Car Safety Technology

As part of our sustainability, technology and society module, we were required to form teams and record a six-minute video presentation on one aspect of technology. Group members were randomly assigned and and this encouraged us to work on a project with different team members.

Our group decided to focus on car safety technology due to our interest in the subject, and how technology has evolved over the years to provide safety for drivers on the road.

Car Safety

Car safety is a scope of technology that encompasses a wide range of products and equipment which keep the driver and its passengers of an automobile safe while on the road.

Evolution of the seat belt

In the late 20th century, car safety was limited to rudimentary seat belts and airbags which serve only to keep the occupants of the vehicle from falling out. However, with the advancement of technology, the speeds of vehicles started to increase. Hence, lap belts began to include shoulder harnesses and airbags which were placed to save lives in accidents.

LIDAR Technology sensing obstacles

The first current use of car safety technology is LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) which helps the vehicle detect obstacles in its path and apply its brakes to avoid a collision. It also serves to detect vehicles from the side and rear and will apply brakes and tighten seatbelts if an impact is felt from the rear. Next, ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System) allows the vehicle to spin its tires when the driver applies the brakes forcefully, preventing it from skidding. Lastly, roll protection systems apply mild brakes on specific wheels to prevent the car from rolling over in the event of a high speed turn which may otherwise overturn the vehicle.

ABS Comparison

Manufacturing (assembly lines) and simulation (crash tests) technology has made significant advancements to improve car safety. Complementary technologies include advancements in the automobile, computing and communication industry which help to progress car safety.

However, ethical concerns and limitations still exist. LIDAR tries to prevent collisions, but ultimately, the driver of the vehicle will still be the one in full control. Furthermore, if the equipment malfunctions, the driver may be left to his own devices in ensuring his own safety. Drivers may also become over-reliant on such technology. More importantly, in the event of a collision, it is unclear whether the manufacturer or the driver is responsible for the collision and there are no clear laws which exist to define such events.

Complacency and Dependency on the system 

Future predictions of this technology include self-driving vehicles, full-body airbags and computers which are able to learn and adapt to various environments and situations, enhancing its effectiveness.

How does age determine the type of preferred media used for political news in Singapore?

Following the GBA, we had to split up and tackle the research question in another way individually. For our TMA, we were required to craft up a the methodology of how we were going to tackle the new research question and the ECA would have us carrying out the TMA and evaluating the results.

For illustration purposes, this is what the project workflow would look like:

GBA > TMA > ECA 

Hence, I decided to find out if age was a factor in determining the preferred type of media used. I was required to write a 3000 word essay, a public narrative to explain to the layman my research and its consequential results, and a six-minute video presentation for the general public as well.

Public Narrative

With the advent of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter in society, the public now has numerous platforms, in addition to the traditional forms of media such as newspapers, television and radio, to access the various political information they seek. This political information can comprise of parliament speeches, actions and movements of political parties, government measures and policies and news of the General Elections. The purpose of this research is to investigate the correlation, if any, between the age of an individual and the type of media platform he would utilise.

Through the use of an online questionnaire and qualitative face-to-face interviews, the findings gathered reveal and confirm that there is indeed a correlation between one’s age and his preference for a media platform. 70% of youths surveyed and interviewed prefer to make use of social media to access all forms of political information. This showed a great interest in the platform, with reasons ranging from accessibility to convenience and how the medium does not require a middleman to screen and publish its content.

However, the working adults and elderly prefer to utilise traditional mass media for every form of political news except the activities of political parties. They cited the credibility factor of traditional mass media, in which the presence of editors and screeners make the source more credible than social media, which does not have its content filtered.


Therefore, there exists a correlation between the age of an individual and the preferred type of media platform. Media broadcasting companies and political parties can make use of this information and customize their content to better suit their intended target audience.

Video Presentation

How does the public utilize different media platforms to gather different types of information regarding the General Election 2015?

For our Social Research module, we were required to form a group of 5 and were randomly assigned a scope of study, ours being "Media and Politics". Hence, we decided to tackle the research question:

“How does the public utilize different media platforms to gather different types of information regarding the General Election 2015?”

This is due to our interest in how the general public uses the different platforms like Facebook or Twitter to stay up to date on the General Elections in 2015.

