TWC Lesson 8, 14/10/2013

The first interesting point of discussion was how China, despite have a population much larger than that of United States, is consuming 25% of the oil that USA is consuming. This is a significant piece of news, because it means that even when the population in china are consuming so much less oil than the people in america, we are already facing environmental problems and climate changes. How much so, given China's rapid rate of development, such that in maybe 15 years time everyone in china is consuming as much as the people of usa, our growth would truly be unsustainable. It struck me then that countries need to take action to move towards sustainability immediately, instead of wait for more developments in sustainable technology until it becomes economically feasible to do so (an opinion i held a few weeks ago). It was mentioned that China's government recognised this problem and realised the means for future growth would have to rely on sustainable energy and technology. As such, they have been subsidising the provision and production of sustainable energy as well as heavily investing in clean energy (34.6 billion in 2009, a 148% growth). This shows the impact that government subsidises can have.

In my presentation regarding the use of solar energy in the 3rd week, i mentioned on the amount of government subsidies for fuel and diesel in many countries, caused partly by significant lobbying by politically influential groups, as well as the populations reluctance to switch to equipment (vehicles, plants) that can operate on sustainable energy due to various reasons including the higher costs. A significant issue currently is that the negative externalities produced by the usage of such unsustainable energy is not taken into account of the cost. This reflects that even when it is not economically feasible to use unsustainable energy now, government are still subsidising it. It reflects that there are other forces at work here, not simply market forces of demand and supply. It shows that the subsidies are misplaced, and change of mindset of both the people and the government is needed. The attitude of the people is important, because if they understand the importance of sustainable production, they will vote for governments who support such a cause, or at least induce the current government to do so.

Thankfully, environmentally friendly practices have been on the rise, such as the Gasohol Programme in brazil as well as policies and mindsets of energy conservation (eg. how filament lightbulbs have been phased out due to its energy inefficiency) and pollution prevention. However, i think it is important that awareness be created regarding the various forms of sustainable energy and in-depth analysis of its methods of production. Similar to how the good intention of food aid has caused detrimental effects in its recipient country, consumers and environmental conscious companies should not blindly adopt certain forms of green technology. The marketability of biofuels have been playing on the green-mindset of consumers while it has in fact been a cause of food shortages in the poorer countries where land to grow edible crops have been instead converted for the production of biofuel.

Another important point discussed was the superiority of solar energy as the sustainable energy source for the future. It was shown that from a 1km squared plot of land, photovoltaics were the vastly superior option, 3 times that of wind and 85 times that of biomass. The energy superiority of solar energy coupled by the ability to put it on many different equipment and objects hence not limiting it to countries with lots of available land (unlike wind energy)  makes it a very attractive energy source. It already has been adopted large scale in countries such as germany, and also bangladesh, showing that its viability and economic viability.

There was a slide showing the different types of energy consumption by countries, and it reflected that the poorer and lesser developed countries such as those in the middle east, africa, and asia pacific have a significant portion of their energy produced by natural gas, coal, and oil. It shows that such countries have not progressed from traditional sources of energy. This reflects that the usage of sustainable technology as well as environmental consciousness may seem like a luxury in the eyes of the poor, and steps need to be taken to change that. For a country to embark on sustainable technology, it demands much expertise and resources in order to maintain and properly harness its energy. In my opinion the method for sustainability in poorer countries should be that of enhancing energy efficiency and preventing wastage, as that can help them save costs instead of adopting renewable energy sources that they can scarcely afford.

Countries who are "oil-rich" due to their reserves face an "oil-trap" due to their dependency on oil as their major source of revenue and as such their other revenue producing sectors are underdeveloped. As there is a limited amount of oil left in the world, some of these oil rich countries are trying to diversify their economy so as to reduce reliance on oil, while countries such as nigeria who is finding it hard to do so. This re-iterates the point about the importance of being adaptable to change in order to survive, one of the factors which is to not be overspecialised in one sector.

