G Fours!: 2014

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Imelda (2003)

Imelda is a documentary film directed by Ramona S. Diaz about the life of former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos. It was first released in 2003 at the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam. It was also shown during the 2004 Sundance Film Festival where it won the Excellence in Cinematography Award.

The documentary is about the life of Mrs. Marcos, beginning from her childhood, her meeting and marriage to the former President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos, her life during the Martial Law, their exile to Hawaii, and her eventual return to the Philippines. The documentary includes actual interviews from Mrs. Marcos herself where she is allowed to tell her story herself. Hence, the documentary can be seen as a retelling of the history of the Philippines in the perspective of Imelda Marcos.

Perhaps the most prominent part of the film is Mrs. Marcos’ constant emphasis on the importance of “beauty”. Here, she stated that all her outfits, shoes and jewelry were for the sake of providing the people a “role model”. Even after an attempted assassination on her where she got a number slashes from a knife she wondered “why such an ugly instrument” were used on her.

It is easy for viewers of the film to see Mrs. Marcos as truly ignorant to the actual state and suffering of the people. With all the wealth and power she held, she became viewed as an arrogant elitist from the higher class. Amusingly, Mrs. Marcos herself might have realized this for she opposed the public showing this film in the Philippines. Perhaps she herself have seen what her true image had been.

Overall, the documentary Imelda was an excellent take on the showing the life of Imelda Marcos. It was a balanced view of Mrs. Marcos, comparing to past media depictions of her during martial law. The documentary had truly shown what Imelda Marcos is as a person.

Nightfall

Nightfall is a science fiction short story written by Isaac Asimov first published in the September 1941 issue of the Astounding Science Fiction magazine. The story is about how the people living in a fictional planet called “Lagash” which has always been illuminated at all sides by its six suns, face a time of darkness which they have never experienced before.

The story tackles various ideas which center mainly on dealing with fear, religion, and the origins of a belief. The way the author depicts each idea in the story is quite interesting. The ideas are matched perfectly to the resulting beliefs due to the ignorance of the people of Lagash.

The main concept is introduced by Emerson’s quote at the beginning of the story. Isaac Asimov’s take on this question is quite believable. If for instance nightfall does arrives in every 2049 year cycle, people who lived near the end of the cycle will have little to no idea of coming darkness, and hence, they will be unable to comprehend the “reality” before them. But due to man’s natural curiosity, they will still find ways, rather invent theories in order to somehow explain it.

This is quite similar to the recent “2012 Phenomena” where people around the world conceived various theories about the end of the Mayan calendar. It is said that the “end of the world” was sure to come that day. Scholars and scientist however disputed this. However the event just passed similar to how our normal calendar ends.

The story can therefore be also seen as a representation of the divergence between religion and science. It implies how the settlement of the difference in beliefs generally results in great conflicts. If the cultists and scientists just somehow tried to cooperate more, a lot more people could have been saved.

Friday, March 21, 2014

Musical and Scientific

How peculiar music is. How it can affect people’s emotions just by being combinations of different sound waves hitting our eardrums. Science can explain the movement of sound waves as we are studying in our Physics class. It can also move stuff and and break glass at certain volumes, frequencies and pitches. It is also scientifically proven that music can help us do specific tasks more efficiently like studying, working out, memorizing, or concentrating. But what cannot be explained scientifically about music is why it can affect us. Why can it enhance our skills and performances? Why do we react to it? Why do we relate it to certain memories? Why can they exemplify emotions? Why? I seriously don’t know. I just know that it does.

And as music can affect us, it can also be affected by everything else. Emotions, religions, situations, and almost everything related to science. Science can affect music. Science can BE music as it is in Gustav Holt’s “The Planets” where each movement of the music represents one of the planets of our solar system. Science is also dominant in the song “Right Here Right Now” by Fatboy Slim where it narrates the timeline of the universe. There’s even a song enumerating the periodic table of elements.

How peculiar music is. How it can be anything and how anything can be it whilst being only combinations of sound waves hitting our eardrums at measured intervals.

Yanna Palo

2013-07181

Imelda More-cost

I, honestly, am one of those people who were gullible enough to judge Imelda Marcos negatively right at the bat. What can I do, she’s so easy to judge! She is so narcissistic. While she talks about her life, her many suitors, her achievements, her lineage and her beauty, she speaks so highly of herself, it’s overwhelming. Heck, she’s even proud of the English word, “imeldific”, that is so ego-centric in meaning and is based on her. “I am simple” she says but her extravagant hand-crafted clothes and her lavish collection of thousands of shoes say otherwise. She also came up with a bunch of symbols for life and such which all seemed to make so much sense to her but looked like doodles to me. And a number of people in the documentary about her seem to agree with my thoughts on her. Some of them despise her and her husband, former President Ferdinand Marcos with a passion.

