An Introduction to TWC (16 AUG)

Prof Shahi started our very first lesson on TWC with an icebreaker which included an introduction of ourselves as well as what we knew about technology and world change. In my opinion, I know that changes and advances in technology usually brings about world change (good or bad). However, I shared that I wanted to know more about whether a change in the world would create a demand for a certain kind of technology to be researched upon, and subsequently created. During the session, prof did mention about the US military having a certain need for new technology in some areas and this resulted in new inventions by different R&D companies. One such example I feel could be the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) design that essentially incorporates a V shape hull for a military vehicle to greatly increase the survival rate of passengers in the vehicles when they are hit by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).


Our class discussion included a brief timeline of important inventions and what I felt was rather interesting was that science and technology progressed to a much higher level in the Middle East during the 7th century than in the West. Another interesting point would be that the Chinese invented Gunpowder but it was West who fully took advantage of this invention and used it in their quest for colonization.


I guess the question that Yali posed to Prof Jared Diamond is simple but not easy to answer.  "Why do white people have so much cargo, but we New Guineans have so little?" One of the reasons I feel could be possible is an access to natural resources. Food and water are the basics of human survival and on top of hunting or foraging for food, the Whites were able to grow crops and farm animals- which made gathering food a more easy process. The Whites were able to focus their attention on improving their quality of lives which led to technological advances and thus more supplies. 


One key invention that I feel that led to dominance of the West over New Guinea is the invention of airtight food preservation by Nicolas Appert, also known as canning. With canned food, the Westerners were not concerned about the lack of food supplies when they undertook long expeditions to discover new resources and supplies as the food was preserved and could still remain edible after long periods of time.


Moving forward, I would be still be looking out during future TWC discussions for more examples whereby world change would create a demand for new technology.


I would rate this session an 8 out of 10. The introduction was a good icebreaker and enabled me to know more about my classmates. (This was the only class I attended that had an introduction involving everyone in class). On top of that, I loved the way the lessons were interspersed with interesting and yet relevant videos. :)




Lenard