Key takeaway points from today's lesson would be on the importance of adopting sustainable technology as soon as possible because even now when much of the energy consumption are by developed countries we are already facing energy shortage, the problem would be much more severe next time when more countries become more developed. The government play a important part through delegating the sectors where research ought to be done as well as nurturing industries of choice through the use of subsidies. Peoples mindset also need to be changed so as to induce policy changes in the government by being able to vote for the government they want. While sustainable practices are something to be encouraged, consumers should be made aware of the side effects some of such practices create. The method of adoption of sustainability also defers from countries, with developing countries more apt to adopt energy saving methods and practices rather than having to take on the financially daunting task of adopting new energy sources.

Issues for further discussion would be on the issues of financial pressure exerted by firms such as oil and diesel producing companies on governments to continuously subsidise fossil fuels and the methods through which it can be combated. Should organizations such as the UN step in, or is it purely an issue to be settle domestically. Although solar energy has been shown to be the most effective sustainable energy source, should the idea of biofuel be abandoned totally, given that some biofuels (such as Hemp, as mentioned in one of the presentations) also provide alternative uses?

TWC individual review paper draft

Telekinesis, made possible by BCIs - The future for remote control[1]

Joseph Tam Chun Kit (joseph.tam.2013@accountancy.smu.edu.sg), 1^st Year Student, School of Accountancy, Singapore Management University (SMU)

Executive Summary 

The paper will cover on how the impossibility of telekinesis have been made a reality by technology,  and its vast change it could bring in the future should further developments continue to occur in the neurological field. It will discuss the many advantages that telekinesis, however basic, will provide and also the limitations it faces and possible controversial issues it could face, as such examining how it would measure up to its competitors hence its viability.

1.      Introduction

Much of the technology we now have today have come about due to our desire to have convenience in our lives, such as motor vehicles today which saves the time needed to get to our destination, or mobile phones such that we can communicate with others without actually being physically present. Remote control technology brings this a step further by being able to translate the communication into actions.

Remote control, however, has its limitations. The act of transmitting a command to the target object involves 2 steps, whereby the person decides on the act and then using the remote control to transmit the command to the object. Brain-to-computer interfaces (BCI), which is an interface that allows a human to control a computer or gadget with thought using EEG, allows for the information to be transmitted the moment it is thought. This removes the time lag between the thought and the process of operating the remote control and allows more complicated tasks and accurate movements to be completed by use of remote control.

As of now, remote control has only been used to control computers or other electronic devices.  Through the use of Brain-to-brain interfaces (BBI) or BCI together with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), the minds of animals and humans can be controlled. 

Current forms of remote controls have to be hand-operated which is inconvenient for people to use while on-the-go or when their hands are full. Some of them are not user friendly because also complicated to operate due to the large number of commands available for input. BCI may be able to offer the solution in the future where users would only need to think about the action in order to make it happen.

This paper will cover the invention of remote controls in the 1900s and its development and gradual proliferation in the technology we use today. It will then consider the limitations of the current remote control technology we use today as well as the limitations of EEG in the present. The benefits that the realm of mind control (through the use of EEG) can offer in the future to improve on current remote control technology will be explained as well as possible difficulties it may face. The controversial issues and benefits with regards to the use of EEG in between humans will also be discussed, together with measures which may be taken to minimise the occurrence of such problems.

2. Historical Perspectives

2.1 Remote control

The earliest form of remote control was in 1898 which was invented by Nicola Tesla through the use of radio waves to control a boat. In his demonstration, Tesla used a miniature boat controlled by radiowaves. Using a metal antenna on the boat which could receive one radio frequency, Tesla sent signals to the boat using his device for remote control which was a box equipped with a lever and a telegraph key (originally designed to send Morse code signals). The signals generated from this box shifted electrical contacts aboard the boat, which, in turn, adjusted settings for the rudder and propeller, allowing the operator to control the boat's motion. (O’Neill, as cited by Jonnes in 2003)

Shortly after Tesla's breakthroughs, Spanish engineer Leonardo Torres-Quevedo used wireless telegraph transmitters (by the use of electromagnetic waves) to control first a tricycle, then an engine-powered boat, and then into submarine torpedoes. (Pérez, 2008) This newly discovered technology was used In World War I, where the German navy used remotely controlled boats loaded with explosives to attack opposition ships. With remote controlled weapons, armed forces could now direct armaments from a distance.

