Designer Babies and More

This week’s session marked the end of Prof’s lectures, and the start of ours instead. After the long weeks of research and hard work on our group projects, it was finally the time for us to share it with the class.

Months ago at the beginning of the semester, an article in the Sunday Times on “designer babies” caught my eye. It told of how Singaporean couples have gone overseas to choose the gender of their baby because the procedure is banned here. This was particularly interesting to me, as I pondered over the possibilities of the technology in the future, and how the term “designer” babies sounded disturbingly robotic. With all that in mind, I suggested that my group further explore the topic for our group project and I found that they were very receptive and interested in the topic as well. And with that, our TWC project was born.

What particularly interested me in the research of this project were the possible impacts the technology could have on our society. Before embarking on this project, I thought the technology for designer babies went a bit too far and crossed the line of what I considered “acceptable”. But with more research on the topic and understanding the benefits it has brought to the users of the technology who have genuine needs, I have softened my stand and become more open to its uses.  

The link for our group blog is http://www.wix.com/designerbabies/twc-group-blog and I really hope that the class found our presentation interesting and enriching as I learnt a lot from the research on the topic. It’s really fascinating how some of these technologies are. Some of them we wouldn’t even think about if not for this course, and I am glad for the opportunity to consider these ideas.

Another group’s presentation on nanomedicine was particularly interesting to me as it was somewhat related to my group’s topic of designer babies. The future possibilities for both nanomedicine and designer babies are truly amazing and have the potential to revolutionise the world. Nanomedicine offers the possibility for cures for illnesses like cancer and AIDS. Designer babies offers the potential to improve our genetic make-up to become and improved breed of humans. These possibilities and the power to improve the human race sound so interesting, but frightening at the same time. As famously said in the movie Spiderman, with great power comes great responsibility, and I hope that we would be able to use these technologies responsibly for our benefit.

The other presentations on space travel and the plastic vortex were also very interesting. Space travel is already becoming something very realisable and no longer such a far off idea. The plastic vortex is growing at such a rapid rate and should be prevented from any further increase, and the group also presented on some very practical solutions for this problem. To think that these are so achievable is somewhat encouraging, highlighting the sheer power of technology and the rapid change it brings.

“Wisdom alone is true ambition’s aim,
wisdom is the source of virtue and of fame;
obtained with labour, for mankind employed,
and then, when most you share it, best enjoyed.”
Alfred North Whitehead

This short rhyme Prof shared in class was especially meaningful today as we all learnt much from each others’ group presentations. A 9 for this session of presentations, and looking forward to the rest!

What’s next?

Following the previous week’s discussion on future possible technologies, it was only appropriate to for this week’s topic to be on technology assessment and forecasting, developing a framework to evaluate these upcoming technologies.

As my individual presentation was during this session, I had come prepared and did some research on the topic beforehand, allowing me to follow this session more closely. In my search for an interesting article to present on, I found some interesting views relating to possible ways we can manage technology and achieve a future we would like to see. Some even included perspectives on how to achieve the ideal of world peace.

What I found most interesting and eventually chose to present on was the article on shaping the future instead of forecasting it. Many seem obsessed with forecasting the future, observing the possibilities for tomorrow and the impacts of what we do today. While that seems like an all important task, I believe that it is more important for us to take control of our future and shape it to make it the future we want for ourselves. Instead of being controlled by the technology of today, we should seize it and use it to our advantage and for achieving our respective objectives. This is more important than releasing the power of today’s technology onto the world and seeing where that takes us, and later having to deal with the effects of that technology tomorrow. I feel that this article truly embodied the essence of the past weeks of TWC lessons, the need for us to change and adapt to survive. We need to use what we have before us, which is technology, for us to achieve our goals and ensure the progress of our society. I hope that my classmates have benefited from what I shared in my presentation, just like how I have learnt much from theirs in the past few weeks.

