Impressive Underground Refrigerator That Doesn’t Use ElectricityÂ
Dutch Designer Floris Schoonderbeek constructed a “groundfridge,” which is completely operated without electricity. With the use of the insulation of the ground and the water’s cool temperature, the refrigeration remains at a temperature of 12 degrees Celsius.Â
This article was originally published on StarTrek.com on August 27, 2013.
It is often said that Star Trek is unique among science fiction because it presents an optimistic future where humanity’s biggest challenges have been overcome. For fans of the series, this is no secret. We have indeed embraced Star Trek’s vision of a better tomorrow, but we know that the enduring popularity of the series is about more than just a happy future. Star Trek is about our future, not one in a galaxy far, far away, but right here on Earth with our history and values.
To watch Star Trek is to wonder not only what might be possible one day, but also what we can do now to get closer to a Federation-like future. With more than 40 years of television and film carefully considered, Trek fans understand the hard work and difficult questions we must face if we are ever to make real life as prosperous as the 23rd and 24th Centuries.
One such question is that of security, particularly our comfort level with security measures that may impact our other values, such as privacy or human rights. Today, we are wrestling with this balance in America and around the world. It has been at the heart of recent debates over things like the controversial NSA Prism program, which detractors equate to limitless wire-tapping of citizens, or the release of classified military information on sites like WikiLeaks.Â
In the midst of these complex issues is perhaps the most visible national security case in recent memory, that of U.S. Army Soldier Chelsea Manning (born Bradley Manning), who, with the help of WikiLeaks, released the largest cache of classified information in U.S. history. Manning and supporters believe the breach in security was justified, having discovered a video showing the deaths of civilians in Iraq. Others strongly disagree, including the courts, which sentenced Manning last month to 35 years in prison for espionage.
No matter one’s opinion of Manning, the NSA or any such case, they shine a light on our current values around security and privacy. In the case of Manning, who saw these actions as honorable, we find ourselves torn between our modern notions of duty and loyalty and those of the thoughtful heroism we often celebrate on television, including in Star Trek. After all, it seems that the moments when our hero speaks out against a wrong make the best episodes.
In Star Trek, it is rare for such an episode to conclude with a conviction or dishonorable discharge from Starfleet. More common are endings where the captain or officer, having disobeyed orders, is cleared of wrongdoing, if not given a promotion once his motivations are revealed as just. This stands in stark contrast to the way these situations unfold in our own world and raises an interesting question:
How would things be different if Manning was a Starfleet officer?
There is no question that Captain James T. Kirk holds the record for disobeying orders. Ignoring commands from admirals and even the President of the Federation, the legendary captain was known for taking matters into his own hands when he found the policies of Starfleet and the Earth government to be shortsighted or misguided. Kirk even stole his own ship, the U.S.S. Enterprise, in an attempt to rescue Spock following their encounter with Khan at the Genesis Planet. Despite these extreme actions, Kirk fared well in the aftermath. Having saved Spock (and all of Earth in the process), Kirk returned home to find his punishment was not a discharge but a reassignment as captain of his beloved Enterprise once again.
Nearly a century later, Commander William Riker finds himself struggling to balance the orders of a superior against his own conscience when he reveals classified information to prevent his former captain, Admiral Eric Pressman of the U.S.S. Pegasus, from covering up a scheme to develop a Federation cloaking device in violation of an important treaty with the Romulans.Â
Captain Picard has also taken his share of actions worthy of courts-martial. Fans will recall that one such case involved Picard leading his crew into battle with the Borg, despite receiving direct orders to stay away. After the plot to assimilate Earth is defeated and the credits roll on Star Trek: First Contact, it is hard to imagine that Captain Picard returned home to anything less than a celebration.
Captains and senior officers are not the only ones to act against the policies of the Federation. After discovering the Federation’s desperate plot to win the Dominion War by eliminating the Changeling race with a deadly virus, Doctor Bashir and Chief O’Brien take on Starfleet Intelligence directly. Kidnapping an agent of Section 31, Bashir and O’Brien perform an experimental procedure to extract information about the cure from Agent Sloan’s memory, spoiling Starfleet’s secret plans of genocide. You might ask how Captain Sisko reacted to the insubordinate actions of his crewmen, but you will recall that he was in on the plan the whole time. To date, none of the officers have been discharged from Starfleet or sentenced to prison.Â
These scenarios are of course fiction. They were written at different times in our history, and all before national security once again took center stage in American politics following the attacks of September 11, 2001. They do not show us the reality of our own, challenging times, nor do they present us with the real-life struggles faced by the men and women of our armed forces and security agencies. They remind us that we do not live in the time of Star Trek, and that the future Gene Roddenberry helped us imagine will not come so easily.
