Technology Is Not All Business
The idea of developing new technologies is to help make our lives better. Although there are many new technologies coming out that seem to serve individual desires and wants, there are technologies that are also being developed to serve our "real" needs.
The design of the times is to capitalize on anything that are potentially profitable. Google started out as a free service. Smartly, though, they were able to re-invent their service to be highly profitable. Twitter didn't have a business model but they are challenged to come up with one. So is Facebook and a host of other online services. In reality though, what's the real value? Like TVs, computers and smartphones, they can get replaced with better "models" and they may not be missed soon after.
Hi-tech electronic appliances, computers, gadgets and devices... these are wants. We can basically live without them and we should do just fine. Seriously. The real deal is with our basic needs: food, clothes and shelter. The better of our technologies actually serve these three.
Food
At the very least, it should interest us to understand that most, if not all, of what we eat are agriculturally sourced. Modern agriculture employs technologies that help improve the overall safety, sustainability and afford-ability of the farmers' produce and operations. Over time, the desire of proficient farmers to be self-efficient in making informed-decisions became of much value that high-technology farming R&D and implementations led to the creation of what is known as precision agriculture.
For example, GPS assisted tractors and equipments help farmers achieve straight rows when attending to their fields helping them to maximize every inch of their estate. There are sensors that can help analyze the distribution of the soil, the fertilizers and even the crops themselves across the field. Computers and applications are also available allowing farmers to build-up information about their farms aiding them in analysis and in decision making. The combination of science and technologies into mainstream farming techniques help farmers achieve the most out of their fields and practices.
Clothes
Besides adding gadgets, cables, wires and electronic watchamacallit to our clothes, the more important development is the use of nano-technologies to improve the quality and lifespan of our clothing. Some wrinkle-free and stain-free materials actually use nano-technologies to deliver their promises. Nano-tech is also used to create heat retaining fabrics. Fire-resistant and water-resistant fabrics can also use nano-tech. Unofficially called nano-textiles, such treated materials can have special characteristics and capabilities without necessarily having to invent a new kind of clothing material.
Shelter
For families, there is the ever undying (re-)design of "smart green homes". The idea is to combine digital and "green" technologies to work together as a system in order to provide a power-efficient, safe, enjoyable and comfortable house to live in.
Solar panels can provide alternative power and can optionally participate in "the grid". The only limiting factor for solar panels to be mainstream is the price, although there are government incentives when you choose to setup a "green home". Solar energy for homes can be harnessed to power small appliances, air conditioners, heaters and/or water heaters. They can also be engineered to help light the house during the day by diffusing light from the sun to the entire or specific rooms in the house.
There are appliances and fixtures for home that are designed with power saving features in mind. LED TVs are now popular promising significantly less power consumption. Although still pricey, the commercialization of LED bulbs can offer equal lighting performance, longer life and much, much less power consumption.
There are also robot products available to aid in cleaning and in even securing the house.
Technology is not always personal. The best technologies available today contribute to the betterment of the home, the community, the state and even the world. As technologies allow us to be more effective and productive, we benefit as a result of improving the overall quality of our lives.
The design of the times is to capitalize on anything that are potentially profitable. Google started out as a free service. Smartly, though, they were able to re-invent their service to be highly profitable. Twitter didn't have a business model but they are challenged to come up with one. So is Facebook and a host of other online services. In reality though, what's the real value? Like TVs, computers and smartphones, they can get replaced with better "models" and they may not be missed soon after.
Hi-tech electronic appliances, computers, gadgets and devices... these are wants. We can basically live without them and we should do just fine. Seriously. The real deal is with our basic needs: food, clothes and shelter. The better of our technologies actually serve these three.
Food
At the very least, it should interest us to understand that most, if not all, of what we eat are agriculturally sourced. Modern agriculture employs technologies that help improve the overall safety, sustainability and afford-ability of the farmers' produce and operations. Over time, the desire of proficient farmers to be self-efficient in making informed-decisions became of much value that high-technology farming R&D and implementations led to the creation of what is known as precision agriculture.
For example, GPS assisted tractors and equipments help farmers achieve straight rows when attending to their fields helping them to maximize every inch of their estate. There are sensors that can help analyze the distribution of the soil, the fertilizers and even the crops themselves across the field. Computers and applications are also available allowing farmers to build-up information about their farms aiding them in analysis and in decision making. The combination of science and technologies into mainstream farming techniques help farmers achieve the most out of their fields and practices.
Clothes
Besides adding gadgets, cables, wires and electronic watchamacallit to our clothes, the more important development is the use of nano-technologies to improve the quality and lifespan of our clothing. Some wrinkle-free and stain-free materials actually use nano-technologies to deliver their promises. Nano-tech is also used to create heat retaining fabrics. Fire-resistant and water-resistant fabrics can also use nano-tech. Unofficially called nano-textiles, such treated materials can have special characteristics and capabilities without necessarily having to invent a new kind of clothing material.
Shelter
For families, there is the ever undying (re-)design of "smart green homes". The idea is to combine digital and "green" technologies to work together as a system in order to provide a power-efficient, safe, enjoyable and comfortable house to live in.
Solar panels can provide alternative power and can optionally participate in "the grid". The only limiting factor for solar panels to be mainstream is the price, although there are government incentives when you choose to setup a "green home". Solar energy for homes can be harnessed to power small appliances, air conditioners, heaters and/or water heaters. They can also be engineered to help light the house during the day by diffusing light from the sun to the entire or specific rooms in the house.
There are appliances and fixtures for home that are designed with power saving features in mind. LED TVs are now popular promising significantly less power consumption. Although still pricey, the commercialization of LED bulbs can offer equal lighting performance, longer life and much, much less power consumption.
There are also robot products available to aid in cleaning and in even securing the house.
Technology is not always personal. The best technologies available today contribute to the betterment of the home, the community, the state and even the world. As technologies allow us to be more effective and productive, we benefit as a result of improving the overall quality of our lives.
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