Word of the Day: exculpate(EKskuhl\payt; ek\SKUHL\payt); to clear from alleged fault or guilt; to prove to be guiltless; to relieve of blame; to acquit
Weight: 206 pounds
Goal: lose 100 pounds in one year duration
Pounds to lose: 74 pounds
Waist Size: 41 inches
Rowing Duration: 45 minutes, six (6) seconds
I couldn't do a long rowing session this morning, and it is jiust as well, my feet should not be on the ground for long whilst they are still so swollen. In addition, I could not spurt during the rowing as my breathing is not great these days, and I just could not, nor should I push myself, when I do, I run into breathing difficulty, and start to hyperventilate.
Image via WikipediaI managed to get through yesterday without too much incident; as I just mentioned, my breathing is still somewhat strained , but I am coping with that and trying to keep my breathing as quiet as I possibly can so that Zac does not find out; if that happens, I'm cooked, and we will have to go home, and you all know that I do not want to go home early, as it is, we only have nine (9) days left here to enjoy, it goes by so quickly, doesn't it?
I called my brother Biff's house yesterday to talk to the children and to arrange a time that Zac and I will be able to get together with Raphael to help him prepare for a "Geography Bee." Raphael's school is launching, a "Geography Bee" which is similar to that of a "spelling bee," the children just have to know geographic facts between Florida and Washington D.C, in lieu of spelling words.
My brother's brood is having a bake sale this upcoming Saturday that Zac and I will attend, I forget the cause that the proceeds of the bake sale will got to, but it is always a good cause at these kind of things, so Zac and I don't mind contributing towards this event, in addition, Zac and I enjoy baked goods. After the bake sale, or prior to it, there should be some time to get Raphael started on his preparation for the "Geography Bee," it would be so wonderful if we could help Raphael win the darn thing, but I reckon that there are probably about five thousand other people out there that want their children to win! Oh well, its a good thing that Raphael is even just participating in this "Bee", he wins on that score alone!
I did have a piece of cake at the International House of Pancakes (IHOP) yesterday, and after my breakfast, just like I said I would, I ate cake to celebrate the birthday of my friend Marta, who was actually quite surprised that I knew of her birthday, ah Marta, it is the age of technology, don't you know?
Technology really has come a long way and reshaped the way we all do everything and today technology has affected society and its surroundings in a number of ways. In many societies, technology has helped develop more advanced economies (including today's global economy) and has allowed the rise of a leisure class. Many technological processes produce unwanted by-products, known as pollution, and deplete natural resources, to the detriment of the Earth and its environment. Various implementations of technology influence the values of a society and new technology often raises new ethical questions. Examples include the rise of the notion of efficiency in terms of human productivity, a term originally applied only to machines, and the challenge of traditional norms.
Philosophical debates have arisen over the present and future use of technology in society, with disagreements over whether technology improves the human condition or worsens it. Neo-Luddism, Anarcho-primitivism, and similar movements criticise the pervasiveness of technology in the modern world, opining that it harms the environment and alienates people; proponents of ideologies such as transhumanism and techno-progressivism view continued technological progress as beneficial to society and the human condition. Indeed, until recently, it was believed that the development of technology was restricted only to human beings, but recent scientific studies indicate that other primates and certain dolphin communities have developed simple tools and learned to pass their knowledge to other generations.
Dictionaries and scholars have offered a variety of definitions. The Merriam-Webster dictionary offers a definition of the term: "the practical application of knowledge especially in a particular area" and "a capability given by the practical application of knowledge". Ursula Franklin, in her 1989 "Real World of Technology" lecture, gave another definition of the concept; it is "practice, the way we do things around here". The term is often used to imply a specific field of technology, or to refer to high technology or just consumer electronics, rather than technology as a whole. Bernard Stiegler, in Technics and Time, 1, defines technology in two ways: as "the pursuit of life by means other than life", and as "organized inorganic matter."
Technology can be viewed as an activity that forms or changes culture. Additionally, technology is the application of math, science, and the arts for the benefit of life as it is known. A modern example is the rise of communication technology, which has lessened barriers to human interaction and, as a result, has helped spawn new subcultures; the rise of cyberculture has, at its basis, the development of the Internet and the computer. Not all technology enhances culture in a creative way; technology can also help facilitate political oppression and war via tools such as guns. As a cultural activity, technology predates both science and engineering, each of which formalize some aspects of technological endeavor.