But others didn’t. And that thoroughly surprised me. So it got me curious as to why they did like Imelda. So, first on the list of why these people admired Imelda was how she endured the grief of losing both her parents and her husband whilst enduring also the verbal abuse she is getting from the masses. I am amazed that she went through that situation so elegantly. Imelda says, "When you reach a certain level of leadership, people cannot be neutral with you. They either love, love, love you, or hate, hate, hate you". Then, the documentary got to the part where she got stabbed. Another positive thing about her was that she was an active First Lady. I think she was the first First Lady of the Philippines to “get her hands dirty” in the political world. And therefore, she has earned some of my respect. Gosh, I really did not know until watching this documentary that she was a victim of attempted assassination. And that softened my heart for her a bit. So did the time she was talking about Ferdinand while she was beside his corpse. You can feel her grief just by the aura she was giving off even though she was so composed. All of these supplement the fact that she was nicknamed the “Steel Butterfly”.

That scene reminded me that she is still a human being, having problems, feeling pain. It’s just that she’s living in a different world from ours and it might look ridiculous and narcissistic to the rest of us, but that is her life. And, now, I opt to let her be. I still dislike most of her actions, don’t get me wrong, but I dislike her a lot less than before. Actually, I shouldn’t dislike her but her actions in the first place, says my Philosophy I teacher. Her actions don’t reflect her entirely. She may still be exemplifying the “Steel Butterfly” image of hers by not showing anyone the pain she may be feeling deep inside. So I shall let her be and I should remember to not judge a book by its summary or the reviews or, in this case, people by the size of their collection of shoes.

Food for Thought

A Look into Instant Food: GFours Productions

No copyright infringement intended

We are always in a hurry, and because of this, our food tries to keep up with our pace. Nowadays, all types of "on the go" food are available to us. We cannot deny the extraordinary convenience and brilliant taste, at the same time, we cannot put aside the preservatives and processing that go with them.

This is an info-graphic video tackles the different kinds of "instant food" available in the market today. It helps you understand where these foods originated from, how they are prepared, and who eats them the most. More importantly, this video shows the effect of these food on our bodies and eventually, our society.

Opinions about the different instant foods from various people are also shared in this video.

References:

BBC News. "Fast Food Factory." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/specials/1616_fastfood/>.

Canned Food UK, (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cannedfood.co.uk/history-of-food-cans.

Geoghegan, T. (2013). The Story of How the Tin Can Nearly wasn’t. BBC News Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21689069.

Levitt, A. (2013). A Brief History of Canned Food. River Front Times. Retrieved from http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gutcheck/2013/02/canned_food_history_nicolas_appert.php.

"News." The History Of The Fast Food Industry. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2014. <http://www.calypso.co.uk/news/the-history-of-the-fast-food-industry>.

Reyes, Senen. "Fast Food Industry: Keeping up with the Changing Lifestyle1." Government of Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Market and Industry Services Branch, International Markets Bureau, Branding Management, Agri-Food Trade Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014. <http://www.ats-sea.agr.gc.ca/ase/5991-eng.htm>.

Wilson, Tracy. "How Fast Food Works." HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks.com, 22 Aug. 2006. Web. 19 Mar. 2014. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/edible-innovations/fast-food3.htm>.

Yates, Jonathan. "3 Reasons the Fast-Food Nation Will Rule the World." 3 Reasons the Fast-Food Nation Will Rule the World. N.p., 17 Dec. 2012. Web. 19 Mar. 2014. <http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2012/12/17/3-reasons-the-fast-food-nation-will-rule-the-world.aspx>.

The Bride of Frankenstein

In the book Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein film, Dr. Frankenstein is a scientist that has a scientific breakthrough wherein he as able to reanimate a corpse made of body parts coming from different corpses. Upon reanimation, the creature, who most people call Frankenstein, escapes the lab and roams the streets. Because of this, the townspeople come together in fear that the creature that is beyond their comprehension may kill their friends and family. Due to the circumstances unfolding, Dr. Frankenstein bore the guilt resulting from his work and vowed to never repeat his experiment.

Nightfall

Imelda Marcos - Reaction

When anyone hears the name “Imelda Marcos”, the first thing in mind is negative for most people. We Filipinos all know who she is. We may not know her like how we know other people around us. Yet, we at least know her by her surname. Thus, Imelda Romualdez - Marcos is the wife of our late President Ferdinand Marcos. We all know how they are regarded behind the words of corruption and evil at the worst. We all know her husband declared Martial Law and put many Filipinos’ lives at risk. We may all know many common things about her and her husband. Still, there are many different views that we could assert. In terms of knowing, subjectivity is more used than objectivity since it always involves judgments. In line with subjectivity, Imelda has her many own philosophical thoughts and even teachings that are no longer included in a Filipino citizen’s dictionary about her.

