mostly the contamination to the area around where the e-waste is dumped and eventually into the water sources. So like in my past post, I recommended recycling your e-waste to help the environment; this being an ethical and sustainable practice right?

I have recently gone to a volunteer session at Free Geek, a Canada and USA ethical salvaging centre, where I learned some very key ideas involving recycling. Contrary to popular belief, recycling centres are not always sustainable, efficient, ethical, or environmentally friendly. A large portion of them do not recycle everything that is within the product such as certain chemicals or heavy metals. Many organizations simply ship e-waste to other countries such as Africa or China where some is salvaged for money and the rest is dumped. This presents a huge problem especially with the increase in e-waste within the past 10 years. Estimates of around 40-50 million tonnes of e-waste is dumped around the world yearly; that number steadily increasing with the increased perception of obsolete electronics. Not only are these recycling organizations not recycling efficiently or sustainably, there are just not very many of them at all!

Concepts surrounding the idea of recycling are at times misconceptions so one must do some research into which recyclers are ethical. Call and ask who their downstream recyclers are and if they are withholding that information, you know something is not right. It is the consumer’s responsibility to use their electronics for their entire lifetime and ensure proper disposal for this is the only earth we all have to live on and what you can do affects how we live!

Facts and Definitions

Planned Obsolesce: A marketing strategy used to create new software in order to make the old electronics running it obsolete.

Vista Layer: The millions of tonnes of electronics dumped due to Microsoft creating Vista, an inefficient operating system designed to get the consumer to update their computer. (Planned Obsolesce)

Canada has signed an international treaty called the Basel Convention which is used to prevent the export of e-waste to other countries (recycle within the same country). Canada has not enforced this treaty due to lack of funding so e-waste is still shipped across borders.

The average lifespan of a computer in 1999 was 6 years, now it is 2 years.

Pictures from trade2save.com, freegeekvancouver.org, thetechbrief.com

Friday, April 30, 2010

Cloud Computing


What is it?

Cloud computing is a relatively new phenomenon within the IT technology sector and is changing the world. In a nutshell, the ‘cloud’ is the term used to represent the information on the internet available for user download. For example, when you tweet a message on Twitter the message is put into the cloud for all to see, search, and download to their screen. Twitter is a public cloud, but there are private clouds such as Facebook where the content is limited to your ‘friends’. The image below shows how all of these interconnected devices and business servers all put content into the internet cloud which is immediately available for anyone with a browser to view. Cloud computing is a revolutionary concept which affects the general public and businesses worldwide.


Problems

Obviously, this easily accessible world of cloud computing can raise some concerns within the general public. Just recently, a company designed around social online shopping named Blippy allowed some users credit card information to become part of the source code in its website. Google’s search engine then indexed the content, making it available in the cloud for the public to search and access. Privacy is naturally the biggest concern that people have with this new technology because people halfway around the world can learn things about you in very remarkable ways. Another power behind cloud computing is the traceability of your movement on the web. Your computer gives off a unique signature to the internet when you are browsing which can be used to trace and gain information about you, the user. I have code running on this blog that tracks site hits from what location, browser, IP address, website, etc etc. Most web users I can guarantee do not know this. Being ignorant of the implications of putting data into the cloud is becoming increasingly dangerous. Soon the people using online functions will have to decide to give up their privacy or demand for an alternate system. My advice to you is: do not put anything online without realizing the potential of others using that data for other means!

Monday, April 26, 2010

Have you Heard of the Floppy?

The Problem

I had to think back to remember what a floppy disk was too! Sony recently announced that they would be ceasing their production of floppy drives in their Japanese factory. Believe it or not, floppy's were invented in the mid 1970's which is only 35 years ago! They have already become completely obsolete and now bordering on extinct! Other things like the CD player, CD's, and Walkmans (just to name a few) are quickly following in the floppy's footsteps

This raises concern about our lives and the ever increasing need to be sustainable. Western society has been completely transformed by this technology rage and with that comes the speed at which it changes. A cell phone that arrives today, being cutting edge and amazing, will be relatively obsolete almost guaranteed within a year. The original iPhone for example cannot do half the things that the newest 3Gs version can do.


