LIVING IN THE AGE OF AI - BLOG #10

 

BLOG POST #10 – LIVING IN THE AGE OF AI

 

While I watched In the Age of AI, I couldn't help but feel fear as to how much personal information is available to potentially millions of people or organizations. However, I found out years ago that Google, Facebook, and other social media websites along with other search engines track what you are searching, reading or learning about on those sites.  What few people realize is that your mouse is also being tracking while you’re looking at a page you're on.  It is something to take note of when you are on Google.  For example, if you just happen to move your mouse it will show you something that you have recently looked at from another website or an item that you may have thought about buying from another website, on the sidebar of the page you may be on.  As it was explained, “we thought we were learning from the Google, however, Google is learning about us”.  Sadly, we have given our permission for Google to do so.

Unfortunately, we have let the internet into our homes so we can be more productive, more educated, and be better able to keep up with our friends and families that at one time we did not keep up with at all. The internet has allowed us to have that communication more readily available to us.

What I found to be even more concerning is how powerful China has become and has been.  This documentary is from 3 plus years ago, and the amount of countries that China has invested in globally is very disconcerting.  China is expanding its footprint globally, driven in part by Beijing’s “Going Out” strategy and the Belt and Road Initiative, both of which encourage investment in foreign markets.  Since 2019, the plan has touched over 138 countries with a combined Gross Domestic Product of $29 trillion and some 4.6 billion people.  As of March, it is 147 countries out of 195.  That is a very sobering number.

China has become more formidable than I think our country could ever imagine.  What is more concerning is how powerful they may already be.  They are much more tech savvy than the rest of the world and their technology is watching their own population with a myriad of technologies which can be easily be infiltrated into the countries that they are marketing with.  I don't know how you feel, but I am left to feel very uncomfortable.

 

 

Blog # 7 - Diffusion of Innovations

 

Blog # 7 – Diffusion of Innovations

Diffusion – definition: the spreading of something more widely.

Innovations – definition: the action or process of innovating.  Ahhh – duh Sherlock!  Let’s break that down some more.  Innovation: change, alteration, revolution, transformation, metamorphosis, renovation; that’s more like it.

When we put it together in the theory form of diffusion of innovations, it means the spreading of a change or technological breakthrough which has a far-reaching power in society.  Most of us may think that it just has to do with evolution of technology or social media, however, it reaches further than that.  Diffusion studies are also an integral fabric of the sciences, education,
marketing and even public health.  The list goes on.  I can talk about a topic that we can all relate to and are all up to date with, but I would prefer to speak about something that we can learn about.  Diffusion of innovations in healthcare.

Healthcare continues to evolve at a fast pace.  Everyday there are new breakthroughs with medicines, or laboratories that are working on research to come up with therapies for cures for life threatening diseases.  But then you also have the healthcare of patients, especially the elderly who are suffering from a myriad of illnesses because of their advanced age. Sadly, dementia is one of them.

Dementia is a horrible affliction to the elderly affecting nearly five million Americans.  The horrific challenges it creates for the families of the patient is an emotional one.  Parents who were once the pillars of the family, may not even remember who their family is, no less be able to take care of themselves.  In a research paper I found, it described how the nursing home staff adopted an innovation in Goals of Care Communication with the patients and their families at 9 nursing homes, here, in North Carolina.  The staff utilized the GOC steps to work with the patients and assist the families as far as decision making as far as end of life care for the patients.  It is not an easy topic nor situation but these healthcare providers are testing ideas and plans to find better ways to assist patients and loved ones. 

In researching this topic, I found a site that had the title “Using Principles of Diffusion of Innovation to Improve Nursing Home Care”.  It was in the Journal of Nursing Care Quality from 2008.  It made me realize how far reaching the theory of diffusion of innovations is.  It is easy to understand how it works in social media, and when you take the information from that concept and transition it to more complex environments such ass the sciences, it truly makes sense.  It begins with an innovator, who gets people (visionaries) to adopt an idea, which in turn they will get the early majority, who will do their due diligence by reading reviews, or researching.  You will have your skeptics or the “late majority” since they are not fans of change, but are FOMO, so they will jump on the wagon.  And of course, lastly, yes, they are last… the laggards… let’s just say they are still using flip-phones.

Antiwar - Blog Post #5

 

Blog Post #5 – Antiwar – To Protest War, or Fight One

                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Our country is blessed that we have the freedom to protest the things that we as a nation may feel are volatile or “unhealthy” for our nation to be involved in.  We are also privileged to be able to protect what we truly hold near and dear to our hearts as far as this nation is concerned.

I visited both websites, Antiwar.com and The American Conservative and there are some merits to their platforms.  Namely, the opposition of imperialism and an overabundance of political power; not to mention the violence, destruction and death that comes with war.  Antiwar.com is based upon the principles and writings of Randolph Bourne.  He felt that the “State” played a great part in war and went as far as saying, “We cannot crusade against war without implicitly crusading against the State.”  In part he is correct, but Mr. Bourne was born twenty years after the Civil War ended.  Even though it had been two decades, the country was still reeling from a deep self-inflicted wound.  No one wanted to see an event like that happen again in this nation.  So, the sentiment for peace rang deep within the people of this nation for the most part.  Mr. Bourne however lived during World War I.  He also felt the effects of war on a global front with World War I.  His essay, “The State” was clearly about the war and its’ effects on everyone.    

Have I ever heard of the websites, no.  However, I can surmise why that is possible.

Ever since the beginning of time there have been conflicts, wars, battles, combat, all of which mean the same thing. Whether it be the element of conquering a country or fighting to protect one, war has become a constant. With our own history, if our nation didn't fight against the English for our separation and freedom, we would never have become the nation that we are today.  This nation has fought for the majority about the right things.  World War II was to protect people from extermination and protect countries from hostile takeovers.  During that time, we were not only protecting people in other countries, but we had to protect our own shores as well.

