blog # 5

I don't think that any of us really understand how serious the issues facing our generation are.  Perhaps its better not to think about things that scare us.  The seriousness of peak oil has made it clear that our growth and consumption is beyond sustainable conditions.  How many cars does a household need?  Does it need two, three or just one?  Should the Goverment impose mandatory carpools for people who travel to heavily congested areas?  If we have spent half of the available petrolium reserves in the last 100 years, then shouldn't we run out altogether in the next 100?  Shouldn't the Goverment do more to solve this problem?  Are we going to wind up going to war with other superpowers when the world's reverse of oil reaches critical levels?  Maybe one day only the elite and famous will have access to the last bit of oil.  If G.M can be partially blamed for the problems that suburbia has caused, then shouldn't they have a responsibility to promote earth friendly cars?  Specially after the fact that they recieved federal funds when they made such crappy cars that they couldn't compete and went bankrupt  Technically if cars are such a problem, then car manufactures should put aside profits for the sake of a sustainable future.

I have always been a fan of the terminator franchise.  A robot with human features is very appealing to me because at the end of the day, aren't we all souls trapped in a body.  Technically we are energy, so this body we have is kind of a vehicle.  Therefore if a robot has a shell, then it is similar to us.  Obvioulsy the difference would be that the robot has a  computer chip and we have a soul, but it is interesting that the body isn't what defines us.  What defines us is our soul.  If a robot were hunting me and trying to kill me, then I probably wouldn't think it is so cool, However, if such technology was available, then we could send these soldiers to fight our wars.  We could spapre the lives of so many human soldiers.  The problem is: what if the programmer of the robot makes a mistake.  We are a cocky society, we think we can fix everything by pressing the "Backspace" key.  Sure it is not the end of the world when the newest Iphone doesn't work, but what if they made a soldier that still had a few kinks.  You couldn't just tell the robot to sit down so we can fix his computer chip.  Even if the technology to make an android soldier was avaiblabe today, I think we as a society need more time to mature and not make so many mistakes regarding technology.  The fact that there are so many recalls with cars, and phones, and even baby cribs shows us that we like to push the newest technoligy was recklessly as possible.  We will not be ready for this type of technology until we re-evalute our priorities as a society

A historical analysis of a scientist would probably be the most boring idea to pick.  A good idea tailored to the way I like to work might be a close reading might be more fun.  I like to find the little needles in a hay-stack that prove to be very revealing.  The issue would be that I would wind up doing that any way when I cite any material.  The more I think about it, the more I want to take on a controversial issue and combine it with cloning technology.  My first year here at Laguardia I did a research paper on the ethical dilemas that organ harvesting in relation with the unmet demand create.  In the U.S if you go by the book and simply wait for that heart or kidney, you would most likely die on the waiting list.  Doing some research I found out that the situation is extremely desperate.  People in India are so poor that theys sell their oragns for a few thousand dollars.  A person on a U.S 5 year waiting list for an organ can hop on a plane to China and have a new heart in a matter of weeks.  The speed that these organs are available is indicative of the illegal practices employed for the sake of the wealthy.  Paying up to 100,000 dollars for a new organ is the oil that keeps the Organ blackmarket gears.  If we could clone ourselves in order to make a duplicate heart, maybe we can spare people around the world such misery.  This idea seems to lean towards the question : Does science give us promise or peril?  Even though these atrocities occur around the world, is it right for us to play God and create life just to serve as a supermarket of organs to keep us alive.