A very meaningful quote, like the many others before, that Prof shared this week was by John Kennedy, “For time and the world do not stand still… Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.” I have always looked to the past for security and stability, being sentimental and unwilling to let go of things once I had gotten used to them. I’ve always been rather resistant to change and only reluctantly allow it into my life when there are no other alternatives. After these 10 weeks however, this perspective has definitely changed. It is really through this course that I have understood the sheer importance of the fact that change is the only constant, and for that I am truly thankful. Shift has happened, and will definitely continue to.

With that, I totally embrace and appreciate the new changes coming our way. The video shown in class about the top 3 inventions for the future was really interesting. It featured the Nokia Morph, Google Earth and salt water fuel. I’m not sure how long ago this video was first posted, but it really showed that the power of imagination alone can change the world. Google Earth, from becoming a mere idea and part of someone’s imagination, is now a reality and a powerful tool for all of us. Salt water fuel may be next and allow us to be less dependent on non-renewable fuel sources. Who knows where the future could lead us next.

While we think about the possibilities of the future, it is important for us to understand and harness the power of technology in the right way for our benefit, instead of allowing it to create more problems for us in the future. I hope that we would be able to consider the long term effects of technology instead of simply focusing on its short term uses to allow us to truly benefit from it.

An 8 for this week’s session, and really looking forward to the group presentations up next.

and Beyond

The things we have at present were once part of somebody’s imagination in the past. As Einstein said “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” The future is in therefore in what we imagine. Technology now fascinates us on a daily basis, and the amount of possibilities and the pace at which we are moving forward is truly phenomenal.

Prof promised a great lesson by saying that this has been the session that most students in the past found most interesting, and it really did not disappoint. Discussions of the different future technologies formed the focus of the lesson, and they were all very interesting.

One interesting and memorable video we saw was on the “ideal woman” robot. It is a robot programmed to be the perfect woman, which apparently, means to satisfy every man, understand and love him, while taking care of the housework. Some rather challenging expectations to live up to I must say. But well, since there are few women who are able to do all of that effortlessly, we might as well have a robot for it!

Augmented reality was another new technology that Prof shared with us at the start of the session. It involves adding a layer of useful information to what we see in reality. This information would come from the internet, to give us more information on whatever we see within our surroundings. Simply put, this technology would enable us to point our phones at restaurants (or whatever else we choose), and obtain information about them on the spot. Food reviews, menus, prices and whatever information is available on the internet, would come to us in a neat list right there when we need it. This really seems very marketable as there is an increased demand for information on the go, whenever and wherever we need it, and is something to look forward to in the near future.

A presentation by my classmate on the future of virtual reality was also particularly striking in identifying the possibilities of the technology. She gave an example of a dinosaur exhibition, where putting on the goggles would enable visitors to see dinosaurs around them, to feel and experience prehistoric times, and to immerse themselves completely in the experience. Some other potential uses of the technology were also given in the field of education, like chemistry students being able to try out dangerous experiments virtually without the physical risks. Literature students could also one day be able to enter novels to interact with characters, and understand the work better. Medical students could also try out surgery virtually before actually doing the real thing. All of these possibilities are so infinite and exciting and I am really looking forward to virtual reality being used in all of these ways.

With all these wonderful possibilities, how is it possible that we have been living our lives without them? As discussed in class, sometimes we don’t realise we need something, until after we’ve tried it. Take the smart phone for example. For years, people have been using their computers to check emails, and their phones to make calls. These 2 devices have always been used separately to great effect, until someone combined them into one device and we realised the convenience and power of a smart phone. There is no turning back with technology, only moving forward. You can’t use a smart phone and say, “oh I prefer the old, original handphone”. You can’t watch colour television and wish to go back to the era of black and white silent films. Forward is the only direction we’re moving in.

The future is really so full of promise and I am looking forward to all these amazing technologies and more.This session was particularly interesting with all the new innovations that we are likely to have as new additions to our daily lives soon. A 9 for this session!

The only one we’ve got

The session began with a video that ended with the thought provoking line “Conserve your planet. It’s the only one you’ve got”, setting the stage for many of the issues brought up in class that day. At this point, we are still completely dependent on our planet’s natural resources for survival, and we are putting much strain on these scarce resources, particularly in the area of energy sources.  