The 1930s saw the emergence of remote controls for radios. Philco (Philadelphia Storage Battery Company) offered some of its high-end radios with a wireless, battery-powered remote called the Mystery Control. In the mid-1950s, Zenith engineer Eugene Polley devised his Flashmatic TV remote, which used directional flashes of light to control the television. But the TV's four photo cells responded to all sorts of light sources, causing spontaneous channel changes.

In 1956, Robert Adler created the Space Command control, which employed high-frequency, ultrasonic sound instead of light. This new remote didn't even require batteries. Instead, it had tiny hammers to strike one of four aluminum rods, creating different sounds used only by the TV's receiver. One rod each controlled the on and off power functions and the channel up and down function. (Acebrón and Spigler, 2007).

 It was only in the 1980s where remotes began using the infrared light signals that are most commonly seen today.

2.2 Electroencephalography (EEG)

In 1875, Richard Caton reported his findings about the electrical nature of the brain, whereby the brains of dogs and apes were found to emit electrical impulses on the surface. In 1929, citing Caton’s research, Hans Berger was able to record brain activity from a closed skull using EEG and found that brain activity varied according to the functional stages of the brain. Several years later, it was discovered that similar results could be obtained by using pads instead of putting needles through the scalp into the skull. This was a significant discovery as it allowed EEG to be non-invasive.

 In 1934, Fisher and Lowenback first demonstrated epileptiform spikes. In 1935 Gibbs, Davis and Lennox described interictal spike waves and the 3 cycles/s pattern of clinical absence seizures, which began the field of clinical electroencephalography. Subsequently, in 1936 Gibbs and Jasper reported the interictal spike as the focal signature of epilepsy. The same year, the first EEG laboratory opened at Massachusetts General Hospital. The usefulness of EEG in understanding epilepsies increased the funding provided for EEG which bolstered further research in the area.

In the 1950s, William Grey Walter developed an adjunct to EEG called EEG topography, which allowed for the mapping of electrical activity across the surface of the brain. This gave researchers a more accurate view of the location of alterations of rhythm and amplitude of the brain waves. (Collura, 1993)

3.      Current situation

These days, many of the products have built-in remote control capabilities into them. There are used in devices such as the television remote control, toy cars and helicopters, military weapons, as well as plenty of industry equipment. This proliferation of remote control technology in our daily lives thus broadens the scope of influence that BCI has.  The practical use of BCI in today’s context mainly centres on the use of invasive (implanting the BCI into the grey matter of the brain) and partially invasive( implanting the BCI within the skull but not in the brain) techniques. The non-invasive use of BCI which is made possible through the use of Electrocephalography although offers greater potential to be commercialised and commonly used, is a relatively new technology and most of the applications it has today merely offers potential for the future instead of for practical purposes.

3.1  Invasive and Partially-Invasive Brain-to-Computer Interface(BCI)

Despite the greater potential that the non-invasive usage of BCI offers for the future, at the moment the practical uses of BCI such as in the medical field relies on invasive methods of implanting the BCI devices into either the grey matter of the brain or partially invasive methods of implanting the devices within the skull but not in the brain itself. The use of such methods allows for clearer signals to be received and used, because although the electrodes in the BCIs  measure the same signals used in EEG, but their closer proximity to the brain and the elimination of the insulating features of the skull and dura result in greater signal amplitude, wider detectable frequency range, and better topographical resolution (Mak and Wolpaw,2009). More information can thus be transmitted to the BCI which allows for a greater number of movements and more complex tasks. Currently it has been used in the vision science area through partially restoring vision to blind people, and in neuroprosthetics by restoring movement in people such as through computers or robotic arms (wiseGEEK, 2013). The dangers posed by Invasive BCI methods such as the increased risk of developing scar tissues as the body reacts to the foreign object in the brain which will cause the signal to weaken or become completely undetectable. Implantation surgery, and the presence of a foreign