We may not live in the Star Trek universe, but there is something to considering these stories as we debate the issues of our time. In the case of national security, perhaps we can use these moments to remind ourselves of what we value most in human nature, and how the actions of our own service men and women compare to the heroics we celebrate in our heroes of fiction. In the process, we may even discover a path forward to a time when the peaceful world we hope for will not be just Star Trek fiction but our own reality.
_________
Anthony Rotolo is a professor at Syracuse University where he teaches “Trek Class”, a college course on the history and cultural significance of Star Trek television series and films. He is also the founder and “Captain” of the “Starship NEXIS,” a lab that explores emerging and experimental technologies.
Star Trek’s replicator is an amazing technology concept that has fascinated us for decades. Working at the molecular level to synthesize materials, the replicator is able to instantly produce nearly any object, food or medicine on demand. It is easy to imagine how the replicator would quickly change the world. Such a device could dramatically reduce or even eliminate the cost of most products. Hunger and poverty would be stamped out worldwide, and much of the time and energy spent working for a living could be used instead for pursuits of education, exploration and the advancement of society.
  Star Trek envisions the future of humanity to be one of incredible achievements made possible by evolved philosophies as well as technologies. This hopeful view of tomorrow is perhaps the reason so many have dreamed of inventing real-life versions of Star Trek tech -- from the transporter to the tricorder -- and the replicator is one of the most coveted.
From a scientific perspective, aspects of the replicator are theoretically uncertain. Researchers have made slow progress working in this area, but a true breakthrough on the scale of a Star Trek replicator seems centuries away. The day when we will prepare dinner or produce complex equipment at the push of a button (or with a voice command) could be as far away as our own 24th Century.
  Even if the full vision of the replicator remains beyond our capabilities, perhaps some version of this technology is possible today. After all, the real appeal of the replicator is not in its molecule-synthesizing abilities, but in the value of instant, custom objects made on demand. This is a reality that some are working toward right now using new technologies that could eventually bring us much closer to making the replicator a reality.
A process called “additive manufacturing,” or its more popular nickname, “3D Printing,” has captured the imagination of the tech industry. These machines work much like the two-dimensional printer you may have on your desk, but instead of printing a layer of ink, a 3D printer extrudes many layers of melted plastic to form a physical object. You can imagine this as similar to a hot glue gun, where the heated glue stick is carefully extruded from a nozzle. In the case of a 3D printer, that nozzle is controlled by software and digital design files that tells it how to form a shape.
  Some have compared 3D printers to modern-day replicators, and it’s easy to see how. Watching one in action is a wondrous experience, with objects that once had to be produced on a factory line fabricated in minutes by a machine not much larger than a microwave. Even complex objects with moving parts can be designed and created one-by-one with a little knowhow. It hardly seems like a coincidence that one of the more popular 3D printer models currently available is actually named the Replicator.
The comparisons between 3D Printing and the Star Trek replicator don’t end with plastic. Other materials like wood, metal and even some foods are now being extruded in similar ways to make on-demand creations. This has led to excited speculation that soon we may see the beginnings of a new era of manufacturing in America and around the world, where small-scale production is possible at very low costs. We may even “print” biotechnologies and human organs one day.
We can already see glimpses of this future, with access to these machines increasing in local communities, at “maker spaces” and even public libraries. Some models are now priced within reach of hobbyists and home users, as fans ofThe Big Bang Theory will remember from a recent episode involving a 3D printer. Even President Obama mentioned the promise of this technology in his most recent State of the Union address.
Though there is much to be excited about here, the development of 3D printing, like all technologies, will take time. With only an estimated 60,000 units sold thus far, 3D printers still make up a very small market. It was nearly 30 years before the personal computer became a household item in America, and some analysts predict the same may be true for 3D printing.Â
The wait will be worth it. With advancements in material science, the rudimentary machines of today may one day mirror the utility and ubiquity of Star Trek’s replicator. Much like other technologies first imagined in Star Trek, from the mobile phone to the iPad, the Replicator may yet be a reality that will change how we understand our world and open the door to a future of unlimited potential.
______________
Anthony Rotolo is a professor at Syracuse University where he teaches “Trek Class.” He is also the founder and “Captain” of the “Starship NEXIS,” a lab that explores new and emerging technologies.
Article originally published at:
http://www.startrek.com/article/trek-class-blog-inventing-the-replicator
A wise friend recently shared with me a favorite quote by Henry Ford which I'd like to share with you.
"Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes shine to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait. The grip of your hand, the irresistible surge of will and energy to execute your ideas."
Ford's words have been on my mind recently through several experiences which have highlighted for me the importance of enthusiasm in one's work, as well as personal goals and aspirations. More accurately, it is this quote which has brought into focus something I have been noticing for some time: a general lack of enthusiasm which appears to be widespread enough to go unnoticed or to be considered the norm. I believe I can explain most clearly through a few examples.
