Session Ten

For me, this last session, was the best session ever for this whole module. Not only was it my turn for individual presentation, I also went away from this session of Technology Assesment and Framework/Roadmapping, with a clearer idea of the steps that I should take in terms of approaching new technologies.

My presentation on how Storytelling should be the key to understanding the future of technology, taught me a lot in the process of researching for it. Written by Genevieve Bell, an anthropologist working for Intel, she painted that the future would be that of “New devices, new infrastructures, and new experiences for starters, but also more of the same it seems. We want to be social, we want to be engaged, we like a good story”. I thought that this was really meaningful, because it offers us a very quick and easy framework for layman to understand what is a trend or fad. Whatever that can capture the hearts of people through telling their story, will be a trend. Whereas, whatever that can’t tell a good story, would end up as a fad. Also, anything that does not capture the lives of people/make people revolve their time, space or relationship with other people around it will also be a fad.

Something else that I thought was interesting about this lesson, captured me during a video that Prof showed in class. It broke the word FUTURE down, and described the future as Fast/Frugal, Urban, Tribal (due to the rise of a tribe of Internet people), Universal (radical change happening everywhere), Radical and Ethical. This is the essence of the direction that our world is heading towards, and I guess that hey, it’s not such a bad thing after all. The future actually seems quite positive if we look at it from this angle.

An especially important key takeaway this lesson, would be something that Prof mentioned in class. By comparing a crunched up piece of paper, and a blank fresh sheet of people, we can get a sense of what we want our future reality to be. The crunched up paper would be how we view and forecast the future with existing constraints (eg. not enough budget for R&D, office politics etc). This is the view of us trying to be realistic, but we end up restraining ourselves instead. For the blank sheet of paper, it would be how we imagine ourselves as kings of the world. And our world is a blank sheet of paper. Anything is possible in this world of ours. What would we want to be like? What capabilities would we want in place? What would we want our reality to be? It is really all up to us to create – and that, is the most powerful takeaway I had this lesson. By looking at the problems of today as stepping stones, instead of stumbling blocks, it is clearer to have a sense of where we are going, where things are going to take us, and suddenly, everything does not seem as bleak anymore. I love how this lesson and key point that was brought up brought me so much hope, especially since I am trying to bid for colors now. With so much constraints in place, I am really thankful for this reminder being put in my life, to remind me not to give up and to put in my all and dare to dream. Daring to dream, is really the most important thing that could lead us to the future. Just like the quote shown in class, “Look before, or you’ll find yourself behind. The empires of the future, are the empires of the mind”.

Another key takeaway this lesson, would be this other quote that struck me, and showing me the importance of dreaming. To me, dreams are actually the framework to the future that we need. The African proverb said, “Tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today”. If we are really interested in the future, we would be looking, dreaming forward, and daring to be a game changer, instead of looking backwards. I think this makes a lot of sense, and this is going to be the mindset that I’m going to adopt in the days to come. (:

Overall, I think this lesson deserves a 10/10, and honestly, I love how things are discussed in fair balance this week, and there is really nothing that I would want to change, even if I have the chance to.

Session Nine

This session was pretty cool and a little hard to imagine at some points in time, as the topic was about emerging and future technologies.

Interesting things we went through during this lesson, would be on XinYing’s presentation on curing HIV. As explained in her presentation, there is a real life example of such a case, with this man having both HIV and Lukemia, but had the genes removed, or rather mutated, through a bone marrow transplant. I personally know of someone who had leukemia, and through a bone marrow transplant, managed to recover fully. Thus, I really believe in the miracles that such a new technology can bring to humankind, and I feel that it would really be very beneficial should there be more advances in this area.

