Societal Context: Module 5

For Module 5 of the Societal Context, we were given the task to analyze the impacts of technology has or had on the indigenous people of New Zealand which are the Maori. Adding on, a comparison would also be made between the indigenous people of New Zealand, the Maori, with another indigenous society from another part of the world on how technology has affected the specific society. For this element of the e-Portfolio, I have decided to talk about the indigenous society called the Aborigines; an indigenous society from New Zealand’s neighboring country, Australia.

Introduction

The Maori

The Maori (Segdeha, n.d.)

The Maori are the native people of New Zealand which originated from the islands of Eastern Polynesia. Based on several researches and discoveries, the Maoris first set foot on New Zealand’s soil in the 13th century via numerous waka, also known as canoe in English, journeys over a noteworthy amount of time These journeys done by the Maori has established that the native people of New Zealand are one of the greatest navigators of all time and are also resourceful and daring adventurers (Maori.com, 2013).

Over numerous centuries in isolation, the Maori has managed to develop a distinctive culture which consists of the Maori language, rich mythologies, performing arts and distinctive crafts. Earlier Maori people formed tribes, based on their eastern Polynesian organizations and social customs. Horticulture flourished using plants introduced by the Maori themselves, and later on a prominent warrior culture arose (Houghton, 1980).

The Aborigines

The Aborigines (Word Press, 2010)

The earliest inhabitants of Australia are known as the Aborigines or the Koori, a name given by the Aborigines themselves. Classifying the Aborigines race was a difficult task for researches. However, numerous researches concluded that the Aborigines are classified as Australoid, together with certain similar Polynesian and Asian peoples. Adding on, the Aborigines might have come from the Southeastern Asia about 50,000 years ago (HowStuffWorks, 2013).

Originally, the Aborigines were food gatherers and hunters. Boomerangs, spears and throwing clubs were their main hunting equipment. Furthermore, the Aborigines in the past did not plant crops since most of the time they would gather or hunt their food down, and their only tamed animal was a dog that can only be found in Australia call the Dingo. Each of the almost 500 Aborigines tribes has their very own spoken dialect and the dialects are different amongst the 500 Aborigines tribes (HowStuffWorks, 2013).

Most of the Aborigines in the past only wore ornaments and nothing else; numerous Aborigines tribes used kangaroo skin to make them into cloaks for cold weathers that they might encounter. Other than that, the Aborigines also did not know the existence of metal back then. Nevertheless, the religious ceremonies, taboos, social organizations and marriage rules of the Aborigines tribes were well developed and sophisticated (HowStuffWorks, 2013).

The Impacts of Technology 

Many indigenous societies worldwide have been affected by the introduction of new technologies coming from foreign visitors for hundreds of years. However, there are some indigenous societies that did not change the way they live their life, but there are some indigenous societies that have completely alter their worldviews, entire societies and self-identities (Johnson, n.d.). The impacts of technology towards the Maori and the Aborigines are explained and compared:-

Historical

The Maori

Usually, the day for the Maori society begins early. The day starts off with singing and prayers to worship the rising sun. The Maori’s daily routine is mostly focused on getting food for the society, so most of the Maori people spent their days in activities like (Derby, 2013):-

• Planting

Kumara (Caroline, n.d.)

The plants that the Maori people have brought to New Zealand and survived the journey were gourd (hue), taro, yam (uwhi) and kumara. The Maori people were able to successfully nurture the kumara at latitudes well south of its usual growing capacity. The Maori was able to achieve this by maintaining the tubers alive in storage pits over the cold weather months and utilizing the sun’s warmness during the planting season. The kumara was planted in mounds of stones and earth. The stones were used to absorb the sun’s heat, thus providing the warmth needed for the kumara to grow (Auckland Museum, 2001).

In order to nurture the plants, the Maori people must first prepare the nurturing area. Firstly, scrubs would be burnt and the ashes produced by the scrubs will be used as fertilizer. The earth would be then loosened by using a tool call the ko; a pointed digging stick. Then, gravel and sand would be scattered over heavy clay soils to break the soil up. The Maori people would then build windbreaks to protect the plantation and smoke pesticide were created by burning kauri gum or kawakawa leaves to repel the caterpillars away from the plantation. Ketu and timo will be used to weed the plantation. All the planting equipment was made using hard wood such as manuka and matai. The equipment was held together with aka, a tough pliant stem of climbing plants. Timo was created from a forked branch, hence no assembling is required (Auckland Museum, 2001).

A Kumara planting scene of the past: Diggers using the Ko preparing the ground for the Kumara seed tubers. They work in unison, to the sound of a chant (G. Lindauer, n.d.)

The moon and stars were observed carefully by the Maori people for each phase of the nurturing process. The presence of certain constellations would indicate the coming of a new season and also tells the Maori people when to begin harvesting or planting (Auckland Museum, 2001).

• Fishing

Fishing Equipment (Leach, 2008)

Fishing techniques was already developed amongst the Maori people even before they stepped foot on New Zealand soil. This is due to fishing techniques being well developed throughout Polynesia. The first Maori settlers brought established technologies with them. Technologies like dredges, traps, spears, lures, nets and hooks (Auckland Museum, 2001).

A plant called flax was used to make fishing nets and lines instead of coconut fibres and other plant materials. Paua shell had replaced mother of pearl shell on fishing lures to attract the fishes. Manuka branches or vines was used to make fish traps due to its flexibility (Auckland Museum, 2001).

• Hunting

Taiaha (Kiwi2go, 2012)

Researchers have discovered clubs or short weapons and a long weapon, a spear, in Polynesia. Due to New Zealand’s richness of forest trees, new long weapons was able to be produced by the Maori and also the long weapons became more specialized. Same goes for the short weapons or clubs (Crown, 2013).