object within a human’s body, can create scar tissue in the area around the implantation. Scar

tissue build can even cause the relatively stronger signal to weaken or be lost altogether (Kennedy and Bakay, 1998) which would defeat the purpose of using an invasive BCI in the first place. There is also the risk of the BCI implant malfunctioning or lose operational capabilities, in which case brain surgery might need to be performed again ( which presents significant risk and cost in the use of invasive BCI’s) compared to

non-invasive BCI’s used by patients which can undergo consistent maintenance and upgrades. Because of such disadvantages, development of BCIs have been primary non-invasive in areas such as the EU and Asia

3.2 Non-Invasive Brain-to-Computer Interface (BCI)

The non-invasive type of BCI is made possible through the use of EEG whereby intracranial electrophysiological signals are recorded using electrodes and interpreted to decode the intent of subjects and control external devices (Lebedev and Nicolelis, 2006). The successful use of this type of BCI has been demonstrated by a group of researchers in the University of Minnesota where a flying robot has been successfully controlled. The thoughts of the researcher controlling the robot were interpreted through the use of an EEG cap and using this, the robot was capable of being manoeuvred even through hoops (LaFleur et al.,2013). The ability to execute such relatively complex movements is a significant one because it was previously thought that only invasive BCI’s could do so.        

The ability of non-invasive BCI to demonstrate capabilities similar to that of invasive BCIs is crucial due to the numerous problems posed by invasive BCIs. The need of implanting the device into the grey matter of the brain poses significant risks due to the need for brain operation, and as such invasive BCIs can only realistically be used as a solution for serious health issues such as blindness and paralysis.

Non-invasive BCIs have been successfully used in patients both partially or severely paralyzed, allowing them to have basic forms of communication and control in their interaction with the external world. The EPOC headset today is an example of the application of non-invasive BCI in today’s world, whereby it can be used as a form of art, aid medical patients, used as a form of market research and most importantly in the area with the biggest market, gaming.         

3.3 Brain-to-Brain interface (BBI)

The field of BBI is still in its early stages whereby different methods of transmitting the data are being used in different studies. A technique known as focus ultrasound (FUS) has been found that a low-intensity blast can be used to stimulate brain tissue without damaging it. Using this technique, rats were able to be controlled with the human mind by connecting the rat to a FUS-based computer-to-brain interface (CBI) and the human controller is hooked up to an EEG-based BCI. The human is then given a specific visual cue which generates electrical brain activity in the same frequency. When this activity is detected by the BCI, it sends a command to the CBI, which in turn sends FUS into the region of the rat's brain that controls its tail, causing it to move. (Starr, 2013)[vl1] 

Another more well-known experiment involved a researcher being able to transmit brain signals to his colleague via the internet causing his hand to move. The sender of the brain signals was connected to an EEG-based BCI, and the signal was sent to the receiver via the Internet to a computer connected to a transcranial magnetic stimulation device, positioned on the exact spot of the brain that controls the right hand (Rao and Stocco, 2013)

4 Future considerations

The use of EEG based remote control has lots of potential but to realise it first we have to overcome the limitations of the contributing technologies, mainly the field of EEG. We also need to consider measures to limit the possible negative effects that future developments of EEG based remote control could result in.

4.1 Limitations

A significant limitation of using non-invasive BCI & BBI by the use of electroencephalography (EEG) is the corruption of EEG data by electrical signals that are picked up by the sensors that do not originate from cortical neurons, such as through eye movement, blinking, the use of scalp, neck, or other muscles and also poor contact between the scalp and the electrodes (Rowan andTolunsky,2003). This makes it impractical to use EEG based remote control in practical situations because rarely will there be such controlled environments to prevent the corruption of the electrical signals. The distortion of electrical signals by even the use of muscles makes it hard to be used while on-the-go, which defeats the purpose of convenience intended for the user. However there are ways to overcome this, by reducing such distractions and “noise” through the use of reference electrodes placed in locations where there is little cortical activity so as to filter out correlated patterns (Ludwig et al., 2009)