Recently I have been going through the process of purchasing a home. For those who have not yet embarked on the adventure of homebuying, it is a rather involved process dealing with agents, banks, lawyers and inevitably contractors. Although I have not found any of these folks particularly enthusiastic about their involvement, I have been struck on a number of occasions by the sheer lack of enthusiasm I've seen from some of the professionals I have been dealing with. Please do not mistake this as a customer service complaint or a failure to realize that everyone is busy at times. Everyone involved has been doing their jobs, mostly. What I'm talking about is an overall lack of enthusiasm for the job being done, which I believe can be found across all industries and in every type of position.
In my case, I saw a lack of enthusiasm in the lawyers who seem to go out of their way to avoid situations where actual legal counsel is needed, even when a few extra calls or a timely email could avoid a complication or setback. I saw something similar with a professional painter hired to paint the inside of the house. In this case the painter, who I have worked with many times before, seemed only interested in doing the parts of the job that would be easiest. In his eyes, painting all the rooms the same color and avoiding the trim when possible was the preferred approach because the home is old and large, and all that trim is a lot to do.
Lastly, I saw perhaps the most extreme lack of enthusiasm in countless snowplowing services that I contacted. You see, my house is in Syracuse, N.Y., where snowfall happens in the feet on a regular basis. Recently we have received quite a bit of snow and upon taking possession of the home I was informed that the previous owners had not been clearing the driveway or walkways. After calling no less than six different services, I received a response from only two. Both business owners explained to me that they would only take me as a client if my driveway was not too large or difficult to plow, and neither would consider unburying my driveway even once until they saw whether that single job would be too time consuming. It did not matter what I was willing to pay.
As I worked with all of these professionals, and others, I realized that something was very wrong here. This was not simply a coincidence or a string of bad luck running into unmotivated service providers. This condition, a general lack of enthusiasm, seemed to be the rule rather than the exception. That made me think about others I interact with on a regular basis, including the college students I teach. Unfortunately, this same enthusiasm gap seems to be rather common among them as well, with many students approaching their education as something to endure, pick and choose and negotiate their way through rather than something to pursue with purpose and motivation.
This is not a condition I believe was always common, at least not among those who served as early examples for me. Two of those examples are my maternal grandparents who each demonstrated to me a very different way of approaching work with enthusiasm. My grandfather, who was born in 1913 to Italian-American immigrants, was only able to complete a sixth-grade education before he was forced to drop out of school to find work after his mother was left a widow. From that time on, he worked in a variety of jobs, often several at once, ranging from picking crops to municipal public works to eventually becoming head custodian at an elementary school where he would retire late in life.
I never heard my grandfather complain about work or witnessed him cut a corner, and although tired, dirty and sometimes barely making ends meet, I have yet to hear a single story about my grandfather that didn't highlight his enthusiasm for his work. In fact, he was so admired for his above-and-beyond approach by the time he was head custodian in his 60s that his school sought a special commendation from New York Governor Mario Cuomo which he received upon his retirement.
What was it that earned him such tremendous, widespread respect? It wasn't just that my grandfather took pride in the work he had to do. He also took pride in himself and the work required to improve himself. Never satisfied with not completing high school, he attended night school for many years, even while raising four children and working more than one job, to eventually complete his diploma. Still not satisfied, but unable to afford college for himself, my grandfather resorted to reading textbooks, math tutorials and even the Merriam-Webster Dictionary page by page to expand his education. I once asked him why he did these things and his answer was simple. He said, "It is the right of every American to have an education, but no one is going to give it to you if you don't do the work to earn it." Indeed, my grandfather did the work. At age 96 he passed away still learning every day, by then on the Internet instead of in his books.
This enthusiasm for work, and for life, wasn't unique to my grandfather. My grandmother, born in 1917, also to Italian-American immigrants, spent much of her life working as well, including positions manufacturing weapon scopes during WWII. She was fortunate enough to complete a middle school education, but eventually remained home to raise her four children, which was the norm at the time. At the age of 52, my grandmother chose to return to work and, selecting from the limited options for an older, uneducated woman in the late 1960s, she obtained a position at the local hospital as a housekeeper. This was backbreaking work but, despite her age and severe diabetic condition, she approached the job with such enthusiasm that she quickly became legend at the hospital. When she passed away, I was told countless stories of her energy and drive, and her extreme cleaning with toothbrushes in corners and even window tracks, which was never done before her or since. She was well known for making patients feel better, not as a nurse, but as the person who cleaned their room.
My grandparents loved their jobs; not necessarily the work they did, but the jobs they had and how they reflected on them as people. As I look around, even with a lack of enthusiasm so common, I can find these same qualities in others. There are hard workers out there who take pride in what they do. We hear mention of "jobs Americans won't do" that are now done by immigrants and I wonder how quickly that category is growing. As new arrivals to our country perform day labor, pick crops, work in food service or even scrub people's feet in nail salons, it is hard to accept that a business owner with a heated snow plow truck isn't interested in taking a job if the driveway is too long.