Tewhatewha (Kiwi2go, 2012)

The two main long weapons used by the Maori people were the tewhatewha and the taiaha. Both of the weapons were unique due to its lightness and can be used equally by both hands. These two weapons can only be wielded by a skillful hunter who is an expert in rapid manipulation and speed of movement (Crown, 2013).

The patu, short club-like weapons, were made from either stones, bones or wood. The patu pounamu or the meremere was known to be the most extremely prized weapons. This is due to the material it was made from which the greenstone and these weapons are usually handed down within family members as an inheritance (Crown, 2013).

Patu Pounamu (Richard, 2011)

Adults and children would work alongside each other, and Maori Chiefs would also work with their tribe’s people. The first mealtime would begin somewhere around mid-morning. As the sun slowly starts to set, workers would return to their village with food already prepared at the village and everyone would eat together. The Maori would then spend the rest of their evening with conversations and games. Once in a while, the Maori people would pray to the setting sun. Once darkness strikes, the entire village would just go to slumber (Derby, 2013).

However, the traditional life in the Maori society started to change when European traders and explorers stepped foot on New Zealand soil. The Europeans traded new foods like pigs and potatoes, and also new technology were introduced to the Maori people as well; technology such as muskets, also known as guns, and iron tools. This meant less time was needed to gather or grow food for the society. However, the muskets meant more intertribal wars will be waged and more people would die in those intertribal wars (Derby, 2013).

A Musket (Capital Times, 2010)

Some of the Maori people started to get involve in trading timber, flax or food with the Europeans and this sometimes takes them away from their homes and families. Other than that, missionaries arrived during 1814 and this resulted to children attending mission schools and is taught about the European concepts of time. Reading became the most favorite pastime in the society (Derby, 2013).

Wars were waged between numerous tribes and government forces during the mid-to-late 1800s, this made several Maori tribes to start following the European way of life. However, other Maori tribes that did not follow the ways of the European, mainly the Maori tribes that had their land taken by the government after the wars, returned to their usual traditional way of life (Derby, 2013).

The Aborigines

Stone Tips Tools (Jayne, 2012)

Implements and tools reveal the geographical location of different Aborigines groups. For example, Aborigines that is from the desert tribes used stone tips to shape their weapons, while the Aborigines from the coastal tribes uses fishbone to shape their weapons. Even though the tools are different amongst the Aborigines tribes, implements such as digging sticks, knives, axe-heads, scrapers, spears and various vessels for drinking and eating can be found amongst all the Aborigines tribes (Australia Government, 2007).

Fishbone Tips Tools (National Museum Australia, n.d.)

The Aborigines were able to achieve two worlds first by using stone technology. Firstly, the Aborigines were the first people to introduce seed grinding and to have ground edges on their cutting tools. The Aborigines used stone implements for several reasons. The reasons are to prepare animal skins, to make other implements, to chop wood and to get or prepare food. Fish traps were also made out of stones and are used in rivers where the water level would rise and fall (Australia Government, 2007).

Aborigines Tools and Weapons Made Out of Different Materials (Live Auctioneers, 2013)

After the Europeans have discovered Australia and the English Colonization, the Aborigines realized that the combining of ceramics, glass and metals into their daily tools and implements were very beneficial for them. These newly developed tools and implements had a sharper edge, needed less re-sharpening and were easier to work with compared to the olden stone tools and implements. Even though stone tools and implements have benefitted the Aborigines in the past, most of the new tools and implements created by the Aborigines were made of perishable materials such as fibre and wood. Spears, boomerangs and clubs are some of the new tools and implements that have been created and commonly used by the Aborigines (Australia Government, 2007).

Cultural

The Maori

In Maori Mythology, The Primal Couple Rangi and Papa Appear in a Creation Myth Explaining the Origin of the World. This Sculpture is Carved in an Ancient Tree (Belly Buzz, 2008)

The Maori that have settled in New Zealand have developed a very distinctive culture. Maori legend has it that the Maori people have travelled over a long distance from the island of Hawaiki; a mythical homeland in Polynesia. The Maori people have travelled to New Zealand with large ocean-going canoes call the waka. The Maori people also had a very distinctive mythology consisting of heroes and gods, sharing some Polynesia motifs. Papa and Rangi, Kupe and Maui are some of the notable hero and god figures (Binney, 2010).

The marae was the central to many cultural ceremonies. Tribes and families would gather around so special ceremonies like tangi or powhiri. The Maori people were often known as the people of the land or in Maori, tangata whenua, placing specific importance on a lifestyle related to sea and land. Sharing, communal living and living off the land were strong traditional morals for the Maori (Binney, 2010).

A Marae at Kaitotehe, Near Taupiri Mountain, Waikato District, 1844. It was Associated with Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, a Chief who became the First Māori King (Wikipedia, 2013)

The distinct morals, worldview and history of the Maori people are shown through traditional skills and arts like poi, carving, weaving, ta moko, waiata and haka. The conception of tapu, which means sacred or taboo, is also strongly practiced within the Maori culture, applied to people, objects or even mountains (Binney, 2010).

Traditional Maori Carvings (Sea Breeze Souvenirs, n.d.)

During the late 18th century, the Europeans arrived in New Zealand in increasing amount of numbers. This resulted in new weapon technologies and foreign diseases brought by the Europeans, hence weakened the Maori society. After the year 1840, the Treaty of Waitangi was created and the Maori lost many of their authority, prestige and lands, entering a period of numerical and cultural deterioration. However, everything changed during the 19th century when the Maori population began to rise again and a cultural revival known as the Maori Renaissance began in the 1960s (Binney, 2010).

The Aborigines

An Aborigines Perfoming a Fire Lighting Ceremony (Cairns, 2013)

The Aborigines culture consists of numerous amounts of ceremonies and practices focused on a belief in the Dreamtime. Respect for the verbal traditions and the land are accentuated. Tribal divisions and language groupings exhibit a variety of distinctive cultures. The Aborigines art has been around for thousands of years and consists of ancient rock arts to modern watercolor paintings. The Aborigines also has developed a number of unique musical instruments. Modern-day Aborigines music is the country’s main music genre. However, the Aborigines never did develop any kind of writing system (Flanagan, 1998).