Another interesting idea that surfaced during the lesson, would have to do with Artificial Intelligence, or how we can actually control computers with our brain. I am very fascinated by the possibilities that such technology can bring to us in the future, and I really can’t wait for this technology to enter the mainstream market. Imagine a day when all we have to do is think of “on the TV”, or “Change the channel, this is boring”, and the TV would know exactly what to do. This would be so cool, it’s like having everything come alive. Of course, in class, we also debated about whether AI would eventually be as smart, or smarter than human beings, and the implications that come with it. Linking to something I learnt in the module “Introduction to Psychology”, someone mentioned that AI learn things through route learning, and they will only be able to learn what humans learn, nothing more, because we humans, are ultimately, the ones that control AI. However, some other people also debated that because humans are forgetful creatures, we learn and forget. AIs on the other hand, learn, and never forget. And they too, never make mistakes at all, whereas we humans make mistakes all the time. Therefore, AIs will one day eventually be smarter than humans. I truly believe that AIs will one day surpass the human intelligence capacity. The consequences of this would be disastrous indeed – imagine AIs taking over the world. However, we cannot stop our development in this area of technology, simply because of fear. I feel that we should embrace such a technology, but learn to put a limit to it, and not be overly dependent on it. (:

A key takeaway point this lesson, would be from a quote that Prof showed in class. Prof loves to quote dead people, and this dead person, George Bernard Shaw, once mentioned “you see things and you say ‘why’, but I dream things that never were, and I say ‘why not'”. This was the strongest takeaway lesson I had in the whole module so far, and I really love the quote for its forward looking, willing to take risks nature. I feel that it very aptly described the future, and the mindset that we should adopt in terms of looking at our future which is full of possibilities. This mindset is one that invites us to see things from different perspectives. By adopting the “why not” perspective, we can actually see things from the rising star perspective, and see where the road ahead will lead us. It does not leave room for fear, and I think that is a really admirable mindset to approach in this day and age, where most people are afraid of failure.

Another key takeaway point I had, would be about the 5 drivers for development of emerging and future technologies. The ones that appeals to me the most would be that of the market driven opportunity. I feel that this is a summit opportunity, when we meet the unmet needs in the market place, and take action. This is really forward looking, and something that I would want to put on my bucket list to achieve in the future – to come up with something to meet the needs of society. (:

All in all, I really hoped that more time was spent dwelling on the “why not” quote, as I feel that that was the essence of the whole lesson. My personal rating for this session would be a 8/10, as I was a little lost when the lesson started. However, things took a turn for the better when I finally understood what the lesson was about. And boy, I was captivated.

Session Eight

This is the most inspiring and informative lesson ever. I’ve learnt so much in these past 3 hours, especially from our guest speaker, who works in the wind energy industry. I must say that I am grateful that he came to class, and offered us many different perspectives about the topic this week on Energy. There was so much food for thought this lesson and I am truly happy that I was actively involved (must be because I sat in the front row again..).

Something that lingered in my head for a long while even after the lesson ended, was regarding the direction that we should take to solve the problem of the lack of energy to go around in the world. This lesson opened up my eyes to the different alternatives in which we can get energy, and the most startling being that the sun provides more energy to the earth in one hour than humankind currently uses in an entire year! WOW. If that is the case, why is everyone harping on other sources of energies such as coal, gas, fossil fuels and not tapping into such a wonderful source of renewable energy? Our guest speaker argued that landmass would be an issue because in order to capture this amount of solar energy, a lot of land would have to be dedicated to building solar panels. Other forms of energy in comparison to this, would definitely be cheaper, a faster alternative, and more easily attainable.

It was interesting to know that tornados and anti-matter could be alternative sources of energy as well. Also, I never realized that a distinction could be drawn between energy obtained from above ground (such as solar and wind energy) and energy obtained from below ground (such as coal, fuel and gas). It was interesting to know that ironically, energy obtained from below ground, actually came from the sun! Which is above the ground! I really think that people should learn how to tap into capturing the potential of solar energy, just like how Germany is paving the way forward. This would definitely change the way the world works if everyone chose to head in this direction too.