You see, the thing about enthusiasm is that it's a choice. We each have the ability to approach our work in this way. No job is fun, and some jobs are very hard. I am fortunate to have never done the work of my grandparents or parents, but I do know what it's like to work for someone else doing something you really don't want to do. But in that case there are two options: do the bare minimum and do it forever, or do the best you can and improve yourself so that you can work toward doing something you love.
My grandparents never worked for themselves or found the jobs of their dreams, but they did start a chain reaction that allowed my parents to get a lot closer and eventually me to have the chance at it. I am grateful for their enthusiasm, which I learned a great deal from and admire immensely. They are often my inspiration for approaching my work as they did, and I feel as though I honor them in doing so.
As you consider your own work and life decisions, I encourage you to remember someone in your life who shared the same enthusiasm as my grandparents. You are certain to know many examples. Remember the sparkle in their eyes, as Ford said, and ask yourself how you can find your own.
How to Use Gmail Instead of the Syracuse University Email System
If you have a Syracuse University email address (@syr.edu) and would like to use Gmail instead of the Microsoft Exchange email service provided by SU, this article will explain the steps for setting that up. This setup may be especially useful for SU employees.
In addition to the added features, some have expressed concern about Syracuse University's new policy that gives the IT Services department (ITS) the ability to remotely secure and wipe all mobile devices that connect to SU's Exchange email system. This includes personal mobile devices that are not owned by the University. If you do not want to grant control over your personal device to ITS, you can follow these settings to use your @syr.edu email address without connecting to SU's Exchange email.
By completing this process you will be (1) configuring Gmail to send and receive email using your @syr.edu email address, (2) setting up your own outgoing email service which you control, (3) forwarding all incoming @syr.edu directly to your Gmail account, and (4) optionally configuring the Mail application on iPhone and other iOS devices to send and receive @syr.edu email through Gmail without connecting to SU's Exchange email system.Â
Please be aware that this setup, while not difficult, will take you off the SU email system. This means Outlook on your desktop will not longer function as your email client -- you will be using Gmail through the web. This setup is not supported by SU ITS.
Here are the steps:
1. SET UP A GMAIL ACCOUNT
If you do not already have a Gmail account, follow the simple process to create one at http://mail.google.com.Â
2. Â ADD YOUR SYRACUSE EMAIL ADDRESS TO YOUR GMAIL ACCOUNT
Gmail allows you to send and receive email from additional, non-Gmail accounts that you own.
- Click the "Settings" icon in Gmail to access the Setting menu.Â
- Click "Accounts and Import"
- Under "Send Mail As", click "Add another email address you own"
- Enter your name and @syr.edu email address
- Set up outgoing mail (SMTP) for this address. Select "Send through Gmail", for now.
You have the option to send outgoing email through Gmail's servers, which would work for this setup but email recipients will receive messages sent "on behalf of" your Syracuse address instead of emails that apear to come directly from that address. If you prefer that your email to appear as if it's sent directly from your @syr.edu address, we will set up a custom SMTP service that will allow for that in the next section.
- Verify that you own your @syr.edu email address. In the next step, Gmail will send a verification email to your @syr.edu email account. Access your Syracuse email using whatever method your previously used (Outlook, Web Access, iPhone, etc.) to retrieve the verification information and proceed with the verification process.
3. SET UP A CUSTOM OUTGOING EMAIL (SMTP) SERVICE [OPTIONAL STEP]
If you prefer that your outgoing email messages appear to be sent directly from your @syr.edu address, you will need to have access to an SMTP service (this refers to the server that sends email). Syracuse University offers SMTP service as part of Exchange email, but using the SU SMTP information would mean connecting to SU Exchange email each time a message is sent. If you wish to avoid using the SU email system, you will need your own SMTP. Fortunately, this is easily obtainable at a very low cost.
I recommend setting up an account with Dyn, which provides custom SMTP services. Their Standard SMTP Service is only $19.95/year and will free you from the SU email system. You will also be able to use this SMTP service to send email from any other domain names you may personally own. (Note, the Dyn SMTP service includes 150 outgoing relays per day, so if you are a super emailer you may need to get more than that.)
After registering for Dyn SMTP service, you will need to complete a verification process with your @syr.edu email address (similar to the process required by Gmail) to prove that you are the owner of the Syracuse address. Once you have verified the account, you can enter the custom SMTP information provided by Dyn into your Gmail "Send mail as" settings for the @syr.edu account.
Select "Edit Info" next to the account in Gmail settings and this time choose the option for entering custom SMTP account information. (Note: The Server, username and password information you enter here should be the account information provided by Dyn or another custom SMTP provider, not your NetID or SU server addresses.)
Once this step is complete you will be able to send @syr.edu email from Gmail that appears to come directly from your Syracuse University email address.