Aborigines Traditional Rock Arts (

Sadly, during the European colonization, the Aborigines went through a life of suffer. The Aborigines would either be chased out of their lands or be killed by foreign diseases brought by the Europeans. Due to the Aborigines being nomadic hunter-gatherers, hunting and gathering food was a difficult task during the European colonization because it prevented the Aborigines from being able to roam freely over their lands in search for food; hence the Aborigines faced a serious issue of starvation Discovery Communication, 2011).

Aborigines People Forced into Slavery by the Europeans (Drummer, 2013)

If the starvation issue did not kill the Aborigines, they would be forced into slavery and this would kill the Aborigines instead. The Aborigines started as a group of hundreds of thousands when they discovered Australia. However, those numbers began to deplete drastically right after the European colonization. Due to all this disturbances, many of the Aborigines history and culture were lost in the chaos (Discovery Communication, 2011).

Social

The Maori

A Maori Family (James, 1870)

The Maori society was based on small independent sub-tribes living in harbors, valleys and other areas. The Maori society’s histories are filled with stories of armed conflict and New Zealand’s many sculpted ridges and hills, which resembles the relics of fortifications, are evidence of the significance of warfare within the Maori society (Charles, 2013).

Polygamy and cannibalism was a feature within the Maori society. Furthermore, technology back then was limited and tools needed to be made from natural occurring material like pounamu, a greenstone, and tuhua, obsidian. Materials such as flax were also used for weaving and other purposes. These goods were a common trade, usually in a form of gift exchanging (Charles, 2013).

A Drawing Showing The Maori Tribe Practicing Cannibalism (Googler, 2013)

After the arrival of the Europeans in the early 1800s, the entire Maori society just changed. Among the European travelers were missionaries. This made numerous amounts of Maori people converted to Christians. The Maori people also began learning how to read and began trading, specificly in potatoes and pigs (Charles, 2013).

The Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi Between the British and the Maoris (Denton, 2012)

During the year 1840, the Treaty of Waitangi was created and this established the British’s government and law. However, this did not stop the warfare happening in the 1840s and 1860s as the Maori people tried to defend their local authority and lands. After the wars, the Maori people lost many of their lands due to sale or confiscation done by British settlers (Charles, 2013).

The Aborigines

An Aborigines Tribe (Wilson, 1895)

Throughout Australia, different Aborigines tribes share similar characteristics. In the Aborigines tribes, the people share a sense of community, occupied a recognized territory, spoke the same language and share common customs. The Aborigines tribes often occupy the same area due to their routes overlapping each other or the share the same gathering and hunting areas (Oracle, n.d.).

Aborigine Circumcision and Initiation Ceremony (Bradshaw Foundation, n.d.)

The Aborigines tribes share their ceremonial sites and camping areas amongst each other as well. Several tribes gather together to practice their ceremonies and this is due to many of the tribes having similar ceremonial practices. The tribes would also come together to hold village meetings regarding matters like exchanging information or marriages and for trading purposes (Oracle, n.d.)

A Drawing of a Aborigines People Suffering from a Foreign Disease Brought by the Europeans (Parker, 2013)

The arrival of the European on Australia soil had a tremendous impact on the Aborigines. Their lands were taken away, the people were exposed to foreign diseases brought by the Europeans and the Aborigines tribes became involved with violent conflicts, hence resulted in the deaths of numerous amounts of the Aborigines people. The Aborigines that survived during the early decades of the colony also had an impact towards the settlement of the Europeans. The Aborigines lives started to change and also the lives of the future Aborigines generations ( Red Apple Education, 2013).

Reference

Derby, M. (2013, August 12). Daily life in Māori communities – te noho a te hapori – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/daily-life-in-maori-communities-te-noho-a-te-hapori

HowStuffWorks (2013). HowStuffWorks "Australian Aborigines". Retrieved from http://history.howstuffworks.com/australia-and-new-zealand-history/australian-aborigines.htm

Aucklan Museum (2001). Maori Technology. Retrieved from http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/CMSPages/GetAzureFile.aspx?path=/aucklandmuseum/media/main/education/teachers_guide/teacher_resources_library/maori_education_kits/maori_09maoritechnology_1_.pdf

Australia Government (2007, December 10). Australian Indigenous tools and technology. Retrieved from http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/austn-indigenous-tools-and-technology

Australian National Botanic Gardens Education Services (2000). Aboriginal Plant use and Technology. Retrieved from http://www.anbg.gov.au/gardens/education/programs/pdfs/aboriginal_plant_use_and_technology.pdf

Maori Tourism (2013). Maori - Culture, Language, Art and Tattoo. Retrieved from http://www.maori.com/

Wikipedia (2013, October 19). Māori people - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved November 5, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C4%81ori_people

Wikipedia (2013, October 31). Culture of New Zealand - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved November 5, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_New_Zealand#M.C4.81ori_culture

Johnson, A. J. (n.d.). The Impact of Technology on Indigenous People - A Pathfinder. Retrieved from https://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~vlibrary/edres/pathfinders/ajohnson/pathfinder.html

Crown (2013). Weapons – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/maori-material-culture/page-9

Discovery Communications (2011). What effect did English colonization have on the Aborigines? - Curiosity. Retrieved from http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/effect-english-colonization-aborigines

Wikipedia (2013, October 24). Australian Aboriginal culture - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved November 5, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Aboriginal_culture

Oracle (n.d.). Indigenous Australiana Social Structure. Retrieved from http://library.thinkquest.org/C0115620/text/SocialStructure.html

Royal, C. (2013, September 11). Pre-European society – Māori – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/maori/page-2

Societal Context: Module 4

For the 4th Module of Societal Context, we were given the task to recognize the potential of an emerging technology and postulate the impacts it will have in the near future on society. The emerging technology that I have decided to talk about in this element of the e-Portfolio is 3-D Printing.