The distinction between science, engineering and technology is not always clear. Science is the reasoned investigation or study of phenomena, aimed at discovering enduring principles among elements of the phenomenal world by employing formal techniques such as the scientific method. Technologies are not usually exclusively products of science, because they have to satisfy requirements such as utility, usability and safety.
Of course I could not talk about technology and and omit one of the greatest inventions of all, the forefather of technology and inventions, which was, (as you all now from watching the movie "Shirley Valentine,") the wheel.
The invention of the wheel revolutionized activities as disparate as transportation, war, and the production of pottery (for which it may have been first used.) It didn't take long to discover that wheeled wagons could be used to carry heavy loads and fast (rotary) potters' wheels enabled early mass production of pottery. But it was the use of the wheel as a transformer of energy (through water wheels, windmills, and even treadmills) that revolutionized the application of nonhuman power sources.
ed by the wider availability of consumer goods.
Starting in the United Kingdom in the 18th century, the Industrial Revolution was a period of great technological discovery, particularly in the areas of agriculture, manufacturing, mining, metallurgy and transport, driven by the discovery of steam power. Technology later took another step with the harnessing of electricity to create such innovations as the electric motor, light bulb and countless others.
Scientific advancement and the discovery of new concepts later allowed for powered flight, and advancements in medicine, chemistry, physics and engineering. The rise in technology has led to the construction of skyscrapers and large cities whose inhabitants rely on automobiles or other powered transit for transportation. Communication was also improved with the invention of the telegraph, telephone, radio and television, and, I know all of us have enjoyed the plethora of strides that they have made in technological television, to say the very least, I love the large television screens that are now available to us for viewing, it is like watching a movie screen, and I love movies, you may have picked up on that, or have I been too subtle?
The second half of the 20th century brought a host of new innovations. In physics, the discovery of nuclear fission has led to both nuclear weapons and nuclear energy. Computers were also invented and later miniaturized utilizing transistors and integrated circuits. These advancements subsequently led to the creation of the Internet. Humans have also been able to explore space with satellites (later used for telecommunication) and in manned missions going all the way to the moon. In medicine, this era brought innovations such as open-heart surgery and later stem cell therapy along with new medications and treatments. Complex manufacturing and construction techniques and organizations are needed to construct and maintain these new technologies, and entire industries have arisen to support and develop succeeding generations of increasingly more complex tools.
Modern technology increasingly relies on training and education, their designers, builders, maintainers, and users often require sophisticated general and specific training. Moreover, these technologies have become so complex that entire fields have been created to support them, including engineering, medicine, and computer science, and other fields have been made more complex, such as construction, transportation and architecture.
Generally, technicism is a reliance or confidence in technology as a benefactor of society. Taken to extreme, technicism is the belief that humanity will ultimately be able to control the entirety of existence using technology. In other words, and as you know, I love using other words, it is my craft, hehe, human beings will someday be able to master all problems and possibly even control the future using technology. Some, such as Stephen V. Monsma, connect these ideas to the abdication of religion as a higher moral authority, optimistic assumptions are made by proponents of ideologies such as transhumanism and singularitarianism, which view technological development as generally having beneficial effects for the society and the human condition.
In these ideologies, technological development is morally good. Some critics see these ideologies as examples of scientism and techno-utopianism and fear the notion of human enhancement and technological singularity which they support. Some have described Karl Marx as a techno-optimist.ns, although not a priori flawed reservations, about technology. Heidegger presents such a view in "The Question Concerning Technology": "Thus we shall never experience our relationship to the essence of technology so long as we merely conceive and push forward the technological, put up with it, or evade it. Everywhere we remain unfree and chained to technology, whether we passionately affirm or deny it."
I do believe that I have given you quite a lot to mull over today, albeit late, but better late than never, and I am also going to give it some more thought, in the interim, however, have a great day, and as Jed Clampett on "The Beverley Hillbillies" used to say, "you all come back now, you hear!"
Topics coming soon:
Art
Politics
Cartoons
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