English Reflections

THE FUTURE OF ENERGY

The power and the glory

Jun 19th 2008
From The Economist

http://www.economist.com/specialreports/displayStory.cfm?story_id=11565685

This article deals with the issue of how renewable energy sources will be adopted in the future. The main argument is that renewable energy sources will only start being adopted if they can compare favorably in terms of cost when compared with traditional energy sources such as coal and oil.

Of course as critical thinkers we can list out the conditions that could cause renewable energy sources to be adopted on a wider scale. Firstly we can look at the issue of supply and demand. If the supply for traditional sources falls short of demands or completely runs out (which will happen in a matter of time), the cost will increase accordingly. As the cost increases, renewable sources can start to compare favorably with traditional sources and this could lead to the adoption of these technologies.

Secondly, there is the issue of saving the earth. As global warming worsens, people could start to realize the need for renewable sources of non-pollutive energy. However what I feel is that this alone will not stop people from using pollutive non-renewable energy sources. Many individuals often chastise others for wasting energy and promoting global warming. However what many do not realize is that these individuals are often profligate users of energy themselves. This illustrates the attitude that most people have towards global warming - apathy and hypocrisy. 

Therefore, I agree with what the article implies - it is all a matter of money. The world runs on energy, and if energy gets too expensive to afford people will be forced to find more economical alternatives. 

Another point that the article offers for us to consider is that the adoption of renewable fuels as sources of energy will be slow because of both the scale of the energy industry and the non-disruptiveness of energy technology - if a field of wind turbines opens it will not force a neighboring coal power plant to shut down.

However I disagree with this assertion. As the article itself tells us, cost and economy are the decisive factors in whether these renewable sources of technology are adopted or not. Wouldn't people flock to renewable technology, like bees to nectar, if a sudden technological breakthrough allowed for solar power to become 3 times cheaper than that of traditionally generated power?

In fact this technological breakthrough is exactly what many capitalists and scientists are aiming for. The energy industry as the article tells us, makes up 10% of the world's economic output. Imagine if just 50% of the industry adopts a new breakthrough technology - 'rich' would not be adequate to describe the financial situation of the person or company who made the breakthrough.

Since so many people are aiming for it, and with the many brilliant minds on the planet, I am confident that a technological breakthrough leading to a widespread adoption of renewable fuel technology is not far away. Even if somehow it does not happen, the rising prices of traditional fuels will be another pushing factor. Hopefully humans will not wait until it is too late to make the jump to renewable technology.

Democracy and Stability

Please go here for post.

http://www.mediafire.com/?7qzmunbnpkn.

Thank you.

Reflections on Students Staging Fights for Youtube Publicity

This text is a factual report of the increasing trend of teenagers and young adults filming fights and posting them on YouTube. The writer of the text uses evidence and primary sources to inform the reader about such a trend and its dangers together with the motivations behind filming fights and tries to persuade the reader on measures that should be taken to help teenagers use technology properly.

As to what I feel about the issue: I feel that the issue of teenagers filming fights and putting them on the internet can probably be attributed to two new technologies - the camera phone and the internet video hosting service. With the advent of the internet phone, it is now more convenient than ever for teenagers to film anything, anywhere, anytime. Secondly, the advent of video hosting sites such as Youtube makes it very easy to make personal videos available on the public domain. With a combination of these two technologies, the modern teenager is given an unprecedented amount of convenience in creating and showing off their personal videos.

I agree with the sources that the writer has quoted that convenience brought about by these new technologies can be both good and bad. While it could foster creativity in an individual and bring homemade entertainment to the masses the dark side of such tools is also evident from the text.

I agree with the writer that the social trigger for such activities is that of trying to maintain a self image. Teenagers are especially vulnerable to this type of mentality because many are concerned about what their friends think of them and want to portray themselves in a certain manner. Although internet videos can certainly be used as a tool for improving your self-image, it is often used in the wrong way, as can be seen from the article.

I can empathize with the teachers who are caught in a bind as they try to find solutions to the problem while not stifling creativity; having to monitor, regulate and moderate your students' activities on the web can be a real pain. The strategy of the administrators at Benjamin who are offering classes on blogging and video techniques seems like a step in the right direction, but may still be inadequate. While these will probably help to channel the energy spent in misguided activities into healthy areas, it does not tackle the problem at its roots; the problem of student’s insecurities about their images. Therefore, I think that for an effective solution, both the technological and social problems should be solved together with compulsory classes specifically targeted at destroying instances of fight filming from happening again. As another part of the solution, I do agree that existing school rules should be revised to take into consideration the changing technology of the 21st century that students can access.

In the case at Benjamin, the student code didn't address YouTube or fake fights. This led to loopholes in the school system where students were not able to be punished appropriately by the school because there wasn't an explicit ban on filming fights and posting them on the internet. Therefore, I suggest that schools revise not just their rules but their teaching system as a whole to promote healthy use of video sharing websites and technology.

Students Staging Fights for YouTube Publicity

Students Staging Fights for YouTube Publicity
By Vikki Ortiz
Chicago Tribune (MCT)
http://www.azcentral.com/ent/pop/articles/0130fakefights0130.html
Jan. 30, 2008 12:00 AM