3-DIMENSIONAL PRINTING

3-Dimensional Printer (Dabney, 2013)

INTRODUCTION

The Diamond Sutra (Kashyap, 2012)

The “Diamond Sutra”, a book printed in China during 868 CE and also known as the earliest dated printed book. Back then, printing was restricted in the number of edition made and nearly exclusively decorative, used for designs and pictures. The product to be printed was carved into metal, stone and wood, rolled with paint or ink and transferred by pressure to vellum or parchment (Bellis, 2013).

Johannes Gutenberg, 1395 - 1468 (A+E Networks, 2013)

Then the Gutenberg Press was created during the 1440. The Gutenberg Press was created by a German inventor and craftsman named Johannes Gutenberg. The creation of the Gutenberg Press has managed to bring down the price of printed materials and made such materials available for mass production. The Gutenberg Press was developed base on the technology of the screw-type wine presses. The printing press invented by Johannes Gutenberg was a hand press printing press, where the ink will be rolled over a raised surface of movable hand-set block letters, which is held with a wooden form, and the form is then pressed against a sheet of paper (Bellis, 2013).

The Gutenberg Press (Amy, 2011)

Along the way, other printers that surpasses and also replaces the Gutenberg Press was developed such as the laser printer invented by a researcher name Gary Starkweather in 1969. However, the biggest technological change in printing started during the year 1986. The year 1986 is when an inventor name Charles Hull created the very first commercialized 3-D printer and sold it through his company, 3-D Systems. The 3-D printing technology remained somewhat unknown to the society until the second decade of the 21st century. Adding on, several manufacturers have been using the 3-D printing technology discretely to build prototypes and models of their products over the past 20 years (Hsu, 2013).

Charles Hull with a 3-Dimensional Printer (Park, 2013)

WHAT IS 3-D PRINTING

A Diagram on How 3-Dimensional Printer Works (Felix Printers, 2013)

3-Dimensional printing enables the creation of solid constructions digitally from a computer file. This potentially revolutionizes the economics of manufacturing if objects are able to be printed remotely in the comfort of your own home or office. The 3-Dimensional printing process comprises layers of material being set down on top of each other in order to create a free-standing structure from the bottom until top. Blueprints design, from computer-aided, are divided into cross-section for print templates. This allows objects that have been created virtually to be used as replicas for “hard-copies” made from metal alloys, plastic, wood and more (King, 2013).

The MakerBot Replicator 2 - How It Works (Hami, 2013)

However, 3-Dimensional printing technology does not stop there. Numerous manufacturers are still finding different kind of methods to use in order to increase the 3-Dimensional printing efficiency and accuracy. Some of the methods used for the 3-Dimensional printing process are:-

Stereolithography

The Stereolithography Rapid Prototyping Process (idcwebcasts, 2010)

A Stereolithography 3-Dimensional printer functions by focusing a beam of ultraviolet light on a surface of a vat full of liquid photocurable resin. The beam of ultraviolet light thinly draws out the 3-Dimensional model one at a time, hardening that “slice” of the eventual 3-Dimensional model as the ultraviolet light comes in contact with the resin. One slice at a time is created; with each slice bonded to on another, and what comes next is a complete, high-resolution 3-Dimensional model lifted of the vat. Unused resin during the 3-Dimensional printing process is reusable and will be used for the next printing process (Fleming, 2013).

Fused Deposition Modeling

Stratasys Fused Deposition Modeling, 3D prototypes & 3D printing demo MDM 2012 (electrictv, 2012)

Fused Deposition Modeling type of 3-Dimensional printing method creates an object by extruding a stream of melted thermoplastic material to produce layers. Each layer produced will stack on one another and fuses with each other. The material will then harden almost instantly after leaving the extrusion nozzle. Most Fused Deposition Modeling type printers print using materials that produced from organic compounds such as biodegradable polymer, ABS plastic, polyactic acid (Fleming, 2013).

Selective Laser Sintering

Sinterstation Pro SLS System from 3D Systems (rapidprotovideo, 2008)

Selective Laser Sintering 3-Dimensional printing method functions similarly to the Stereolithography 3-Dimensional printing method. The difference between the two is that instead of using liquid photopolymer in a vat, like the once used in Stereolithography 3-Dimensional printing method, powdered materials such as silver, aluminum, steel, titanium, nylon, glass, ceramics and polystyrene will be used instead. When the beam of laser comes into contact with the powdered material, the powdered material will fused at that exact moment, this is call sintered. Un-sintered powder will remain as it is and also plays a role as a support structure for the main product. The powdered material is reusable as well, exactly like the liquid photopolymer used in Stereolithography 3-Dimensional printing method (Fleming, 2013).

FUTURE OF 3-DIMENSIONAL PRINTING

3-Dimensional printing most probably will never replace the usual factory assembly-line methods for producing typical products. However, the 3-Dimensional printing technology does offer the advantage of making specific, individually custom-made parts on demand. For example, Boeing has already begun to use 3-Dimensional printing to create more than 22,000 parts, which is currently being used on both military and civilian aircrafts flying around today (Hsu, 2013).

Airplane Parts Created from 3-Dimensional Printing Technology (Franc, 2012)

Other than that, the medical industry has also shown interest and taken advantage of 3-Dimensional printing. The medical industry uses 3-Dimensional printing to produce unique products that might have been difficult to construct by using traditional methods. In the United States, surgeons manage to implant a 3-Dimensional-printed portion of a human skull to replace 75% of a patient’s skull during an operation that happened in March 2013. Adding on, researches also was able to build a 3-Dimensional-printed ear mold that was used as a framework for a bioengineered ear with living cells (Hsu, 2013).

