12th Lesson + Overall Reflection

For this week, we continue with the group presentations on their web-based reports. The topics covered were beauty, tablet technology, politics and issues on terrorism and counter-terrorism. Personally, I actually thought the groups presenting on beauty and politics were the more interesting ones for this lesson. 

For Beauty & the Beast, they had a very light-hearted approach for their presentation by giving out perfume samples to get the class to interact with them and even had one of their male members painted his nails to highlight their opinions about beauty. As for the other group, who presented on technology and politics, it was interesting to watch them perform a short skit on the recent Singapore election to enable the class to relate to their topic better. 

9/10 for this lesson, I could see alot of effort being put in by all the groups and I have enjoyed the presentations!

Overall Reflection

As this is the final lesson for the term, I would like to say that I have truly learnt alot about Technology and World Change, under the guidance of Prof Gurinder. The lessons were mostly entertaining, interesting and thought-provoking about what is in store for the future to come. 

However, this is not the end, even though I have completed the module. After this class, I have realized that I got so much more to learn and be kept updated about the new technologies. In fact, I actually found the TWC FB page to be a good avenue to share and learn about some of the world issues and latest technologies. 

"This is perhaps the most beautiful time in human history; it is really pregnant with all kinds of creative possibilities made possible by science and technology which now constitute the slave of man - if man is not enslaved by it."  
~Jonas Salk

Thought that this quote pretty much relates to the situation in the world right now, where there are acutally so many unimaginable possibilities taking place. However, for the enslaving part on man, I think a good example is the Internet. As we progress, we are becoming more and more dependent and reliant on it for information, entertainment and etc. I also found it quite apt to think that like me, most humans are becoming like slaves to the Internet. 

More importantly, I feel that this module has taught me on how we can better make use of these technologies and make the world a better place to live in. 

11th Lesson

Knowledge is a process of piling up facts, wisdom lies in their simplification. 

-Martin H Fischer

Found the above quote to be quite true indeed! At an age when information is being generated close to an exponential rate, it becomes important for us to be able to sieve through the data and understand them in their simplicity for the use of applications. 

Anyway, this week's lesson is mainly to showcase the web-based reports that the groups have done and my team (TECHMERCE) is one of the presenters!

Here's the link: http://www.wix.com/sitizk2010/techmerce1

Some behind-the-scenes details on how much effort we have put in for this project!

No matter how busy we are with other school work, our team always met at least once a week to discuss about the TWC project. For all of us, this is the first time that we are using Wix. Hence, we spent quite a bit of time experimenting it. As for the videos shown in future considerations, there were alot of work and editing involved to present our ideas for the wildcard innovations. Before the presentation day, we also met up to have a few rehearsals together. 

Some thoughts about the future considerations. Initially, when one view the videos, it is inevitable that they may question about the possibility of these happening in the future. However, the ideas are definitely not far-fetched. In fact, we came up with the ideas by integrating the technologies that are already present. For example, the Kinnect technology for the TV Innovation, Ez-link card for the mobile e-wallet, 3D printing for the Almighty Fax Machine and the idea of professional fashion advice combined for the virtual fitting room. 

Well, it's definitely time for us to embrace the unimaginable possibilities of what e-commerce will bring in time to come!

9/10 for this lesson! Definitely proud of my team! (:

10th Lesson

Today's lesson was on Technology Assessment of how we can make sense of technological trends to predict the future and identify the game changers in the market.

"Change is the only constant."

To a large extent, this proverb is very relevant in today's modern world context. During the first lesson, I remembered Prof asking the class on their opinions about technology and world change. Like many of us, I support and embrace change, only for the better of mankind. However, if you look back, you start to wonder how much of these changes have benefitted mankind as a whole, either positively or negatively.

Some trends for the technological future will include augmented reality, exponential revolution, cloud computing, robotics, exoplanet and etc. In fact, some of the trends listed are already present. However, the challenge now is to incorporate these technologies into a single use to facilitate our daily lives. Hence, this is where the wildcard innovations come in!

In response to the parody version of the Microsoft video, it is mockingly said that the changes will require 498years. Looking at the rate of technological advances, I feel that we will probably achieve it in another 10 years or slightly more.