Imelda Marcos became known for her lavish spending. She is known for her very large number of collections of shoes. She is known for expensive fashion and luxury items. She is known for deciding to live a wealthy life despite of the people’s poverty. It is believed that all what she and her family have are gained at the cost of the Filipino people. Yet, she never bowed down to such judgments. She would always tell about her thoughts as I label “her own philosophy”. I used that label because of her mistakes of grasping the moral values when it comes to philosophy. She is somehow mislead by her beliefs. There is nothing wrong in keeping our faiths and beliefs but there are still limits. On the other hand, I admit that she is really intelligent that’s why I already considered her thoughts to be called as philosophy. Well, I do believe her statement that she really wants to be the mother of our country during her time as first lady. I am impressed on her accomplishments. She was instrumental in the establishment of the Cultural Center of the Philippines; Philippine Heart Center; Lung Center of the Philippines; Kidney Institute of the Philippines, Nayong Pilipino; Philippine International Convention Center; Folk Arts Theater; and the infamous Manila Film Center. All of these surely benefit the general public. However, bad things should never cover up good things but when it comes to people’s aspect especially for Filipinos, they could forgive but it is very hard for a person who lived in the worst imaginations to forget her and also her husband.

Imelda Marcos - Reaction

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Imelda Reaction Paper

Imelda Marcos is the former First Lady to Ferdinand E. Marcos during his reign as the President of the Republic of the Philippines. People see her merely as a pretty face but if you actually follow her life and events in our country's history, she is actually a very influential and powerful person. She is even known to be the "Steel Butterfly". Looks can be very deceiving and she's someone you shouldn't trifle with.

In fairness to Imelda, she accomplished some things during her reign as a first lady. She revived the culture of our country which is a big plus for me. Culture is the identity our country can share with around the world. It's what makes us unique and special in the eyes of so many. Promoting this can lead to so many things like increase in tourism, investments and the preservation of culture. Though her philosophy for promoting culture for the sake of "beautification" sounds very silly, I really tip my hat to her because it was a good move.

Imelda seems also somewhat intelligence but very clueless. She thinks that by doing this or by doing that she can help millions. She failed to see the bigger picture of what she was doing. The Filipino people were scared, tortured and terrified and she still tried to make a family out of that. She failed to see the corruption running deep through the veins of the country. She wouldn't be remembered by her shoes or beautification project if she actually did something to help the Filipino people. Instead many will just remember her as the wife of Marcos, or the lady with 1000 pairs of shoes or simply put the "Steel Butterfly".

Music Lessons

Music is a way through which people express themselves. May it be by writing their feelings, or by listening to the lyrics of a song, they are able to let it all out. In this expression through music, we are able to show a part of ourselves to the world. It's a representation of who are and what we've become.

We put in our music the things we think about and the things we care about, and hope that people will fully accept and understand what we're trying to convey. All in all, music is a great way to convey a message or express a stand on something. We write about a lot of things, heartache, relationships, family, parties, love, or even the most random hobby one can think of. Some have even written about the sciences, as it is one of the things that inspire them.

An good example is Gustav Holt, with The Planets, a famous seven-movement orchestral piece, with each movement representing a planet. This great composition is a product of Holt's interest in astrology. He was introduced to the topic by a friend, and from then on became a devotee of the subject.

Other contemporary artists have also used science as their inspiration, such as Frank Sinatra (Fly me to the moon) and Elton John (Rocket man). Who also would have thought that someone like Fatboy Slim would release a video about evolution, with his song "Right Here, Right Now". And who can forget, the famous theme song to the hit TV song, "The Big Bang Theory", composed by the band Barenaked Ladies.

Other than an expression of the artist's interests and passions, songs with such topics are also good for the audience listening to it. It is interesting that nowadays, if you search Youtube or science websites, there is most likely a section for videos and good number of them are music videos, so as to make the topic more interesting. This can be a way for science to be communicated to people, especially the young as it is in a medium that catches their attention. Instead of the typical lessons, teachers should consider making videos such as these when trying to teach a topic, because for sure, the students would be listening and not be bored.