You may also choose to set your @syr.edu address as your Gmail default address for sending email. This means that new emails and reply messages will send from your @syr.edu address by default. This is an optional setting found under the "Send mail as" section in Gmail.
Now you will need to receive your @syr.edu email at Gmail to complete the process and abandon the SU email system completely.
4. FORWARD INCOMING @SYR.EDU EMAIL TO GMAIL
All email sent to an @syr.edu email address will arrive at Syracuse University first, since Syracuse owns the @syr.edu domain. However, SU does provide us each with the option of deciding what happens to your @syr.edu email when it arrives. In this case, you will want to forward all incoming email to your Gmail account rather than access it on the Exchange email service provided by SU.
This is a simple option that SU has always provided through the "Manage Your NetID" portal at https://selfserv.syr.edu/accounts/.Â
- Log in using your SU NetID and Password
- Select "Change syr.edu Mail Delivery"
- Enter your gmail address into the "New Forwarding Address" box and click submit.
Now all email sent to your @syr.edu address will automatically be forwarded on to your Gmail address.
NOTE TO FACULTY & STAFF:Â
Syracuse University employees are on a separate Microsoft Exchange email system from students. One result of this setup is that any email sent to you by someone else INSIDE the same employee Exchange system will NOT forward to gmail using this setting. We need to complete the following steps to guarantee that ALL email sent to our @syr.edu addresses reaches our Gmail inbox.
- Visit SU's Outlook Web Access at http://outlook.syr.edu
- Log in using your SU NetID and Password
- Under "Options" select "Create Inbox Rule..."
You will need to set up two Inbox Rules to catch any email that arrives from inside the SU employee email system and does not get forwarded automatically.
- Click "New..." and set up an Inbox Rule to forward all incoming email with your address in the "To" or "CC" fields as follows:
This will catch almost all email. However, we faculty and staff get a lot of email from mailing lists that do not address us directly. To make sure we catch everything...
- Enter a second rule to catch listservs, etc., as follows:
Once you've completed this step you can close Outlook Web Access (and never use it again).
Your email is now set up as follows:
- Mail sent to your @syr.edu email address will automatically forward to your Gmail account.
- You now receive and send all email messages via Gmail at http://mail.google.com or through your preferred email application.Â
- You have a custom SMTP Outgoing Mail service, so any email you send from Gmail appears to be directly from your @syr.edu address.
ACCESSING YOUR GMAIL ON AN iOS DEVICE
If you are an iPhone user, or wish to use this setup on an iOS device like an iPad, you have several options.Â
I recommend trying the Gmail App for iOS. It will allow you to use all the native features of Gmail, and it will also honor your default email address settings, meaning messages you send from the Gmail app will look like they come from @syr.edu as you set up on the web.
5. SET UP YOUR GMAIL ACCOUNT ON iOS AS AN EXCHANGE ACCOUNT
If you want to use the Apple Mail app you will need to change the setup of your email account in iOS.
- On your iPhone or iPad, under Settings select "Mail, Contacts and Calendars" and remove any existing setup for your Gmail address (if you previously set it up)
- Add a new account and DO NOT select Gmail. Instead, select Microsoft Exchange and set up your gmail address according to the instructions found here:
- Once your gmail is set up this way, visit Gmail Sync for Mobile Devices from your iOS device.
- Select the device you're using from the list (your iPhone, iPad, etc.) and configure the default "Send Mail As" address.Â
--
Your iOS device is now set up to utilize these default Gmail settings, so mail sent from your Gmail account using the Apple Mail app on iPhone and iPad will also appear to recipients as if they come directly from @syr.edu.
Lastly, you can secure your mobile device using built-in iOS features like a passcode lock and the free Find My iPhone service on iCloud. You can find these options in the "General" and "iCloud" sections under Settings.
“Trek Class” is a course at Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies titled “Star Trek and the Information Age.” The course examines episodes of Star Trek series as a method of introducing concepts related to technology, society and leadership in our world. This series of posts seeks to share some of the concepts discussed in Trek Class with the StarTrek.com community.
In the ST:TNG episode “The Inner Light,” the USS Enterprise-D encounters an unusual space probe which emits an energy beam at Captain Picard, causing him to lose consciousness on the bridge. As his crew struggles to revive him, Picard awakens on an unfamiliar planet where he appears to be living the life of a man named Kamin. Unable to determine the cause of his confusion, he begins to accept that his memories of the Enterprise were merely dreams.
In what appears to be many years’ time, Picard experiences a full life as Kamin, complete with a wife, children and an active role in his community. While working to address a long drought, he discovers that the planet itself is dying as a result of its sun’s impending nova. Unable to manage the space flight necessary to evacuate, the government has instead planned to launch an unmanned probe that will carry information about life on the planet Kataan. Having outlived his wife and many friends, an elderly Kamin witnesses the launch of the very probe that Captain Picard has encountered one thousand years in the future.
