Science (fiction), mass media and technology - towards a better world? by https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug Mit Aufgeschlossenheit erstellt en-us 2022-03-31 08:30:28 UTC 2022-04-06 22:58:42 UTC hello@padlet.com UTOPIA isabell0903 https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124036020
  • is a community or society possessing highly desirable or near perfect qualities
  • term comes from the Greek words for ´no place´and ´good place´
  • has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt to create an ideal society, and imagined societies portrayed in fiction set in a distant place or the future
    • ]]>     2022-03-31 17:15:38 UTC https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124036020     DYSTOPIA isabell0903 https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124052195
  • a very bad or unfair society in which there is a lot of suffering
  • the power of industrialization and science and two world wars, created anxiety about the future
  • pessimistic visions of future societies flourished
  • they were negative tendencies in contemporary societies -> for example technological progress, societal changes and environment disaster, which if unaddressed may become uncontrollable in the future
    • ]]>     2022-03-31 17:25:16 UTC https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124052195     isabell0903 https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124055312 2022-03-31 17:26:53 UTC https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124055312 Book Overview isabell0903 https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124066718
  • The Pro-Life and Pro-Choice Debate provoked a second civil war
  • the Bill of Life was passed
    • you cannot abort, but between the ages of 13 and 18, you can "unwind" (abort) your child, but the life of the child must not technically end
    • retroactively "abort" a child; life is terminated and yet kept alive 
    • called "unwinding" -> now a common and accepted practice in society

    • the story centers around Connor, Risa, and Lev who have been scheduled to be unwound but together the have chance to escape and to survive
    ]]>     2022-03-31 17:33:45 UTC https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124066718     Levi Jedediah Calder isabell0903 https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124074374
  • "an angelic boy" with blond hair and blue eyes
  • he used to wear white a lot, like other tithes, but after he ventured with CyFi, he no longer wished to wear the color as it only reminded him of how he was raised to be tithed
  • he's voluntarily offering himself as a sacrificial unwind (called a 'tithe') because he is a very religious person
  • the Lassiters had Lev, the tenth child, to be given to the church as a sign of devotion and sacrifice
  • Lev sees the tithing as being an honor and hates Unwinds
  • Lev receives a great shock when he learns that he has been betrayed by the people that he loves most -> despite all that has happened to Lev, he still believes that being a tithe is the right thing for him; his purpose in life

    • after losing Connor and Risa, Lev has met the Unwind CiFy-> he had an accident when he was younger and has now new temporal lobe
      • -> the temporal lobe is a part of the brain and it controls the behavior and personality and it analyzes everything we see and hear, and helps us understand the information it receives
      • CiFy is charged with theft but he explains that he cant control it, he feels when Tyler (the Unwind) is taking over and hes not himself butTyler cant understand that he is already gone


    • throughout the book Lev learns to survive alone on the street-> makes him very cold and because of his growing hatred for the world, he decides to become a clapper, but, eventually, his past values overwhelmed his negative emotions
    ]]>     2022-03-31 17:38:01 UTC https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124074374     Connor Lassiter isabell0903 https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124074606
  • brown eyes and brown messy hair
  • tense relationship with his family because of constant conflicts and no trust in each other
  • troublemaker, easily angered, and often loses his temper, as well as impulsive
  • sarcastic comments
  • he worries about Lev even though he betrayed them
  • throughout the book Connor slowly learned to control his temper and be more rational about things, he changes from being an out-of-control, relentless teenager who acts out without thinking of the consequences to a person who contains his rage enough to rationalize and see the dangers hidden in every situation, mostly through the help and guidance of Risa
  • At the end of the book, Connor becomes the new Admiral for the Graveyard
    • ]]>     2022-03-31 17:38:09 UTC https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124074606     Risa Ward isabell0903 https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124074779
  • she has shiny, silky, dark brown hair and brown eyes 
  • she had to change her hair and eye colors when she went into hiding-> her eyes were changed to a subtle green and her hair wavy and red
  • grew up in a state home-> belongs to the state and she had always been under the pressure to be great in the field
  • strict to herself-> perfectionists
  • honest and direct with realistic and pessimistic views, but also intelligent 
  • Unwind reason: she has reached her full potential
  • has trust issues in the beginning but throughout the book she falls in love with Connor
  • has good survival and medical skills:
    • very streetwise when she was on the run with Connor and Lev
    • she was sometimes assigned to nurseries in the state home-> good at taking care of children  
  • she is strongly against Unwinding-> she refused a transplant to replace her shattered spine with an Unwind's, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down; but she is forced to do the treatment and finds guilty pleasure in being able to walk again
    • ]]>     2022-03-31 17:38:16 UTC https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124074779     Reasons for getting an Unwind order isabell0903 https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124106426
  • bad grades at school
  • unwanted children
  • fights/ conflicts
  • parents fighting about custody
  • violence
  • not enough talent
  • aggressions against others
  • to serve god and tithing