The Reason

Behind these electronics such as high tech storage devices, gaming machines, and cell phones comes the power that is driving them, their manufacturers. So many of the things we buy rely on services provided by their providers, again coming back to the iPhone. All Apple has to do to get people flocking towards their newest product is to restrict the older versions from enjoying what the newer ones can accomplish.

On a different tack, I remember when a 512 megabyte flash drive was over $100! You may only have to think back about two years to remember that, but now 2 gigabyte drives are sold in bins for $15 or less. The demand for space to store unneeded junk on your computer has grown exponentially. All of this begs the question: do we need to throw all this 'old' technology away? The majority of obsolete tech is now sitting in your local landfill, not given to someone who would cherish it! Because manufacturers want to make an extra buck, they move new tech at an extremely fast rate leading more and more to an unsustainable future.


The Solution

How can you be more sustainable in your life? There are many local recycling depots that will take used computers, printers, and an assortment of electronics for free (there is one in Vancouver called Free Geek). They can disassemble them, sell the metal and recycle the plastic. Why are you throwing out your perfectly working MP3 player or Walkman when there are people that could use it? Basically, take all the old electronics that you will never use again sitting on your shelf (I know that there are some) and donate them to an organization. It makes a big difference for those who receive these electronics, for relatively little work on your end!

(Image courtesy of FreeFoto.com)

Thursday, April 22, 2010

The Daily Gumboot


I have stumbled upon a very intelligent, sophisticated, and well founded Vancouver based blog named the Daily Gumboot. The mission of the blog is to strengthen community bonds by bringing together interesting issues locally, nationally and abroad. For example, their latest blog post about the newest 'like' function of Facebook raises interesting implications involving our ease to express common interests between one another. Facebook has just made it that much easier to let people know what you like and where to find it. The rule of the blog though is to always remain positive about their posts. So when Theo (the author of the post) brings up the possibility of advertisers using this function to target an advertising market with you in it, she suggests that you "be smart" and "know what you’re opting into." I love the way the Daily Gumboot presents issues in an easy to read manner that raises questions which brings together the online and Vancouver community; one that is becoming increasingly cluttered. They also like pirates I am told, so watch yourself!


Check it out!
http://www.dailygumboot.ca/

Bootup Labs...Oops

Funding Is a Necessity



Bootup labs (bootuplabs.com) is a Vancouver based company "designed to help entrepreneurs build tech startups...from a concept to company." There is huge risk associated with startup companies and having someone get you on the right track is much better than trying to do it alone....right?

Bootup went through a recent funding crisis and had to make the decision between spreading the funds to all 7 companies in their portfolio or reducing their portfolio to 3 and fully fund those. They decided to cut their portfolio which is a tough decision, compounded by their eagerness to help too many people without money at hand. Bootup didnt listen to their clients, see the signs of funding trouble, and attempted to cover up their portfolio decision.

I made mistakes. I was wrong. Lessons Learned.

This goes to show that even established companies can be over ambitious leading to catastrophe which takes a hit on your reputation. It is disappointing that this led to other people suffering due to Bootup labs mistakes.

Art on Photoshop

There is an awesome post on webdesignledger.com about how simple images in skilled hands can create mind blowing and awesome art! I have the top five that I found interesting shown below. See more at:
http://webdesignledger.com/inspiration/40-jaw-dropping-photo-manipulations

Snantlers (my name)
I love this picture because of the subtle change of the feelers of the snail. Many Photoshop images I find are a bit too obvious. This work might not the most difficult to do but it brings together the aspect of snail and deer living within the same habitat; both depending on the plants and living species in it. It is hard to remember that species like these two rely so heavily on one another in order to keep balance in the ecosystem.

Extravaganza
This image brings forth the idea of the link between nature and the human species and shows a level of fragility between human and our environment. The human hand along with the brain is capable of great things but things that can also be very destructive. This work shows that our hands are capable of helping our environment prosper as much as we do as a species.

