Inclusion of Technology in Technology-Poor Environments

In our developing global society, we often find a sharp division between the “Haves” and the “Have Nots” with respect to new and innovative products appearing within the market places of differing economies. The leveling influence in assuring that a more equitable distribution of technology occurs between cultures and societies is communication. Further, I am in complete agreement with Dr. Elliot Soloway in that the most feasible method of information dissemination currently available is the portable phone, whether it is a simple cell phone or a newer, “smart” phone. This is a means of communication that is easily produced at a minimal cost and can be made available in great numbers in a very short time. The technology is fairly simple by current standards and signal coverage would be a small matter of arranging relay stations in a pattern to provide optimal area coverage.

With the (increased) introduction of mass communication, more information could be shared with a greater number of people, leading to awareness of new and emerging technologies that should be available to everyone. The influx of new technology, though common by our current standards, would be managed by local governments that would address issues concerning cultural and social needs and demands. This would, hopefully, maintain gender, cultural, and socioeconomic sensitivity. Until these technologies are made available, the thought of using current or older technologies in new ways to improve the standard of life for entire communities is a very real consideration. Many of the answers that have been developed for use by third world communities are based on common sense and are so simplistic that it is a wonder that they were not developed during the last century. This is the same kind of innovative thinking and initiative that should be applied top the incorporation of newer technologies as they become available.

For more information concerning the influx of technology into low-technology areas, visit the sites listed below:

“Big Tech Companies Can’t Forget Simple Gadgets, Inventors Say” -
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4225945.html

“Appropriate Technology Comes of Age: A Review of Some Recent Literature and Aid Policy Statements” http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=91665427

“A MacGyver for the Third World”
http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2004/10/65276

“Tech targets the Third World”
http://money.cnn.com/2006/12/20/technology/fastforward_thirdworld.fortune/index.htm

“Big Tech Companies Can’t Forget Simple Gadgets, Inventors Say”
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4225945.html

“Science and Technology as a Tool of National Development in Third World Countries”
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Tadeo1.html

“Can the Cellphone Help End Global Poverty?”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/13/magazine/13anthropology-t.html?_r=1

DVD or VOD: A question for Additional Viewing

Reviewing the works of Philip K. Dick was a highly enjoyable chore that gave me the opportunity to revisit some videos that I had not seen in quite a while. It also took a good bit of convincing before my wife believed that my assignment was to watch a movie. When it came time to make my decision as to which of Dick’s films to watch, I went to one of the shelves in our family room and looked for the titles that I wanted. I have owned all of the films mentioned in the original assignment for years and deciding which to see again was the only difficulty I experienced. My choice, “Minority Report”, was 150 minutes of escapism that I actually viewed with an altered perception. Instead of seeing the technology and taking it in stride, I was writing down examples of the new and unique items observed in the film and comparing them to current and emerging technologies.

As to the competition between DVDs and VOD (video on demand), It does not seem to be a “Red Queen” situation. One is not being favored over the other by the consuming public, as in the case of VHS over Betamax, or the more recent decline of the HD DVD to the Blueray disk and player. It should be noted that the American population is the group being observed in this situation: Betamax is still very popular in Mexico and HD DVDs are still being sold in Canada. The situation between DVDs and VOD seems to be a matter of preferences and convenience with the American public. Both formats have coexisted for quite some time without one threatening the continued existence of the other. Both formats seem to be thriving and maintaining their popularity with consumers, giving them a choice in terms of convenience.

McLuhan’s tetrad displays the four laws of media as Enhancement, Closure, Retrieval, and Reversal. The two formats, DVD and VOD, currently seem to occupy similar positions on the tetrad. DVDs and videos on Demand both retrieve or rekindle the phenomenon of story telling. I suspect that this is one of the main reasons why they are allowed to coexist without too much friction: they both answer a requirement that we as humans have to tell, or be told, a story.

Further information about Video on Demand can be obtained from the following:
http://www.cs.tut.fi/tlt/stuff/vod/VoDOverview/vod1.html
http://home.vod.com/
http://www.itvdictionary.com/vod.html