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Week #3 Response/Week #3 Response

Kayla’s Week 3 Response

Posted by Kayla Ye on

In season 2, episode 9 of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Captain Picard was faced with an issue regarding the android that he considers to be his shipmate, Commander Data. In this episode, Data is forced to give up his body, so to say, in the name of science. While he himself and his fellow crewmates alike do not want to give up this valuable asset towards the team, cyberneticist Commander Maddox insists that since Data isn’t sentient, it is therefore not a being and therefore is a property of the ship Enterprise. The episode brings up the question of whether or not artificial intelligence, like Commander Data This episode, although aired years ago could come to be more relevant today than it was back then. That is because as we advance into society, science is accelerating even faster which means soon, androids like Commander Data would become a relaity, no longer science fiction. Now that too brings up the question of do these “machines” who are capable of acting like humans deserve rights like humans. Are they even to be considered humans or are they a race of their own? From the readings of Safiya Umoja Noble in Algorithms of Oppression, Noble brings up the question of racism being enforced upon these androids. Due to the fact that these androids have to be programmed by someone, then there will be an inevitable source of racism, sexism or any type of bias.

Posts

#Week3

Posted by Alexander Rao on

Claims of the Internet being racist are ideologically flawed. Technology takes on the characteristics of its creators, and simply because it’s creators are racist, sexist, bias, etc does not mean that the technology itself is. It may simply be applied in a prejudiced manner, not be inherently prejudiced. The paranoid insecurity that the internet is out to get anyone is something that sounds like it belongs in bad scifi to me. Being kinder, it sounds like a normal human response to a dirty truth; that people are prejudiced, and it is scary to admit that the people around you are potentially harmful or dangerous, even if only  just emotionally.

The internet is a tool of connection and by observing the interactions, we can reveal human nature, and in turn use this to capitalize on our fellow man. The basis of data analysis is to find ways of quantifying the reality of a situation. Unfortunately, the reality of the situation is that people are racist, sexist, etc. Google can only do so much to teach an AI or algorithm to identify and mediate the populations’ mind set and core values. For example, Google’s search engine is designed to find the most relevant information given a topic assumedly. What is most relevant is “found” by algorithmic means, but what “is” most relevant is decided by the human beings that are being observed by said means. This means that the philosophically perfect AI, who does nothing but use its’ capacity to promote its developers’ goals, will be ideologically corrupt…because it is directed by people. Another way of saying this is that if technology built to reveal the answers to human nature were built to be perfectly neutral, they would eventually become bias if they are designed to learn from human behavior and interaction.

The sad fact is that the wealth of human interaction data provided by the internet shows us just how imperfect we are. The technology will never stop being biased unless we stop interacting with it, or all become enlightened overnight. With the reality that the internet reveals to us our darker less admirable natures, is not a surprise that people try and blame the technology for its’ nature when clearly the nature of its’ users dictates the technology. Algorithmic Oppression is simply machines acting like people, and that is unavoidable, since we made the machines. Ideally, we would create an AI that shows us all the path to harmony and nirvana, but that won’t happen. The fact that the technology to reveal just how judgmental, biased, and fickle people actually are exists is a blessing. You can only confront problems that you are aware of.

Announcements

Commons Bug

Posted by Jesse Rice-Evans (she/they) on

Hey all-

You may have noticed that there’s not a category available on the site for our Week #3 responses. IDK what’s going on and I’ve been trying like crazy to fix this, but for now, just go ahead and make a new post for your responses and be sure to select Week #3 Responses from the Categories menu and post.

Please also add your Week #3 Response to your respective Google Drive folders (available here).

Again, I’m out of town with limited service, but please email if you need me!

Week #2 Response/Week #2 Response

Geetangalie’s Week #2 Response

Posted by Geetangalie Goberdan on

The New York Times article, Andromeda is Coming for our Milky Way, Eventually, by Dennis Overbye published February 8, 2019, was created to inform readers about a new finding made by astronomers. The path and speed of the galaxy Andromeda, also known as Messier 31, has changed from their last findings. The former report had declared the galaxy would collide into the Milky Way in 3.9 billion years. Traveling at about 68 miles per second, the collision would end with the Milky Way and Andromeda conglomerating into a singular, enormous cosmic being. New data declares that Andromeda is actually moving a lot slower than expected, at only about 20 miles per second and sideways. This denoting it would take approximately 4.5 billion years to strike our galaxy, in turn also changing the path of Andromeda. At a faster speed, it could be assumed we would have had a harder, more direct hit. The galaxy’s decreased velocity would make the encounter a subtler clash.