As Prof has mentioned in class, there are 2 ways to consider strategic foresight. Firstly, you start with existing realities. In this method, you will find lots of constraints as stumbling blocks, before being able to maneuver your way out. On the other hand, forget the current situation and think about how to convert possibilities into reality by envisioning. This way, it will be viewed as small stepping stones to lead to your goals.

An interesting definition of FUTURE that I've learnt from watching one of the videos shown in class:

Fast (rate)
Urban (societal development)
Tribal (not ethnic divisions, but people with common interests)
Universal (globalized)
Radical (type of change involved)
Ethical (values and morals)

So, are we ready for the future?

Overall, 7/10 for this lesson! 

9th Lesson

This week's lesson was definitely interesting on future and emerging technologies and we did not have to narrow our focus on a specific topic for discussion. Basically, anything under the sun about wildcard innovations.

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." by Albert Einstein. Among the other quotes that were shared in class, I liked this one best. During one of the earlier TWC sessions, I recalled Prof talking about the concept of singularity, which is how information is being generated at close to an infinite rate. Knowledge is power. However, the need to constantly keep abreast of the latest breakthroughs becomes seemingly impossible with the vast amounts of information circulated easily through the Internet at every minute. In my opinion, I agree with this quote because if you look at the innovations now, it would have took alot of imagination by the inventors to be able to create such products. Hence, you will first need imagination then the knowledge to convert ideas into reality.

In one of the slides, the next upcoming interesting technology that will be most talked about among people will be Artificial Intelligence. Take for example, the Siri software in iPhone 4S. I think this topic will be the next thing that people will start integrating into their daily lives. One of the videos I found interesting was the one on plastic electronics. Though the use of material is appealing because of its weight and flexibility to be made into products, it leads to another consideration of environmental issue since plastic is non-biodegradable. Perhaps, the use of material can be further explored and be substituted  with something that is more environmental-friendly. 

For the individual presentations, I actually thought the idea about 3D cell printing to be the most interesting. This idea is definitely fresh and imagine the benefits that it can bring to the medical arena to cure patients. 

With all these new ideas, I see a bright and promising future for mankind!

Overall, 7.5/10 for this lesson!

8th Lesson

The main focus of this lesson is on energy. 

Looking at the driving forces of energy consumption, it is easy to point out the relationship between energy and development. However, most of the consumption today are derived from non-renewable sources. This is not a wise decision because one day, we will eventually run out of these resources. Hence, there is a need to explore on renewable energy sources and green biotechnology, which developing giants like China and India are investing heavily into. Prof also highlighted how Brazil, a member of BRIC, is so innovative to think of using sugarcane to supply part of their energy consumption.

Not only that, I think it is time for the world to start questioning the real cost behind non-renewables. Often, our decisions and costing structures are based on economic rationale. However, we have failed to bring in other factors into the equation. In this case, particularly the cost of environmental impacts has not been taken into consideration before. Therefore, people become misled into thinking that these non-renewables are in a way, free because the resources are often found underground and do not cost anything.

It is also very commendable of the European Union (EU) to pledge their commitment to the use of 20% renewable energy sources by 2020. From the video that Prof shared in class, Germany is able to attract many of its citizens to tap on solar energy by providing cash incentives as a form of encouragement. Perhaps, this is a good example that other countries can adopt to ensure a public effort for the benefits of the environment and future generations.

On a serious note, we have to start planning for energy security. It is definitely crucial for us to seek a diversity of sources to depend on, especially for crisis management. More importantly, we need to educate the public and inculcate a sense of social commitment in them towards sustainable energy goals. Ultimately, we only have one Planet Earth and therefore, this is everyone's responsibility.

Overall, 9/10 for this lesson! 

Draft- Individual Report

1. Executive Summary

In this report, the main focus is on the topic of Biometric Passport, also known as the E-passport. In the following sections, it will analyze the how the E-passport will be a game-changer, in terms of future travel experience and biometric-based security.

The research methodology is mainly based on secondary sources like articles and government websites to provide relevant information on this specific innovation.

For the following sections, it will cover the brief overview of E-passport and the evolution of the passport as an official travel document. Based on the analysis of the current situation, there is a comprehensive discussion to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of the E-passport.