As of now, humans are still heavily dependent on the earth’s natural energy sources like oil and natural gas. While there have been many breakthroughs in technology in recent years in the field of green energy, they are sadly still not as widely available as they should be to ensure our planet’s continued survival. One very interesting thought and takeaway from this session was the fact that the sun provides more energy to the earth in one hour than humankind currently uses in an entire year. As we all know, all the energy we consume comes indirectly from the sun. There is so much potential and possibilities in that powerful statement and it would be wonderful if we could find ways to make more effective use of solar energy.

While there has been much effort to develop alternative energy sources, the recent nuclear disaster in Japan this year has been a devastating blow to mankind, making one reconsider the implications of alternative energy sources with such potential dangers. As with everything in life, there are always 2 sides, the good and the bad, and it is important for us to weigh and consider all factors before making life-changing decisions like such. The risk of nuclear energy may be ever-present and particularly painful in the wake of the recent nuclear tragedy, but we should learn from it and instead, think of ways to capitalise on the multitude of green technology possibilities and make them more widely available so as to reduce our dependence on conventional energy sources, or nuclear technology. While I have nothing against the use of nuclear technology, I believe many of us would still prefer to rely on safer sources of energy, given the alternative, and I remain optimistic that we would one day be able to find that workable source.

Like my classmate Hazwan said during a discussion in class, we humans often wait till the last minute to think of technologies and solutions. it is only at the point where we are faced with no other choice, that we will adapt appropriately to the new situation, find a new energy source, and survive. Considering our sadly delayed reaction to the pertinent problem of finding alternative energy sources was a rather meaningful takeaway for me. Though it is slightly disappointing that we are too short-sighted to find an alternative source of technology now instead of panicking at the last minute, the fact it is in our basic human nature to survive, and we will find feasible sources of energy when the time comes.

The presentation by my classmate, Daniel, ended with the interesting question, “Will mankind’s insatiable demands exhaust the planet’s resources, or will human ingenuity lead to more efficient use of existing raw materials and the discovery of new sources of supply?” According to the recent patterns in human consumption, it is unfortunate that I have to believe that we would exhaust the planet’s resources first. However, my abovementioned stand still holds: that we would eventually adapt to ensure our survivability and discover, or even create, new sources of supply. After all, “nothing makes one more productive than the last minute”.

Prof ended the session with the question “will we be 100% dependent on sustainable by 2050?” A rather ambitious thought in my opinion, as 2050 doesn’t seem all that far away. Still, I believe by 2050, in 40 years, we should be significantly closer to being 100% dependent on sustainable energy, and eventually, someday, we will be 100% dependent on sustainable energy. After all, it is the only way for us to sustain our race, and survival is mandatory. An 8 for the fruitful discussion this session.

Meeting our needs and greed

On the second part of the Bio Business revolution, the focus was on the different types of biotechnology to meet our ever-growing needs, and our even more rapidly growing greed. The possibilities for expansion and growth in this area are truly infinite, and are, thankfully, growing at a rate faster than our needs are, for now.

While advancements in the biotechnology arena are many, the reactions it has gathered has been equally varied, and interestingly related to the type of biotechnology involved. The most common objections were found toward green biotechnology, where adverse reactions toward GM food and the green revolution were not uncommon. With regard to red and white biotechnology however, few protested against new cures that could save lives or new types of packaging materials and other innovations. Considering these different reactions was a rather meaningful takeaway for me, as it was a good reflection of human reaction to change.

With so many changes happening around us, it is only natural for us to first recoil in fear, before taking an apprehensive first step to test the waters ourselves. This is especially so in the case of GM foods where alternative natural foods are not particularly difficult to come by. As GM foods become more readily available, and in many cases, unlabelled with an almost identical appearance to normal produce in supermarkets, people are slowly growing more receptive to these foods. As it may be a case of ignorance and failure to differentiate between the two in this situation, it would therefore be better for countries to label their foods and provide a good amount of information about GM foods to allow people to make informed choices for themselves. I’m sure that with the right amount of knowledge people would soon grow to accept GM foods as part of their normal diet. It may be an apprehensive first step, but it is the willingness to take a step, that matters most.