With the conclusion of the 2015 General Election (GE), we have been exposed to many different ways that political parties present themselves. There is plenty of information that is being circulated and the public will utilize different platforms of media to gain knowledge about the GE. There were several ongoing events that the political parties conduct to promote their values and beliefs such as rallies and speeches. Our research objective is to discover how different media platforms such as social media and published media can affect the awareness of the GE.

Our research question is as follows: “How does the public utilize different media platforms to gather different types of information regarding the General Election 2015?". Our group believes that the results of our project will contribute to how future campaigns are conducted. This proposal begins with our literature review which is a study of relevant secondary sources to help us understand our research topic and narrow down the scope of our research topic. This is followed by further exploration on our variables as well as our research methodology to collect and analyse the data.

We expect our research to reap diverse views since we are using mixed methods and have a few predictions on our results. Firstly, we believe that the public would lean towards social media for information. This is because it is free to access, easily accessible through personal devices, and frequently updated. Next, we foresee that there will be a decrease in the usage of traditional print media as people become more environmentally-conscious and tech-savvy. Lastly, the use of online mainstream media will gradually increase since it has become more readily available on digital devices.

Our proposal has shown that it is essential to look into how the public uses media platforms to access information related to the GE. With the advent of social media, they have more platforms to make use of in order to stay connected. Using the findings of our research, political parties will have the information needed to actively reach out to their relevant communities and supporters. Our findings would also help private companies in reaching out to potential customers with the use of their marketing strategies. The various sections, namely the variables, methodology and literature review will help to construct our potential research project.

UC Hope

As part of UniSIM's Service Learning experience, I, along with two other group mates, decided to join UC Hope, a student initiative to raise awareness about animal shelters and strays as we were interested in helping animals and spread the message about animal conservation.

The group meets every weekend at Animal Lovers League, an animal shelter in Pasir Ris Farmway which holds everything from puppies to large ferocious dogs. Our first meeting at the shelter was met with many obstacles, as we had to find our way into the shelter from the main road which was confusing to the uninformed. Furthermore, it was raining heavily and we were drenched to the bone.

However, it was a fun and eye-opening experience. The shelter was in a bad condition with major maintenance work needed on many areas. Furthermore, it seems as if there are more strays than the shelter can handle and manpower is an issue.

To document our meeting, I have compiled this short video diary to bring you through one of our visits.

Changi Beach

For our World Histories and Issues GBA, we were required to choose a site of memory and explore the interesting histories surrounding the area. We decided to choose the Changi area for its close connections to World War 2 and the dark period when the Japanese occupied Singapore. We were required to record a video presentation and an individual summary and we also worked hard to provide a fun yet informative presentation to the class.

Individual Summary

Memorial at Changi

Our site is an amalgamation of areas which held great importance during the Japanese occupation of Singapore during the Second World War. We have chosen to focus on four key locations, namely Changi Beach, Changi Prison, Changi Museum, and the Old Changi Hospital. These places each have significant events tying them to the dark days and as we revisit them, we hope to understand more about their rich histories. These areas remain as an important part of our memorial heritage and provides a reflection for what happened in the past.

Changi Beach

Changi Beach is one of the areas where many brutal murders of Singapore Chinese were carried out. On 20^th February 1942, a large group of them were made to stand at the edge of the sea while the Japanese military police or Kempeitai shot them. This was all part of the Sook Ching operation which required able-bodied Chinese males to report to screening centres where they were imprisoned or executed if believed to be anti-Japanese (Tan, 2009).

Changi Prison

Changi Prison was one of the places where numerous Prisoners of War were held. Initially, they had many liberties and healthcare was readily provided. However, starting 1942, the Japanese’s attitude towards them changed dramatically and the prisoners were squeezed into overcrowded cells where diseases started to spread. Their living conditions were miserable and they were treated inhumanely which resulted in numerous deaths.

Changi Chapel and Museum

Changi Museum was built in 1988 and was first located beside Changi Prison. However, due to the expansion of the prison, it was moved to a nearby site. The date of the relocation was chosen to coincide with the 59^th anniversary of the fall of Singapore to the Japanese (Museum, 2001).

Old Changi Hospital

Changi Hospital was first built in 1935 and was named the Royal Air Force Hospital which provided care to the British soldiers. However during the Japanese occupation, the Kempeitai used the building to torture their prisoners. It was renamed and disbanded several times before merging with Toa Payoh Hospital in 1997 and the old building was abandoned ever since (CGH, 2013).