Honestly, while I am writing this, I can say that our country is a peaceful and antiwar nation.  It is when a horrible wrong has been committed by another country or a terrorist faction strikes against our nation that we will respond.

 

Eight Values of Free Expression – Blog Post 3

 

Eight Values of Free Expression – Blog Post 3

Oppression was the driving factor of people sailing to the “New World” from overseas.  They had no idea what life would be like, but in their hearts’, they knew it had to be better than the lives they were faced with everyday in their native countries. 

One cannot even imagine how many people came to seek a better life; not because there were job opportunities or better ways of living, or because they had family here to help them get on their feet.  People from Europe came here not knowing what to expect, however, they knew it had to be better than where they came from.  Oppression.

The passengers on the Mayflower were in search of religious freedom and the freedom to pursue a new life, and most importantly, freedom of speech.  As time went on, that was the foundation that our country was built upon.  Our founding fathers created a magnificent instrument with the Constitution to establish freedom as our 1^st Amendment.  It is a pillar of what our country is about.

Each of the eight values of free expression resonate with me in one form or another as they are all equally important.  One that I find that resonates the most would be “Individual Self-Fulfillment”.  When I am able to express myself without inhibition, it reflects the person I am.  It shows my identity.  I am passionate about politics, and I will speak freely among my peers who have a common ground with me. It is nice to have an open conversation and have similar views and opinions.  When a person has a different point of view however, it is nice to have a debate and hear other people’s opinions.

Another form of free expression that I am quite fond of is Promote Innovation.  Social media has had a tremendous impact on the world.  The ability of being able to communicate with so many different people on so many different topics did not exist twenty-five years ago to the extent as it does today.  One of the first social networking platforms was called SixDegrees.com.  The site was created by Andrew Weinreich in 1997 and only lasted till 2000.  Way before Facebook, and very much ahead of its time.  The concept was based on the term “six degrees of separation” which is based on the idea that everyone is socially connected to one another by six or fewer people.

 

 

As decades 2000 and 2010 evolved, so many platforms came into fruition that promoted a way to communicate and post your opinions and thoughts, or find friends and family that everyone was able to reconnect with and stay connected to.  Older generations embraced it because they were able to close logistical distance gaps with friends or family that they haven’t been able to see or speak with as easily before the innovations.

 

Unfortunately, as much as we have the First Amendment Right for the ability to speak freely, some of the social platforms have been editing, or even deleting entries made by people expressing their opinions, feelings, and thoughts.  They have even gone as far as blocking people from posting on their sites.  This impedes on the person’s free expression of Individual Self-Fulfillment. 

When Elon Musk took over Twitter, I found it to be uplifting.  Yes, having the freedom of speech can be considered a privilege; in other countries such as Russia, China, North Korea, or other communist nations, you don’t have it.  However, here in the United States, it is a God given right, not to be taken lightly.  No one should be banned to say what they feel or make comments on or about our government or what their opinion is of the President, etc.  There has never been a time in the history of our nation that everyone (100%) liked who was in office.  This country’s people have been able to express their freedom to speak their minds since the birth of this nation.  That’s what this country was built upon.

The Supreme Court – Blog Post 2

 

The Supreme Court – Blog Post 2

The idea that only 116 Justices have served on the Supreme Court since it was established in 1789 is quite incredible.  So many things have transpired in this country historically and our Supreme Court has prevailed through it all.

Article Three of the United States Constitution established the creation of the Supreme Court in 1789.  The first assemblance of the Supreme Court was to be held on February 1, 1790, in New York City.  However, transportation was not as we know it today, and some of the justices weren’t able to make the journey.  The meeting convened the following day.  From there going forward, the United States of America had a judicial system like no other in the world.  It remains that way up till this day.

In its first term, the Supreme Court did not hear any cases.  The following year, they handed down their first decision on August 3, 1791.  The matter was West vs. Barnes, which was a small financial matter that would later pale in comparison with what the Supreme Court would be exposed to in years to come.

In 1801 the Federal Government moved to Washington, D.C.  John Marshall, who hailed from Virginia, was a young lawyer, who became Secretary of State, was named Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.  Under his command the Supreme Court had asserted for the first time, a striking down of an act of Congress.  When I read this, I was surprised by the parties involved in this case and pursued reading more about this. 

At the very end of President John Adams term, he and Congress created new courts and appointed dozens of judges, including William Marbury as justice of the peace in Washington DC.  However, James Madison, who was Secretary of State for the new administration under President Thomas Jefferson (who took office in March of 1801), wouldn't validate William Marbury's appointment as Justice of the Peace.  William Marbury sued.  In 1803, the Supreme Court Justices ruled unanimously that James Madison's refusal was illegal but incredibly the law that Marbury had sued under was also unconstitutional.  The Supreme Court implemented the power of “judicial review” to decide whether a law or executive action is constitutional. This gave the High Court the legal authority for every decision it would make in the future.

week 1 Media outlets

 Media outlets: Top five sources of news and Information

YouTube 

I would say youtube has a good visual news aspect,  but many people would manipulate the news there due to the fact that anyone can post on YouTube. Even though YouTube has its own news that they post from other channels like Fox, CNN, and ABC They are all verified, but someone could easily click on another news that could be false

Instagram 

When you go on Instagram and look up news you can find news some may be true but some could be fake. This is the same with YouTube where there are verified accounts but you could find some fake news that someone posts and you may find it true that's why now I never listen to the news on social media

Apple News

I would say Apple News is really good would showing other sources like

Fox News