The topic of green biotechnology in this session (though Prof may be bored by the multitude of past presentations on the topic) was most interesting to me. This is partially due to the fact that food is one of my great weaknesses. There may be enough food to feed the needs of the world, but there could be a little more for my greed! Technology to increase food, is to me, truly a modern miracle.

I am completely thankful for the luxury of 3 hearty meals a day, with a few snacks in between, and it always breaks my heart to see pictures of starving children in developing countries, all skin and bones, who would literally die for food (or lack thereof). I’d love to see a world where people can have at least their most basic of needs met, and food is definitely one of those. To achieve food security, a condition where all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life is a wonderful ideal. But as Prof said, we humans are very good at coming up with lofty ideals that sound all lovely, but are really so far from achieving them.

The green revolution has brought about many benefits, saving billions from starvation. The video below is a short and succinct summary of Norman Borlaug’s work in starting the green revolution.

A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in. Norman Borlaug has literally planted much for the world to reap and enjoy, and we have much to be grateful for.

While the green revolution meets much of the needs of the developing world, the presentation on Aquaculture by Nureen focused on genetic engineered fish to meet, what appears to be to me, our greed. It seems there isn’t enough wild salmon to go around that we need to genetically engineer them to grow faster to increase production. Salmon and tuna, the 2 fish types commonly used in this process, are expensive breeds generally eaten by the developed world. With the implications aquaculture has on the environment, like the destruction of mangrove forests and overreliance on fish meal to feed the carnivorous salmon and tuna, perhaps it would have been better if we changed our tastes and just eat the other types of available fish. As Nureen mentioned, herbivorous fish are more suited for aquaculture, and maybe if we humans were more ready to adapt and accept that alternative we would be able to reach a position that puts less strain on our planet.  

As I have seen from the past 2 sessions, biotechnology is truly an area with many opportunities for growth and development and the possibilities are vast and never-ending. As we grow to accept the different technologies presented to us, it is important to keep an open mind. The future is now, in the present, and we have to step into it and continue moving forward. I admit I have been pretty adverse to change previously, but thinking about these issues in class for the past 7 weeks has really opened my mind and made me more receptive to these changes, a rather significant step and definitely my biggest takeaway. An 8.5 for the great session this week and looking forward to more interesting lessons after the break!

The continued quest for the Elixir of Life

Would you like to live forever?

An interesting thought, immortality. Though few actually chose the option when the question was raised in class, man has always been searching for the elusive elixir of life.

And elusive it has been indeed. Despite our rapid advances in healthcare technology, we have still not been able to find a solution to the one thing that makes us fallible- death. It is the key to everything we have been doing in healthcare, how to cure diseases to prevent death, how to improve nutrition to prolong lives. But though we are not yet equipped to conquer death, the many changes in the healthcare have been massively impactful and literally have an impact on life and death.

There has been a lot of research done on drugs and cures to improve treatments. While I do not know much of the specifics of such medical technology given my lack of exposure to the subject, it’s always very heartwarming to hear of breakthrough operations or technologies that help save many lives.

But what if these technologies are developed at the expense of other lives?

In many cases, they are. As in the presentation by my classmate, Yu Kai, he touched on the topic of animal and human testing, and raised the discussion question on whether we would consider it safe to have drugs tested by all means of scientific methods available, but without the human testing factor? It was rather thought provoking for me, as many who are against animal and human testing wouldn’t think about using a drug that was certified ‘safe’ on paper, but has never been tested on another living being. I personally feel that it is cruel to test drugs on animals, and people who do not have enough knowledge to make an informed decision on whether or not to participate in the test. However, because it seems impossible at this point in time to evaluate drugs by any other methods, I see this as a case for ‘the greater good’, where the sacrifice of a few would bring much good to many others, and so grudgingly accept the need to test products on other living beings.

