Blog Post 8: Diffusion of Bluetooth

Innovators

Innovators, or people who are constantly looking for cutting-edge technologies, even if they come with a lot of uncertainty, were the first group to adopt Bluetooth technology. These were mostly IT firms, developers, and engineers who were interested in short-range wireless technology. Bluetooth was developed by the Swedish telecommunications corporation Ericsson in the late 1990s to provide a standard for wireless communication between devices. Since the technology was still in its early stages and had limited commercial applications, the possible use cases were still experimental. The idea of working with connections between gadgets and enhancing communication drew innovators in.

Early Adopters

Early adopters were the first customers to recognize Bluetooth's usefulness and start embracing it, following the pioneers. These were frequently opinion leaders, tech-savvy professionals, or companies looking to use Bluetooth to increase convenience and efficiency. They began utilizing Bluetooth in the early 2000s for syncing devices such as laptops and phones, hands-free mobile phone accessories, and the first wireless headsets. They realized that by eliminating wires and improving communication between gadgets, Bluetooth may simplify people's lives. Their impact paved the door for wider adoption of the technology by generating interest about it.

Early Majority

These are the more cautious adopters that hold off on adopting a technology until it has demonstrated its dependability and usefulness. With Bluetooth integrated into more and more consumer electronics, laptops, automobiles, and mobile phones by the mid-2000s, the technology has gained widespread use. This group caught on to Bluetooth because of its useful features, like wireless file transfers and wireless speaker connections. The early majority was persuaded of the technology's efficacy and simplicity as it become more commonplace, particularly as Bluetooth devices got simpler to pair and use on a daily basis.

Late Majority

The late majority usually embraces technology later in life, usually after it has become widely accepted. This group is more hesitant to adopt new technologies and waits to do so until the majority of their peers have done so. This happened to Bluetooth in the late 2000s, when almost all consumer electronics—including cars, headphones, cellphones, and home audio systems—came equipped with wireless technology. Bluetooth was a standard feature on most gadgets and was no longer considered a premium or cutting-edge technology. This group embraced Bluetooth primarily because it became harder to locate gadgets without it, and the technology had shown to be dependable, reasonably priced, and user-friendly.

Laggards

Laggards are the last group to adopt new technologies, usually due to their resistance to change or preference for more traditional, established solutions. For Bluetooth, laggards might have held on to wired devices for as long as possible, only embracing wireless technology when it became necessary, like when major manufacturers removed headphone connectors from smartphones (e.g., Apple’s choice in 2016). By now, Bluetooth was more of a need than an option, and those who were lagging behind embraced it since there weren't many good substitutes available. Even so, they might only utilize it grudgingly, driven more by need than by enthusiasm for wireless connectivity's advantages.

Blog Post 7: Age of AI

 Artificial Intelligence has grown rapidly in the last few years. Although it has its benefits I feel like it does frighten some people with how "smart" it is. I feel as though AI has just as many negatives it does positives. In the video they talked about self driving cars which sounded like a disaster waiting to happen. There was a scientist that said he had "no doubt of the inevitability of autonomous vehicles." I cannot imagine driving on the road and I look over and I see a self driving truck. It could malfunction at any moment because nothing is absolutely flawless. If that happens I do not think I would want to ever be on the road because there is too much room for error. 

AI has its bad sides but what they researched and found out about how it can help detect breast cancer is extraordinary. AI is said to "change the face of breast cancer." As of now 40,000 in the United States alone die from breast cancer. We think about breast cancer as something that cannot be stopped. But in reality if you catch it early enough you can stop it and go into recession and live a long healthy life. A patient had her scans brought to researchers and they think that they could have identified the breast cancer as early as two years before she was officially diagnosed. That is an incredible improvement that could help millions of people around the world. The new AI technology can help predict what surgeries they need instead of putting them through unnecessary procedures and putting even more stress on their bodies. They use the technology to determine if the have cancer now or if they will in five years. Its incredible to think that technology can do all of this and how fast its growing. 

