Technology is the world

I feel like I came out of the box this semester.  I learned so many new things and see many things with a whole new perspective.  Technology is every where and everything.  It will continue to keep advancing, and whether or not that is a good thing I am not sure, but I am very grateful for the technology i have in my life today that allows me to live the life I want to and succeed.

Microwave Oven Conclusion PLE

Microwave Oven Conclusion

Have you ever thought about how much technology has changed the way we go about our everyday lives?  When I use to hear the word technology my first thoughts were; computers, cell phones, or mobile vehicles.  As we have all learned this semester, everything is technology, from a rock used as a tool to a high-tech lab-top.  Learning about all different kinds of technology inspired me to choose to research something that no one else would, and that is why I chose the microwave oven.
My main objective and question I wanted to learn with my research is, has the invention of the microwave oven hurt of helped people more.  In 1946 the microwave oven was accidentally invented by a man called Dr. Percy Spencer.  About ninety percent of Americans have a microwave oven in their household.  There are many pro’s and many con’s of the microwave oven but what I wanted to know exactly was, is the microwave oven beneficial to society or has it brought more negative effects then expected.
After researching microwave ovens this semester I have really learned a lot.  These are some of the pro’s of the invention.  This invention has literally changed the world.  Microwave ovens have saved so much time for people across the whole world.  It has saved time for busy parents, people in a hurry, chefs, and cut prep time down a lot for cooking.  Microwave ovens have made it possible to reheat leftovers instead of wasting them.  Another very positive thing about microwave ovens is all of the job opportunities it has opened up.  Not only does it make jobs for the people who assemble the microwave ovens, it makes jobs for machinist and also for microwave repairers.
I also found many negative effects of the microwave oven.  One of the hidden dangers is radiation.  I was never sure if radiation from a microwave oven was true or just another myth, but not I know it is true.  Not only do we have to worry about radiation but we also need to be concerned about debris left behind after the microwaving process.  Loss of minerals, vitamins and proteins is another con.  Microwave ovens make food loose just about all of its nutrition.  So we are either putting unhealthy junk food in the microwave or killing the food that was once healthy.  Microwave ovens are to blame for many people obesity.  We can’t totally blame obesity on the microwave oven, but it is a contributing factor.  Microwave ovens allow us to take the easy way out, the fast way, but that is not always the best chose.
After finding all my fifteen different sources I have come to the conclusion that microwave ovens have way more negative and harmful effect then good effects.  Will that influence me to get rid of my microwave oven?  I probably wont get rid of mine, but I will for sure try to limit my use for my own safety.  This invention has advanced and changed the world.  In my eyes it has changed the world for the worst, but I must admit that it is a very convenient invention indeed.

I love researching new crazy inventions.  It is fun to learn about the things people think up, like this one, self cleaning glass.  Here is some info about it:


A self-cleaning glass developed by a team at MIT is said to be both glare-free and anti-fogging, which could lead to better optical devices and more efficient solar panels.

The glass is made of of thin layers of deposited material selectively removed to form a surface of tiny cones. This cone pattern prevents glare while also repelling water, bouncing the droplets and reflections off the angled walls. 


http://www.ideaconnection.com/new-inventions/self-cleaning-glass-05806.html

Eye-tracking technology

There is now an eye-tracking Siri feature for cell phones.  When will technology ever stop, it is getting so amazing.  Here is how it works. 

 "The screen recognizes your eye movement. It knows exactly what you are doing," Shin said. The screen won't go dark if you don't touch the screen, as it sees your eyes and recognizes that you are still looking at the screen and camera.

And the phone doesn't only see you, it hears you too. Called "S Voice," the Galaxy S III has a feature similar to Apple's Siri, which will let you use your voice to control the phone. Spoken commands will search the web. Telling the alarm to "snooze" will hush up your alarm in the mornings.  Here is the link http://news.yahoo.com/samsung-galaxy-iii-announced-eye-tracking-siri-feature-175832737--abc-news-MothersDay.html

Research Round 3!

RESEARCH ROUND 3

         My main objective and question with my research is, has the invention of the microwave oven helped or hurt us more.  There are many pro’s and con’s for the microwave oven, here are some of them.   So we now know that a microwave is a simple but needed item for most of the people in America.  The microwave oven has literally changed lives.   Just because it is a simple invention does that mean you don’t have to research before we make our purchase?  Have you ever thought of what to look for when purchasing a microwave oven, I haven’t.  You have to take measurements and know how big of a space you have in your kitchen, how many people you will be cooking for, which also determines the size you will need.  Also if your dishes and Tupperware will properly fit in the microwave oven, if it has the features of the meals you cook, for example popcorn, defrost.  I found this to be a great source because it really demonstrates how a small piece of technology causes such a big deal, for example the evolution of the kitchen.  Once microwave ovens were invented kitchens were often built to have a space for the microwave oven, or often microwave ovens were installed above stoves.  Many changes were made all for this one creation, and without this example this outlook would probably never cross many peoples minds.  I found the information about the considerations when buying a microwave here, http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/product-reviews/appliances/microwave-reviews/microwave-faqs-0306

http://www.enotes.com/topic/Microwave-related_injury   This source list a bunch of cons for the Microwave oven, mostly dangers.  I think this is important because my summary for my research question will be about how has the microwave oven changed the world, and is it for the better or for the worst.  