I guess to tap into alternative renewable sources of energy is easier said than done. I have been thinking about why governments do not want to use newer forms of energy like solar energy, and choose to stick to depletable forms of energy, like coal and gas instead. Through the lesson, I’ve learnt about weighing the pros and cons of methods that governments could use to advance towards this change, though it will definitely not be easy. For instance, education, though wide in reach, will have little impact when used alone. Monetary instruments such as taxes and subsidies, though flexible and zooms the focus on areas with greatest potential, has complex administration procedures in order to be executed properly, is uncertain in terms of results and regressive.

I can finally understand why it was so hard to switch to a different energy source/conserve energy after this lesson. I would personally rate this lesson a 10/10 because I am satisfied was covered in class, and will not want to change anything about what I had been given the opportunity to learn today.

Session Seven

This week was particularly stressful for me, because it’s the first time I’m sitting in the front row of class! Gosh. It was actually secretly sort of a blessing in disguise for me, because the topic for this week – biobusiness revolution: agribiology, environmental life sciences and industrial biology in the past, present and future, was something that’s totally not my interest at all! Therefore, sitting in front actually did helped me pay attention in class.

Interesting things discussed in class this week would include something that Prof said about how if you educate women, you educate the whole family. This is something that I’ve never given much thought into, and the rational for it being that a woman would always care for her family first, as compared to a man. Therefore, by educating women, they would be able to pass on the knowledge to their children and the whole family (extended family and friends even), whereas men would keep the knowledge for themselves. At first, I was very skeptical about this, but after some thought and research online, I realized that there were many NGOs out there dedicated to educating women. There was value in such work because it has been scientifically proven that women really do share with their family, and this would benefit future generations.

One major key takeaway point this lesson would be this quote “When we are able to grow the resources we need, we will finally be on the road to sustainability” – Gurinder Shahi (: It makes a lot of sense that sustainability is actually the ability to use the resources of today, without depleting the resources of tomorrow. Just like what ghandi said “There’s enough on this planet for everyone’s need, not for everyone’s greed”, we really have to think about the way we consume, and what we consume. It is very selfish to keep using resources that the past generations had given to us, and not even think about saving some, or making some for the future generations. I feel that a lot of human ingenuity is needed to create such resources though, because so far no one has thought about growing resources as a viable concern yet. If there is ever a right time to start thinking about growing resources, or finding alternative sources, I feel that now is the right time, instead of waiting for resources to deplete – it will be too late then.

Another interesting takeaway this lesson, would be about a presentation on frankenfood. My view on frankenfood was something along the lines of a “mutated” orange/apple/whatever. I used to think that only “freaks” would eat such food because it is not natural and we do not know of the repercussions of eating such food – whether it would harm our bodies and all. However, after the numerous presentations in class regarding this issue, I’ve changed my perspective on GMOs and realized that I’ve been looking at this issue too narrowly. GMOs are actually everywhere in our lives, as long as it has been preserved/processed before. Realising the dire need to feed the population of this world, with almost 1/3 of the world living in poverty, I feel that as long as these frankenfood are able to feed the people without side effects, it is the way to go. However, inventing the food is one thing, the actual delivery of the food is another. A mega problem in our world today has to do with the distribution of resources and I feel that despite having invented this alternative food source, allowing it to remain in first world countries would do no good to the hungry people in the world at all.

This lesson was focused too much on agriculture, and I would love to see more about industrial biotechnology though, because I do not know much about that area at all. I would personally rate this session a 7 out of 10 because of the lack of scope, otherwise, it was a really good start point that made me realize that biobusiness is not that boring afterall.

Session Six

This week’s topic was on The BioBusiness Revolution, with a focus on Healthcare and BioMedical Science.

I entered the class feeling very apprehensive and uninterested because healthcare had never been something that I am passionate it. Armed with a bag of sweets, I was thinking about how I was going to ‘survive’ 3 hours of class.