3-Dimensional Printed Organs (Lindsay, 2012)

The widespread of 3-Dimensional printing technology globally could also reduce the geographical distances for both businesses and homeowners. Several online marketplaces have already allowed users to upload a 3-Dimensional-prinatble blueprint for products and it is legal for the product to be sold globally. Rather than paying the import taxes and substantial shipping fees, users can simply arrange for a sold product to printed at any 3-Dimensional printing facility that near to them (Hsu, 2013).

Continuing on, this 3-Dimensional printing technology is no restricted to specialty companies or shops in the future. Staples stores in Belgium and Netherlands plan to offer 3-Dimensional printing facilities in the year 2013 (Hsu, 2013).

Businesses will not be the only one benefiting from 3-Dimensional printing technology and its capabilities. The United States military has positioned 3-Dimensional printing facilities in Afghanistan in order to increase the pace of battlefield innovation and swiftly build equipment needed for soldiers that are onsite. Furthermore, NASA has also has ventured into 3-Dimensional printing for making spare parts aboard the International Space Station and building spacecraft in orbit (Hsu, 2013).

A Gun Printed Out from a 3-Dimensional Printer (Albert, 2012)

3-Dimensional printers don’t usually go beyond the size of a house hold appliance. However, the best thing about 3-Dimensional printers is that even though they are small in size, they are still able to scale up in size to produce products as big as a house. An investigation by a spate NASA project shows a possibility of constructing lunar bases for future astronauts by using regolith, also known as moon “dirt” (Hsu, 2013).

Tools Printed out by NASA Using a 3-Dimensional Printer (Chow, 2013)

LIMITATIONS OF 3-DIMENSIONAL PRINTING

Material Limitations

Powdered Material Used During a 3-Dimensional printing Process (Heater, 2012)

Current sophisticated industrial printing systems deal commendably with ceramics, certain metals and plastics, the range of material types that is unable to be printed is notable and extensive. Long story short, current printers have yet to reach the level of sophistication required to endure with the numerous range of multi-material surface types that can be found on a daily basis (Slick, 2013).

Mechanical Limitations

Mechanical Complexity (Matus, 2013)

At the manufacturing level, this is less of a limitation where assembly is handled down the pipe-line. However, it today’s world were to reach a point where an average consumer is able to print “ready-to-go” products from a printer at home, mechanical complexity is one of the things that is needed to be countered first (Slick, 2013).

Intellectual Property Concern

Piracy Issues (Nick, 2012)

Several decades have passed and intellectual property rights can be seen going through the forefront in a huge way for the television, film and music industries. Sadly for content creators, piracy becomes a major problem and it becomes a habit if a certain thing can be copied, it will definitely be copied. This is dues to the blueprint of a certain product files used in 3-Dimensional printing are digital, hence making sharing and duplicating a simple task (Slick, 2013).

Cost

3-Dimensional Printing Comes with an Enormous Price Tag (Dental Braces, 2013)

3-Dimensional printing cost is extremely high to be practically used for most consumer applications. Cost happens to be a serious issue at this stage in the industry’s maturation, as the high-end printers and raw materials cost is simply ridiculous to be practical for home-users (Slick, 2013).

REFERENCE

Bellis, M. (2013). The History of Printing and Printing Processes. Retrieved from http://inventors.about.com/od/pstartinventions/a/printing.htm

King, D. (2013, February 14). The top 10 emerging technologies for 2013 | Forum:Blog | The World Economic Forum. Retrieved from http://forumblog.org/2013/02/top-10-emerging-technologies-for-2013/

Bellis, M. (2013). Johannes Gutenberg - Printing Press. Retrieved from http://inventors.about.com/od/gstartinventors/a/Gutenberg.htm

Fleming, M. (2013). What is 3D Printing? An Overview. Retrieved from http://www.3dprinter.net/reference/what-is-3d-printing

Hsu, J. (2013, May 21). What Is 3d Printing - 3d Printers - How 3d Printing Works | LiveScience. Retrieved from http://www.livescience.com/34551-3d-printing.html

Slick, J. (2013). Roadblocks and Implications for 3d Printing - The Future of 3D Printing. Retrieved from http://3d.about.com/od/3d-Electronics/tp/Roadblocks-And-Implications-For-3d-Printing-The-Future-Of-3d-Printing.htm

Idcwebcasts (2010, July 15). The Stereolithography (SLA) rapid prototyping process [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUfh5wxj3qA

Electrictv (2012, February 27). Stratasys Fused Deposition Modeling, 3D prototypes & 3D printing demo MDM 2012 [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgP7A2eg080

Rapidprotovideo (2008, June 4). Sinterstation Pro SLS System from 3D Systems [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lC0uVO_uT0s

Ulus, H. (2013, April 7). The MakerBot Replicator 2 - How It Works [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5SpNua-XfI

Thank you.

End.

Societal Context: Module 3

For Module 3 of Societal Context, we were given the task to recognize the strains that exist between the necessity for economic survival and at the same time maintaining an ethical behavior. For my e-Portfolio, I have decided to choose “Television” as my main subject. I believe the creation of television has brought many positives and beneficial impact towards the people of today. However, I also do believe that television has also brought along negative impacts and at the same time some ethical issues as well towards the people. The e-Portfolio below will explain further, enjoy.

Television – A Good Invention or a Bad Invention?

Television: Good or Bad? (Richardson, 2012)

Even though television is a somewhat recent invention, television is a pillar of the global culture. There are some people out there who states that they do not watch television or even own one, but like it or not, everyone has to admit that television has inevitably shaped the life of all the people in today’s world to some extent (Hutchinson, 2013).

