Unplug from the World

Could you do this experiment? 

Take a week, and turn off your phones, get off Facebook, and get away from your computer.

It’s hard, right?

Let’s be honest.  How many of you say you can do this but then only an hour later have failed and gone right back to your phone.  I mean…I wouldn’t be able to achieve this. 

How many times have you gone and enjoyed your phone while ignoring the people that you are with?  How many hours have you spent logging time on meaningless apps?  Let’s face the music.  Humans today have an insatiable need to be on their phones, constantly on Facebook and always checking for messages. 

Can you even remember what it was like to not have phones?  Probably not.  Now I don’t think that having phones is necessarily a bad thing but it might do you a world of good to put down the phone and take a few minutes to simply, stop and smell the roses.

So, who’s with me?  Let’s see what a few minutes free of using our cell phones will do for our lives.  If you want more information check out this blog post...http://galacticpublicarchives.blogspot.com/2015/06/click-here-for-happiness.html

The Next Revolution: A 21st Century Job Market

As a Cal Berkeley student, it is with a mixed conscious that I celebrate the great mind of a Stanford scholar, but as an inquisitive spirit, it is necessary that I recognize a revolutionary thinker. Steve Jurvetson, managing director of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm, has one of those minds.

As part of our i4j series (Innovation for Jobs), Jurvetson applies his futuristic thinking to the question of what the job market may begin to look like, with continuing advancement in technology and science. He does not fear change, instead he is excited by it. He presents a scenario in which people and governments embrace progressing times, and adapt conceptions of “living” to fit into a new world.

In this video, Jurvetson’s passion and excitement for technology is apparent. He highlights the importance of looking long, and accepting fundamental change as a benefit for the future of civil society.  Certain points he highlights, such as the inevitably changing formal definition of what it means to “have a job”, resonate heavily in my life, and the lives of other American students.

As I pay hundreds of thousands of dollars, and spend countless hours sitting in crowded lecture halls, I am constantly reminded of the reason for my doing so—my parents repeat: “school, career, family, etc etc”. For the first time, I am beginning to question the legitimacy of this reason. Jurvetson helps me see: the path on which I have projected myself for years, may not be as clear or straight as it may have seemed originally, and it is my, our society’s job, to learn to navigate the new terrain.

What is the future of Education?

The big question today regarding education in America is this:  when students finish their education are they really prepared enough?  Statistics pulled from The Board Foundation state that by the time a person graduates from college, they may lack basic knowledge and applied skills.  They also state that only one in four high school students will graduate ready for college in all four core subjects, and that less then half (about 46%) will finish college.  

All in all what has been put forth is alarming to say the least.  Where will that leave us in the future?  Should we put more effort into teaching or should we concentrate on helping them learn how to think?

As someone who is striving to get a Master’s degree, I can’t help but think how my education will affect how my future goes.  I ask the same questions.  Will I be able to land a job with the knowledge and skills that I have?  Will I be seen as having enough experience?  Do I have what it takes to make my way up the ladder?  It’s been said that what people value in an employee is someone who has experience rather then knowledge, and I believe that’s true.  However what needs to be done now is figure out how to fix this problem before it becomes too much of a hassle to fix. 

If we can’t produce the knowledge and skills that are needed to have a basic job, then where will we be in the future?

This GPA video is an interview with Dr. Woodie Flowers, professor emeritus at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  He describes that the way to propel education into the future is not to train professionals but to teach them how to think.  

Do you agree?  What are your thoughts on the future of education?

Ciao!

Click Here for Happiness

Considering the equation time=money, one would assume that in order to increase money, time must be savored. There are many ways people tackle this proposition, most centered around the need to maximize efficiency.  Upon the turning of the century, it has become clear, that the way many people choose to maximize efficiency, is through relying on technology. Like any large societal change, this reliance on technology, although seemingly harmless, has profound effects.

Many people, especially those who have grown up in the technological era, do not notice the effects of technology until consequences arise: the consequence highlighted in this eye-opening video is isolation, leading to a unique sense of loneliness.