Turns out that class was not as bad as I thought of it to be. Prof showed a very interesting video to kick start the lesson – Health Future Vision by Microsoft.

This video showed me how fascinating the future of technology would be. With the invention of the iPod Touch and iPad, I can really imagine this vision turning into a reality. However, I was actually quite disturbed by the fact that these technologies might just end up serving the top 10% of the world’s population. I cannot see how developing countries can actually make use of these technologies to increase their standard of living. In the first place, do they even need such technologies?

One major takeaway for me this lesson, ironically, has nothing to do with the topic discussed at all. Prof showed a quote that he quoted from Albert Einstein: “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle, the other is as though everything is a miracle”. The moral of the story here is that everything is about attitude. And I guess, that is really what the core of TWC is all about. It’s not about how technology can help change the world, but rather, how we MAKE USE of such technologies to make a POSITIVE change in the world. If we can look at things and say “wow, everything is a miracle” and see everything as a possibility, the world would definitely be a much better and significantly different place. I feel that we can also look at the world and say “nothing is a miracle”. As long as the attitude we have is right, by seeing nothing as a miracle, we would be compelled to do something to the world, and make that one significant thing a miracle. It’s all about the attitude, really.

Another takeaway I had from this week’s lesson would be from Evangeline’s and Veronica’s presentation. I had always took healthcare in Singapore for granted. If I was sick and needed medication, I would have just gone straight to my GP and got what I needed. However, their presentations made me think twice about the drugs I was getting over the counter. Evangeline’s presentation was about the patent rights between drug companies in China and India (who produced 2nd class drugs) vs Pharmaceutical companies (who are the ones that pump in money for the drugs we have). I was actually quite shocked to find out that there are companies out there that manufacture drugs without being the ones who actually researched it. They “copy” such drugs and sell it at way cheaper prices to consumers, and the debate here is about whether pharmaceutical companies should patent their drugs and continue charging consumers exorbitant prices for the effort that they had put in for their research. On this issue, I feel that health should be the most important concern. As long as such drugs manufactured by companies in China and India are safe for consumption, I do not see anything wrong with it. These drugs, could help a lot more people, who currently cannot afford it, get the treatment they need too. Veronica’s presentation was on counterfeit drugs and she showed us a video on how the police found how such drugs were being manufactured. I thought that it was rather creepy that they include things like paint, rubber, foam, into the drugs to make it look like the real thing.

This whole lesson was wayyyy more interesting that I thought it would be, and I would rate it a 10/10 because it opened my eyes to the many interesting things in the healthcare industry that I would have otherwise not know about. I would love to read up more about counterfeit drugs in my own free time. But discussion in class, was sufficient for me, and there was no need for anything to have more airtime in class. (:

Session Five

This week’s topic was on ICT, Mass Media and World Change.

Something cool I discovered this week: Project Natal from Xbox 360.

I never knew that the “Project Natal”, which is a hands-free motion-sensitive controller system, actually paved the way for kinect! (: I’ve been playing kinect for ages, and I always thought that it actually got its inspiration from wii. This is truly amazing and I think it would shape the world in a dramatic way when more people start to adopt this technology, albeit in not so encouraging ways. For instance, imagine people in the future talking to their computers, not wanting to go outside to make friends. I would think that people would end up becoming more and more lazy. Imagine using voice recognition tools, we could ask our computers in the future some question, and the “person” in the screen would actually help us to find the information from wikepedia or some other source. Wouldn’t everyone just end up as couch potatoes in the future?