Another problem  of EEG in the use of BCI is that much of the signals are lost due to overlapping electrical activity generated by different cortical areas as well as the passive conductance of these signals through braise tissue, bone and skin( Lebedev and Nicolelis,2006). As a result, the signal is insufficient for the control of highly complex equipment. For example in the case of a prosthetic arm, the signals necessary to control the arm , including the closed loop controls between the brain,  arm and fingers, would be too blurred for the necessary arm movement (Dietrich et al., 2010)

Lastly, the use of EEG based BCI requires the individuals to be trained for a significant period of time. In research conducted by Bin he, the individuals were trained extensively over a couple of months to be familiar with the mechanics of flying the remote controlled droid as well as practicing the thoughts needed to create the brainwave required to control the droid. Similarly in the BBI experiment by Rao and Stocco (2013), subjects had to spend time training their minds so as to emit the correct brainwave for moving the right hand so that it could be recognised by the computer. This seems to be a rather pressing issue because people are not receptive to devices which require lots of effort to master when the current form of remote control is a more convenient alternativive.. [vl2] 

4.2 Possible Applications in the future

The use of EEG based remote control provides the opportunity for patients suffering from paralysis to operate equipment around them and interact with their surroundings through the use of telepresence robotics, enabling them a certain level of independence that they would otherwise not achieve.  Combined with the ability to express their thoughts in a simple form (Morrison, 2013), this greatly improves the quality of life that these patients will enjoy.

In a study by Cruse et al (2011), a small percentage of patients known to be in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) were shown to be able to generate appropriate EEG responses in response to various commands. This presence of brain activity could offer the possibility of using the EEG based remote control which will allow these patients to lead a more normal life.

As mentioned before, the use the EEG based remote control reduces the time lag between thought and action. An example of where this would be useful would be for medical robots controlled by doctors to perform operations. Robots are being increasingly used for medical operations because they allow for smaller and more specific movements to be carried out and access to the areas of the body which are harder to reach, Urmc.rochester.edu (2013).In this context, it is important that the actions carried out by the robot are as synchronised as possible to the surgeon’s intentions because a very low margin of error is allowed. This form of remote control makes  humans to be more connected to machines, allowing for better reaction times reduce accidents from occurring.

The ability to control equipment without physically doing so offers benefits more than just mere convenience. In scenarios where the user suddenly loses his physical capabilities such as in the case of traffic accidents or sudden health conditions like heart attacks, EEG based remote control provides the means for the victims to seek for methods of escape by still being able or communicate to others for help.

BBI, which makes brain-to-brain communication possible, offers a host of possibilities in the future. Animals, some who possess a small size capable of entering small nooks and crannies, and others with acute sensory mechanisms, could be used in search and rescue operations as well as environmental surveillance. As shown in the experiment Rao and Stocco (2013), BBI can be used to induce actions in the receiver. The ability to control movements of other people would be a useful educational tool especially for the teaching of complicated movements such as for skills like dancing, self-defence and sports manoeuvres. The role of internet in BBI also opens up the potential for physical interactions to occur through virtual networks which would be a new element of communication

BCI, combined with the capabilities of BBI through the internet, offers great potential in the gaming industry because it brings in an additional physical aspect in the world of virtual reality. Its relevance and potential for the gaming industry is significant because of the large amount of people it could reach out to, compared to the medical field, and thus the large market of the gaming industry will attract resources for further development of relevant technologies and developments in its medical applications would benefit as part of its spill over effects.

4.3 Ethical issues [vl3] 

With further developments in BCIs and BBIs, there will inevitably be concerns regarding ethics such as the invasion of privacy such as in cases where the patient does not have means of expressing consent due to various forms of communicative disorder. As a result, it is unclear if it would be ethical to either implant BCI’s or to subject them to non-invasive BCIs which would be tapping into their minds without prior consent, amounting to a breach of privacy.