After regaining consciousness on the bridge of the Enterprise, Picard discovers that only 20 minutes have passed; yet he retains full knowledge of a life on Kataan. He is able to recall the memories and emotions of a man who lived long ago, even the ability to play a flute that he and his family so much enjoyed hearing. It seems that through this experience, Picard has become a living archive of a lost culture.
As we examined this episode in Trek Class, we found ourselves investigating some rather challenging questions, such as, “What happens to all the information we have created once we die?” Furthermore, if we are to leave behind a record of ourselves, we wondered, “How do we determine which information is most important to preserve?”
Although the space probe may have been designed to preserve a culture, Picard’s experience as Kamin proved to be a deeply personal one as well. The essence of an individual was captured so that he might live on in the memory of others. In our own world, it has long been possible to gather a similar sense of a person by examining letters, photographs and other artifacts. However, as we continue to move toward digital forms of communication and expression, it can be difficult to preserve or even locate the information trail we leave behind.
Even as technology allows us to generate far more information about ourselves than had been previously possible, we must consider that we could actually end up leaving less behind for family and friends to remember if we take our passwords with us. Even if our loved ones are not locked out of our digital afterlives, it is daunting to imagine making sense of the thousands of unsorted photographs, endless emails and text messages, and hours of video recordings we may each accumulate. More challenging still is the task of preventing those items from being lost to time as file formats become obsolete and older technologies fail.
By taking steps to protect our personal information, we can increase the chances that our individual “space probes” will remain functional well into the future. While some services exist to help archive and manage digital affairs, for many it may be enough to maintain simple backups of the most meaningful items, and to organize those files in ways that would be accessible to others who may receive them after us. This process is not only helpful in preserving our contributions for the future, but it offers the opportunity to select elements of our own personal stories we most wish to share.
Thinking more broadly about cultural preservation, students in Trek Class offered differing opinions as to which information would be most important to include should Earth ever need to launch a Kataan-like probe. Some suggested that records of scientific discoveries would be most valuable. Others believed that artistic and cultural achievements would be a greater contribution, since anyone finding such a record would likely possess scientific knowledge of their own. But some felt differently still, believing that finding a way to preserve everyday life, as had been done with the Kataan probe, would be the most appropriate approach.
If an account of everyday life is indeed the best record to leave behind, then perhaps our digital lifestyles present opportunities in addition to challenges. As millions of people share thoughts and conversation on social networks, for example, a public record is being created that could provide a unique picture of life in communities worldwide.
Last year, the Library of Congress announced that it would archive all public messages on Twitter since the service launched in 2006. With over 100 million “tweets” currently sent per day, the size and scope of this archive is difficult to imagine. However, it may hold tremendous value as tools are developed to examine this global conversation. We may soon be able to determine exactly how people in regions all over the globe felt, thought and acted on important days in history, or simply on an average day.
With mobile devices, digital cameras and social media, we are each creating a living record of our thoughts, conversations and moments ranging from significant to ordinary. Though we may sometimes struggle to manage this content, together we are preserving an important picture of life around us. We may each have the opportunity to be “Kamin” for someone who will follow us, each offering our own experiences to be learned from and remembered.
-----
Anthony Rotolo is a professor at the Syracuse University School of Information Studies (iSchool), where he specializes in social media. A new semester of Trek Class will begin meeting on August 30 at 5:00pm EST, when you will be able to join the class discussion on Twitter using the hashtag #TrekClass. Until then, Professor Rotolo will continue to share concepts and reflections from this semester’s class on StarTrek.com.
Article originally published at:
http://www.startrek.com/article/trek-class-blog-preserving-our-undefinedinner-lightundefined
Motivating learning engagement through Twitter both In and On the Enterprise
Ruth V. Smalla and Anthony Rotolo
Syracuse University
Kaplan and Haenlein (2010) define social media as a Web 2.0 application that “allows the creation and exchange of user-generated content” (p. 61). They may be used for communication and social networking, (e.g., blogs, Facebook, Twitter), collaboration (e.g., wikis, social bookmarking, Skype), creating and sharing (e.g., Google Docs, Storify, podcasts), social gaming (e.g., Farmville, Words With Friends), and opinion gathering/question answering (e.g., Quora, Poll Everywhere).
While research demonstrates that students are using these tools outside of the classroom far more often and differently than in the classroom (e.g., Fahser-Herro, 2010), studies indicate that, for example, students reluctant to participate in classroom discus- sions and activities are more than willing to participate via social networking technologies (Gabriel, 2011). Therefore, social media may serve as a tool for more than just learning; it may also serve as a tool to stimulate the motivation to engage in learning.
Examples of innovative instructional designs using socio-constructivist approaches that integrate social media are beginning to emerge in education. These approaches not only provide robust learning environments but stimulate student intrinsic motivation through cognitive engagement and active learning.