In conclusion, our four areas all have interesting histories surrounding them in connection to the horrors of World War Two. Preserving these sites enable us to reflect and learn, and hopefully avoid such calamities in the future.

Word Count: 378

References

CGH. (2013). Milestones. Retrieved from Changi General Hospital: www.cgh.com.sg/AboutUs/Pages/milestones.aspx

Museum, C. (2001, Febuary 15). The Changi Museum. Retrieved from Changi Museum: http://www.changimuseum.sg/about-us/

Tan, S. T. (2009). Syonan. In S. T. Tan, Syonan (p. 15). Singapore: Singapore : National Archives of Singapore.

Class Presentation

King Oedipus

As part of the course assessment,  I was required to read the tales of King Oedipus and answer a specific essay question. I was pleasantly surprised to be graded well in this essay which gave me confidence in my studies.

Tutor Marked Assigment

Question A
Do you feel that King Oedipus can be adapted for a specifically non-Ancient Greek setting? Show how the play may have any relevance to other contexts. In your answer, identify the techniques that Sophocles relies upon to make his play resonate with a world beyond those of ancient Greece.

Sophocles’ renowned play “King Oedipus”, has fascinated readers from all over the world for many generations. One of the key features of the play is its ability to evoke our human emotions and intellect, making us ask questions about the issue of fate versus our own free will and our ignorance to the truth. This essay will explore the issue, and also highlight its relevance to modern society. It will identify several techniques used by the author that still enable readers of the 21st century to appreciate its work due to its universal messages.

A major motif of the play is the question of determinism and human agency. Determinism refers to events happening not due to human interaction, but rather due to external forces that one cannot control. On the other hand, human agency refers to the act of forging one’s future and determining one’s outcome by one’s own actions, in other words, free will.

In the play, the story of Oedipus is largely formed with the idea of fate and how he cannot escape from his destiny and prophecy. From the play "King Oedipus", the chorus has said that “time sees all; and now he has found you, when you least expected it” (Sophocles, 1947, p. 59). With every action which he thought would enable him to break the vicious prophecy that was given to him, it only brought him closer to its inevitable conclusion. This shows how fate and the Gods prevent him from changing his destiny.

This is where the universal message of the play comes in. We can apply this to a modern setting, whereby people born into wealthy families are more likely to lead a smooth and easier life while those born into poor families are more often than not stuck in a life of poverty. These people are given birth privileges (or lack thereof) and this largely contributes to their standard of living, which to a larger extent, forces them to conform to norms of the financial and social class such as level of education or income earned.

An example of this is the Indian caste system in which all Hindus born in India are placed into castes which determine their field of work and standard of living. Those belonging to the top of the system, priests and teachers are treated better than those at the bottom who are physical labourers and remain as such for the rest of their lives. This continues in the family line and is almost impossible to break out of (O'Niell, 2003).

9/11 Tragedy

Another modern example of fate is the 9/11 tragedy. Some lucky survivors were saved from death due to several decisions made at the last minute. Morgan Stanley, a survivor of the incident, was called out of her office for a cigarette break which she usually would not go out for. This can be seen as an act of determinism or free will, depending on one’s perspective. Is it an external force (God) which led her out of the building, or is it merely her own actions, which led to her escape on the event (Park, 2011)?

The issue has troubled people from philosophers to scientists to even the common man. Throughout time, humans have debated over their own existence, and whether our own actions are instrumental in the course of our life. However, it is not possible to completely find a solution to this problem but merely take a stance and form our own opinions on the matter. The play raises this issue to the readers, and allows them to make their own decisions on which ideology to follow. This is why even today, the play is widely read as it is still very relatable in today’s society even after 2000 years.

Similarly, there is a matter that Sophocles has chosen to highlight, the willingness to ignore the truth. In the same that way that Oedipus chose to ignore Teiresias’ words because it didn't align too well with his image of the “truth”, some may also ignore the truth even when facts are clearly presented to them. This use of symbolism is relatable to contexts of all times as it is ingrained in our subconscious to reject what seems unfavourable to us and cling onto our own version of the "truth".

The play has also addressed the different ways in which people deal with a tragic situation, and these are universal emotions and actions that transcend time. There are two ways in which people handle such circumstances, escaping and trying to tackle the situation. In the play, these two methods are both used by the main characters, Jocasta and Oedipus respectively.