The availability of medical BCI usages also creates new problems regarding the distribution of such medical devices. The technology of BCIs is relatively complex and requires certain qualifications and hence people in rural areas would be left out of the benefits. With healthcare being something that is supposed to be a public right in some countries, but yet with a limited number of BCIs, ethical issues may arise on the priority given to different types of patients; The patients requiring BCIs are mainly the disabled with varying degrees of paralysis, both which could be in-born or as a result of accidents.

The ability to control the minds of animals and use them as tools for human activities may also outrage animal rights activists and face public condemnation, despite the many benefits it may confer. Brain to brain communication might also give rise to the possibility of mind control without consent, such as in the case where researchers were able to control the actions of the rat.

4.4 Social Issues

The high cost of EEG related technology means it would not be accessible to the poor. With regards to the medical benefits that could be derived, funds channelled into its research could arguably do more good in being used to address the basic needs and concerns of the common man instead of providing specialised healthcare that only the rich could afford.

Should non-invasive forms of EEG become popular in the future, its popularity might compel the government to make it compulsory for everyone for administrative purposes due to the convenience it brings for everyone to be under the same health plan, even though some people may actually be opposed to it.

The usage of non-invasive BCIs in the gaming industry, although poses many benefits such as offering gamers a whole new experience, can pose significant threats. The proliferation of BCIs may gradually lead to getting information from the internet itself(instead of only sending information) which would definitely lead to new kinds of internet viruses that may have disastrous consequences given that they can “hack” into a person’s brain, not just his computer.

Conclusion

Telekinesis has been made possible through the use of BCIs. The realm of non-invasive BCIs offers significant advantages as its ease of use offers the potential for it to be applied not just in the medical field, but in areas for the common man such as communication, gaming, as well as possible social applications. Hence in my opinion non-invasive BCIs will become a revolution in the future. However, it also presents to us many new problems should it become a reality. Issues of mind control become an actual reality which we could face decades later, and we may need to ask the question whether BCI, with the risk that it offers, should be commercialised and be used for recreation or for the sake of convenience instead of the main medical usages currently.

References

 Jonnes, Jill. Empires of Light ISBN 0-375-75884-4. Page 355, referencing O'Neill, John J., Prodigal Genius: The Life of Nikola Tesla (New York: David McKay, 1944), p. 167.)

Pérez Yuste, A. (2008). Early Developments of Wireless Remote Control: the Telekino of Torres Quevedo. Proceedings of the IEEE, 96(1), 186-190

Acebrón, J. A., & Spigler, R. (2007). The remote control and beyond: the legacy of Robert Adler. SIAM News, 40(5).

Collura, T. F. (1993). History and evolution of electroencephalographic instruments and techniques. Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology, 10(4), 476-504.

Lebedev, M. A., & Nicolelis, M. A. (2006). Brain–machine interfaces: past, present and future. TRENDS in Neurosciences, 29(9), 536-546.

LaFleur, K., Cassady, K., Doud, A., Shades, K., Rogin, E., & He, B. (2013). Quadcopter control in three-dimensional space using a noninvasive motor imagery-based brain–computer interface. Journal of neural engineering, 10(4), 046003.

Kennedy, P. R., & Bakay, R. A. (1998). Restoration of neural output from a paralyzed patient by a direct brain connection. Neuroreport, 9(8), 1707-1711.

Starr, M. (2013). Control a rat with your mind. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.cnet.com.au/control-a-rat-with-your-mind-339345047.htm [Accessed: 12 Oct 2013]

Rowan, A. J., & Tolunsky, E. (2003). Primer of EEG: With a Mini-atlas. Butterworth-Heinemann.

Ludwig, Kip A., et al. "Using a common average reference to improve cortical neuron recordings from microelectrode arrays." Journal of neurophysiology 101.3 (2009): 1679-1689.

Dietrich, Dietmar, et al. "Limitations, possibilities and implications of Brain-Computer Interfaces." Human System Interactions (HSI), 2010 3rd Conference on. IEEE, 2010.