Blog Post 6: EOTO Reaction

One technology that interested me during the presentations was the radio. I researched bluetooth for my technology and it would not have been possible without the invention of the radio so I was interested in how the radio came about. The radio was invented in 1899 by Guglielmo Marconi but the first broadcast was in 1906. Marconi came up with the idea while experimenting in his parents attic and called it "the wireless telegraph." In 1901 Marconi transmitted the first signal to cross the Atlantic from Europe to America. The radio was a complete game changer in the best way possible. The invention of the radio took off into one of the most popular inventions. It completely revolutionized our lives through communication and entertainment. This way people were able to listen to sports games on their way to work in the car or at the office. They could follow the daily news while making their morning coffee. The radio made it so easy to get news because you could listen almost anywhere you wanted to.

By the 1920's radio broadcasting was incredibly popular. Families would gather around to listen to sports games, entertainment and political debates. The radio played a big role in politics because people would be listening all the time so politics used that to their advantage to sway the public opinion. Another way the radio revolutionized our world was during WWII communication was often done through the radio. It was practical and a quick way to get in touch with each other. In the 1950's they created smaller and more affordable radios because before it was so new and expensive that everyone wanted one but not everyone could afford one. By this time almost everyone had one and took it everywhere they went. Today radio continues to evolve through podcasting and much more. Podcasters are very popular now because you get to hear other people perspectives on certain issues.

Blog Post 5: Privacy

In our world there is absolutely no privacy. Everything we do is monitored through one kind of technology even when you don't think so. Every phone call we make has the chance to be listened in on by our government, a foreign government, a criminal or anyone able to hack into the surveillance system. Even if it is not an important call like something as simple as talking to your mom on the phone about the groceries you got this morning; someone could have possibly been listening if they wanted to. 

We need to be more careful with all the information we put online. Anyone can find out too much information about you by just looking up your name. If anyone were to search up my name on google my instagram comes up where you can figure out where I live and go to school. You can see all of my friends names as well as where they go to school. My linkedIn comes up where you can see my major and where I went to high school. My family also comes up so with all of this information you could probably find my home address within minutes. It is crazy to think that a random person could have all of this personal information with no trouble at all.

We need to start protecting ourselves and choose what we put online more carefully. I had my instagram profile as public where anyone could see it but after watching all of the TedTalk posted I am switching it to private. I never really thought about how complete strangers could use my information against me. Not only am I putting myself at risk but all of my friends too, because they are all over my instagram and their profiles are also public. My family is also at risk because they're on it too and anyone who knows how to use a computer can look up my mom or dad and find my address and that could lead to a very dangerous situation. 

Blog Post 4

 

Jaap Haartsen invented bluetooth in 1994, along with wifi and the internet. If the radio had not been invented then this would not have been possible because bluetooth uses radio waves to operate. Since mobile phones were growing fast in popularity, Dr. Haartsen along with others decided they needed to improve the telephone. He created a way to use frequency hopping techniques that required a little amount of energy while simultaneously blocking interfering signals. There was no particular problem they were trying to fix, they just wanted to improve technology. 

Bluetooth has changed the way that we communicate for the better. Listening to music through airpods has changed our world because now you do not have to deal with untangling your headphones all the time. There is just the earpiece that goes in and you press the bluetooth button on your phone. Bluetooth is so easy to use and set up. Bluetooth has many benefits like hands free communication in the car, you can just connect through bluetooth and your car will play the phone call through its speakers. The only downside to bluetooth is that if you connect to a device and you go too far away from it then the connection will disconnect.

As I was researching about bluetooth I wondered about how it got its name. Turns out that bluetooth was actually just a filler name, something they called it in the meantime until they came up with the real name but there were too many patents and licenses that it made it impossible to change names so bluetooth stuck. An employee at the time, Jim Kardach was reading about Viking Kings and found an interest in Harold Gormsson. He was nicknamed "bluetooth" because he had a rotting front tooth that had a blueish tint. King Harold was famous for uniting Denmark and Norway so the employee thought it was fitting because they were uniting PC and cellular industries.

