For the first blog post, we had to complete; I was responsible for reading about the topics of AI, Computers, software, and the Future.
For the AI portion, I decided to read something I was not all too familiar with, and that is farming. How High Tech Is Transforming One of the Oldest Jobs: Farming is an article about a California based company that seeks to improve techniques used by farmers. They create software and develope auto-steer systems to plan out perfect planting rows as well as maximizing coverage. They describe how the labor shortage has created a need for such devices for such equipment and that the wages for these drivers will grow and grow, costing farmers. The company Bear flag robotics also explains that their software used would also incorporate satellite imaginary to determine the best planting times as well as sensors to monitor the state of the soil to monitor nutrient levels. These innovations are great leaps in agriculture, and I believe they are the first steps in fighting world hunger through more efficient growing tactics.
The next article is concerning computers and which are everpresent in our lives, whether it being on your phone, a desktop tower or even in one's fridge. However, we can reflect on where they all came from and that the best computers use to take up a whole room. These supercomputers have been surpassed by the tiniest of devices; however, there are still massive versions of these and the article I read about (Huge Supercomputers Still Exist. Heres What They're Being Used for Today) depicts the modern supercomputer. As in the first days of these goliaths supercomputers, today are used for scientific research but on a grander scale. They are tasked with running very complex simulations from cancer protein folding simulations to stock market tracking. The caveat to how these are alike and different is the size of them. The immense scale of the computers before the advent of the internet was mainly due to storage needs. With today's cloud sharing capabilities, that problem has very much been made irrelevant and that the physical storage they need can very easily be substituted with smart technology. The are forays into greater computing devices that are said to make all of these innovations seem like childs-play, and that is due to the coming of quantum computing. I've have read in an article a while back that this quantum computing could unlock a technological revolution, but I am starting on a tangent, so here is where I'll end this portion here.
The third topic, as stated before, is that of software. One article I felt was relevant to our field is the implementation of VR in the workplace."How Virtual Reality is Augmenting Realty" depicted examples of how the software came from science fiction to science fact and is being used by all sorts of fields. The author revealed that construction companies used VR software with an Ipad to show a rendering of the 74-story skyscraper on the construction site to visualize better how it would integrate with surrounding buildings. This augmented reality stated in the article can help see potential problems ahead of time by allowing design and construction teams better coordinate the result with potential issues throughout the project. In the VR/AR serves as a great communication tool that will be commonplace in most construction projects.
The last article reviewed was in the context of the future, which is itself a broad term. I seek to narrow this search by equating it to future technology. The article (The Tech That Will Invade Our Lives in 2020) describes potential trends that will make themselves a reality in 2020. The one that stood out to me as this is relevant to our course is the rise of smart homes. This being a synonym for intelligent buildings, the article states that "In December, Amazon, Apple, and Google came to what appeared to be a truce: They announced that they were working together on a standard to help make smart home products compatible with one another." This crossplay method makes it easier for the consumer to begin their forays into modernizing their homes with any smart home technology. This 'united front' these companies are taking shows great hopes in what the next advances in smart home technology will be.
Comments
Hey Mike,
I briefly discussed the possibilities of quantum computers in my first blog post as well. It's pretty crazy how that we as a society are on the cusp of something that can so radically change our way of living. As you said, astronomically hard calculations could be done in seconds. I cannot begin to fathom what this could do to so many fields, whether its in medical research in which we find cures to almost any disease, or we accelerate our space program hundreds of years. This may be my geeky side, but this could make science fiction a reality which both exciting and a little terrifying.
Hey Jake
Looking about the portion about databases, I have a feeling we have a shared mindset in how crazy it in what one can retrieve from looking at one's search history. As you said, advertisements do this very same thing and probably even more. If I happen to google something like headphones, I'll get bombarded for ads on other sites like Facebook or Amazon to see if I'm interested in buying a new set. The scarier thing though is even if I'm just talking out about a subject, I'll see it appear on websites which indicate our technology is always listening in. I know I might be putting on my foil hat, but the way that geofencing, as well as how the ambiguous 'they' are listening in, is a direct result of growing technology.
Hey Madeleine,
It seems that the AI take over is upon us. But in all seriousness, your post caught my eye in that how our society's outlook to artificial and like mine are cautious in how AI is developing over the last few years. It first started with the general public when Siri came out with Apple's iPhone. I know this is technically a Voice Assistant, but when people think of AI, they tend to see Alexa and Siri as prominent examples. As I posted on other's blogs that it is pretty scary of what information and be collected from them, and in turn, we are becoming dependent on this ease of access.
4 comments:
Brian:
I really like your review of the article on farming. I grew up in a small, agriculturally driven state, I wonder if these AI growing machines will be accessible to farmers who run smaller farms that maybe only serve the community around them? Or if these technologies will be reserved for large companies who will be willing to pay a premium. Either way, I think any technology that can be developed to help those who work in a hard labor career, is definitely welcome, especially considering the important role that farming serves.
Brian,
I enjoyed your review on the future. Smart homes are already in effect with voice recognition systems, and automated systems. I have a friend where he can say "goodnight Google" and all of the lights will turn off. The Thermostats will change to certain temperature. This is already happening now, and it is only going to evolve. Smart homes will eventually be more common, and there will definitely be more features and advancements. This is also occurring in commercial industries as well which will be beneficial for the work place.
Brian,
The farming article is really neat. Farmers in this country are so depended on and I don't think a lot of people realize that. It makes perfect sense that we use the technology available to us to increase the efficiency and productivity of farming. This will lower the price of crops and just overall boost the economy. That's a very basic analysis though, as of course much more goes into it than just that. Are the farmers provided training to use the technology? Or does someone do it for them? What cost is there to the farmer?
I loved the portion about smart homes. The idea of being able to easily integrate different systems in my home with my voice or a simple command is incredibly interesting to me. I've been obsessed with the idea since watching Disney's Smart House as a kid. Now to see us make steps towards making this though a reality is very cool.
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