On top of that, it also includes how the E-passport can be further developed and the possibilities to incorporate biometric technology into other products and services. In the conclusion, personal opinions will also be integrated into the report to analyze the growth potential for this innovation.

Although the E-passports issued must be in accordance with the ICAO’s global standardized requirements, each nation may differ slightly from each other in providing additional enhanced security features to further strengthened their respective E-passports. Moreover, due to security-sensitive concerns, this may become a challenge during research data gathering. Hence, the above-mentioned issue may prove to be a limitation for this research paper.

2. Introduction

2.1 What is Biometrics?

Biometrics is defined as the science and technology of assessing the human’s biological information, which considers the uniqueness of each individual’s genetic make-up. Some of these measurements will include DNA, fingerprints, eye retinas and irises’ patterns, voice and facial recognitions for identification purposes (Sutherland, 1998).

2.2 Innovation- Biometric Passport

In 2005, the U.S. Department of State- Office of Passport Policy, Planning and Advisory Services issued the first Biometric Passport, also known as the E-passport (Biba, 2005). Like the name suggests, it incorporates biometric technology into the use of a passport. With the introduction of the E-passport, it will be able to change the future of travel experience.

Since its introduction, some countries have adopted the E-passport over the recent years and more will be following suit in time to come. The E-passport that is issued by any country must be in accordance with the standardized requirements set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) (Biba, 2005). The ICAO has selected facial recognition as the key global biometric measurement, followed by the fingerprint and iris identification (Kimaldi). Nations that issued the E-passports will be required to upload their respective digital certificate onto a global secured database called Public Key Directory (PKD) (Kirk, 2008).

Being a member of the U.S Visa Waiver Program (VWP) and ICAO, Singapore issued its first batch of E-passports on 29 April 2006 (Ministry of Home Affairs Singapore, 2006). This means that eligible Singaporeans will be able to travel to U.S now for leisure or business purposes for up to 90days or less, without the need to obtain a visa (Bureau of Consular Affairs, U.S Department of State).

Similar to the paper passport, the exception is that an E-passport contains a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip that is inserted in the back cover (How Stuff Works). This electronic chip will contain the personal information like name, date of birth, nationality and etc. Not only that, it also includes the digital images of the fingerprint, iris, facial features and signature of the owner. It also employs the use of contactless chip technology. In order to read the biometric information in the electronic chip, a specific machine reader or scanner will be needed.

3. Historical Perspective

For many years, the passport has become one of the required official travel documents to allow an individual to gain entry and exit from a country. In this section, it provides a descriptive timeline before the introduction of the E-passport.

Initially, a passport was not considered as a mandatory travel document. People could travel easily to another city or country using the basic modes of transport. However, the idea of passport began in 1912, during the World War I, to protect national security, identify citizens and monitor the flow of travellers into the country. During then, most people thought that this was only a momentary wartime measure. However, by the mid 1920s, the passport became the standardized travel document to be used by countries worldwide (Australian Passport Office).

From the early 20^th century, having a photograph glued on the passport was one of the features to identify the individual. The only way to validate the identity the passport owner was by comparing the bearer’s signature. On top of that, it was not compulsory for each individual to own a passport then, since a family usually travel together. Hence, a picture of the family members would be considered as sufficient and glued on the passport (Passport Canada, 2010).

Later, it gradually evolved to machine-readable passports. Not only that, it also became compulsory for each individual to possess a passport under their own name. Important personal details and the photograph of the passport bearer would be laminated to prevent tampering of information. In the early 21^st century, digital printing and holographs were also integrated into the passport (Passport Canada, 2010). This would require an ultraviolet light (UV) reader to view the information, thereby further enhancing the security features of the passport.

On the other hand, the ICAO initiated the research in 1999 on the prospect of employing the use of biometric information in passports (Boggan, 2008).

4. Current Situation

In this section, it will cover the discussion and analysis of the positive and negative implications of the E-passport based on the current situation.

4.1 Positive Implications

From the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), it is estimated that the annual traffic flow of international tourists has increased from 25 million in 1950 to 806 million in 2005, with an average growth of more than 6.5% yearly. With the E-passport, it will greatly help international airports handle the large volume of travellers daily. More importantly, there is a need to keep track and screen the flow of travellers into the country.