Home for Dinner
Very cool aspect shown through uprooting a house with a spoon. This work pertains to the declining amount of traditional home style family dinners or the change in family dynamics. There is an increasing amount of people that 'eat on the road' due to time constraints of given industries and society. At home family dinners are becoming a thing of the past whether it be due to kids moving out or social norms changing. When are we really home for dinner or is this generation taking the past necessity for eating at home out of the equation completely?

Addicting Keyboard (my name)
This is a comical representation of a serious problem coming up within a new generation of adolescents. We all know that chocolate is addicting and it releases endorphins to make us happy. We also know (and some experienced) that there is such thing as too much chocolate which results in an unpleasant sickening feeling. More and more young people are becoming addicted to online stimulation causing many social and physical problems. There is only so much time before this generation feels the backlash of a community too plugged in.

Rooted (my name)
This image brings back memories of when I was a kid and scared to death of the dark. I would rely on that night light to keep away all of the unseen scary things. As I grew older, I realized that I am still very rooted to what I have experienced and learned in the past which was shown to me by this light. All of us need this light in times of uncertainty within our life whether it be the courage to push on or your better half helping you along the way.

Again feel free to see more at:
http://webdesignledger.com/inspiration/40-jaw-dropping-photo-manipulations

Make your own photoshop images using these tutorials:
http://iniwoo.net/tutorials/photo-manipulation-tutorials/

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Movement of TV Demand

I recently read an article on techvibes website here about looking into the future of the television. We know that television killed the 'radio star' as mentioned in the posting but are applications on smartphones/computer accessibility killing the 'TV star'?

Computers
Computers are becoming a necessity within the developed and even the developing world. People are catching on to the advantage of being connected to the world with a click of a button. Movies, TV shows, music, games, news, weather, and social networking all easily within reach of the common user. I am more than the average computer user, having 8GB of ram and dual screens running on my home desktop; however, I easily started and designed this blog in less than a week with little experience needed about building websites. I just want to emphasize that the demand for cable and satellite into the TV is beginning to diminish because of increased computer screen time and content availability on the net. Interestingly, I foresee a sustained demand for the television itself due to the ability to connect your computer to it!

Smartphones
Now not only can you be on your computer playing the new release of Assassins Creed 2, you can open your blackberry or iPhone and check your Facebook, Twitter and favorite blog posts. Applications in the smartphone network are shrinking the need for watching TV because you can get everything to your portable mini-computer anywhere you go! The increasingly connected society that we live in is becoming more and more impatient, needing instant feedback which smartphones and computers are designed for. This is not only causing the need and demand for television to decrease, it raises social questions such as a lack of face to face social time leading to social stunting in the population. Since the development of the internet and increased power to home computers, technology demand and supply have skyrocketed. We however have not seen the social backlash to its fullest extent due to these new radical changes. Times are coming where changes in technology will affect the way we operate as a community on an individual and social level.

(Image courtesy of rapidweb.biz)

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

April Fools Joke

I decided to put this video on my blog. I wanted to make a comment that if this was broadcasted on TV nowadays, imagine the controversy. Have we become politically correct over the years or just lost a sense of humor?

Building a Super Computer

I have gone through a lot of grief trying to find resources for building your own gaming PC and troubleshooting when (not if) things do not work. I will give you a list of excellent links to help you work things out without having to go talk to the pros and spend more money!

Hardware to build your PC
  • This link about building your PC is a great PDF document about the hardware associated with your new PC. Excellent for a basis of knowledge around the internal computer systems.