    • => for our society, unwinding is highly problematic (ethically speaking)
    ]]>     2022-03-31 17:56:08 UTC https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124106426     Robotics in general isabell0903 https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124917441 • Interdisciplinary field, integrates:
    mechanical- , electrical- , information- , bio- , computer- , control- , software- engineering 

    • involves design, construction, operation and the use of robots 


    • goal: design machines that can help & assist humans/ replace manual labor and increase efficiency, speed and overall performance 

    • develop machines that can substitute for humans and replicate human actions ]]>     2022-04-01 06:15:42 UTC https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124917441     Web 2.0 - Giving everybody a voice or creating chaos? isabell0903 https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124917558 Major difference between web 1.0 and web 2.0: 
    • web 2.0 websites enable users to create, share, collaborate and communicate their work with others, without any need of any web design or publishing skills                 
    • these capabilities were not present in Web 1.0 environment

    benefits:
    • you can start leaderless movements over the internet                              
    • it’s good because it’s hard to supress
    • news spread quickly
    • available at any time, any place
    • variety of media
    • ease of usage
    • learners can actively be involved in knowledge building
    • can create dynamic learning communities
    • everybody is the author and the editor, every edit that has been made can be tracked
    • user-friendly
    • updates in the wiki are immediate and it offers more sources for researchers
    • it provides real-time discussion.

    dangers:
    • there can be fake news                       
    • headlines are always written in capital letters and much of content appears to be invented —> exaggerated to create e.g fear          
    • fake news spreaders call themselves as fighters in an „information war“ —> war without blood
    • cyber attacks
    • hacker attacks
    • social bots                                            
    • could create buzz in the social network 
    • it’s difficult to be prepared for these attacks
    • lifeless connections/less face to face
    • less intimate connections
    • people spend more time with the internet than with family and friends
    • different identity on the internet 
    • a lot of anonymity 

    example: Wikipedia

    pros: 
    • everyone can share his ideas
    • you can search for any topic             
    • will get a detailed summary
    • 300 different languages & more than 4 million articles
    • try to improve the control of the articles

    cons:
    • correctness of the articles can not always be controlled 
    • people intentionally can fake information 
    • without registration they can edit articles 
    ]]>     2022-04-01 06:15:49 UTC https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124917558     Ways of surveillance isabell0903 https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124917912 „watching devices“ that we are capable of seeing:
    • cameras flying over roadways to catch speeding motorists or parking violators 

    • personal monitoring devices: dash cams, cyclist helmet cameras, doorbells with lenses 

    • drones in the sky 

    • more than 1700 satellites monitor our planet 

    • China monitors its population through the social credit system


    Tech at home is spying on you:
    • Facebook like button 

    • smartphone location services 

    • mobile phone Networks 

    • facial recognition 


    ]]>     2022-04-01 06:15:58 UTC https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124917912     HOW IT WORKS isabell0903 https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124918447 2022-04-01 06:16:30 UTC https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124918447 GENETIC TESTING isabell0903 https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124920821 Meaning in general:
    • genetic testing is a type of medical test that identifies changes in genes, chromosomes, or proteins 
    • the results of a genetic test can confirm or rule out a suspected genetic condition or help determine a person’s chance of developing or passing on a genetic disorder

    CLONING:

    Methods of cloning:
    1.Nuclear transfer
    • nucleus of a cell organism that is supposed to be cloned is removed and transferred into a denucleated egg cell
    • the egg cell then develops as a genetic  clone of the donor cell since it carries its genetic material
    • the special environment in the egg cell leads to the reprogramming of the nucleus so that it loses its characteristics and development starts  all over again
    • As we know this method was also used with the sheep Dolly, which was the first sheep that was cloned