Rao, R. & Stocco, A. (2013). Brain2Brain Study: Experiment. [online] Retrieved from: http://homes.cs.washington.edu/~rao/brain2brain/experiment.html [Accessed: 13 Oct 2013]

Morrison, D. (2013). Reading minds: University research may help those who cannot move : UMNews : University of Minnesota. [online] Retrieved from: http://www1.umn.edu/news/features/2004/UR_28115_REGION1.html [Accessed: 13 Oct 2013]

Cruse, D., Chennu, S., Chatelle, C., Bekinschtein, T. A., Fernández-Espejo, D., Pickard, J. D., ... & Owen, A. M. (2012). Bedside detection of awareness in the vegetative state: a cohort study. The Lancet, 378(9809), 2088-2094.

Urmc.rochester.edu (2013). Robots: Now Appearing in an Operating Room Near You - Online Medical Encyclopedia - University of Rochester Medical Center. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=1&ContentID=24247 [Accessed: 13 Oct 2013].

Mak, J. N., & Wolpaw, J. R. (2009). Clinical applications of brain-computer interfaces: current state and future prospects. Biomedical Engineering, IEEE Reviews in, 2, 187-199.

wiseGEEK (2013). What are Some Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI)?. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-some-brain-computer-interfaces-bci.htm [Accessed: 13 Oct 2013].

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[1] This paper was reviewed by Grace Tay and Tan Ho Yee.

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 [vl1]Besides stating the current situation, you need to state the impacts of the current forms of telekinesis technology.

 [vl2]These limitations are too micro in level. You need to look at the broader picture. Examine the economic, social and possibly legal impacts of these technology and not just the specific limitations/impacts of one small example of telekinsis technology

Give your own inputs and if possible substantitate them with information found online.

 [vl3]Try to separate the ethical and social issues sections if possible. 

TWC Lesson 7, 30/9/2013

There’s enough on this planet for everyone’s need but not for everyone’s greed.”
- Mahatma Gandhi  -



This quote encompasses many different aspects of "need", but what i understood it at first to mean was in the area of food. Apparently we have 1.5 times the food needed to feed everyone on the planet. We have enough food to feed 10 billion people. Why then, is it said that "Almost 1 billion people across the globe will go to bed hungry tonight, 200 million of them children" (USAID, 2013). One of the reasons mentioned in class was the lack of proper transportation channels and regulations to ensure that the food aid reaches the intended receiver, and also the overconsumption of food and also food wastage ( such as through dumping of food or the burning of it to maintain high prices). Interestingly i read online that much food aid ( some which are actually food dumping in disguise, others backed by genuine intentions) is actually detrimental to the poorer countries as the free food drives local farmers and food producers out of business, increasing the market share of the developed countries. I think this observation is an interesting one with regards to yali's question about the question of inequality and how we should solve it - the famous quote "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime" comes to mind here. Much of the aid we give to poor nowadays (not just poor countries, just the poor in general) is rather one dimensional and merely "giving them a fish" is a short-term solution with possible detrimental effects. At the risk of sounding offensive, it is like those signs which tells people to stop feeding the animals because they will lose their own abilities to find food for themselves. The problem of inequality is solved not merely by providing mere material support: because the reasons for inequality is the mindset and  technology needed to aquire goods, and not the goods themselves. A documentary i saw talked about how after the 2004 tsunami, much of the fishing boats given to the poor fishermen (to allow them to get back on their feet) was instead sold immediately for quick cash. 

Well, back to the topic at hand, two of the key factors in the causation of hunger was not mentioned. First is the usage of biofuels, whereby tons of edible food is instead used as a fuel source, touted to be "environmentally friendly" but actually harms the food supply significantly. This also bumps up the price of food commodities and causes it to be less available for the poor. The increase in demand of meat as a food source causes food shortage as much edible grains and crops are instead used to feed livestock, and research have shown that meat consumption is about 8 times more inefficient as an energy source compared to grains. It seems to me that the problem of food shortage might not lie in the lack of transportation channels, but the demands of the developed countries are suppressing the more important needs of the poor. As mentioned in cedric's presentation, affecting the mindset of the developing countries seems to be the more appropriate option to address the problem of food shortage.