Troubleshooting
  • If you are running an x64 bit system I would recommend this windows 7 forum (applies to most windows operating systems as well) for troubleshooting because 20 other people have probably run into the same problem.
  • For general info about super computers and/or regular computer problems I would recommend tech-forums and techsupportforum
  • If your computer is running slow:
    • read this blog post at tips and tricks
    • defragment your hard drive (tutorial)
    • make sure you are not running at 95% of used disk space (2 terabyte hard drives are now found for under $200)
    • look to update RAM if your computer is using more than 50% idling (excellent tutorial for how to find your RAM type and how to upgrade) (see below to download hardware monitoring software to determine possible needed upgrades)
Monitoring
  • It is crucial to monitor your super computers components to maintain health and detect problems early. It also helps to know how your computer is running in terms of CPU clock speed, RAM usage/type, type of graphics card, and CPU/GPU temperatures.
    • I would recommend CPU-Z for monitoring hardware such as CPU and memory
    • I would recommend GPU-Z for monitoring your graphics card clock and temperatures
**NOTE if your computer lags after a graphics card or CPU upgrade, this may be due TO HIGH OF TEMPERATURES! Look into getting an internal fan or upgraded cooling system!

Overclocking
  • This is a hot topic for those with super computers and not for the beginner computer user. There are tutorials like this one about what it means to overclock and how to go about doing it. Make sure you do your research about how to do this safely.
    • Make sure that you have adequate cooling and hardware monitoring tools otherwise you may destroy sections of your computer!
Feel free to contact me with any questions!

Combining IT and Business

Information Technology and Business

I believe that the market for IT learned individuals has grown exponentially in the past 20 years, leading to a gap between those with knowledge about running computers and those running a business. The foundation and smooth operation of many businesses rely on secure, complex and integrated systems, whether it be the company website or internal e-mail accounts and calendar synchronization. I believe there is now an increasing market for persons with both the business and computer mindset, bringing them together to create profitable and efficient systems. The complexities involved with given system architecture are next to impossible to explain and troubleshoot with one that has little or no IT experience. And at the same time, employees involved solely with the hard code, network and analysis do not have the business concepts needed to maximize efficiency. Schooling in both areas of knowledge is becoming increasingly valuable within any business.

Sauder School of Business and Computer Science Faculty

At the University of British Columbia, the faculty of commerce (Sauder) and the faculty of Computer Science have formed a dual major program This combines the business side of IT through the specialization of Management of Information Systems (MIS) with Computer Science courses such as database management and complex software construction. I personally am taking a minor in computer science in order to bypass unnecessary pre-requisites while still learning about important factors within computer science. This experience in my first year has been rewarding and I can already see the benefits of dipping within both areas of knowledge and I can personally vouch for the benefits of having an understanding of both disciplines.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Congress Twitter Archive

I read a blog posting (there are many) here about the announcement of the complete archiving of all twitter 'tweets' from 2006 to now. From my view, there are many problems along with the benifits of creating this extremely large archive.

Twitter is an excellent source and record of social interactions between people. However, haven't you been told that most interactions between people are either dull, boring, or pointless to an outside reader due to lack of context. I know a few people that forget the vastness and accessability of Twitter on the internet, posting certain content that may be sensitive. Granted, those people should know that Twitter is a public social networking site with no privacy but do we really need to compound the situation by saving that information? I believe that old content on Twitter should be more protected either by automatic deletion or prompting the user every month or so about archiving their tweets. Not only that, but how is knowing what kind of spagetti that Jon Smith ate for dinner at all helpful for study of human interaction? If you would like to research how many times idiot was said in the last 4 years, this archiving is a good idea.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Consumerism

I recently took a visit to Las Vegas also known as sin city. This was my first experience of a massive market for consumerism. As I arrived, all I could do was watch in awe at the unnecessary size and spectacular of the city. I now know why there is no other place like it. You literally cannot walk more than a block without passing a liquor store, a stripper advertisement and casino. Now I am not going to be like many before me and criticize the city due to its crudeness and lack of class because I would be a hypocrite if I did. I had my own slice of the gamble and drink pairing while I was there and this leads me to a critical point. This western thinking of consumerism and status is...well addicting. I can easily see how people will throw their lives away for the obsession of thrill. Vegas is an example of American consumerism blown out of proportion, however, this is the mindset that we need to break out of. When there are people that design buildings to entice you to stay, gamble, get lost and drunk you know there is a problem. One can relate the USA to Las Vegas in many ways, for example:


