How Sustainable is Technology Really?

6

October

2019

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Sustainability nowadays is the main focus of attention in society as it is the greatest challenge of our time. Global problems, from pollution to poverty and starvation, to climate change, have to be solved to create a sustainable world to live in. Technologies have created some of the problems that we face, but are also able to solve several problems.

 

It is clear that the fashion industry, for example, is lacking ethical and environmental standards, but there is not so much attention devoted to such standards in the technology sector. People don’t have knowledge about tech supply chains, for instance, the main components of a smartphone are cobalt, gold, silver, palladium, and tin, and these minerals are to a large extent mined in developing countries under poor regulatory frameworks which violate human rights. Such smartphones have a life around three years, and then they become obsolete, which is purposefully done by engineers without much regard for human or environmental effects. Consequently, there is now a 50 metric ton of e-waste per year (George, 2019).

 

One example of a company introducing ethical smartphones, is Fairphone, a Dutch company that produces ethically made phones in small quantities, which are phones that are meant to be durable, and they are made from fair trade minerals. However, this company is still small, and it is questionable whether this business model will disrupt the technology market (George, 2019).

 

This is only one example of a technology that is not working towards achieving sustainable development goals. Luckily, there are solutions to such technologies, however, these need to be developed further to disrupt the market. Also, there are also many sustainable technologies, such as homes that get their electricity from fossil fuel burning power plants and a smog-scrubbing tower, which try to solve the world’s sustainability issues (Wang, 2015).

 

George, K. (2019). The tech industry has a serious sustainability problem. Retrieved 6 October 2019, from https://www.huckmag.com/art-and-culture/tech/the-tech-industry-has-a-serious-sustainability-problem/

 

Wang, U. (2015). Top five sustainable technology trends of 2015. Retrieved 6 October 2019, from https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/dec/31/top-5-sustainable-technology-trends-of-2015Screenshot 2019-10-06 at 17.20.15

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Hello Google Pixel! Hello innovation?

4

October

2016

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So Google just launched their new smartphone, Google Pixel. Does it come with some cool new features? Yes! Is it revolutionary? Probably not (yet). So let me give you a quick rundown of what has been said at the Google event today.

To begin with, Google believes that the future lies in machine learning and AI. Most importantly, they believe that it’s going to be the intersection of hardware and software where machine learning and AI are going to have the greatest impact. For that given reason, Google decided to build the new smartphone Pixel – allowing for a seamless integration of hardware and software. Wait, that concept seems surprisingly familiar, doesn’t it? Exactly! That’s what Apple is already doing for decades and decades (and probably was one of the main reasons for their success). This concept is also not really new for Google either. In the past, Google has launched smartphones under the Nexus series, with limited success however (Forbes, 2015). Anyways, Google’s decision to continue that route makes a lot of sense in the new AI/machine learning context. So what’s the problem?

For me, the most promising feature of Pixel definitely is the Google assistant. It’s purpose is to help you and me in our daily lives and go beyond how apps and the phone in general has helped us in the past. From what I’ve seen so far, it sadly seems to be more or less an improved Siri (yes, I am an iPhone user). But I can definitely see the potential of the technology and I believe the really exciting applications of AI are still to come – that’s why there is the “yet” in the introduction. And don’t get me wrong, reserving a spot in a restaurant just with a few instructions that you tell your phone is of course quite a cool thing. I’m just missing that “Wow” effect – in the end, it still only saves you a few clicks.

Besides the first disappointment on the AI side of things, there were some other things Apple and other providers can learn from. Unlimited storage space! Yes, the new Pixel comes with unlimited storage space for photos and videos. What is even more, the phone holds for 7 (!) hours just after charging it for 15 minutes. Oh and not to forget, Pixel still has a regular headphone jack.

Not only did Google reveal their new phone today, but also other products including a new VR headset, Google Wifi, Google Home and 4K Chromecast. To check the full event, follow this link.

I’m interested in what your thoughts are on the Google event today and in particular the Google Pixel. So let me know in the comment section below!

 

More useful information

Google Pixel website: https://madeby.google.com/phone/

Detailed summary of all new devices: http://thenextweb.com/google/2016/10/04/google-pixel-event-october-2016/

 

 

References

Featured image: The Next Web (2016, October 3). Retrieved October 4, 2016, from Google Pixel Smartphones leaked by carphone warehouse: http://thenextweb.com/mobile/2016/10/03/google-pixel-smartphones-leaked-by-carphone-warehouse/#gref

Silbert, S. (2015, September 30). Fortune.com. Retrieved October 4, 2016, from Nexus phones will never see huge sales—but here’s why they don’t need to: http://fortune.com/2015/09/30/google-nexus-smartphones-about-innovation-not-sales/

Made by Google event (2016, October 4). Retrieved October 4, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4y0KOeXViI

 

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Smartphones disrupting your sleep

25

September

2016

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Nowadays we rely on technology to make life better, but to a certain extent it might be making things worse. Smartphones and tablets disrupt our sleep; many people spend the first hour or so of their bedtime wandering through the internet. Looking page after page for information and entertainment. Information is available so quickly and everywhere to be found, leading to an information overload. The web provides immediate access to all sorts of information which, with the consumption of social media and usage of apps, it has resulted in many people finding it hard to fall asleep at night (Khazan, 2015).

One of the biggest causes why it is hard to fall asleep is the artificial light emitted from these smart devices. Especially the blue light, forcing us to stay awake by convincing our bodies that it is morning. This particular light is a biological clue for predicting when it’s morning. At night, there’s more red light than blue light, which signals your body to prepare for sleep. But when looking at blue light your body sends a “wake up” signal at night, which screws up our body’s biological clock (Welsh, 2014).

With a massive growing amount of information readiness and a decade of a fast changing industry of how we consume information, there is also a growing body of knowledge on the effects of what these information technologies do to our health, especially our sleep. There is a huge rise in sleep deprivation and the results are extremely worrying, its harm has been studied by a group of Harvard researchers, showing that it could shift sleep schedules by three hours. Getting less than seven hours sleep a night is associated with a range of problems, including an increased risk of obesity, heart attacks, diabetes and cancer (Harvard, 2015).

As for a solution to this growing problem, it could be as simple as putting your phone down and closing your eyes. Also most smartphones nowadays, offer an option to change the colour of the screen (Bolton, 2015). Plus, if you spend less time scouring the social media, and all the other things your smartphone can do, you will likely have a good night sleep

Sources:
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/02/how-smartphones-are-ruining-our-sleep/385792/
http://www.businessinsider.com/smartphone-is-destroying-your-sleep-2014-5
http://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/blue-light-has-a-dark-side
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/laptop-phone-sleep-bright-screen-flux-twilight-a6737696.html

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