The act of being everywhere at once, with anyone and everyone, seems like it would do nothing but open doors. Unfortunately, this is not seen to be the case. Yes, there may be doorways, but these doors are becoming locked. Sherry Turkle considers: “Think of it as ‘I share, therefore I am.’ We use technology to define ourselves by sharing our thoughts and feelings as we’re having them. We used to think, ‘I have a feeling; I want to make a call.’ Now our impulse is, ‘I want to have a feeling; I need to send a text’” (Turkle, Sherry). This is a drastic and impactful change.

For this reason, I question: does technology ‘live’ for us, or are we beginning to live for technology? Does technology aid in our happiness, or does our happiness depend upon technology?

Time=money. Time=money does NOT equal happiness. Professor Yamir-Hamburger reminds us to be conscious, to continue to be aware of what it is we really need. With this in mind, I pose the challenge: “Click here for Happiness”, and then click out.

Turkle, Sherry. "The Flight From Conversation." The New York Times. The New York Times, 21 Apr. 2012. Web. 23 June 2015.  

Understanding Artificial Intelligence

“By far, the greatest danger of Artificial Intelligence is that people conclude too early that they understand it.”

            -Eliezer Yudkowsky

Do you understand Artificial Intelligence?

The phenomena of building Artificial Intelligence is an itch that will not go away.  It has been and will always be a part of entertainment, with several movies coming out that deal with AI.  Such as, 2001: A Space Odyssey, AI: Artificial Intelligence, Metropolis, and Her.   It fascinates and controls us in the pursuit of building something that will ultimately be humanity’s greatest surviving project. 

But should we only concentrate on something that only a human can come up with or should we focus on something that isn’t quite part of this world?

According to Former Astronaut Dan Barry, he believes that artificial intelligence is something that can be found via otherworldly. 

Do we agree with what Dan Barry is saying?  Should we focus more on finding AI that can transcend our world or should we focus on building a ultimate mind or even better is there a way to merge the two ideas into one?

It’s interesting to think that there is more then one possible way to achieve Artificial Intelligence.  However something that hasn't been mentioned yet is the concept of forging Artificial Intelligence to be used as a tool for war.  So far, when AI is discussed most people talk about how it will be beneficial for the human brain, and for human health development.  However, more and more people are starting to see AI can also have a big impact on more disastrous consequences, such as war. 

The latest technology is that of drones.  The little flying machines are only the beginning of what humans could bring forth to make waging war more easy and less taxing on the mind. 

The question that then comes to mind is will we be able to curb our desires when it comes to Artificial Intelligence?  I like to think not, which means that we will find a way to keep AI under control or we will reach out and find AI in the most unlikely of places. 

Ciao!

Sex, Stability and Fulfillment

In our next installment of our video series with renowned relationship therapist Esther Perel describes in this film a new way to view how our connections are changing in today's modern world.  

Rethinking Relationships

“The best feeling in the world is knowing that you actually mean something to someone.”

Relationships are special.  Relationships are meant to mean something worthwhile.  What do you look for in a relationship?  Do you look for someone who will be there for you regardless of the situation or are you looking for someone just so that they are able to provide companionship?  Regardless of what you are looking for in a relationship it’s safe to say that everyone yearns for that certain connection.

Diving into the brain of Esther Perel, in our newest video Couples, Culture and Sexuality, Esther Perel explains how she is starting to see different viewpoints in regards to how we are now starting to view relationships. 

We begin to shift away from what culture dictates as normal and Esther Perel can see that because of this shift in turning away from what we consider normal and are looking beyond then it shows what we as a society truly value.  The real question then is how are we working to join these two different views together so that they can function coherently.  

Esther Perel argues that how we connect gives a glimpse into what our society values.  Often more times then not when thoughts are directed to the future, its always mostly about technology, but what if instead of technology we thought of relationships.  I have to wonder though, if that will end up being true.  Sure, some might think that the future is really all about our relationships but when I see how much power technology has over us…I can’t help but disagree.  In the modern world today it’s a cinch to get what you want whenever you want it.  People are interacting more and more with others through the use of technology more then ever before, in fact almost every time I go out one more person is on their phone somehow interacting with someone else.

So then, can we still have that special connection if we’ve lost that face-to-face interaction?  

Ciao!