Over 60 years, television has occupied the role of surrogate storyteller in today’s world that no longer needs to spend their evenings huddling around campfires for a good story. Televisions are reasonably priced and their ability to entertain and mesmerize the people guarantees that they can be found anywhere, even in the emerging market countries (Hutchinson, 2013).  

What is a Television?

Television (Tech2Date, 2011)

Television is a telecommunication system that is used worldwide for receiving and broadcasting sounds, moving pictures and more over a distance. The term television may also be specifically referring to television transmission, a television set or programming. The word television derives from a mixture of Greek and Latin roots which means “far sight” (Kidsfront, 2013).

History of Television

First Mass Produced Television Set (Wikipedia, 2013)

Televisions are not like other inventions that have been created throughout history. The difference between television and other inventions is that the creation of the television credits numerous inventors instead of just one specific inventor. In other words, there were numerous inventors that had the same idea and at the same time were working on that idea. The idea was to create something which enables them to watch pictures on a screen (Saperecom, 2013).

Since the 1830’s, inventors from all over the globe had been working on that one idea which is to transmit objects or pictures onto a screen. However, the first physical television did not begin to evolve during the 1830’s, but instead during the 1900’s. Amongst all the inventors worldwide, 5 inventors became prestigious and most popular for the invention of television (Saperecom, 2013). The 5 inventors were:-

• Paul Nipkow
  
  
  
  
  
  Paul Nipkow (Drukuj, 2010)
  
  
  In 1884, Paul Nipkow, a German inventor, invented the first rotating disk which transmits pictures over a wire. Paul Nipkow invention was known to be the first electromechanical television scanning system in the world. This rotating disk invented by Paul Nipkow would rotate at a fast speed and at the same time a beam of light would pass through the holes on the rotating disk to produce an image on a screen (Saperecom, 2013).

• John Baird
  
  
  
  
  
  John Baird (Doramusic, n.d.)
  
  
  In 1924, John Baird became well-known for inventing the first images in motion that were televised all around Europe. Later on, John Baird was able to transmit the human face onto a screen and also invented the first color image tube during the World War II. Even though it took some time before color television became a staple worldwide, John Baird contributions towards the existence of the television were huge (Saperecom, 2013).

• Charles Jenkins
  
  
  
  
  
  Charles Jenkins (Morrisson-Reeves Library, n.d.)
  
  
  The inventor who invented a mechanical television called “radiovision”. During 1923, Charles Jenkins invention was said to have transmitted one of the first moving images. Charles Jenkins along with other numerous inventors, continued to promote the theories in the technology of the television when they managed to transmit the first live images onto a screen. Charles Jenkins is also well-known for forming the first television station in North America (Saperecom, 2013).

• Vladimir Zworykin
  
  
  
  
  
  Vladimir Zworykin (CED Magic, n.d.)
  
  
  Vladimir Zworykin, the inventor of the Kinescope, which is a Cathode Ray tube, and also the person that is responsible for starting a new era in television history. In the 1920’s, before the invention of the Kinescope, televisions were all mechanical. Vladimir Zworykin’s invention was not only needed for transmission, but also has transformed television from a mechanical device into an electronic device (Saperecom, 2013).

• Philo Farnsworth
  
  
  
  
  
  Philo Farnsworth (Bio, 2013)
  
  
  At the age of 13, Philo Farnsworth, an American farmer, made one of the biggest breakthroughs in the history of television. Philo Farnsworth discovered a way on how to transmit images onto a screen by using 60 horizontal lines, which actually made the images that appear on the screen clearer. This American farmer also invented over 165 devices and one of it is the dissector tube, which turns out to be the foundation for today’s televisions.

The Good

• Informative
  
  
  
  
  
  Television, Source of Information (Aleksander, 2013)
  
  
  Television has helped the people to keep themselves up to date on current events by broadcasting the news, weather and more. Without television, the benefit for the people to keep themselves on top of current events within their area or globally will be gone. Since the people in today’s world need to know what is going on around them, this makes television a very beneficial invention (Palmer, 2010).

• Educational
  
  
  
  
  
  Educational Programs Aired on Television (POPSUGAR Entertainment, 2007)
  
  
  Television can be very educational for the viewers. Television gives the viewers a chance to learn and discover new things though educational programs. These educational programs like the science and history channel are good sources to learn from (Palmer, 2010).

• Family Bonding
  
  
  
  
  
  Family Bonding (Patricia, 2012)
  
  
  The television could also be an excellent device used for family bonding. The television allows a family to watch movies, series, talk shows and more together and at more importantly, have great time together (Palmer, 2010). 

• Intelligence
  
  
  
  
  
  Television Aids in Thinking Skills (Chung, 2012)
  
  
  Some of the television shows or movies that are shown today can be very complex, like the movie Inception, and requires a great amount of intelligence in order to understand the show or movie. Television is not all about fantasy, comedy and drama but even more (Palmer, 2010).

• Learn About Different Cultures
  
  
  
  
  
  Different Types of Cultures Worldwide (Matt, 2005)
  
  
  Television gives the viewers a chance to experience and get to know different types of cultures and people right at the comfort of their own home, without the need to go to that certain place just to experience it. This is possible due to the Travel channels, Food Networking channels and more (Palmer, 2010).

• Water Cooler Effect
  
  
  
  
  
  A Conversation Starter (Chung, 2012)
  
  
  Television is able to bring in plenty of different things into the family room. This gives the people who have little in common plenty to talk about (Palmer, 2010).

• How To Do Things
  
  
  

  
  Television as a Source of Information (Lucian, 2011)
  
  
  Television can be a really good informant towards the viewers. Television can aid the viewers in doing things whether if it is making a thing, creating a thing or building a thing (Palmer, 2010).

• Entertainment
  
  
  
  
  
  Television for Entertainment (Florida Cable, 2013)
  
  
  With a whole bunch of different reality shows, cartoons, movies, series and more, television makes for a great source of entertainment (Palmer, 2010). 

