TWC Session 12

This session signified the second round of the group presentations.

First up was a presentation where the site was named as "The Health Herald", which included educational medical information to the general public without the intricacies of medical jargons. The site presented plenty of information which was previously difficult to comprehend due to the medical jargons. The most interesting thing which I had taken away from their presentation was about the IPhone and how it can become the new medical tool of the future. Since there are plenty of updates for the IPhone, as well as the ability to create an app for IPhone, the possibilities available are boundless. It is hard to imagine our lives without a smart phone when just 3 years ago we deemed them as unneccessary.

Next was a presentation by A(b)CDE, the topic which they did on was about "Language & Communication". Half of the world's languages are on the verge of extinction, mostly in the less developed areas. The overall flow of the presentation and the website was very clear, bringing us from how did various languages come about to the current drivers of why people are learning different langauges. Language is indeed a very powerful tool, both to identify oneself as well as to develop a sense of belonging to one culture and we cannot allow this diversity we have now to dissapear. This however does not mean that we are not allowed to have a universal translator since this will only help to bridge the gap between different cultures and increasing understanding as well as tolerance.

Lastly was a presentation on the internet, how we are so indulged in the internet or so called "webbed in the web". There are many benefits which the internet has provided for us thus far, but there are also many dangers of the internet which we should look out for, such as pornography and extremist ideals being posted online. Internet is somewhat similar to a double edged sword, the benefits are far too many for us to pose huge restrictions on it, we have to be educated about the dangers and how to avoid them instead. Internet may be replaced in the future by other technologies such as virtual reality, but the concept of it will never be replaced since it is indispensable to our lives.

This round of presentations was very insightful as well, I took away a substantial amount of information about the various technologies which we can no longer live without. The end of this module only signifies a new chapter for me, where my perspectives have been broadened such that I can apply the concepts here to innovations or news which I had simply ignored in the past.

TWC Session 11

This session marked the start of the group presentation, I shall recall some of the things which I have learnt, both from other team's presentation and through presenting my own as well.

First up was a presentation by the SMUrbans, they did a case study on urban planning in Singapore. The headings in the website had a very clear flow, it felt as though I was reading through an essay, from the conventional dimension all the way till the game plan. The game plan featured several interesting suggestions, such as introducing "Smart" climate control system to minimize energy usage. With more focus being put into sustainable development, the "Smart" system could be the driving catalyst for the replacement of fossil fuels by renewable energy sources since this means that the amount of energy required over a period of time would be reduced.

Next up was the presentation done by my team, it was very fun and exciting to present our website in a unique way through debate. The suggestions given by Prof Shahi, Pavan as well as the rest of our classmates were very helpful in my opinion, they will certainly help to make the presentation of our research clearer and more interactive.

After us, the Architechs presented on architecture, they were spot on regarding several pressing issues that we currently face, such as overcrowding caused by the ever growing population. Since our population is expected to hit a plateau of 10 billion by 2050, we cannot rely on the traditional style of architecture, radical approaches have to adopted instead. I found one of the future ideas suggested, which were the 'water lily' style of man made islands to be the most interesting, the fantastic sketch done perhaps being a large factor in my preference. The only issue that I would have with extra-terrestrial or the 'water lily' islands would be the difficulty in moving to another exact island, and the only viable solution I can think of is teleportation, which frankly isnt that feasible now as well.

Lastly, the TingTongs presented on the history of the music industry and the piracy issue threatening the existence of the industry. They were very frank in stating education as a probable solution but not an effective one, the only way would be legislation which prevents an individual from even having access to pirated music, or a very elaborate monitoring system which could locate every individual indulging in piracy and fine them.

I learnt a lot from this round of presentations and I am looking forward to presentations done by next week's groups.