But then again, it can never be so clear and many arguments can be put forth at this point. How can educated researchers possibly exploit helpless animals for the greater good, knowing full well that they are causing harm to them, and use their power over beings that do not have a choice? And again, the question of sacrifice for the greater good: you may think nothing of sacrificing a stranger’s well-being for the development of a drug for the good of all mankind. But what if the human test subject was someone you love and care for, would human testing then still be acceptable? Every stranger is, an individual that is loved and cared for by others, so how then can we, in the name of humanity, believe that animal and human testing is acceptable?

I could go on about human and animal testing and the issues involved, but there were many more interesting issues raised during this session and I shall leave it on that note. Such matters involving the control of life are grey areas that we may never be able to clearly define. These thoughts on drug testing were particularly meaningful takeaways for me and I look forward to a day in the future where we would be able to evaluate the success of drugs in without sacrificing other lives.

The idea of Nutraceuticals and alternative medicine was another part of the discussion on Bio Business that caught my attention. While we are often moving forward in the direction of new technology and inventions that propel the world forward, increasing interest in the field of alternative medicines is a step backwards in the right direction. In the past many doctors were rather close-minded regarding traditional cures and food products with healing properties, swearing by their modern medical technology instead. We live in a planet so full of goodness and treasures that we, even now with all our knowledge and education, have only uncovered and understood a mere fraction of it, and it would be such a waste to disregard its value so unceremoniously.

Finally, the discussion on designer babies by my classmate Melissa in her presentation was extremely interesting, possibly my favourite part of the lesson. The area of genetic engineering and designer babies has always been of particular interest to me, and is also the topic of my group’s project. Many ethical issues were raised on the topic, and one thought I had was on the possibility of the creation of a race of humans similar genes. If many parents choose the same desirable traits for their children, and these children form the next generation of children who are also designer babies with similarly desirable genes, what could happen without a diverse pool of genes essential for natural selection to occur? Increased vulnerability to certain diseases? I hope to learn more on the topic through the research for my group project and this presentation was certainly a good start-point and takeaway for me.

Life and death. It will never be so clear when dealing with something that questions our existence. So, to repeat my question, would you like to live forever? I believe we can never truly answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ with conviction and never think twice again about the other option we discarded. As we continue in search for the elixir of life and make greater leaps forward in healthcare, many of our actions will come so close to the issue of life and death and be regarded as largely controversial. Like the ‘maybe’ we answered before, we may never be able to take a clear stand on either side of the fence on many of these issues regarding healthcare. But one thing’s for sure, a clear 9 for the very thought-provoking and interesting session this week!

From man to God?

ICT. Not my favourite topic to think about for this session, which I only very recently found out, were the initials for Information and Communications Technology. I’ve always seen technology and myself as 2 separate entities. If it works well, it’s a good day. If it doesn’t, it’s just one of those bad days that I hope would fix themselves by tomorrow.

So, regrettably, I started this lesson a little less interested than I would usually be for a normal TWC session. But still, I was determined to keep an open mind in hope of learning more about such uncharted territory in the landscape of my world.

We began with a video of Milo, a virtual boy. When the lady in the video, Claire, was interacting with him, every movement, response and emotion seemed like it wasn’t programmed. Natural. It was truly extraordinary. Even more extraordinary were the possibilities of such a technology. As Prof discussed in his blog post in Reading 6, and in class, the possibilities such a technology could bring are infinite. Suggestions like virtual friends for lonely elderly and neglected children sounded like promising possible solutions for some of today’s social problems. Despite this, I couldn’t help but think of the disturbing possibility that we get so engrossed in Milo’s world that we think it is actually real, blurring the lines between appearance and reality. It is troubling to think that a solution for social problems of loneliness should be solved by a virtual friend that these people grow to believe in and depend on until they can no longer recognise the real world they live in. This was a particularly interesting issue to consider and a meaningful takeaway for me as I have often thought that humans create more problems for themselves in the process of solving other problems, something I hope my fellow classmates would take some time to think about as well.