• Exercise
  
  
  
  
  
  Television Used for Exercising (POPSUGAR, 2013)
  
  
  Television helps to make exercising even simpler and also cheaper. A person will not need to sign up for any gym memberships, clubs, exercise class and more to get professional help. Television has it all thanks to certain channels that shows the viewer how to exercise at home, how to maintain a healthy diet and lots more (Palmer, 2010).

• Memory
  
  
  
  
  
  Current Series and Dramas Seen on Television (Loulitla, 2013)
  
  
  Plenty of television shows, especially drama and series, requires the viewers to remember the plot on a weekly basis. In a way, television helps the viewers to train their remembering skills in order for the viewers to get the most out of those types of shows (Palmer, 2010).

The Bad

• Increases Stress
  
  
  
  
  
  Television Increases Mental Stress (Kate, 2010)
  
  
  For some people, television helps them to release off some stress. However, what most people do not know is that television actually increases the amount of stress mentally. Yes, television does help a viewer to release some tensions but at the same time, television is actually adding more burden to a viewer’s brain. Television tends to manifests its negative effects and also will leave a severe negative impact towards the minds of the viewers (Oak, 2013).

• Time Wasting
  
  
  
  
  
  Too Much Television is a Waste of Time (Kim, 2012)
  
  
  Some viewers today tend to watch television too much, hence consuming the precious time that can be spent in a healthier and fruitful activities like reading, exercising, travelling and more. Television also takes up the time that could have been used for spending time with friends and family which is a better expenditure of time compared to just watching television (Oak, 2013). 

• Health Concerns
  
  
  
  
  
  Too Much Television Will Lead to Health Problems (Stephen, 2012)
  
  
  Television contributes to one of the biggest health issue that exists in today’s world which is eyesight problems. Watching television is harmful to one’s eyesight. Other than that, researchers also claimed that attention deficit disorders in people are caused by watching too much television. Researchers say that watching too much television may lead to developmental disorder, affecting that one area in a human’s brain which is responsible for language skills. People who read less and watches more television tends to show difficulties in concentrating or paying attention (Oak, 2013).

• Bad Influence
  
  
  
  
  
  Television Can Be Very Influential (Leadership Ethics Online, 2011)
  
  
  Unsupervised watching of the television, especially towards the young ones, may lead to an early exposure to things that the young ones might not understand or may have misinterpreted.  Television shows, movies, dramas and more may have a major influence towards the young ones, thus making them resort to improper measures. Attractively presented series, advertisements, movies and more can deeply effect the young ones mind, hence influencing the young ones behavior and thoughts (Oak, 2013).
  
  Furthermore, these young viewers would also start to identify what is shown on the television and will start to relate to those shows, movies, drama and more that are shown on television to a point where these young viewers will get bored of living a simple and normal life. They tend to crave for riches, fame, desire to live out their lives like their favorite celebrities and more. All this existing issues may lead to frustration and dissatisfaction amongst the young ones due to the contrast between their real life and the life showed on television, such television addicts are bound to become hungry for status, money, power and more (Oak, 2013).

• Disturbs The Mind
  
  
  
  
  
  Some Television Programs Can Be Mentally Disturbing (Lyriquediscorde, 2013)
  
  
  Psychological studies have shown that watching extreme emotional shows, movies, drama and more on television may leave a long-term impact on a viewer’s mind. Frightful scenes, ghosts, horror scenes that are shown on television leave a negative effect on the minds of the viewers watching those types of movies, series and more. Adding on, bloodshed, murder, violence, physical abuse scenes that are shown on television would also have negative effects towards the viewer’s emotions and thoughts (Oak, 2013).

Ethical Issues

• Violence
  
  
  
  
  
  Violence on Television (Kerby, n.d.)
  
  
  Television violence may actually lead to real-life violent actions. According to researches, young viewers would probably have watched roughly 8,000 murder scenes, random violence, war scenes and more shown on television programs throughout their young life. Although young ones has the reasoning abilities to reason that the violence seen on television are all fantasy, there are still some that might misunderstood or misinterpret it. The endless bombardment of violence shown on television programs may desensitize the young ones to these actions or even worse, make them seem captivating towards the young ones (Loop, 2013).
  
  
  
  
  Sex and Violence in Television and the Media Must Be Stopped (Alaskalive, 2009)
  
  
  The video above is trying to send out a message about how television can highly influence the young ones. For example, in the introduction of the video, a young girl finds a boy on the train she was on quite attractive. In order to impress him, she decides to use the pole in the train and starts to give the boy a show, an erotic pole dancing show if i may add. Furthermore, there is a question towards the end of the introduction and the question is, "Can you guess what i want to be when i grow up?". By watching the video, it is a clear cut answer that the girl wants to be a exotic pole dancer. As you go on with the video, there is a scene where it shows a boy celebrating his birthday and ends up stabbing his cake to death. Why and how did both of this actions happened? All thanks to the influence of television. The video above also contains information about how much sex and violence does the children in the United States watch in their whole entire life and more.
  
  

• Unhealthy & Bad Habits
  
  
  
  
  
  Smoking, One of The Worse Unhealthy Habits (Kate, 2013)
  
  
  As if peer pressure was not already enough, television might also have influenced viewers when it comes to unhealthy and bad habits like smoking, doing drugs and more. Television programs nowadays tend to show images of popular, beautiful, young people doing these unhealthy and bad habits and making it seem cool or the “in thing” to do towards impressionable viewers. In short, television is glorifying these unhealthy and bad habits and telling the viewers that it is not an issue to be doing all these habits (Loop, 2013).
  