The goals of this article are (1) to describe two courses that use Twitter for instructor-student and student-student communications and to motivate learning engagement and (2) describe an analysis of the “motivational quality” of these Twitter-based learning environments, using the ARCS Model of Motivational Design as a framework for analysis (e.g. Keller 1987, 1999, 2008).
“Trek Class” is a course at Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies titled “Star Trek and the Information Age.” The course examines episodes of Star Trek series as a method of introducing concepts related to technology, society and leadership in our world. This series of posts seeks to share some of the concepts discussed in Trek Class with the StarTrek.com community.
New technologies often allow us to be more productive at work and in our personal lives. From the telegraph and telephone to the Internet and Facebook, some of the greatest advancements in history have made it possible to access and share information more efficiently, or connect over great distances to discover new people and ideas.
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The same is true for the “future” tech of Star Trek. Replicators and tricorders make it possible for Starfleet personnel to tackle problems that might be impossible for us to solve in the Twenty-first Century. Like the laptops and smartphones of today, these technologies are standard issue for Federation knowledge workers. But these “work” devices are also integrated into our personal lives. We may use the same technology to send a business email while also keeping in contact with friends through social networking and text messaging.
Much like our current technologies, the Holodeck is one Star Trekinvention that performs double duty when it comes to productivity and recreation. With its ability to realistically simulate any person or environment, the holodeck is useful for everything from running a diagnostic exercise to taking a vacation without leaving the ship.Captain Janeway took advantage of both aspects of the holodeck, using it to strategize before a Borg encounter as well as finding relaxation and companionship in a holographic Irish town.
Although the holodeck has proven useful to captains and crew, some are still concerned about its impact on productivity and question whether the technology should come with limits. Just as we may wonder whether the tweeting, Googling and Facebooking we now spend our time on might amount to a time-waster, or even an addiction, similar questions are raised about the holodeck.Â
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Lt. Reginald Barclay finds himself at the center of this debate throughout his career. Said to be “addicted” to the holodeck, Barclay struggles to limit his access to the technology with which he is most comfortable. While working on the Pathfinder project, which is focused on locating the missing U.S.S. Voyager, Barclay determines that his best chance at discovering a solution is to create a holographic simulation. This approach, which is unfamiliar to his senior officers, is criticized and ultimately prohibited over concerns that Barclay’s productivity and social life might suffer.
Today, similar scenarios are taking place in corporations all over America. Many work environments have established rules against the use of technologies like Facebook or YouTube over productivity concerns. However, as a generation of new workers emerges with a different skill set and new ways of accessing information, many are finding it difficult to be effective while blocked from their go-to networks. We often hear from student interns that one of the most challenging aspects of their work experience was being “cut off from everything.”
With restricted access at work, many employees turn to their own mobile devices in times of need. Some companies have discovered that their employees routinely access social networks and other forbidden sites from their phones, both for personal and professional purposes. The same is true for Barclay, who circumvents Starfleet’s restrictions on the holodeck in a desperate attempt to apply the tool to his rescue efforts at Pathfinder.
At the same time, Barclay is clearly drawn to the holodeck for personal reasons. He freely admits to Counselor Troi that he feels less anxious when interacting with holographic characters instead of real people. Even though the holodeck is a source of inspiration and productivity for Barclay, there is no doubt that the line between work and play – and even addiction – is a bit blurry inside his simulation.
This raises several questions that are as important now as in the Twenty-fourth Century – Can the same technologies that entertain us also help us do better work? Is it possible to balance productivity and recreation in the workplace? Are we really becoming addicted to technology?
While some researchers still question the concept of “Internet addiction”, Barclay’s struggles may seem very familiar to some of us. One of my students described having similar feelings and ultimately decided to suspend her Facebook account after realizing she was “addicted” to it. Facebook had become a source of distraction while at work and at home, she said. However, the same student told me that other social networks, such as Twitter and YouTube, had remained essential to her ability to find useful information. This example highlights the difficulty in finding balance as new technologies become integrated into our daily lives.
As we strive to find that balance, perhaps some clues can be found in the advice of Counselor Troi and others who seek to help Lt. Barclay. Although we can recognize the value in many of our technologies, their advantages are diminished if we focus only on the virtual. It may not be necessary to block access to our technology of choice – whether Facebook or the holodeck – as long as we remember that what we do in these virtual spaces should always be for the betterment of ourselves, our work and our relationships in the offline world. It was only after Barclay realized this that he was able to apply what he learned inside the holodeck to complete the real-world mission of Pathfinder.
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Anthony Rotolo is a professor at the Syracuse University School of Information Studies (iSchool), where he specializes in social media. You can follow along with Trek Class each Tuesday and Thursday at 3:30pm EST on Twitter by using the hashtag #TrekClass.