Some key takeaways this lesson:

Firstly, it would be about the discussion about reading 3 – how ICT can help us in achieving the millennium development goals. When I read the article, I must admit that I did not have a good impression about it. Though it is true that the 21st century is the “information era”, and that information might just be the way to advance in society today, I felt that it was a bit too far-fetched to say that ICT can help developing countries “leap frog” to cutting edge technologies. For instance, the article suggests providing e-learning as an alternative education channel, to achieve the goal of universal primary education. I questioned whether this was actually necessary, taking into account the cost of implementation of such an infrastructure, and whether this was really the way to go, considering how primary education might not be what the children in developing countries need – food is more crucial for their survival. However, the discussion in class proved to me that such a view was actually very narrow. Prof mentioned about the $100 computer project, and http://one.laptop.org/stories showed me the endless possibilities that these children would be exposed to. It is true that there are many places in the world that might not have access to full-time teaching staff, and through the internet, these children would be exposed to a whole new world out there.

Another key takeaway this lesson, would be on the evolving nature of the internet. From the static 1.0 version, to version 3.0 (omnipresent), the internet is actually freaking me out quite a bit. Prof mentioned something about how google or Facebook would actually know me better than the people around me, or even I myself, and would tweak my searches or links I click on to suit what I like or what I really need. This is scary, and sad at the same time. The internet actually knows me better than the people around me?! Ridiculous. But it’s true. I started thinking about how this would affect the world in the future, and it is scaring me. My privacy, likes, dislikes, all exposed on the internet. I definitely do not like this, and I do not think that others would like it too. ): This might not be the way forward.

I throughly enjoyed this lesson as it provided me with great insights on how the world can be changed with such technologies. I honestly thought that everything was covered well enough, and there was no need for more airtime on any issue. My overall rating on this session would be a 10/10 as it was a truly thought-provoking session for me.

my individual research paper outline!

Topic: Barcodes and Scanners 

The topic that I intend to pursue for my individual paper deals with the emergence of barcodes and its scanners, and how these technologies would change the world we live in. In particular, I am going to examine the impacts of 2D barcodes in our world today. 

What is this innovation about
This innovation – the 2D barcode, is a graphical image that stores information both horizontally. It is also known as a quick response code because it enable fast data access. 2D barcodes are often used in conjunction with smart phones (which are increasingly popular today).

Rationale for choosing this topic
Barcodes are seen on almost all items in the world today, and yet the benefits and convenience they had given to mankind had gone unnoticed. Recently, a new form of barcode, the 2D barcode, is slowly being seen more on newspapers, advertisements, receipts and even passports. I would like to examine the power of such barcodes and how it had impacted us, and will continue to impact us in the years to come.

Executive Summary
The first half of my paper will talk about the revolutionary invention of the barcode (1D, linear barcodes at that time) and its impact on the world economically, commercially as well as socially. The second half of my paper will then talk about the evolutionary innovation of the 2D barcode, how it had impacted us and will continue to change the way we live our lives in the years to come.

Introduction/Background/Historical Perspectives

•  Problem that supermarkets faced in the past: The need to keep stock of thousands of products and maintaining inventories manually. This process was time-consuming and expensive. 
• The punch card system was invented to help storeowners have a record of what was being bought but the card reading equipment of the day was bulky, unwieldy, and very expensive.
• The barcode was then invented by Norman Joseph Woodland after a long painful process to solve this problem. 

Current Situation

•  We have come a long way since then through the invention of 2D barcodes and information can now be easily stored and captured for different uses, apart from commercial uses at supermarkets. 
• Some examples of how 2D barcodes are used: 
• Nike used 2D barcodes on posters along the route of an extreme sports competition. Mobile users captured barcodes to access sponsored pictures, video and data.
• Some newspapers include 2D barcodes on stories that link mobile users to developing coverage.
• 2D barcodes on products in stores link to product reviews.
• Certain states in the USA has 2D barcodes on driving licenses
• Some people post 2D barcodes that link to their blogs or Facebook pages.