Jocasta attempts to redress the situation by an extreme form of escape, suicide, while Oedipus attempts to “rectify” the situation by inflicting self-punishment in order to make up for the atrocities he has committed  This can be also seen throughout the ages, with suicide cases being a prevalent part of society. This happens when those who cannot take the reality of their situation feel that death is the only option left for them. However, there will be others who try to tackle the situation by solving the problem or inflicting some form of punishment unto oneself. These reactions to situations are very adaptable as humans from all walks of life and all ages would go through a similar thought process when experiencing a stressful situation.

In “King Oedipus”, Sophocles relies on two techniques to universalise his play beyond its ancient setting, namely, the play’s ability to evoke human emotions, and its potential to stir the reader’s intellectual psyche.

The play’s ability to evoke our human emotions, grief and regret, is noteworthy. Toward the climax of the play, Oedipus suffers major emotional trauma upon finding of the truth of his existence, having lost his mother and lover in a single stroke. These feelings of grief over losing a loved one and regret over his actions are strong emotions that enable the reader to connect with the play on a deeper, more emotional level.

Its potential to make the reader think about his own existence is also noteworthy. Sophocles plants this question in the reader's mind about the play’s central theme of fate versus free will and helps them to form their own conclusions and decisions about how they view the consequences of their own actions.

In conclusion, “King Oedipus” is still very relatable to a modern setting and need not be confined to its Ancient Greek setting. Sophocles achieves this by his universally adaptable theme of determinism versus human agency, our ignorance to the truth and the two different ways in which people deal with a tragedy. Finally, he ties the play together by evoking the reader’s emotions and asks the reader to decide his own stance toward fate.

Word Count: 1132

References

O'Niell, T. (2003). Discrimination against India's lowest Hindu castes is technically illegal. But try telling that to the 160 million Untouchables, who face violent reprisals if they forget their place. Retrieved from National Geographic Magazine: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0306/feature1/

Park, M. (5 September, 2011). Small choices, saved lives: Near misses of 9/11. Retrieved from Cable News Network: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/US/09/03/near.death.decisions/
Sophocles (1947). The Theban Plays. (E. F. Watling, Trans.) London, England. (Original work
published 429 B.C.)

Play and its various forms

Below is the essay which I submitted as part of my course assessment. I was glad to find out I was praised for a concise essay with valid objections. This gave me confidence in my writing skills.

Tutor Marked Assignment

Is play necessary?

In Stephen T. Asma’s essay about play and its various forms, he has underlined several interesting points about play that people may not usually associate with such an activity. Many a time, we believe play to be a distraction, a side hobby from our otherwise hectic lifestyles. However, he establishes its importance in self-development and how different philosophers have differing views on play as a form of human activity. He also outlines how society undermines the value of play and follows by categorising play into two different forms, active play and passive play. To a certain extent, I agree with the author as he brings up very good points on the benefits of play. However, there is a point on passive play I will object to and provide evidence for my claim.

In the essay, Asma describes play as the highest form of man’s activity and its necessity for the development of the mind, body, and soul. This is due to three differing factors: it equips us with necessary life skills, social skills and enables us to experience pleasure and joy in life.

Play equips us with the necessary life skills to survive in our modern society today and the author describes it with a three-step process. Firstly, using the analogy of a camel with a heavy load on its back, he compares man with the burden of cultural and social ethics weighing down on the personage. This refers to the traditions and social ethics which man must attend and abide to before any other activity. Next, he proceeds to describe man as rejecting the social psyche, and freeing himself from obedience from the authority. This enables him to exclude himself from the political and stringent way life is run by rules and regulations. Lastly, he compares play to the act of an innocent child playing, and this refers to how creativity will exude itself from the activity. These layers help in giving man the essential life skills to adapt in the society he has been placed upon.

Play equips us with social skills to interact with other members of society and to include oneself into its system, and at the same time, forge alliances and friendships. Asma describes play as helping one become familiar with the physical body and helps prepare himself for social engagements. This will also help one to learn the importance of dominance and submission, as evident in most mammals, where play is used to show supremacy in the pack or group it is born into. A prominent example is in wolves, where there is a hierarchy that each wolf has to follow where an alpha (top) and an omega (bottom) position is established from young (Conger, 2008). In modern society, this translates to an acknowledgement of the status quo and fitting into the society we have been placed into.