As mentioned earlier, the E-passport contains an electronic chip that holds the biometric information of an individual. With access control features incorporated into the E-passport, this will encrypt the data, making it difficult to duplicate or amend the information. Therefore, this will serve a better authentication purpose in verifying the owner of the passport. On top of that, in the case of misplacement, it also prevents identity theft.

With the E-passport, this will help to prevent potential terrorists from entering into the country. After the 9/11 attacks in 2001, there is a strong international need to further strengthen border security. Moreover, security measures were tightened to prevent the tragedy of terrorists’ attacks from happening again. Similarly, the E-passport also aids in keeping track the flow of travellers and blocks illegal immigrants. This issue is a common problem faced by many countries in the world. Often, these immigrants enter a country through illegal means in search of a better life. Due to the complexities in creating a counterfeit E-passport, the possibility of forgery is reduced. Therefore, it becomes difficult to enter into a country based on fraudulent information.

Lastly, it brings about much convenience by minimizing the waiting time at custom checkpoints. With the E-passport, it becomes possible to automate the process at the passport control. Hence, this will be able to shorten the administration, making it more efficient without compromising on security checks. The implementation of SmartGate Kiosk for the E-passport is an example of automated process. The SmartGate Kiosk works simply by placing the passport into the reader, responding to some standard questions on the touch screen and looking at the camera for the facial recognition check (Australian Customs and Border Proection Service, 2010). In this way, travellers will be able to be granted fast access at custom checkpoints.

4.2 Negative Implications

Generally, private companies manufacture E-passports and the biometric information in the chip is stored into a database. This may indirectly raise the issue of how secure is one’s personal data, as there is a possibility that the database may be hacked into.

Due to the technologies involved, an E-passport is more expensive than the conventional paper passport. This is considering the fact that a lot of research has been done by countries to make the E-passport more secure. Take for example, U.K has already invested more than 415million pounds into the E-passport scheme (Johnson, 2006). However, most governments usually subsidize some of the cost to make it fairly affordable for almost everyone. On top of that, airports will also have to invest in additional biometric systems to read the E-passports at customs checkpoints. These readers may prove to be costly to install and maintain.

Since the E-passport has only been introduced a few years ago, it has yet to be adopted by every country in the world. Hence, it will require some time before the E-passport is being used worldwide. Not only that, there is also still a certain majority of people who have yet to renew or convert their passports. Though their passports have not expired, they may either have to re-apply for the E-passport or a visa, especially when travelling to countries like America.

As mentioned earlier, countries that issued E-passports will need to upload their digital certificate to an internationally governed database. There is a need for combined international efforts to share information freely in a common database. However, out of the 50 countries, only 10 are willing to do so. Not only that, there are currently 5 nations, who have already contributed to PKD (Kirk, 2008).

On another note, according to Jeroen van Beek, a security researcher at the University of Amsterdam, he has managed to devise a method to successfully clone and hack the information found in the RFID chip of the E-passport (Boggan, 2008). Not only that, this step-by-step process has been made available online (Beek, 2008) (The Hackers Choice). In addition, Lukas Grunwald, a technological expert, has also been able to do the similar with the aid of equipment worth only USD200 (Johnson, 2006). With these examples, it increases the possibility of identity theft for travellers, which defeats one of the main objectives of the E-passport.

5. Future Considerations

Based on the negative implications discussed earlier, there is a need to improve the E-passport to pre-empt the possibility of forgery, hackers and virus attacks against the databases, resulting to private information being stolen. Therefore, the ICAO will be announcing the Supplemental Access Control (SAC) as an additional security feature in the upcoming launch of the 3^rd Generation of E-Passports, which will be integrated by 2014 (KROWNE, 2011).

According to Anna Park, one of the expert speakers for Future Travel Experience 2011, she foresees biometric technology to be fully incorporated and implemented as a vital aspect in the future travel process (Ghee, 2011). The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has also designed the Checkpoint of the Future by using biometric-based security (Future Travel Experience, 2011). Therefore, in accordance with the development plan for the Future Travel Experience, the E-passport can be viewed as a stepping-stone.