Issues/Challenges

• Imperfect Information Flow: As 2D barcodes are mostly read using smart phones, those without smart phones will be at a disadvantage.
• Privacy: Viruses, Third-parties and suppliers would be able to get hold of user’s information
• Expensive now, but might get more affordable as the technology gains popularity
• Not all the barcodes work perfectly

Discussion and Analysis

• The potential of such barcodes are not totally tapped into, and it is a waste that these barcodes are only used mostly for commercial purposes.
• Given it’s ability to store information, these barcodes could also be used to serve greater purposes, such as in the medical field, in education, in humanitarian efforts as well as in political arenas. 
• These barcodes could help speed up the flow of information and aid the world in the step towards the UN’s Millennium Development Goals

Taking Things Forward

• Greater outreach to consumers, with brands such as McDonald’s, Procter & Gamble, the BBC and Vodafone riding on the wave 
• Political campaigns might be revolutionized because of such technology
• Other areas will tap into this to simplify the flow of information (i.e medical fields use this to store patient information)
• Environmentally friendly -> will garner the support of environmentalists

Conclusion

1D barcodes revolutionized the world, but is increasingly becoming obsolete. We need to continue innovating and stepping up the game in order to be a rising star in the world. The innovation of 2D technology is an example of such a mentality. However, the technology is actually a double-edged sword, as it would bring about the right impacts, intended outcomes only when used positively to the right market base. If used in places where the market is not as open to such technologies, then it would result in adverse effects instead.

 

Session Four

This week’s lesson was focused mainly on world change, and the drivers of world change.

Something interesting that lingered in my mind this lesson, was about something that Prof said about entrepreneurs. He mentioned that for entrepreneurs, adaptability is the most important thing needed for them to survive, in a world full of change. “Hard, also can survive la”. That should be the optimal attitude that entrepreneurs should adopt in order to stay ahead and be the rising star. As I was thinking about it, I realized that “Hey, that is true for SMU students too!” Especially in SMU, where school is not the easiest to begin with, we should all adopt the “Hard, also can survive la” attitude. To be “unreasonable”, and to only demand the best for ourselves.

A key takeaway for me this lesson was about how we should always include the possibility of wildcards in the planning process. Especially in the world today, we should definitely be adaptable to changes, be it positive or negative, and learn how to deal with it. Learning how to ride on the waves of positive change, and coping with negative change, is to me, the most important skill. Planning for wildcards would therefore, reduce the “shock” and impact we experience, should such sudden factors change the situation that we are in.

Also, the video titled “leadership lessons from the dancing guy”, also taught me the importance of having the courage to be the first follower. I had always thought that being the leader is the most vital of all. However, this video had showed me that without followers, a leader is nothing. Followers are equally important too. It really takes a lot of courage to follow the “lone nut”, and we should really do that when we think that the idea is something great and worth investing in.

It was also mentioned in class that the best way to create the future is to create it. This way, we would be acting as a leader then and in this game changing environment, if we constantly create the future we want to see, we would continue being a rising star and not fall behind. However, through the video, I realized that if I do not have the means to create the future, or no idea how the future should be like, then I should open my eyes wide, and search for the one with a good idea, and find the courage to support him in it. That way, I would also be creating the future too.  (:

If given more time in class, I would love to spend more time discussing Hui Pin’s presentation on social media and whether it would change the game scene for journalists. I found her question on whether people will still use books and newspapers especially interesting, as that is really something that I cannot forsee happening in the future.

I would rate the session 9 out of 10 as it allowed me to see things out of my own tiny little confined box, and inspired me to do great things, not as how I would originally perceive it from the leader perspective, but rather as a first follower.

Session Three

This week’s session was on Technology and Innovation Management, as well as the move towards Sustainable Development.

There was a comment on the Facebook group that struck me – about how TWC was like GP on a syringe, and I think that is very true. Just like what GP lessons did to me in the past, TWC lessons in the past 3 weeks did not give me an increase in knowledge exponentially, but rather a change in perspectives in terms of breadth. I must say that TWC lessons, just like GP lesson, shaped more of my attitudes instead of just simply feeding me with content.