This article contains a video attachment from 2014 in which the previous data found through the Hubble Space Telescope had shown scientist the Andromeda galaxy, made of a trillion stars, would have a head-on collision with the Milky Way galaxy. The video gives a visual representation of how the collision would look to a faraway onlooker. Also, there is an insight into what specifically would happen to the earth and humans in the process of this collision. It is said before the collision would even occur human life would cease to exist from its sterilization by the sun. After the collision and many billion years, the two galaxies after intertwining will be able to assemble into one, large galaxy.

This video is vital to the article as it helps to explain a difficult to grasp the topic. A galaxy’s immense size makes interpreting its behavior hard. These extensive time periods between the actual collisions and how the collision will look are complex to comprehend. Although the video shows a totally different outcome from what will happen with the present data, it allows us to compare the two outcomes. The video also serves as a tool to exhibit the new path Andromeda will take by evaluating the video with the new data in mind.

 

Week #2 Response/Week #2 Response

Reem’s Week #2 Response

Posted by Reem Malek on

In the excerpt from the New York : Nova Science Publishers, Inc. 2014, STEM Education: How to Train 21st Century Teachers,there is extensive national curiosity for STEM activities, yet there is little exchange concerning what STEM implies as far as an educational programs idea to be connected to class programming. This section centers around STEM as an educational modules idea. To begin with, STEM writing computer programs are examined regarding separate subjects, associated and wide field educational program models. The issue of subject structure is inspected. A qualification is additionally made between the four STEM subjects regarding formal and useful employments of information. Second, some down to earth programming issues are talked about. These incorporate the practically select spotlight on science and math to the rejection of innovation and designing; the test of serving numerous understudy populaces; and the issue of how to manage the “T”  in STEM. A closing segment recommends ways that the STEM activity can be conceptualized so as to understand its significant potential to accomplish educational programs reformulation. Enthusiasm for science, innovation, engineering and math, instructional models is actually detonating over the instructive scene. Colleges are investigating STEM models as an approach to rebuild science and building guidance; optional schools are occupied with exploring different avenues regarding changed educational module; the instructive writing is full with references to STEM activities; and specialists and entrepreneurs are hurrying into the instructive commercial center with confirmations that they also can help in the usage of powerful STEM programming. STEM does not speak to a particular educational model; rather, there are numerous approaches to define STEM programming. Truth be told, it is difficult to observe what precisely is implied by “STEM.” Practically any sort of instructive mediation that is even remotely connected with science, innovation, building or math is alluded to as a STEM advancement. This absence of a cementing impression of STEM undermines over the long haul to decimate support for the development. Inability to convey results will most likely surpass victories.

 

Posts/Week #1 Response

Reem’s Week #1 Response

Posted by Reem Malek on

The writers primary concern was to reveal insight into the historical backdrop of how rhetoric came to be about and how to utilize them recorded as a hard copy through models in the comic. I see that the creator demonstrates that amid the early occasions, individuals did not truly like the prospect of talk and did not grasp it till Aristotle. This leads into the primary concern that rhetoric has been around for a long time and has dependably been a piece of composing. Another primary concern that was found in the comic was that to be powerful at thinking of one must have three components. These segments are ethos,pathos, and logos. I concur with this case because I am also learning the significance behind these terms in another class I am also taking this semester. This can go to demonstrates that I utilized these three segments of composing without knowing the name of them. This demonstrates rhetoric has been around for some ages and that we generally use it involuntarily when we compose. Another point made by the creator is Kairos. Kairos is the planning of your composition. The writer points out that we should ensure that our composing is not hurried or else it probably won’t turn out just as we would anticipate that it should. I concur with this in that I have composed exposition the night prior to the due date and things received a better than average evaluation. Notwithstanding, when you plan out your composition and sort out the entirety of your thoughts on paper, things end up less demanding and the thoughts stream effectively on the paper and the outcome is superior to  something that was hurried. Reporting our work is additionally critical on the grounds that it enables us to return to our work later on and ensure that we did not miss anything in the event that we continued composing. This is another point that was made in the work log. It is dependably a smart thought to assess yourself and thusly you can get your slip-ups quicker.

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