1. There is no such thing as a limit on consumption

2. There is little conception of waste

3. There are unnecessary amounts of exploitation without the people who benefit knowing

4. There is a feeling of superiority

5. When you are in the city, you lose track of the real world and anything/anyone else in it

The world we live in blinds us from alternate ways of life which is to be expected, however few seem to attempt to open their eyes to certain truths of the world. What we may believe as normal is extremely crude, hypocritical and unsophisticated to another given culture. Our cultural norms such as exploitation of blue collar workers, adultery and lack of concern for others over ourselves have only individualistic motivations. These incentives lack in spiritual meaning which is what many cultures are built upon and are affected when we attempt to influence them because we believe our way would better their lives.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Economics - Negativity

          My girlfriend and I spend hours arguing with each other about what economics has done, will do and the effects it has on us and the world so be prepared for much future discussion.


          This discussion begins with a brief talk about what I believe to be economics. Many people that I have conversed with believe that the area of knowledge named economics is derived from math. I myself did before I entered my first economics course. Before long, I realized that economics is ultimately a way of thinking. Math, as a loose definition, is a logical circuit in order to prove something abstractly. Economics is the study of behavior under scarcity and application of theories to allow accurate predictions. In order to study market behavior, we must study the power behind it which is not money (a tool of economics) but the population involved. I personally believe that economics is the innate and natural way of thinking through eons of evolution and can be applied to many other species other than our own. For example, if a tree had the ability to grow to 1000 feet due to the mineral and water constraints, it will not grow to 500 feet and save the available recourses for a later time. It will exploit the resources to the fullest no matter the future consequences. Another example shown from nature: if a given prey population gets too large, the predators have more to eat and their population grows which in turn decreases the prey population due to overexploitation and the predator population decreases once again. We ultimately live in a world of scarcity and so to survive, we must exploit the resources around us. We have had the relatively recently defined concept of economics ingrained into our DNA since the beginning of nature’s interactions.

          Economics assumes that all parties involved in market or other interactions are “rational”. This is a fatal flaw when attempting to understand and predict behavior that is ultimately human. We are simply not solely creatures of logic but irrational beings as well. Even when we act completely rationally from an economics point of view, we cause other people and our world harm. At this current moment, many companies in the western world are exploiting others in developing countries in order to reduce costs and maximize profits. This is sound economic thinking however it is unethical to many people including myself. At this point, a cynic may say that this economic thinking is the reason there is such a gap between the rich and the poor (or developed vs. developing). One must realize that not all companies, in fact relatively few, exploit people in developing countries. Much of economics is not designed around retail selling but services and simple paper value transactions. I believe that the processes that take place within western economics are reviewed harshly and the few negative aspects are blown out of control.

           This leads me to a conversation about hypocrites within society. Many are in disbelief about the lavish western ways of living and the disregard of recourses and acknowledgement of what possessions we have. Firstly, one must be aware of their impact upon the world. Economics must take place whether you live in a democratic, communist or anarchist world. If you need something to live (which you must have at least food and shelter) then you will be willing to go out of your way to get it, hence demand. And because of this need, there needs to be a supply of it in order to fulfill that need. Now that you have understood your own impact on the world, imagine having nothing but what you need to survive. No cars, roads, bikes, sky scrapers, universities etc. None of those things could be possible without the willingness of those that demand it.

          I may have been ranting, raving and digressing about some things within this post but I would just like to make the point that not all economics is negative. The reason that we have higher education is because there is a demand of jobs which need higher knowledge and intelligence which eventually plays into economic models. You may discover that for countries to move out of developing and into the developed category must employ their largest resource which is their population. If the countries people are richer, they can take more time off, purchase more goods and in turn, feed the countries budget. This then develops into better services, hospitals and so on. Some people clash with the ways of economics but I believe that with properly implemented ethics and the embrace of economics as a fact, us as a human race can make large strides towards a better future.

(Please leave a comment or suggestions about what you thought about this post. First one ever)
          - Kevin

EUNG5G6X4ATH