Change of Heart! New TEDTalk idea!

I decided to change my TEDTalk to The Village Coffee Shop on 63rd street. I am an avid coffee drinker, so when I found out last summer that a new coffee shop was opening on 63rd street, you could imagine my excitement. I not only love to drink coffee, but going to a coffee shop with your friends to hang out or do homework has a special feeling added to it.

I visited The Village on Tuesday night, and he told me that there was an article written about him in The Hawk and showed me the article, and I found out that he bought The Village specifically on 63rd street to try to bring back what Overbrook Farms was - a family friendly, thriving and social area; not what he and I am sure all of us see today.

Kimberly Starr and the Life Computers Can Give

Kimberly Starr, in her fascinating TEDTalk discusses the computer - not the technology behind the computer, or new high-tech computers coming out in the future - but the personal affect it has on students in Africa. She also illustrates how we, as a First World nation, take such a wonderful and simple technology for granted, while other human beings look at it as a beacon of light out of poverty. She focuses on the charity 'Computers 4 Africa' and opens the eyes of her listeners to what a computer can do - which is more than work or play.

TED Talk

Computers have become a necessity for America as well as other first and most second world countries. However, for Countries like Africa and other third world nations, a computer is a luxury, and not only that - but a beacon of light. It is a child's ticket out of horrible poverty with the aid of education. And this is something we take for granted.

I will be discussing the simple technology (or what most people view as simple) of the computer, and how it is growing and affecting people of lesser means so greatly. I want to specifically cover the Computers4Africa foundation and stress the importance of the computer. There are other great technologies out there to help others, however, the computer was the ground work.

The Surrogates

I personally really enjoyed the movie, because it brought a visual of what life would be like if this were to really happen. However, it was a bit different from the comic book, but I did a little research and found that the comic book is a 5 part series, so I am assuming that the other books contain the different scenes.

Either way it is a scary thought, especially how we are so wrapped up in our phones and the internet and all of the new technology, the question still stays - is, and will technology help or hinder our lives?

"The Surries" - could be coming to our families?

If 'The Surrogates' had been written even 10 years ago, I think we can safely assume it would be looked at as a a more sci-fi novel, instead of a possible future. The discussions in class brought up many points about the technology we have today, and how we rely on it just to live each day, and where and how far it can go in the future.

I especially enjoyed the discussion of dependence on such technologies. In the novel, the characters depend on their surrogates to do their job and live everyday for them. Today, we depend on technology in our lives, and to do our job, however, we do not completely rely on technology, and I do not think someone would commit suicide if Facebook got deleted.

A Generation that Can Live Forever

The comic book novel, The Surrogates, displays what it means to be human, and to be 'alive'. If we all lived through robots, we, of course, would not be living. There are vital everyday human interactions that make us human, but if we coop ourselves up in a room, living through something else, we cannot live. Even something as simple as a conversation is being affected today.



As Bruce Schneier discusses in his article The Tech Lab, "Computers are mediating conversation as well. Face-to-face conversations are ephemeral." From quick texting conversations, or wall posts, each conversation is short and to the point.
In my English class we discussed authors and artists would create something to, in a sense, 'live forever'. Now, through YouTube, or facebook, we can, in fact, 'live forever' through our pictures or videos. However, to actually live forever, to me, would be the worst thing. I would not to live forever - it is natural to die. The thought of death makes people want to live, and if there wasn't a fear of dying, then no one would live. Being cooped up in a room, living through a surrogate, would not matter, since we have eternity.
Even though we have not created the technology to live through surrogates, humanity as a whole needs improvement before we can accept such great technology. As Nick Bostrom expresses in his TED talk on Our Biggest Problems, he makes one specific point that I fully agree with. He says that life is not as wonderful as it could be, and that if we want it to be a wonderful life, we need to completely transform humanity. We cannot rely on other things to make us happy, such as plastic surgery, food, facebook or twitter. We need to find inner happiness and content in order to fully enjoy the other aspects of life. But as humans, as Bostrom expresses, we are naturally negative. That, in fact, needs to change.
Reading The Surrogates and reading Bruce Schneier's article, the thought of technology is a little terrifying. One point Schneier makes, which is extremely relevant, is the 'pollution' we are putting out today is equivalent to the pollution of the Industrial Revolution. "Data is the pollution of the information age ... And just as 100 years ago people ignored pollution in our rush to build the Industrial Age, today we're ignoring data in our rush to build the Information Age."
Technology is extremely beneficial, but the after effects and other aspects of it can be detrimental.

The New and Improved Kimmy Woo story

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_MvoqBy46s&feature=player_embedded

Once I can log onto a mac I will put up the actual video - but for now the above link is the new Kimmy Woo video.

We added more background information, such as Kimmy's plan for the future, and certain struggles she undergoes just to help the students out. For example, she is currently fighting a legal battle with other restaurants in the area. She wants hot food to be included in the $5 special, however, Overbrook Pizza and other places to eat do not want her to, because we will obviously bring our money and customer satisfaction to her establishment.

We realized that we needed more Kimmy footage, and we did not take anything out.