On the other hand, looking at the rate of technological advancements today, any idea has the possibility to become reality in time to come. Besides the E-passport, biometric technology has much potential to be implemented into other products and services, especially for the purpose of identification access. Considering that the keyless technology is already made available in the market now, especially for cars, the use of biometrics can be combined to further enhance security. Not only that, this can also be applied to our homes and offices as well.

Exploring further, a futuristic idea is to implant the biometric chip into our bodies. By doing so, it will be able to bring much convenience and make our environments more secured. Furthermore, we will be able to scrap the conventional use of access cards.

In order to develop this idea, firstly, we will have to set up a common system to link access to our cars, homes and offices together. On top of that, we can also include banking services to ease transactions. With all the relevant data stored in one electronic biometric chip, we will be able to travel around freely, without worrying that we will lose our personal belongings. Hence, the highlight of this idea is to integrate biometric technology to facilitate our daily lives by having a single use for different functions.

6. Conclusion

Although there are many benefits of the E-passport, there are also some security concerns that have surfaced. Though these issues indirectly question the necessity to incorporate biometric technology into the use of a passport, the advantages of the E-passport outweigh the disadvantages. On top of that, it is noted that biometric information is considered as one of the most accurate methods to validate the identity of the bearer.

Moreover, a lot of resources have been put into the research by countries to make the E-passport more secure. As the E-passport has been introduced only a few years ago, teething problems are definitely inevitable. Therefore, instead of withdrawing the scheme, we should relook at ways to further enhance the security features of the E-passport.

On the other hand, as mentioned in the earlier section of Future Considerations, it shows the possibility to apply this technology into other products and services. Not only that, there is also a need to strengthen the security features to prevent the E-passport to become a bane instead.   

In conclusion, the E-passport is considered a revolutionary product, as it has managed to incorporate biometric technology into the use of a passport. Not only that, there is also much growth potential for this product. Considering the development plan to integrate biometric technology into the future travel experience, it is a milestone to be able to convert the conventional paper passport into a biometric-based travel document and be used by countries worldwide in time to come. 

Recess Week

Well, no lessons this week cos it's finally the recess week that everyone has been waiting for! 

However, the main purpose of this post is to pay tribute and honor the works of Steve Jobs (1955-2011).

“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” - Steve Jobs

Despite his long battle with pancreatic cancer, it did not stop him from working his best for his legacy- Apple. Truly, he is inspirational in both his innovations and words. 

It is also sad that he passed away a day after the release of iPhone 4S. Food for thought: many people kept questioning why it wasn't named iPhone 5. However, if you think about it, perhaps the reason is iPhone 4S = iPhone 4 Steve!

All over the world, many teenagers may not even be familiar with the names of their ministers but definitely, Steve Jobs is a household name that everyone will associate at the very first mention of Apple products!

7th Lesson

For this week's lesson, we had a Japanese guest who sat in with us during lecture. I want to highlight a point she mentioned about her commendable work in Unicef, which is reversing people's mentality of prevention to promotion. Instead of always focusing on preventive measures, perhaps a better way is to inculcate good values and methods. 

"When we are able to grow the resources we need, we will finally be on the road to sustainability.", as quoted from Gurinder Shahi. In my opinion, I think this is relevant in today's world. All this time, we have been using so much resources and often, the amount we consumed is alot more than what we actually need. Therefore, I think the world needs to address this issue and uncover more viable solutions to be self-reliant than being so overly-dependable on the available resources. 

As we have read in one of the required readings, the world's population is expected to hit 9.2billion by 2050. With such a huge population, we need to find ways to sustain the fragile ecosystem because we may not have sufficient resources to support everyone. 

On a side note, the following is what different colours of biotechnology meant.

Blue- Marine 

Green- Agriculture

Red- Medical

White- Industrial

And this lesson was more on green biotechnology! I also learned about Norman Borlaug, who created the basis for agri-biotechnology and won the Nobel Prize in 1970. In a way, he also started the Green Revolution by extracting specific traits and forming new strains to allow the grains to adapt and grow in different environments. We also looked at Monsanto, the company who is often viewed as the bully for monopolizing the agricultural biotech industry. 

The most frequently brought up point would be on whether GM (Genetically-modified) food should be labelled. Honestly, when I am purchasing my foods, the labeling does not affect my decision making. However, this does not mean that there is no need to label these foods because I feel that consumers should be given the right to know about their foods. 

