I thought I should dedicate my last blog post to the drone strikes. We have gotten advanced with technology these days especially when it comes to aviation. With the addition to drone strikes it has made warfare safer in a sense that military men do not have o present at the site the drone strikes. Drones are more efficient then bombs because the targets are more specific.
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Saturday, March 12, 2016
Final Blog Post
As I was doing my map project, I was reminded of drones and air warfare. It amazes me how advanced we have gotten when it comes to aviation and anything related to the air. We went from using air planes to drop bombs during World War II to being able to drop bombs with drones and no one has to actually be in combat. Drones have definitely made warfare a little safer for military men. It is true that once you drop a bomb, you don't know who is going to get hurt but that is a fact when it comes to any kind of war. There will always be casualties, but i believe drones have made targets more specific.
Friday, March 11, 2016
Final Blog Post
The drone documentary that we watched in class held a lot of
weight to it. The psychological impact that the bunkers had on the operators
was astonishing. They were forced to emotionlessly shoot with the drones and
obey orders, despite the possibility of not having an accurate shot on the
target. Because of this problem, there were many innocent civilians that
continued to get killed from the American drones that were in Afghanistan. This
issue really made me wonder—is it worth using these drones with less accuracy
and killing innocent bystanders if it terminates the lives of dangerous people?
Final blog post
While watching the drone documentary In class I was shocked at how big this production of drones had become. I thought it was crazy how people sit in a room all day and control these drones half way around the world. What really struck me was the thought about how watching and killing people on a screen. I feel like it takes out the emotion from it. Also thought it was interesting how they were trying to find people to operate drones using video games. These people that they find this way might then view these drone attacks as just video games. When you're half way around the world these attacks may just seem virtual to some and this could possibly increase the number of innocent causalities.
Drones
It wasn't until the middle of 2012 did drone toys become popular. With advancements in technology, such as lighter material, smaller and longer lasting batteries, motors, and GPS causes them to pop up everywhere. They are great for all ages. I remember my brothers getting some for Christmas, and they were excited to take them to our grandma's house. She has a big, open backyard with lots of area for them to explore. But they are also perfect for adults who are looking for a DIY project.
Before this class, when someone mentioned drones, these remote control toys with cameras attached were what I commonly thought of. And i associated them with fun memories of my brothers have fun with their toys. But since taking this class, my idea of what a drone is and who it affects have changed. I really enjoyed watching the drone documentary. I think that it contained a lot of information that it not always understood. One of the quotes that impacted to me was along the lines of "Someone can kill millions of people without ever having touched the ground." This connects the idea that drones combine aerial and remote sensing. It was interesting to listen to perspective of those who fight wars operating the drones. They sit in a dark bunker, lite by the screens that they use, and when they are commanded to shoot they shoot. But as pointed out, this can have psychological affects on them realizing they are killing potentially innocent people. But due to contracts signed, they have to shoot and trust that the person they are killing is the one they wanting to kill.
Before this class, when someone mentioned drones, these remote control toys with cameras attached were what I commonly thought of. And i associated them with fun memories of my brothers have fun with their toys. But since taking this class, my idea of what a drone is and who it affects have changed. I really enjoyed watching the drone documentary. I think that it contained a lot of information that it not always understood. One of the quotes that impacted to me was along the lines of "Someone can kill millions of people without ever having touched the ground." This connects the idea that drones combine aerial and remote sensing. It was interesting to listen to perspective of those who fight wars operating the drones. They sit in a dark bunker, lite by the screens that they use, and when they are commanded to shoot they shoot. But as pointed out, this can have psychological affects on them realizing they are killing potentially innocent people. But due to contracts signed, they have to shoot and trust that the person they are killing is the one they wanting to kill.
Final Blog Post
For my final blog post, I want to talk about the beauty of coding.
For the past couple of weeks, I have just been coding for a class - ECS 30 - and it has given me a new viewpoint of maps, and a general perspective of my surroundings. While technology surrounds our daily lives, most of the time we take it for granted. Need to find the nearest Taco Bell? Just turn on your phone and search for it.
The only reason that we have such a convenience in our daily lives is all due to the diligence of engineers and computer scientists around us. What we have achieved today, and what will shape the near future is the collective efforts of engineers all across the world.
What has made communication and maps so accessible. I cannot fathom how the first few digital maps were made. What people have done with digital maps for the map project is so simple compared to how these maps were made - "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."
I am just curious how technology will shape the images of America in the future.
For the past couple of weeks, I have just been coding for a class - ECS 30 - and it has given me a new viewpoint of maps, and a general perspective of my surroundings. While technology surrounds our daily lives, most of the time we take it for granted. Need to find the nearest Taco Bell? Just turn on your phone and search for it.
The only reason that we have such a convenience in our daily lives is all due to the diligence of engineers and computer scientists around us. What we have achieved today, and what will shape the near future is the collective efforts of engineers all across the world.
What has made communication and maps so accessible. I cannot fathom how the first few digital maps were made. What people have done with digital maps for the map project is so simple compared to how these maps were made - "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."
I am just curious how technology will shape the images of America in the future.
Final Blog Post
In the final blog post, I would like to talk about the creation of my map project and the reflections about what I learnt in this course.
For the map project, only after I started working on it than I realise how difficult it is to create a map. It requires a extremely detailed planning and you cannot be wrong about the locations of the map. My map is about bikes which is related to the lives of students in UC Davis, and that is why I tried to make it perfect. Through different methodologies and research works, I still can't make it to be the map I wanted to be. There are quite a lot of barriers, such as impossibility to visit all the bike racks in UC Davis and therefore I am not able to create an extensive map by myself. Yet through the making of this map, I realised how great Google maps or simply technology is as they create such hi-tech maps to benefit different users. Apart from that, from an internet article, I also learnt that Google Maps is actually collecting databases from the users everyday. For example, if you are using Google Maps in navigation on certain highway, Google Maps will collect the real time data together with other users, thus determining whether the highway is crowded or not and show other users the crowdedness of the road. We are utilising technology, at the same time we are also contributing to it.
While for this course, it is actually an eye-opening experience of knowing how Americans interpret the environment around them. For example, the national aerial view can actually be regarded as a way to symbolise democracy and express the idea of American exceptionalism. All these allow me to know more about the rationales behind the images of America.
For the map project, only after I started working on it than I realise how difficult it is to create a map. It requires a extremely detailed planning and you cannot be wrong about the locations of the map. My map is about bikes which is related to the lives of students in UC Davis, and that is why I tried to make it perfect. Through different methodologies and research works, I still can't make it to be the map I wanted to be. There are quite a lot of barriers, such as impossibility to visit all the bike racks in UC Davis and therefore I am not able to create an extensive map by myself. Yet through the making of this map, I realised how great Google maps or simply technology is as they create such hi-tech maps to benefit different users. Apart from that, from an internet article, I also learnt that Google Maps is actually collecting databases from the users everyday. For example, if you are using Google Maps in navigation on certain highway, Google Maps will collect the real time data together with other users, thus determining whether the highway is crowded or not and show other users the crowdedness of the road. We are utilising technology, at the same time we are also contributing to it.
While for this course, it is actually an eye-opening experience of knowing how Americans interpret the environment around them. For example, the national aerial view can actually be regarded as a way to symbolise democracy and express the idea of American exceptionalism. All these allow me to know more about the rationales behind the images of America.
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