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1525505004001635  This source is also very important, it is an article about how four people were burnt by scolding hot fluids the removed from a microwave while they were experiencing a seizure.  I think this is relevant because it shows more danger this invention have created.

http://www.treehugger.com/kitchen-design/6-energy-efficient-convection-microwave-ovens-for-small-kitchens.html  This source shows a different side of the microwave oven.  The microwave oven has pros to.  This source is an article about a man who is going green.  Instead of using a stove with uses much more electricity or gas, he uses a microwave in his house to help save the world.

         A super interesting fact I researched and found out about microwave ovens is that they were pretty much invented by accident.  Dr. Percy Spencer, who I mentioned in my very first source, was the inventor of the microwave in year 1946.  Dr. Percy Spencer was actually trying to build radar equipment when he noticed that a chocolate bar in his pocket was melting.  He was building magnetrons when he realized that microwaves can be directed at food to heat it up really fast. http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/microwave-radiation-ovens-460709#ixzz1sFBK0jdy  This is an good source to have because the history of how something came to be is important to know.  No one had even thought of the idea of heating things faster than the stove or fire place.  So when Dr. Percy Spencer realized there was a faster way he tested it out and made it happen.

Research Round 2!

Research Round 2

I want to discuss obesity rates and how they have sky-rocketed throughout the years because of different food choices.  Microwave ovens sure do make a meal a lot quicker than cooking on the stove or a fire.  Not only is the cook time cut down dramatically, the prep time, and clean-up is pretty much eliminated also.  Cooking microwavable meals is not the best for someone trying to stay slender and in shape.  Over the years more and more people have become obese.  I want to discuss the numbers of obesity and how they have gone up so much within the years because of poor food choices.  People want fast, fast, fast, and forget about the nutritional value of what they are feeding their families and their selves.  How have microwaves caused people to make poor eating decisions?  I think this resource is a good choice because it  shows the dramatic change with Americans eating and exercising changes throughout the years of 1985 till 2010.  No state in America obesity rate is lower than 20%, and in 1985 most states were 5-10% and only 8 of the states were up to 10-14%.  Here is a chart to show the rates in 2010.  This came from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html   On the website you can click on each year and see how America’s rates have changed each year.

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“Did microwaves spark obesity?  asks a BBC news article which describes a debate in which three experts were asked when the nation’s obesity crisis really began and what could be the probable causes.”  This quote is from an article I found online, here is the web address, http://www.fitnessmantra.info/2007/06/13/microwave-oven-the-latest-victim-in-the-obesity-blame-game/.  This articles title is, Microwave Ovens: The Latest Victim In The Obesity Blame-Game.  Literally all you have to do is set food in the microwaves, press the button, and your food is hot and ready to be eaten in a minute or two.  It doesn’t get much easier than that, does it.  Have you ever considered such a small thing as a microwave oven to cause such huge worldly problem?  I think this source is wonderful because the article gives a new perspective about new technology and how it has effected people.  Everyone has a choice to eat healthy or use a microwave, but with the busy schedules most Americans have today the microwave oven is a lot more practical at times.

Today I learned from this source http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/health-hazards-to-know-about/microwave-radiation ,that microwaves work the same for all substances. Everything that is put into a microwave oven goes through a destructive process. Microwave ovens work by making the molecules in the food move faster and faster to heat up the food in a small amount of time. Moving the molecules around so fast destroys vitamins, minerals, proteins in the food.  I find this to be a helpful source because it informs microwave oven users that the radiation put off by the microwave oven takes out all of the nutrition the food previously had in it.  

Radiation is also a common issue discussed when it comes to microwave ovens.  Do microwave ovens produce radiation that is dangerous to humans or is it just a myth?  It is true, microwaves not only make food un-nutritional but they can also be very dangerous.  This website talks about dangers of the microwave oven, some are;  Microwave ovens turn some minerals into cancerous agents, food from microwaves may cause tumors, they can cause an increase in cancerous cells in our blood, the radiation in the food can weaken our immune systems, memory loss, emotional problems, a decrease in intelligence, slow down hormone production.  http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/microwave-radiation-ovens-460709    Who knew that microwave ovens were so dangerous to have in your household, i certainly had no idea that this simple technology caused so many other problems.

Another thing that most of us would never think about is, microwave repairs.  The first thing I think of when I hear “microwave repair” is more jobs.  It is always great, in my opinion, when there is an opportunity for more people to get employed.  Yes people do need repairs on their microwaves often.  After studying I actually found out that repairing a microwave is not as easy as it sounds.  I also learned that a microwave oven is one of the most dangerous appliances to repair.  If everything isn’t done precise and right, then it can leak very dangerous of radiation.  I thought this would be good for my PLE research because it made me think more out of the box.  http://www.gallawa.com/microtech/safety.html

Ninety percent of the Americans today have a microwave oven in their household.  Almost the whole United States of America owns a microwave.  Will Americans sacrafice their own health even if they know they are in danger.  Microwave ovens are just so convenient to have, and makes things a whole lot easier and faster.

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This chart shows the value of how many microwave ovens were imported in the year 2009 in the top ranking countries.  Microwave sells are still high.  Here is my link for my information. http://worldtradedaily.com/2012/02/24/microwave-ovens-trade-profile-u-s-importing-companies-and-free-data-download/

Sticks and rocks

It was enlightening to read about some of the first technology ever in my text book, The Axe-maker's Gift. In the past when I thought about technology the first things to pop into my head were computers, cell phones, and new cars.  Now I know technology can be any simple object that is used to do something.  In the text book it says rocks and sticks were use as tools, which makes them technology.  Everything we use is technology.  I never realized until I started this class that every minute of everyday I use technology, there is no getting away from it.