The future of our world is in the hands of technology. As Albert Einstein said, “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.”  For him to have said that before the birth of some of the worlds’ greatest inventions is amazing in itself. The world has changed so much over the years, and is only set for more change.

A video we watched in class, titled “Prometeus- The media revolution” shows the great technological changes over the years, painting a picture of how technology has truly exceeded our humanity. It highlighted how fast technology has changed, how things like television and radio, wonderful revolutionary innovations, were now considered ‘old media’ with the birth of the internet. Online newspapers, sharing of photos on flickr and videos on youtube are now the new norm. The consumer has now become the ‘pro-sumer’, a person who similarly uses information, and contributes information to the internet, at the same time. It was rather thought provoking to consider that Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia that we are often warned never to cite in academic work, is now the most complete encyclopedia. That something written by common internet users is now a source that most of us rely so heavily on is, to me, rather significant. It seems to highlight a shift in our preferences and priorities, how ‘fast and quick’ has trumped ‘reliable and trustworthy’ in today’s world, a rather disappointing thought to me and something interesting to consider that I took away from this session.  

While this sort of new technology and media is as amazing as it is, something my classmate, Hui Qi, mentioned in her presentation caught my attention. She noted that new mass media was rather fleeting, likening it to a flash mob that disperses after making its mark. Though the force of the impact of new media is something none can deny, its effects are still not as lasting as those of its ancestors. I believe it is partially due to the fact that new media allows information to be updated regularly that it changes at such a speed that we are unable to truly absorb its impact, forced to move on quickly to think about the next ‘breaking news’. This is in stark contrast to the era of newspapers, where they were less easily available and where there were also fewer literate people who could understand it, leading to a much slower spread of news, allowing it to make a deeper and more lasting impact.

Looking at some of the technologies discussed in class today, I must agree that we have indeed taken a huge leap forward and made much progress, and it is all extremely impressive. But as I have always believed, we must always look back and remember where we came from, lest we forget who we once were. We are man, mortal, not god, and we should not aspire to be such.  A 7 for this week’s session that opened my mind and eyes to much.

TWC Individual Paper Outline: Use of Vision Robots in Factories

1. Executive Summary

This paper would discuss the impact of vision robots in factories. First, a background of mechanisation in manufacturing will be briefly introduced. Recent trends in the industry, like the use of vision robots in factories in developed countries and the movement of low-skilled manufacturing operations to developing countries, and the impact of these moves on the emerging markets will be discussed. Finally, the impact of the recent introduction of vision robots and the larger impact this could have on the world of manufacturing on efficiency and general direction the industry is headed towards.

2. Methodology

•  Interviews with engineers who have experience working with vision robots
• Other print sources (e.g. journals, newspapers, books)

3. Background/Introduction

For the last decade, vision robots have been widely used in factories in developed countries to ease the dependence on manual labour. As developed countries move their manufacturing operations to developing markets to tap into the large pool of cheap labour, they provided opportunities for these countries to grow out of poverty. As such, these developing countries, now known as the emerging markets, have reached a level where they too, want to increase productivity by implementing high-technology equipment in their production plants to encourage the development of skilled labour, and to improve efficiency.

4. Historical Perspective

• What sort of machinery was used before, in developed countries.
• Moment of MNC operations to developing countries for the cheap labour

5. Current Situation(ie where we are today – how the innovation has changed things)
• Developing countries, with the job opportunities put in place by these large MNCs, are growing at a rapid rate
• Wish to reduce dependence on manual labour and introduce more high-technology processes in production.
• Vision robots are one of the main initiatives taken.
• Advantages
  – increased efficiency
  – health benefits (many workers in developing countries have to suffer for long hours carrying out repetitive tasks in the plant, and vision robots help to ease this burden)
  – increased demand for skilled labour, causes the need for upgrade of skills. Allows the workers to benefit when they learn new skills related to the maintenance of the robots and earn higher salaries with their new skills.
• Disadvantages
  – loss of jobs for those who do not have the opportunity to improve their skills.
  – increase in rich-poor divide.

