Module 3 "A Rhyme of History"

According to Dr. Thornburg (n/d) “Rhymes of History” refers to when we connect today’s technology with past and its impact on society.” Once example is the use of electronic book readers to download and read books. “Electronic book readers are revolutionizing the reading experience” (Morse, 2010). What it rekindles from the past and is a recurring theme of history is reading and the popularity of books. Now, with e-books we have the portability convenience to have a lot of them in a single and affordable device. The first versions of e-books were designed as specialty devices with a limited scope of subject matter, such as technical manuals, manufacturing procedures and meant to be read only by small and devoted interest groups. Today, the choice of e-books is widening at an equal pace of the sizes and types of devices for viewing. Some e-readers are the Kindle, Sony Reader or the iPad.

Kevin Kelly describes what life might be like in the next 5,000 days of the Web through “one machine” composed of three unique components:

(1) Embodiment is where humans are the extended senses of this machine, rekindling all previous forms of how humans communicate;

(2) Restructuring links data and all things, rekindling how everyone and everything in our environment affect each other in some way;

(3) Codependency has everyone relying on everyone else, because we become the web, rekindling the need for socialization.

Kelly's concepts are examples for all new technologies of the rhymes of history in which they continue to reorganize and go through the same process again because we need satisfy our necessities. First everything needs to be restructured to work as it is supposed to work. Then, if we don’t need the technology, this does not continue its development.

References:

Kelly, K. (2007). Kevin Kelly on the next 5,000 days of the web. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/kevin_kelly_on_the_next_5_000_days_of_the_web.html

Morse, S. (2010). How to Choose electronic book readers. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/how_5608539_choose-electronic-book-readers.html

Thornburg, D. (nd) Rhymes of History. [Video Podcast]. Laureate Education, Inc.

Today’s Top Electronic Readers & Market Leaders. Retrieved from http://www.electronic-reader.com/. 

Tetrad for SmartPhone

The Smartphone emerged from the landline phone, to the car phone, the mobile phone, and the cellular phone. It is the result of the integration of other technologies such as the computer, radio, pocket calculator, the digital camera, the MP3 player, and the PDA.

• Enhances: What does this technology do that is new?

The smartphone integrate multiple functions acting as a computer with portability, music player, PDA functions and without lost the connection and capabilities.

• Obsoletes: What does this technology replace?

The cell phone without functions and landline phone in much cases.

•  Retrieves/rekindles: What does this technology bring to mind (or retrieve) from the past?

Computer, Digital Camera, Internet applications.

• Reverses: What might replace this technology in the future, or what might it cause to occur?

The landline phone and cell phone

References:

The Future of the Smartphone. Retrieve from: http://www.informationweek.com/news/mobility/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=206800816

 A Review of the SmartPhone: Retrieve from: http://www.smartphonereviewblog.com/