    2.Embryo splitting
    • refers to the formation of twins through artificial microsurgical splitting of an embryo at the earliest stage of formation of the embryo 
    • the technique involves the separation of the embryo into two equal halves in the later blastocyst stage
    • after separation, the genetically identical embryos can continue to develop
    • allows it to obtain ideally several embryos with identical genetic features from one embryo 

    Therapeutic cloning: 
    •  to generate stem cells from an embryo 
    • the embryo dies during this method 
    • is useful for curing diseases or for transplantations 

    Reproductive cloning:
    • does not destroy the embryo 
    • various animal species have already been cloned by this method
    • production of genetically identical individuals
    • each newly produced individual is a clone of the original

    Purposes of cloning: 
    • aim is to obtain embryonic stem cells that are genetically identical to the donor organism 
    • these stem cells are pluripotent so that they can develop into all cell types of the body 
    • they are of specific interest for therapeutic purposes 
    • in this way diseases caused by the loss of certain cell types or tissues could be cured
    • also helpful for transplantations 

    Pros and cons of cloning:

    pros:
    1. It can help prevent the extinction of species

    2. It can help increase food production

    3. It can help couples who want to have children

    cons:
    1. The process is not entirely safe and accurate

    2. It is regarded as unethical, and the probability of abuse is very high

    3. The offspring lack genetic uniqueness

    4. It is not yet fully-developed


    PRENATAL TESTING:
    Cell-Free DNA Screening:
    • requires blood draw from the mother
    • DNA fragments from placenta in the blood are used to determine the abnormalities
    • you have to assume Placenta DNA = baby DNA
    • + sensitive for down syndrome, trisomy 13 and 18

    DNA Diagnostic:
    • + more thorough
    • + offered after abnormal screening
    • - some may not want this invasive technique

    Chorionic villus sampling:
    • removal of tissue sample from the baby using a needle or via crevix
    • performed between the 10th to 13th week of pregnancy
    • + sooner diagnosis
    • - risk for miscarriage (0.28%)

    Amniocentesis:
    • fluid around baby is gathered via needle which contains fecal matter together with cell tissue
    • performed 15 weeks into pregnancy or later
    • - risk for miscarriage (0.25%)

    -> if the results are concerning patients will visit a genetic counselor who can guide them to their decision
    ]]>     2022-04-01 06:18:51 UTC https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124920821     GENETIC ENGINEERING isabell0903 https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124921515 • also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation
    • is the science of changing the genetic structure as well as inserting genes or remove genes
    -> altering the DNA in an organism‘s genome

    • used to enhance or modify the characteristics of an individual organism


    Important techniques of genetic engineering

    •     In vitro fertilisation (IVF)

     - artificial fertilization
     - carried out in a test tube
     - egg cells capable of being fertilized are     taken from the woman. These are placed in a nutrient solution and fertilized with the partner's sperm cells.


    • CRISPR gene editing

     - technique in molecular biology by which the genomes of living organisms are modified
     - allows individual DNA building blocks to be inserted, removed or modified. 
     - based on a simplified version of the bacterial CRISPR-Cas9 antiviral defense system

    • Gene therapy (or human gene transfer)

     - Concept: fix a genetic Problem at its source
     - process of transferring genetic material (DNA or RNA) into a person.
     - medical intervention based on modification of the genetic material of living cells which is then given to humans.


    Possible and present- day outcomes of genetic engineering

    •     designer baby

     -     genetic makeup has been selected or altered
     - include a particular gene or to remove genes associated with diseases


    •     savior sibling

     - child who is born to provide an organ or cell transplant to a sibling that is infected with a disease
     - conceived through in vitro fertilization
     - fertilized zygotes are tested for genetic compatibility and only zygotes that are compatible with the existing child are implanted

    •     genetically modified organisms or transgenic organisms

     - animals, plants or bacteria that have been genetically modified for a variety of purposes
    -> including producing drugs, enhancing yields, increasing resistance to disease..

