Blog #3

Adam Schmittinger

L&I 120 Sec 001

Information Ethics and Technology

Blog #3

“Smart Houses” seem like a good idea to me. I found chapter 12 in Tavanni to be a very good read when talking about the current technology and future problems that will be associated with AmI. Can the technology be useful in our everyday lives? Sure. Will having all the small, annoying, repetitive parts of our day really help us out in the long run?

                As with all technology it can be used for the good of the world but at the same time relying on stuff like smart houses and computers to make our lives simpler may have a larger impact than we are hoping.  We can already see with the technology that we have today more and more people are finding less and less reasons to leave their house.  Less and less actual face to face social interaction is taking place and this is with the limited technology we have today.  If we truly had no need to leave the house I wonder if we would.

                The book states that we as a culture are becoming very technologically dependent which could lead to many bad things. Increasing our dependency on technology to much could lead to us not knowing how to complete the tedious things we do now on a daily basis.  These tedious little jobs we have to accomplish are what keeps our brains stimulated and give us a sense of accomplishment.  If we take the tasks away and let a computer do them what will happen to us? Will we find other things to use our brains on or just lose that ability to function without the machines?

                Having said the negatives I do see many benefits to this technology that may outweigh the negatives.  Things like automated grocery lists, adjusting the lights to our specified intensity, or even turning on my computer when I get home are all conveniences that I think I would enjoy. Having a house that could call the ambulance on its own in case of an accident would be a lot safer for an older couple.  Or the fire department when I am away from my house and something happens. There are many benefits to a “smart house” that would make a lot of peoples’ lives much simpler.

                As long as we don’t lose sight that machines are there to help us with our daily lives not take over we will be safe.  Technology over the years has for the most part improved people’s daily lives and made the world a safer place to be in. As long as people don’t depend too much on machines and keep things in perspective I am looking forward to the technology that will be developed in my lifetime.