Bluetooth was definitely beneficial to our society but it has negative affects as well. People love listening to music through airpods or headphones but what they do not know is that a certain level can damage your hearing. If you are listening above the recommended level which is between 60 to 85 decibels you should lower the volume immediately. Many people do not pay attention to these warning but over time they can cause harmful effects. Another harmful affect from bluetooth is that you are more susceptible to having your iPhone hacked. If your bluetooth is turned on all the time, then your device is more easily to be discovered and taken advantage of. It is recommended to turn your bluetooth off whenever you are not using it just to be safe. The susceptibility of Bluetooth to security breaches is one of its drawbacks. Weak connections can be used by hackers to get access to private information or resources. Additionally, due to low-level radiation emissions over time, extended exposure to Bluetooth signals may result in minor health issues including weariness or headaches

Blog 3: Eight Values of Free Expression

Promote Innovation

"A community in which free speech is valued and protected is likely to be a more energized, creative, interesting society as its citizens actively fulfill themselves in many diverse and interesting ways." I feel that promoting innovation resonates most with me the most for many different reasons. How people express themselves is what makes everyone different from one another. If everyone was the same there would be no creativity in the world and we would struggle greatly. There would be no pushing each other to be better and no innovation. Healthy competition is an incredible source of creativity. People want to be the best so it forces them to step outside their comfort zone and explore their full potential. When challenged people develop new skills that they can continue to use in the future. Everything we have built in our society is a result of multiple great minds coming together and testing each other. Everything we see like skyscrapers, schools and technology to name a few would not have been possible without multiple different minds coming together. Everyone has something different to offer, even if they do not think they do, everyone is unique and can bring something new to the table. People need to express themselves so that they feel heard, sometimes all people want is someone that will listen.

 

Protect Dissent

I believe that this freedom is extremely important in our society. I feel that you should be allowed to express your opinion without fear of being thrown in jail. If I do not the same view as one of our leaders and I want to express that opinion I should be able to, in an appropriate manner of course. If I were to start a violent riot, that would be a different story. If I wanted to share my thoughts on social media like millions of other people do I feel like that is a good outlet for creativity. It forces people to see more than just their point of view. It also makes you think from a different perspective. Maybe you grew up with one point of view and started actually researching about the topic and realized you do not even agree, it has just been what your family agreed upon and has been forced on you this whole time. Since you are surrounded by these beliefs when you are a kid, you often embrace what your family or society teaches without questioning it. But as you get older and experience more in life, you begin to question everything around you. When you see that the ideas you were taught with don't match your values, experiences, or abilities, you could start to question the ones you were raised with. The process of becoming your own independent person is a normal aspect of growing up. You begin to believe things not just because you've been taught to, but also because you've given them careful thought, considered many viewpoints, and finally decided on what feels right for you. It's a necessary step in developing your own and distinct identity.

Blog 2: US Supreme Court

After watching both shorts films it shocked me to see that none of the videos included the original 1787 or 1791 versions of the Constitution, which included the Bill of Rights. Given that those are the real copies of these documents, I find this interesting. Considering that the first Constitution was drafted in 1787, I believe it is important that they have access to those records. The fact that they had all the documentation from the Civil War impressed me as well. I will always find it fascinating that groups of people like women, Native Americans, African Americans, and so on were left out of the original Constitution, despite the fact that I was already aware of this. 

I learned from watching the video that the US Supreme Court hears over 7,000 cases annually. The power to take a decision from a lower court to the Supreme Court interests me. I found it very interesting that, after receiving all of these files, they only accept roughly 100 per year, indicating that it is an extremely time-consuming procedure. Following this procedure, they all review the paperwork before deciding whether to approve or reject the case once a week.