Hierarchy in a wolf pack

Play also enables us to experience pleasure and joy, while at the same time relieving stress. At the very basic level, it is ingrained in our physical and nervous system as our body releases spikes of dopamine, which helps control the brain’s pleasure and reward system, giving us “feel good” chemicals like opioids and oxytocin. As such, we are able to expel tensions and negativity just by playing.

However, some philosophers argue and counter argue against the importance of play. Some feel it is an unnecessary diversion from normal activities, others feel it is a vital part to true happiness.

Plato, a Greek philosopher, rejected play and calls it an act of disorder. He describes play as a distraction for the working and mechanized soul, and refers to play to be mere stoppages of time that could be used to benefit the person and at a larger scale, the community. Juvenal, a Roman poet, also believes in how play is unnecessary as he feels that it is a decline of civic and societal responsibilities and refers to play as “mere amusements”. He feels it is a distraction from the person’s societal ethics and consciousness, and rejects play as an experience worth pursuing.

Play is an unnecessary diversion from duties?

In objection to this, Aristotle, another Greek philosopher, claims that play is serious business that should not be taken lightly. In our high-paced lifestyle, it serves as a break for our tired minds and bodies and prepares it for the oncoming challenges one has to face. For this reason, we should never undermine the importance of play. Bertrand Russell, a British philosopher, also rebuts the above points by arguing that modern society always feels a need to give purpose to every endeavour we embark on. Play does not necessarily need to have a purpose. On the other hand, in order to achieve true happiness, there is a need for an organized and systematic distribution of work.

Asma also states that society has undermined the value of play. He claims that the stakes of play are higher than what we actually perceive it to be as we have always been taking it lightly. However, play, he argues, is a form of conduct that rebuts the convenient mode of living that exists only to contribute to society or the survival of oneself. This is because we don’t measure play in values used to numerate productivity but instead we should focus on our physical and mental attributes that we gain from play itself. Nevertheless, people are utilizing play as a straight road to achieve success rather than enjoying the actual act itself. A prime example of this is “Tiger Moms” sending their kids to extra-curricular lessons such as music and ballet to gain an extra edge in their life, even if the child is not enjoying said activity (Park, 2014). However, we should not only pursue success in play, but enjoy the very activity itself.

Tiger Moms

Play can also be divided into two broad categories, active and passive play. Active play is dynamic and energetic, and also vitalises the individual engaging in the activity. This form of play also requires some degree of skill and practice to accomplish. Some examples of active play are sports and music. Passive play, on the other hand, is submissive and static. The author also compares it to “cheap pleasures” that anesthetizes the user and reduces the level of creativity. Finally, passive play requires no effort or skill to complete. Examples of passive play are watching the television or consuming alcohol.

Throughout the entirety of the essay, I can agree to Asma’s claims to a certain extent. The only objection I have toward his points is toward the idea on passive play. He describes passive play as a black hole of creativity. However, this is not true as passive forms of play can in turn be used as forms of inspiration. For example, watching television programmes can be informative and help to provide direction in one’s life (Jacobs, 2013). Consuming alcohol can also, in fact, reduce one’s ability to focus on certain things and ignore or forget others. This translates to creative ways for the brain to solve problems (Beilock, 2012). From the examples shown, passive play can actually inspire and improve the way we process information while maintaining creativity levels.

In conclusion, Asma has brought up several points about play that resonates with our intrinsic nature. He highlights the importance of play; how it equips us with essential life and social skills, and provides us with pleasure and joy. He then underlines how society has taken play lightly and proceeds by dividing play into its active and passive forms. However, I feel that passive play is also as important as its active counterpart in bringing inspiration and not merely as cheap amusements and distractions as the author claims it to be. However, one thing remains clear, play is as important as it once was and always will be.

References

Beilock, S. (2012, April 4). Alcohol Benefits the Creative Process. Retrieved from Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/choke/201204/alcohol-benefits-the-creative-process

Conger, C. (2008, July 30). What is a wolf pack mentality? Retrieved from HowStuffWorks: http://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/wolf-pack-mentality.htm

Jacobs, T. (2013, October 28). Watching TV can make you a better person. Retrieved from Salon: http://www.salon.com/2013/10/27/research_finds_tv_inspires_altruism_what_does_that_mean_for_homeland_fans_partner/

Park, A. (2014, May 5). The Tiger Mom Effect Is Real, Says Large Study. Retrieved from Time: http://time.com/88125/the-tiger-mom-effect-is-real-says-large-study/