Interesting observations and ideas this week came more from the presentations rather than the lesson itself. The second presenter in class this week, mentioned about how advancements in technology has also brought about shifts in moral values (citing the possibility of how technology could enable grandmothers to be the surrogate mothers for their grandchildren). I think that is pretty creepy, and would definitely blur out many social lines and moral values. It is definitely something that I would strongly stand up against. I guess the onus of the use of technology is eventually up to us humans, and how we handle such situations would shape how the future would be. A pretty scary thought, come to think of it.

A key takeaway this lesson, would definitely be on the balance between economic well-bring and environmental well-being. Is it really that impossible to combine these two factors together? With so many innovations out there to bring about economic gains, some at the stake of the environment, it is a little disheartening that people really do not care about the state of the earth. Despite greater focus on green technology nowadays, people are still not fully accepting the role that these technology can play in changing the future. I guess it is because of the high cost of executing these technologies. If possible, I would love to come up with something that can serve the environmental well-being of the earth. To me, economic gain is not that important, as long as the revenue I receive is enough to ensure the sustainability of my new technology.

Another thing that struck me this week was something that Prof mentioned, about how the people with the know-how of technology are not necessarily the ones that need it. How then, do we get such technology to the people that need it, in the case of today’s world, third world countries? This is indeed a mega problem in the world now – to accelerate the rate of adoption of technology. I was thinking about it, and in order for third world countries to adopt such technologies that would be beneficial for them, they would need to have some form of structure in place first and that would require a lot of money to build. Without the basic structure in place, there is no way technology can enter into the country and benefit the people. Therefore, I guess it is important that social enterprises/humanitarian organizations realize the importance of getting the basic technological structure in place first, before trying to bring new technologies in.

If given more airtime in class, I would love to have Prof touch more about how corporations are driving innovation in many areas, instead of the military and government doing it.

My overall rating for the session would be 9 out of 10, as I found the session deeply thought-provoking and it really showed me the vast ocean of opportunities out there for us to tap on to make a positive change to the world.

Session Two

Session Two was about Global Dominance and Human Development and I must say that it was indeed a thought provoking session for me. I did not have much chance to voice my opinions in class, but nevertheless, I took note of such questions and decided to further my research after class. This was also the session that I finally found the area of interest for my individual paper – Technology and how it’s helping us achieve the millennium developement goals.

What struck me from this session was the imbalance in power in the world. Such imbalances distinguish the world between the have and the have-nots, differentiate countries from first world countries and third world countries. The video shown to us in class, “History of the World in 7 Minutes”, caused me to question about why some countries are thriving and others are not doing so well. Though I might blame such scenarios on history, and how things are not fair and not meant to be fair, I feel that something should be done to at least help those in poverty and technology is the key for such a change to happen.

One huge takeaway point for me this session was something that Prof said, “No one is going to stay dominant forever”. Looking around in my life, it is true. Looking at Microsoft and how its global dominance is slowly diminishing, I know that the same thing will happen to Apple, unless it keeps up with its innovative ways. Throughout class, I was also pondering about the concept of whether dominance in the world economy was really due to the rising and falling star mentality and attitude that countries adopt. After watching the Hans Rosling video, my doubt was cleared and I am sure that it is only because of the different attitudes that countries adopt that cause them to be what they are today.

Another takeaway point would be the concept of how we can be dominant indirectly – such as being an influencer and causing others to have a growing perception of our ideas. To me, this is a very good way for us to take in achieving the millennium development goals. With so many human development implications to deal with before a goal can be achieved, and so many people rushing to push so many new ideas, this is one of the more feasible ways to go.

If given more air time in class, I would love to see us discussing about how we can combine the skill sets of the public and private sector, as well as social entrepreneurs to make a change in the world. I would also love to discuss more about the shifts in dominance in the world.

Personally, I would rate this session as an 8 because of the insights that it has provided me with. Although I have seen some concepts before, I must say that I am impressed by the depth of content available in the area of global dominance and human development – things which I never knew existed.