8/10 for this lesson! The presentations were really interesting! I loved the one about lab-grown meat and the point mentioned by one of my classmates of whether the meat would be considered as halal, since it uses pig cells. 

6th Lesson

Today's lesson was on BioBusiness- Healthcare. 

As people become more health-conscious these days, they are willing to spend more to keep themselves healthy and fit. This results to a wide variety of health-related products, especially vitamins and supplements to be heavily marketed. Also, do take a look at http://www.visualeconomics.com/how-the-average-us-consumer-spends-their-paycheck/ This shows a rough breakdown of how an average American spends his salary, which is about $2853 annually on healthcare alone. 

Prof shared about how herbal and traditional medicine are opportunities that can be further looked into. In the past, these medicine are merely considered to be folklore cures. However, these medicine are actually becoming more popular in demand now. Firstly, they are herbs and thus, little or no side-effects at all. Not only that, these herbs also contain other properties that are beneficial for the body. On the other hand, western drugs often prove to be faster and more effective cures instead, but they may be harmful for the body in the long run.

By 2020, it is forecasted that there will be a shift from infectious to chronic diseases as the major causes of death. With better sanitation and availability of basic healthcare in most parts of the world, infectious diseases like malaria and tuberculosis have decreased significantly. However, chronic diseases like diabetes and heart failure are often triggered by physical inactivity and poor diet. For example, America is one of the countries in the world with high obesity rates and this is contributed from consumption of junk food, alcohol, tobacco and the lack of exercise.  

In conclusion, biobusiness for healthcare is definitely a lucrative business to look into! With more resources pumped into research work, there is also a need to ensure that the cures will be made affordable for almost everyone in the world. Lastly, I'll end with a quote from someone's fb status "No one should die because they cannot afford healthcare, and no one should go broke because they get sick."

8.5/10 for this lesson! Thought that the oral presentations done by my fellow classmates were interesting, especially on organs trading, patenting and counterfeit drugs, which raised many insightful perspectives by Prof and the rest of the class!

5th Lesson

During class, Prof mentioned a quote by John Naisbitt that the sensational innovations in this era would be how we can "humanize" technology and incorporate into products and services. I would like to share this link that I have read: IBM Supercomputer Watson to assist doctors.
(http://sg.news.yahoo.com/ibms-watson-assist-doctors-163719556.html)

Similar to the video shown about Project Natal, Dr Watson is a supercomputer that helps medical professionals to diagnose illnesses and recommend treatments for patients. With "him" around, I am sure doctors will always welcome a "second opinion"! This will definitely be a breakthrough in the healthcare industry and perhaps a solution for the lack of manpower! 

Looking at the evolution of mass media, with information growing at an exponential rate, people also have faster and better access to sources. However, like what one of the presenters said, we being "consumers" have to process these information first to detect hints of biasness and exaggeration.

Censorship is also becoming difficult to block information from users. From my personal experience, when I was in Shanghai last year for my internship, I almost cried aloud because Youtube, Facebook and Blogger were blocked. Found this useful website- www.vtunnel.com! Simply enter the url that you wish to visit and you will be able to pass through the Great Firewall of China. *Warning- may have disturbing ads! This could be used at workplace too, if your company blocks access to social networking sites.

The web is transforming to better suit needs and cater to tastes and preferences. Think customization and the fact that humans are typically drawn to things that appeal to them. Using the common phrase heard "Customers are always right!", this is evident that consumers have a bigger bargaining power now. Not only that, the evolution of web3.0 will be interesting, as it includes the perspectives of the users for others to use as references. This can be seen from popular blogs (Xiaxue/ Beatrice Tan/ LadyIronChef) about product reviews, food recommendations and etc.  

9/10 for this lesson! It was interesting and I am sure most of us were able to relate to this topic very well!

Individual Topical Review Paper

Topic: Biometrics
Innovation: Biometric Passport or e-passport


Rationale: E-passport is a revolutionary innovation that has been introduced about 5-6years ago to replace the conventional travel document. After the 9/11 attacks, there is a increased need for security measures to screen for potential terrorists from entering into a country. Not only that, it also makes forgery difficult now, as each passport will contain a chip with personal biometric information to authenticate the identify of the traveller. 