We were shown an interesting video which portrayed humans as parasites of the earth, where we plunder earth of its resources, and later on move on to trying to obtain resources from other planets. I felt that it was quite an accurate depiction of what has happened, because our influence on earth has been almost entirely negative, such as in the case of usa where only 4% of the original forests are now left, global warming caused by the human industrialisation and the loss of biodiversity as results of excessive hunting and the damages we caused to the environment. Today, one of the prospects of space travel is the ability to travel to nearby planets in the future and harness its resources. 

However, as mentioned by a classmate, although the damage we have done to the earth as shown in the video was an accurate depiction of our past, we are now working to reverse or at least limit such damage through sustainable technology.  Examples mentioned in class was the farming of fish such that the transportation costs needed to catch the fish was minimised, and also practices such as trolling which have detrimental effects on the environment are not needed in the case of fish farming. An extension of the farming of animals would be animal husbandry whereby animals with desirable traits are breeded together, thus increasing the productivity of farming. The advancement of medical technology has allowed for desirable genes to be spliced into livestock or crops and allows for greater food production. Apart from these sustainable methods of food production, other resources have been harnessed in a more sustainable way such as selective logging ( at a rate at which the rate of removal is not greater than the rate of growth) and using of more sustainable forms of energy. So, despite the negative effects we have had on earth before, the greater knowledge we have about how things work has allowed us to better cater for our own wants and needs without such a great toll on the environment - a step in the right direction.

"It is not inconceivable that we may one day develop efficient home bioreactors for converting household biological wastes into energy for powering our household appliances."

The use of flash-pyrolysis to create energy from biomass is an example of the cyclical type of production that we need to adopt to attain sustainable production. This cyclical form of production was also emphasized in aishwarya's presentation on vermicompost (which uses earthworms to make biological and food waste suitable for use as fertilizers) and yiting's presentation on the production of artificial meat from sewage mud (unfortunately a hoax). It is through the use of cyclical methods of production that will allow us to continue our lifestyle while taking as little as possible from the environment.

There was discussion in class regarding the use of genetically modified foods and its suitability for consumption. The shift towards GMO foods is a controversial one due to lack of conclusive research regarding the safety of the foods, as well as lab experiments on other animals showing worrying results. The arguments for the need to label GMO foods (which usa opposes) include allowing the problematic GM food to be traced should its consumers experience health problems, as well as allowing consumers properly assess the risk of GMO foods themselves by the availability of labels instead of robbing them of the opportunity and in a way "force-feeding" the GMO foods to them. The main reasons for the removal of labelling is to get rid of the stigma associated with GMO foods (which is not unfounded fears) by simply not mentioning it. This is pretty irresponsible because of the health risks associated to it (albeit non-conclusive), similar to how NEWater is simply intergrated into our water supply despite studies showing that water obtained from reverse osmosis is detrimental to human health as it has been stripped of its minerals in the process of reverse osmosis.

Key takeaways from this lesson was the need for methods to solve inequality to be reviewed. Material aid cannot be simply given out because it can have detrimental long term effects on the economy of the country receiving the aid. Instead methods of production, knowledge, as well as teaching the people the importance of it, should be the steps more developed countries should take to alleviate poverty and inequality instead. Their mindset must be changed as providing mere material aid requires less effort. Problems of proper resource allocation also need to be addressed. As our technology improves, so has our methods of production which have become less environmentally taxing such as the use of cyclical methods of production. New technologies introduced into the market should also include indicators so as to respect the consumers right to make informed decisions as well as for possible damage controls.

Issues for further discussion would then be on how should new methods of production be transferred to the poor countries? Should technologies such as GMO be made available for these countries, knowing that with their lack of education or food resources they are unlikely to be concerned about possible future health and environmental implications of the technology they adopt?

Today's lesson covered some interesting topics and i would rate it 8/10