6. Future Considerations(ie where we might go – how you foresee things going in future)

• Increase in vision robots and other high-technology machinery in factories
• Decrease in number of factory workers, possibly to just a few skilled in maintaining the robots
• Emerging countries grow to become developed economies and move their productions to a new set of developing countries, possibly in Africa. Cycle starts again?

 7. Conclusions

• Evaluation of the impact of vision robots on the industry and its future impacts.

The only constant

We all know what that refers to. Needless to say, in a generation which is ever-evolving, transforming and growing, shift happens.

While some of us prefer to remain stationary, we are often forced to move with this shift. Personally, I am rather afraid of change. Be it something as small as a new route home, or as big as exploring a new country, change is, to many of us I believe, a daunting new experience that we often do not welcome.

As Prof quoted Charles Darwin in his lesson, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent; it is the one that is most adaptable to change.” As proven through time, it is really adaptability to change that can ensure the survival of a species.

Looking at the drivers of change discussed, it is not difficult to see why our responses to it dictate our chances of survival. Things like climate change, demographic change, social change and commercial change (among some on the infinite list of changes), appear in the news every day, that it seems ‘change’ is really no change at all. It is permanent. A constant.

Particularly interesting was my classmate Brian’s presentation on competition being a driver of change. He ended with the discussion question on the issue of competition to achieve progress, and the cost it brings in the process. While his presentation highlighted the fact that competition in many areas, like the economy and technology for example, brought many benefits like higher levels of income and took a country to the next level, the detriments of competition were not ignored by my classmates during the discussion. Many brought up issues like the stressful environment in which we all live in, and the benefits of collaboration instead of competition as arguments against the idea of competition being the ideal way for our world to progress. I personally believe that it is in our nature to be competitive. We were created with an instinct for survival, a desire which fuels the need to be ahead of the pack, to be competitive and to respond well to change. As in the other drivers of change stated above, like climate change and the rest, it is competition and the resolve not to perish that allows some to triumph over these irreversible changes in our world. It is these victors who lead the rest of us into a new era, another constant reminder of the rising star attitude we should have that was a precious takeaway from the session.

The video Prof showed us in class of the man dancing at the music festival highlights the presence of such outstanding individuals in our society. Although it was such a sharp portrayal of many revolutionary leaders, it glosses over the importance of the first step taken by the first follower. To be a part of something completely unknown and new takes just as much courage, or even more. This video clip was rather thought-provoking, highlighting the often-forgotten importance of followers in any change, and was a memorable takeaway for me. Perhaps it would have been better if there had been more on the importance of effective followership. Great leaders are always remembered and glorified, but it is also their followers that make them who they are.  

To add on, here’s video clip from another Disney movie, A Bug’s Life, on a leader’s dependence on followers.

After initiating change, what happens next? Managing it becomes the next issue. Reading 1, titled “Herding Cats” had many interesting observations pertaining to this matter. Prof focused particularly on the title “Herding Cats”, asking why managing change involves herding cats. Initially I thought it was due to the fact that people are resistant to change, and this reluctance to comply was somewhat like a cat refusing to accept and follow. However, as Prof mentioned, it is actually due to the fact that everyone is an independent individual with different talents and skills, and a lot of pride for these skills, thus making them difficult to herd and move in the same direction. As the article very relevantly notes, in this modern age where everyone is similarly skilled in different areas, it is extremely important for organizations to recognize that they don’t adapt to change. It is their people who do, and in so doing, eventually move the entire organization in the desired direction. As such, it is important for every individual to understand the need for change and the reasons behind it in order for progress to take place. Every cat must individually desire that same goal, understand it, and adopt it as their own.