    ]]>     2022-04-01 06:19:33 UTC https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124921515     BENEFITS AND DANGERS isabell0903 https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124939605 OF GENETIC ENGINEERING

    PROS:
    • Artifical intelligence, robots
    • one can predict everything beforehand (diseases, earthquakes)
    • medicine to cure diseases and save lives and potential to live longer
    • new inventions and technology
    • production of new foods: lowers costs and more food for growing population
    • faster growth in animals and plants
    • next generation should have a better life
    • surgeries were also seen as playing God years ago
    • the goal should be improving the human condition
    • same-sex couples can have genetically related children
    • no winning the genetic lottery: start from the same fair level
    • adults can also benefit afterwards


    CONS:
    • can be dangerous
    • machines might take the job away-> machines vs humans
    • things can get out of control
    • Disasters, the destructive potential of autonomic energy and nuclear or chemical weapons
    • may lead to genetic defects
    • limits genetic diversity in the world
    • is it ethical correct?
    • Religion: seems wrong to play God
    • negative and unknown side effects
    • one does not know the long term effects
    • increasing dependence on industrialized nations by developing countries and domination of well-developed countries
    • Cheat of genes and talent: every parent would want their child to be an artist etc.
    • unbalanced society since there will be people against it with normal traits (superior, inferior)


    OF GENETIC TESTING

    PROS:
    • does not necessarily identify a specific disease but may identify risk factors that require special treatment-> early detection enables a rapid treatment
    • by a negative test result it eliminates the need for unnecessary checkups and screening tests in some clases


    CONS:
    • increase pressure and stress-> no matter if the gene testing is positive or negative
      • -> if the test is negative, there is still a chance of developing a disease
      • -> if the test is positive, you constantly think about the disease without actually knowing if it develops
    • values of inheritance is changed
    • people know they are determine the genetic make-up
    • desire for eugenics
    • rate of abortions of children with diseases or disabilities would be increased
    • you will become the “product“
    • big pharma or companies industries want your DNA and could deal with it so it could fall into wrong hands 
    • destructing DNA can be difficult 
    • you don’t know how long the sample will be kept
    • your results could become part of a global database
    • ethically controversial
    ]]>     2022-04-01 06:36:38 UTC https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2124939605     Social media & social apps - towards social dystopia? https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2126569538 benefits:
    • you can reach a large pool of people that are interested in your products or services
    • you can be creative
    • you have access to paid advertising services
    • you can build you own business 
    • you can have a lot of fun while creating post

    dangers:
    • loosing yourself —> because of trying to look perfect on the internet
    • your private photos can be used by others if you post them 
    • some pictures can have geotags that reveal your location 
    • takes too much time of our life
    • puts people in dangerous situations     —>e.g  when you walk across the street and look on your smartphone instead of what’s in front of you 
    • you can receive negative comments
    • you open up the potential for embarrassment 
    ]]>     2022-04-02 15:35:03 UTC https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2126569538     https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2126571406 2022-04-02 15:38:23 UTC https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2126571406 https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2126571976 2022-04-02 15:39:18 UTC https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2126571976 How the internet has changed everyday life https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2126600745 positive things:
    • can be described as a magical world
    • new things: like art, music, videos, pictures, shopping, netflix etc.
    • everything is possible 
    • can talk to people while searching for sth. and play games on one device, over one line
    • can communicate with people all over the world whenever you want
    • able to share ideas and thoughts 
    • spread knowledge all over the world
    • useful for learning or researching
    • brings the world closer together 
    • necessary for our globalized world
    • enrich lives 

    negative aspects:
    • ugly things like: pornography, hate, violence, cyber bullying, cyber attacks etc.
    • anonymity —>fake identities 
    • fake news
    ]]>     2022-04-02 16:28:13 UTC https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2126600745     https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2126602634 2022-04-02 16:31:41 UTC https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2126602634 Human enhancement https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2127076503 • natural, artificial or technology change of the human body to reach certain physical or mental capabilities

    • any kind of genetic, biomedical or pharmaceutical intervention -> aimed at proving human capacities ]]>     2022-04-03 10:47:43 UTC https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2127076503     Cyborgs https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2127076747 • „cybernetic organism“

    • technologically modified biological life form  -> being with organic and biomechatronic body parts 

    • it’s an organism that improves its abilities based on feedback from an artificial component 