Report Outline:
·      Executive Summary

·      Introduction
Ø  What is Biometrics
Ø  Rationale for the implementation of biometric passports

·      Historical Perspective
Ø  Descriptive timeline to show evolution of travel documents 
-       Family photos glued in passports
-       Laminated photos and machine-related passports
-       Digital printing and holographs

·      Current Situation
Ø  How does the e-passport works


Ø  More and more countries are adopting Biometric passports
-       Provide statistics

Ø  Pros of e-passport
-    Better security (prevents illegal immigrants & terrorists)
-       Reduces the possibility of forgery 
-       Convenience (minimize waiting time and administration at checkpoints)

Ø  Cons of e-passport
-       Cost of set-up
-       A requirement when visiting some countries (for those without e-passport)
-       Technology involved in implementation

·      Future Considerations
Ø  Technology must be strengthened to prevent security issues
-   Forgery
-   Hacking into databases
-  Private information stolen

Ø  Applying biometric technology into other products (innovations)
-   House and car keys
-   Banking services (ATM)
-   Other identification access

·      Conclusion + Personal opinions on the topic

4th Lesson

I loved the video "Who moved my cheese?" that was shown in class. The two key points to learn from the video are anticipating changes and adapting accordingly to circumstances. Not only that, being prepared will also allow one to strike when an opportunity arises. 

During the lesson, we also covered some drivers of world change. Personally, I felt that changing expectations and "tastes" with changing times is one of the most important drivers. As seen from the market, most products and services have evolved to suit the changing tastes and preferences of consumers. Not only that, most societies have also played an important role in allowing people to express themselves freely and openly. With education, people are no longer bound to follow the dictators of change blindly, but rather, they have the wisdom now to make informed choices to benefit their own interests. 

As for the model- Adapting to Change: New Technology Adoption, I found this to be quite true. For example, Apple. When their initial products were launched, people were skeptical to try. However, as time passes, more and more people are awed by the innovations that Apple has created. In fact, Apple has surpassed Exxon to be the world's most valuable company now.  

On the other topic about leadership, I would think influence is also an important factor. Like the video- First Follower: Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy that was shown in class, if the leader is not charismatic or influential, it will not be easy for him to get the first follower to start a movement together.  

Lastly, I would also like to share this old American proverb- "There are 3 kinds of people in the world; those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what happened." Hence, it is up to us to decide for ourselves which group we want to belong to!

8/10 for this lesson! I also thought that some of my fellow classmates did an awesome job with their presentations and it allowed me to learn and improve on my presentation next time!

3rd Lesson

The two key topics covered in lesson were sustainability and innovation.

Sustainability of the environment has become increasingly important in today's world. Like the beginning of the video 'Story of Stuff" that Prof shared in class, it was mentioned that there are so many problems, like resources depleting at an alarmingly rate and pollution caused by toxic and waste. If we do not make any efforts to curb these issues, the dire consequences will be brought forward to the future generations of mankind. Hence, I am looking forward to see how the different governments will present their environmental goals during the Earth Summit, which will be held next year.

Similarly, innovation is also another important factor. Unless we strive on improvements, we will be left out of the race in no time. However, like what Prof said, it is only considered innovation until the succesful application of ideas, otherwise it is creativity. Relating to one of the articles in the required readings- “The Chaos of Innovation Management”, I thought what Prof said to be quite true. Although there are a lot of good ideas in the market, little has been done to carry them out in reality. Hence, likewise for students, having knowledge is not power, unless we apply what we have learnt and make a difference. 

Not only that, I feel that the Shahi Landscape Model for Technology Assessment is a good way to help business enterprises identify whether the industry is a sunrise or sunset one to venture into. I also agree with what Prof has mentioned that green technology will hold a lot of potential in future. In fact, I would classify green tech as a cloud opportunity!

On the other hand, I would also like to give another perspective on one of the presentations about Surrogoacy, which is how IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation) have made it possible for some couples to have children. Over the years, the use of IVF treatment has increased significantly, as more couples face difficulties in having kids, especially due to the reason of work-related stress. This is also a good example of how science has incorporated with technology.

Overall, I would rate the lesson 7.5/10 and so far, the TWC lessons have been quite enjoyable and informative!