  
  
  
  Family Guy - Peter On Ecstasy (Hulu, 2008)
  
  
  The video above is a clip from a famous series called "Family Guy". In this brief clip, you see the man in the middle is high on Ecstasy and how he reacts towards his surroundings. From my point of view, the clip is hilarious. However, let us look at a bigger picture. The clip above shows us how you would react if you were to take Ecstasy, but is it the truth? Some viewers would look at it as a fun thing to do and to react that way but everyone in the world knows that Ecstasy is not a toy and can be fatal. Sadly, the clip above did not show the consequences of Ecstasy but instead just shows the viewers what happens if you take Ecstasy and makes turns it into a comedy. In conclusion, television programs such as this can be the cause of why some people have all this unhealthy and bad habits such as doing drugs and smoking. 

• Dating & Sex
  
  
  
  
  
  Sex on Television (Wspot, 2013)
  
  
  Nowadays, television programs tend to make viewers think that sexual acts are acceptable, if not expected or glorifying promiscuity. This issue also makes viewers ignore the real-world consequences and the negative effects of promiscuous (Loop, 2013).

• Body Image
  
  
  
  
  
  Television Can Be The Cause Reason for Low Self-Confidence (Broken Mind, 2012)
  
  
  Often television programs show super-skinny actress or overly-muscular actor on their programs. Most viewers will think this is harmless but truth be told, I can leave a negative influence towards one’s self-perception and body image. Viewers might just compare themselves to the flawless images of the human form that is shown on television programs, hence making viewers see themselves as mediocre compared to the flawless image that they see on the television. This may lead to viewers having a negative self-image of themselves and also lowers their self-confidence (Loop, 2013).
  
  
  
  
  Kids Media Tip: Girls Body Image (Common Sense Media, 2013)
  
  
  For some people, body image is everything. The video above is telling us how people are being influenced by the media, including television, that they would be happier if they had a flawless body. A perfectly good exmaple is in the video itself where a girl posted up a video on youtube asking the world whether she is ugly or not. As you can see, television has a major influence towards the people especially towards the young ones. From my point of view, if this continues, people from all around the world will start to doubt themselves, have low self-confidence or even may result to suicide due to imperfection.

• Humiliation as Entertainment
  
  
  
  
  
  Humiliation as a Source of Entertainment (Romuald, 2006)
  
  
  Schadenfreude is a German word used to describe people’s entertainment and delight at the problems and failings of others. For example, if someone were to slip on the ice and you laugh   at that person that is considered Schadenfreude. If you find a company’s downfall pleasurable, that is also considered Schadenfreude. In conclusion, television programs nowadays are using humiliation of others as the main source of entertainment for others, which from my point of view is highly unethical (Cline, 2013).
  
  
  
  
  TV humiliation - Mexican women (John, 2012)
  
  

  The video above is showing a segment from a television program. In this television program, random women are being humiliated in front of a live crowd and at the same time through international television. For example, in the beginning of the video you will see the host demonstrating what needs to be done and all the woman needs to do is copy him. However, the bed that the woman will be jumping on is fake and filled with water, hence making the woman completely soaking wet, embarassed and humiliated. The television program above is clearly a good example of how one's humiliation is used as a source of entertainment for the world.

• Moral Responsibility
  
  
  
  
  
  Money or Morals? (Freedom Tights, 2011)
  
  
  Production companies that are trying to make money by creating shows based on the suffering and humiliation of people, which the production companies themselves create, for unwary viewers is a very unethical, unconscionable and immoral action. However, not only the production companies are at fault but also the people watching these types of programs. Some viewers are still willing to watch and find enjoyment in these types of programs which do not dismiss them from the responsibility for orchestrating the events happening on the program and also willed the responses in the first place. Long story short, production companies are trying to increase their earnings and viewers are entertained by other people’s suffering, humiliation and embarrassment is considered to be unethical (Cline, 2013).
  
  
  
  
  Did 'Family Guy' go too far? (HLN, 2011)
  
  

  The video above shows us a clip from a news program talking about the popular series "Family Guy" going over-board with their comedy. According to the news, this episode of "Family Guy" is about a woman who is constantly being abused by her boyfriend and she is just fine with it, covering up for the boyfriend and more. Many people would be wondering, "How is that comedy?" or "Abuse is funny?" and more. Not only that, what if children were to watch this kind of television program? Somehow television is telling the young ones that abuse is a normal thing but we all know that it is not. As you can see, some television programs that are shown on television can cause serious issues, ethically and morally.

Reference

• Cline, A. (2013). Ethics of Reality TV: Should We Watch? Retrieved from http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_eth_realitytv.htm

• Hutchinson, L. (2013, June 13). The Trajectory of Television—Starting with a big history of the small screen. Retrieved from http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/06/the-future-of-tv-a-star-is-born/3/

• Saperecom (2013). History Of Television. Retrieved from http://www.historyoftelevision.net/

• Kidsfront (2013). What is Television - History of Television, Television Systems. Retrieved from http://www.kidsfront.com/television.html

• Loop, E. (2013). The Negative Influence TV Has on Teens | Everyday Life - Global Post. Retrieved from http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/negative-influence-tv-teens-7224.html

• Palmer, B. (2010, May 1). 10 Benefits Of Television | Made Manual. Retrieved from http://www.mademan.com/mm/10-benefits-television.html

• Buzzle (2013). Negative Effects of Television. Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/negative-effects-of-television.html

• Buzzle (2013). Is Television a Bad Influence? Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/is-television-a-bad-influence.html

• Alaskalive (2009, August 10). Sex and Violence in Television and the Media Must Be Stopped [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6f3OsF_AT0U

• Hulu (2008, November 20). Family Guy - Peter On Ecstasy [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHXi8h8H2VA

• Common Sense Media (2013, April 23). Kids Media Tip: Girls Body Image [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97p6LHCYGD0

• Steve (2009, November 24). Women humiliated on Mexican Television Show [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kH1hd-OqI8

• HLN (2011, October 31). Did 'Family Guy' go too far? [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5qyHEYeGNM

End.

Thank You.