Article originally published at:
http://www.startrek.com/article/trek-class-blog-finding-a-path-to-productivity
“Trek Class” is a course at Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies more formally titled “Star Trekand the Information Age.” The course examines episodes of Star Trek series as a method of introducing concepts related to technology, society and leadership in our world. This series of posts seeks to share some of the concepts discussed in Trek Class with the StarTrek.com community.
 A central topic of discussion in Trek Class is the evolution of cultural attitudes toward technology seen throughout the Star Trek franchise. Although Star Trek takes place in the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Centuries, the adventures of Captain Kirk, Picard and all that followed were written during our own time and in very different periods. Each series, from the original five-year mission to Voyager’s journey home, embodies the cultural views and concerns popular at the time of its creation.
In the TOS episode, "The Ultimate Computer," which first aired in 1968, a breakthrough technology known as the M-5 computer threatens to replace the crew of the Enterprise. Said to be capable of commanding the starship on its own, M-5 is viewed as a dangerous step forward for humanity, putting people out of work and risking the lives of innocents. However, views had changed significantly by the time the TNG episode "The Measure Of A Man" aired in 1989. Here we see an intelligent technology living and working among the crew, and Captain Picard is even willing to argue that Lt. Commander Data may actually be a sentient being.
These are two examples among many which highlight our own society’s growing comfort with the technology. However, one depiction of technology adoption found in Star Trek has always seemed a bit too extreme for even the earliest adopters – the Borg. As a race of cybernetic drones linked to a collective mind, the Borg can be considered the ultimate acceptance of technology. With its pursuit of efficiency and perfection at the expense of individuality and personal freedom, the Borg appear to threaten much of what we value in the Twenty-first Century. These concerns are reflected in the views of our Twenty-fourth Century captains. Captain Janeway refers to the Borg as “the Devil” and Captain Picard is quoted as saying, “the Borg are as close to pure evil as any race we've ever encountered.”
Still, as we consider the technology surrounding us in our own time – from social networks to mobile devices, medical advancements and biological enhancements – can we still say that the Borg are so unfamiliar? Is it possible that we Twenty-first -Century humans might see the Borg as a little less like M-5 and a little more like ourselves?
That was the question presented to Trek Class students in an assignment known as The Locutus Project, for which students were asked to put aside any personal concerns about technology and instead assume the role of Locutus. As Locutus, each student would attempt to argue for the assimilation of the human race.
Although this is a creative project with a lot of humor involved, it was clear that many students had identified some strong reasons why we might benefit from assimilation. It was also clear that some of the fears we often associate with technology, such as the loss of jobs to automation or the risk of information overload, were not as common in the minds of these college students as they had once been in our society.
In a script written by one student portraying the Borg assimilation of our world, the Borg state, “Thousands of people die from careless fighting over issues that are irrelevant to the Borg… you try to close the distance between people with chat programs, social networking… we provide you with a closeness no human has ever experienced.”
Other students imagined the Borg making a business pitch to the people of Earth. In one such case, a student envisions the Borg appealing to our growing addiction to technology, comparing assimilation to our own desire for constant connectivity. The Borg assure humanity that we would never again experience the panic of a dead mobile phone or lost Internet connection. In a slightly different approach, another student presentedBorg Assimilation Training, a ten-step program designed to prepare humans for their new lives a drones. Among the benefits listed are access to the most advanced technology and improved collaboration among coworkers.
With all the advantages proposed by our student versions of Locutus, the question of individuality still remained a challenge. One student questioned the human desire for individuality in a comic strip portraying a conversation between Locutus and a human. Arguing on behalf of the Borg, he cites the massive revenue and cultural impact of brands like Nike and MTV. He writes, “Individuality is an inappropriate term for defining yourself as everyone else does.”
Regardless of how individuality is defined, and how much our socially networked world may seem like the Borg, Trek Class students seem to agree that a fundamental difference between our own technological evolution and that of the Borg is that our collective is strengthened by each person’s unique ideas. In our current state, the students pointed out, we are not replacing our own thought processes with a hive mind. We are exchanging ideas, learning from each other and learning to make better decisions through collaboration. This type of assimilation, a more human approach, seems much less troubling.
So maybe students weren’t able to present a winning case for Borg assimilation, but they did raise some compelling ideas about the technological evolution of our collective. It seems that no matter how connected we become or how comfortable with technology, perhaps even within our own bodies, the class agreed that the human pursuit of technological perfection is fueled by a desire to protect our individuality, not to diminish it.
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Anthony Rotolo is a professor at the Syracuse University School of Information Studies (iSchool), where he specializes in social media. You can follow along with Trek Class each Tuesday and Thursday at 2:00pm EST on Twitter by using the hashtag #TrekClass.
 Article originally published at:
http://www.startrek.com/article/trek-class-blog-the-case-for-assimilation
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