    • can be any kind of organism ]]>     2022-04-03 10:48:14 UTC https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2127076747     AI https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2127076793 • intelligence demonstrated by machines - unlike natural intelligence from humans and animals which includes emotionality

    • ability of computer systems to perform tasks that are usually done by humans requiring human intelligence


    Positive sides:
    •     employees can focus on important things- AI can do the boring tasks

    • using AI- companies are able to remove human bias from hiring process

    • make life safer for people - dangerous jobs

    • doctors can be notified on the health matters of patients


    Dangers:
    •     automation job loss

    • privacy violations

    • weapon automatization

    • outsmart humanity

    • gain more capabilities than us
    -> take place on the evolutionary ladder and dominate us

    ]]>     2022-04-03 10:48:19 UTC https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2127076793     Positive sides of surveillance https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2127104093 • discover a terrorist and the ones he is working with 
    -> can’t get the information without trawling the data of millions of innocent people 

    • spot thieves 

    • collect information to keep us safe ]]>     2022-04-03 11:35:02 UTC https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2127104093     Negative sides of surveillance https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2127106461 • unsuspecting citizens are captured by facial recognition technology and stored in law enforcement and private sector data basis -> no control 

    • government are having intimate information about billions of people 

    • in a year 106 millions New surveillance cameras are sold - more than 3 million ATMs stare back at their customers ]]>     2022-04-03 11:39:00 UTC https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2127106461     isabell0903 https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2129318172 2022-04-04 19:09:21 UTC https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2129318172 Humphrey Dunfee - Urban Legends isabell0903 https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2129337138 URBAN LEGEND
    • is a genre of folklore comprising stories circulated as true, especially as having happened to a friend or family member, often with horrifying or humorous elements

    HUMPHREY DUNFEE
    • based on a english nursery rhyme called "Humpty Dumpty"
    • nobody knows what exactly happens in the Unwind process
    • once youre unwind you cant get back together
    ]]>     2022-04-04 19:21:18 UTC https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2129337138     Storking isabell0903 https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2129348696
  • term used to describe the activity of leaving ones' own infant on someone's else's doorstep
  • if they get caught they will be obliged to take the baby back, but if not then the one who ends up with baby on their doorstep has to keep the stork
  • reasons: if they cannot provide for their child or do not want one
    • ]]>     2022-04-04 19:29:23 UTC https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2129348696     Effects on society isabell0903 https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2129349195 THE GRAVEYARD:
    • is a refugee community for runaway Unwinds and its run by The Admiral, who imposes strict rules 
    • the Unwinds live inside plane carcasses and have to contribute to the community

    THE ADMIRAL:
    • Admiral Dunfee is the former leader of the Graveyard
    • his real name is unknown
    • he was one of the founding fathers of the Bill of Life and he and his wife decided to set an example with their son Harlan but when they changed their mind it was too late
    • Harlan became known as "Humphrey Dunfee"-> the father managed to hack into the National Unwind Database and tried to find every single person who received a piece of Humphrey to make him whole again-> the Admiral and his wife gathered everyone in one place who received a part from Harlan
    • the Admiral eventually set up the Graveyard to make up for it-> he planned to let runaway Unwinds hide until they turned eighteen, or until they find a sponsor willing to falsify their identification
    • he ends up giving up his position to Connor Lassiter after a near death experience

    CLAPPERS:
    • "young terrorists" whose circulatory systems have been pumped up with a chemical close in compostion to triglycerides that makes their blood explosive
    • name because they detonate by bringing their hands together in powerful applause
    • some people need detonators, which look like Band-Aids, to activate the explosion
    • Lev was a clapper who didnt clap which confused the people; for years Unwinds were just faceless kids that no one wanted but he put a face on it and it shows the society that Unwinds are also humans and deserve a right to live

    HARVEST CAMPS:
    • also called unwinding facilities and the Chop Shop among Unwinds
    • licensed clinics or facilities in which Unwinds are prepared for a divided state
    • every single one of them is located in a spectacularly scenic location, perhaps to remind its guests of the big picture, and the reassuring majesty of a larger plan and the grounds are also as well maintained as a resort, filled with bright pastel colors and as little red as possible, since red is psychologically associated with anger, aggression and blood
    ]]>     2022-04-04 19:29:43 UTC https://padlet.com/isabell0903/vkahd4aln8szcdug/wish/2129349195