P.S- On a note, I would really appreciate if we are able to end class on time in future, as some of us have another lesson to rush to after TWC. Thanks:)

2nd Lesson

As one of presenters for this week's lesson, I had to find an article that was able to depict the topic on Technology, Society and Global Dominance. After much consideration, I decided on researching about China and America, since they are the mega players in the global arena now.

Using the characteristics that were listed about the falling and rising stars, the Shahi Organizational Behavior Model has been a great help when I relate to my article- Think Again, American Decline. For example, the formation of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) consists of strong and emerging stars, whereas Western countries like Europe, USA and UK have been declining significantly after the recent global economic crisis. Not only that, I feel that we can actually apply this model into our daily lives to spur us to be more open-minded and hungry for knowledge. 

In one of the readings- "The colonial holocaust and its legacy", I found it fascinating because the article provided a totally different perspective of the European colonial masters. Though I cannot deny that the article is slightly biased, it portrayed how the countries were exploited of their resources and the suffering of the locals. All along, I have been always taught the positive effects of colonization. However, we have forgotten how the weaker countries have been helpless and robbed of their choice to decide for themselves, but only to surrender and succumb to the stronger powers instead. 

After watching the youtube video of The Millennium Development Goals for 2015, I felt quite emotional. Like what Prof has mentioned, we definitely have the ability to make this world a better place to live in. It is saddening to see that most of the times, we dedicate these resources into profit-making opportunities instead. As quoted from Albert Einstein, "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity." On the other hand, we should also acknowledge the efforts put in by some commendable individuals and organizations, who have contributed much to this great cause. Hence, the idea of giving back to society, like philanthrophy and corporate social responsibility should be strongly encouraged in today's world. 

I also thought that the video by Hans Rosling- 200 countries, 200 years, 4mins was very interesting, especially his way of presenting the statistics in 3D. Imagine incorporating this style of learning into the education system, I am sure lessons will definitely become more exciting for the students.

For this week's lesson, it was rather interesting as we kicked off the individual presentations by "guest lecturers". Having enjoyed the youtube videos shown and presentations given by my fellow classmates, I would rate 8/10 for this lesson, as it had been quite thought provoking for me on some of the issues raised during discussion. 

1st Lesson

Initially, I did not have much clue about what this topic was really all about. From the required readings and video "Guns, Germs & Steel", I had a very brief understanding that this module was probably just like what the name stated, the interlink between technology and world change. Or simply put, globalization. Hence, like the most of us, I stepped into the first TWC class with an open mind.

During the introduction of my fellow peers, I noticed that most of us were for change, only if it would bring positive benefits. However, in reality, we have seen some of the negative impacts, for example- pollution causing detrimental damage to the environment. On the other hand, like in one of the discussion topics, change has become something inevitable in our daily lives. 

The facts in Youtube video clip "Shift Happens" that was shown in class left a deep impression on me. I am sure most of us were definitely aware of facts like China is the up and rising country in the global arena and we are living in a fact-paced society. However, it is the extent of these facts that really surprised me. For example, as quoted in the video- "25% of the China's population with the highest IQs is greater than the total population in North America" and the estimation of more than 1.5 exabytes of new information will be generated yearly. 

The other video "Guns, Germs & Steel" held an important question of inequality with Yali asking Diamond "Why you white men have so much cargo and we New Guineans, have so little?" There is so much to the answer as reasons could be due to geographical location, availability of resources and more. In one of the required readings- "Timeline of Time", it was fascinating to see the list of milestones of what have been discovered and invented, starting from the existence of mankind. 

In fact, I found this module to be quite brain-stimulating. It made us consider of how the lives of human race have transformed significantly over the years and how things would change in time to come. Now, with advanced technology and knowledge, the focus should be on how to improve lives and make the world a better place to live in.  

Not only that, the active discussion at the Facebook's group was also intriguing. I saw many interesting articles and videos contributed by the Professor and peers. I also thought that commenting on the postings was a good way to air our differing views to have more perspectives on the issue. In my opinion, this was better than using the discussion forum on Elearn!

For this lesson, I would rate 7/10. It would have been even better if we could have more time to discuss about the video- "Guns, Germs & Steel" of Jared Diamond's discoveries. 

Looking forward to the next class! (: