Sessions 11 & 12: Group Presentations

Session 11 and 12 are the Group Presentation weeks! Have been looking forward to it as all of us gather what we have been working hard on for the last few weeks to present to the class :)

First off we started with an intro to the group presentation weeks with 3 quotes. Again, I really enjoy these quotes by "famous (dead) people" because I feel that it speaks a lot about technology as well as life in general. 

“You know more than you think you know, just as you know less than you want to know.” - Oscar Wilde 

This quote sounds like a tongue twister but when dissected apart, it is actually very meaningful.  

“Knowledge is a process of piling up facts; wisdom lies in their simplification.” - Martin H Fischer

The difference between knowledge and wisdom. How being knowledgable does not equate to being wise as wisdom is needed to simplify and make sense of all the knowledge accumulated. 

“Wisdom alone is true ambition's aim,
wisdom is the source of virtue and of fame;
obtained with labour, for mankind employed,
and then, when most you share it, best enjoyed.” - Alfred North Whitehead

Saving the best quote that I enjoyed the most out of the 3 for the last, especially the last line on sharing wisdom as many people believe the hoarding knowledge and wisdom is the best way to retain it.

Afterwards, we started the presentation proper for session 11:

• Presentation 1 was on Technology in War. It talks very thoroughly on the different types of technology used in war such as defence, medical and transportation. I felt that the most interesting was when the group brought up the fact that consumers goods that we use today are actually invented during wartimes! These include sanitary napkins, facial tissues, canned food and instant coffee. This is what desperate times call for desperate measures and if not for war, it might have taken us a lot longer to "invent" these consumer goods that we sometimes take for granted. I felt that overall the presentation was too long and detailed and it could have been cut short so as to engage with the audience
• I was in the next group to present and we talked about online dating. Our group felt that it was a fun and light hearted topic that many may be interested in as we are all in this technology dependent world that we would sought to using the internet to find love as well :) We also included a short and fun "skit" on love tips that I hope our classmates enjoyed
• The third presentation was Technology in Fashion and I was really interested in it. Among the 3 presentations today (not including mine), I felt that this was the most engaging as the presenters made use of a lot of videos to help aid their explanations. Also, it is really amazing how technology can be incorporated in the different aspects of fashion (head, body, arm, feet) as well as different functions it can serve. The two sub topics that caught my attention with regard to Hashtag Fashtech was how technology has enabled people to shop online with ease. Previously, consumers may have reservations about shopping online for clothes as they are not able to try on the design and size to see if it is suitable. Now with the virtual fitting room, these concerns will no longer be valid! Another point that was interesting to me was the spray on fabric where one is able to solidify a fashion piece from liquid and then dissolve it back into liquid form if it is not something the person wants. I think this is not only innovative but also encourages creativity as it is now much easier to create a fashion piece. Additionally, I feel that it is also a pro-environmental move as we do not dispose off clothing if we do not want it anymore. 
• Lastly, we touched on corporate sustainability. I feel that it is a very good topic as it ties in with some of the topics that have already been covered in class. There was also a very extensive coverage on the future of corporate sustainability. Kudos to Edison for giving a good presentation on his part as he was very knowledgable on his topic of cloud computing and delivered a very good yet short walk through of their website. 

On session 12 we had another four group presentations.

• The first presentation was on user interface and I found that Amol's opening was very interesting and makes me see how user interface is becoming more pervasive and invasive in our lives. The short hands on demonstration on user interface was light hearted but got the point across on how important and valuable user interface is in our lives today. The presentation structure was also very easy to follow. What I found most interesting was how a person was able to feel so "into" a roller coaster ride even though it was he was not really sitting on one. This reminded me of how in Universal Studios Singapore, the Transformers ride also makes use of this technology and even though we were only in a simulator, it felt like we were really in a battle. 
• The second presentation was on Addiction to the Internet. This is a really relevant topic for teens like us as well since we are perpetually online 24/7. Even when we are asleep, emails are still coming in and it is very hard to make ourselves unavailable offline these days. The highlight of this presentation was how Alvin managed to evaluate the consequences of choosing a to become a professional gamer very well. He brought up many good points that people who are considering to become professional gamers can take in and ponder upon. It was also very fun to see people actively contributing to the UNICEF water provision campaign by not touching their phones and leaving it alone throughout the time of the presentation
• The next presentation was on Automation in the Medical Industry. At first I felt that it was going to be a very dry topic but again, the use of videos from YouTube made everything very clear and simply to understand. I felt that the 3D printing of biological parts and steam cell face lift was the most interesting. Although, there were some things that could have been added onto the presentation such as how the current medical industry will change to cope with these future technological additions as well as like what prof mentioned the issue of ethics. 
• Lastly on Transportation and How it has Shaped the World. The presentation not only covered the different modes of transportation such as land, sea and air but also the various implications such transporation have on the various aspects of society and the future considerations of transportation. A very clean and easy presentation :)

I rate this session 10/10 as it was very inspiring to see how my fellow classmates have grown in this TWC journey that they are able to share with us different aspects of technology to each other. This is especially so for those who speak so passionately on their topic as it also makes us, the audience, want to know more about it.