The presentation by my classmate Ji Qian on managing Gen Y was, I felt, very relevant to many of us. Different generations of people have different views on work and life, and this naturally causes much tension when working together. Issues like differences in mindset, respect demanded by the Baby Boomers generation, the Gen Y’s agility in adapting to change versus the Baby Boomers’ preference for stability are all very pertinent in the workforce. I felt that in order for both groups to work together effectively, both sides have to be open minded, and respect the strengths and weaknesses of the other party and focus on the value they can create together. Again, a simple solution for an extremely difficult problem, but one we should all ponder on as we reflect on the value we can bring to whichever organization we may join in a few years.

Change- love it or hate it, we have to live with it. Unless, of course, survival isn’t mandatory. An 8.5 for the interesting lesson this week!

Think Different

Thinking differently is a simple answer so difficult to achieve. Many of us have already, without us knowing, had our thinking shaped and reshaped. The thoughts which we believe to be our own have become the product of a blind acceptance of the ideas and values ubiquitous in society. Simply put, the need for acceptance undermines our ability to “think different”.

To quote Thomas Peters (as Prof did in Reading 4), “Life is pretty simple: You do some stuff. Most fails. Some works. You do more of what works. If it works big, others quickly copy it. Then you do something else. The trick is the doing something else.” The trick is the doing something else, a valuable lesson for anyone who wants to stay ahead of the game. As discussed in the last session on the rising star and falling star attitudes, this was a precious takeaway and reminder from the session on the importance of having the right attitude in whatever we choose to embark on.

But how should we start doing the ‘something else’, thinking different?

By seizing the many opportunities presented to us, and giving ourselves the chance to explore our potential. Prof discussed in class the different types of opportunities and their respective values, grouping them into 3 categories: valley opportunities, summit opportunities and cloud opportunities. Valley opportunities had the lowest returns, and summit and cloud opportunities had a much greater potential. Just comparing the terms ‘summit’ and ‘cloud’ imply that cloud opportunities are of a much higher level, and when seized, come with greater potential to carry one to new heights. However, as we discussed in class, it is important to access the situation before embarking on either type of opportunity. Summit opportunities are the somewhat safer option, bringing in respectable returns by meeting the needs of an existing market, and cloud opportunities, while offering the promise of rich rewards if successful, require one to invest much in developing a brand new product and later creating a non-existing market to support the good. While thinking different seems to suggest the need to seize cloud opportunities, we must also remember that a summit opportunity when seized offers much more stability, a peak for us to plant our feet on. Cloud opportunities may give us wings to soar to great heights, but should they be executed without skill and perfection, could send us crashing back down to earth. Such a rational assessment of the different types of innovation opportunities was a rather meaningful takeaway for me, reminding us that we should still have our feet firm on the ground while we dream lofty dreams.

Thinking about ‘thinking different’, I thought it applied very appropriately to the other part of the session on sustainable development. Often, we believe that as tiny individuals, we would not be able to make a difference. But this is far from the truth. It is actually us, as tiny individuals, who are able to play a huge part in sustaining our planet’s resources. As brought up in the discussion question of the presentation “Lessons from History” by my classmate Taralyn where she posed the question as to whether scientists or politicians had a greater influence over sustainable development, the response by one my classmates (which I wholeheartedly agree with) was that it was the individual who played the biggest role. It is only with the collective efforts of many that we would be able to save our planet. Like Taralyn said in her presentation as well, sustainability problems are not environmental problems, they are created by humans. That was particularly thought provoking for me to see it from a different angle. If we could all just think differently once in a while, we could all hopefully be more responsible for our actions and play a significant role in ensuring our planet’s sustainability.

The discussion on sustainability reminded me of a song, “Colours of the Wind” from a movie, Pocahontas, one of my childhood favourites. It also brought to mind the Mark Twain quote from last week, “There are many humorous things in the world; among them the white man’s notion that he is less savage than other savages”. Some of our actions in the name of development have truly been savage, and it was humbling to be reminded of this.

Come roll in all the riches all around you, and for once, never wonder what they’re worth.

An 8 for the great session that made me reflect on the value of the world we call home, and the implications of our actions now and in the future.