Reaction paper on Music and Science

Monsters of Science

Viktor Frankenstein had two intentions in his creation of the monster. As a man of science, what he wanted to do was create something that could improve human condition. He created a creature that was composed of human elements that we consider to be excellent and beautiful, in order to create a superior species. To add to this, what he was doing was also an advancement in transplant technology and surgery. As soon as he realized that he could create an entire new being out of his own labor, the hunger for power and a god-like nature added to his intentions as well. The disparity between these two intentions cannot be determined however, that which intention was the main one.

This depicts a lesson that Shelley wanted to express in her book, and eventually in the movie adaptation. We sometimes see science and technology as evil, especially those concerning moral dilemmas such as genetic cloning. This is represented in the form of the monster, as a totality of the negative effects that science can cause. This is even more emphasized in the movie adaptation, because instead of being intelligent, the monster was made dumb. Aside from stressing the negative effects that is the monster, the inability of the monster to fully comprehend made his character more erratic and unpredictable, adding to the horror factor of the movie. But the clear difference between Dr. Frankenstein’s intentions shows us that it is not really science that is immoral, but what taints it is the nature of human beings to be selfish and to err. This shows that knowledge and science itself isn’t dangerous, but becomes so through its misuse and abuse by society.

Like the monster, there have been numerous cases in the past and present where science discoveries and inventions have caused such great harm to our society and our world. And this is understood, as no man is truly perfect, but what was lacking in Dr. Frankenstein, and in some scientists, was there lack of responsibility for their actions and the harm that these have caused. This shows us the role that science has in the society, given such a great power to be able to impact the world through inventions and discoveries, they also have the responsibility to use this power for the common good. Morality should always be accompanied in the practice of science, to ensure that it is used only in the best of intentions.

Rferences:

Knipfer, Cody. "Neutral Science, Irresponsible Scientists: Shelley’s Message about Knowledge in “Frankenstein”." A Really Cool Blog. N.p., 26 Apr. 2013. Web. 19 Mar. 2014. <http://www.reallycoolblog.com/neutral-science-irresponsible-scientists-shelleys-message-about-knowledge-in-frankenstein/>.
Schuman, Sharon. "Frankenstein frames moral dilemma for science." The Good Life | Frankenstein frames moral dilemma for science. N.p., 18 June 1987. Web. 19 Mar. 2014. <http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~sschuman/goodlife/frankenstein.shtml>.

Reaction Paper on Frankenstein

Imelda

Imelda Marcos is known for her large collection of shoes, well also jewelries, but mostly, shoes. Well, I would say that she is an intellectual person but she became obsessed with putting the Philippines on top of the list, making it on par with other developed countries, just like her obsession with her shoes. This may be because of her past, she was not really rich during her younger years. Until he met, President Ferdinand Marcos who happened to be her knight in shining armor. I think that she was obsessed with power, wealth, and putting the Philippines on top of the list because of her past.

I can't deny, that the Marcoses have done something good for our country. They improved everything in our country, infrastructures and our economy basically. Imelda became the so called mother of our country during those years and became the face of modernization later on. Many worshipped her and the Marcoses and maybe President Marcos won during the election because of her charm. But then problems started arising, problems that rose from these innovations like debts and monetary problems, basically.

Imelda was an intellectual person, an innovative first lady. But then things started falling apart and with them, she crumbled. She was too obsessed with power, wealth and fame. Which led to our country being beautiful but drowned in large debts because those structures built in the Marcos regime we corrupted.

She can not be too perfect. She can not be the perfect, charming, intellectual, innovative mother of our nation. That was her dark side, her obsession.

Rhetoric of Cancer

Cancer is a type of disease wherein the growth of cells became undesirably massive. It is considered as one of the major causes of death around the globe. Whenever I hear the word cancer, the next thing that comes into my mind is death. Even though some ways of treating cancer already exists, still, your life is in danger since whoever has a cancer has a high risk of dying earlier than how long he should live especially when you had it on the most delicate parts such as brain. It is treated through radiation therapy and most commonly through chemotherapy wherein cancer cells are eliminated by applying toxic on them. Even the medications done to cure the disease have bad effects on the body.

One of my closest friend had brain cancer and we never last a talk about her disease because she would cry hard each time we did. I was not the one who started the topics and she would introduce topics about death, religion and life and would suddenly burst into tears afterwards. She became paranoid and anxious. My friend had a brain cancer and although her cancer has not reached the higher levels yet, she already has gone due to some complications.

It is really hard to describe what really cancer is because it affects not only your physical state by also your emotional and mental state. They become conscious of everything and that had happened and will happen. But how should we treat cancer? How should we live along with it?

Cancer cells unfortunately have become part of the cancer victims. In the podcast, the interviewee kept on saying that he doesn’t want to fight it because he doesn’t want to have a ‘civil war’ within him since cancer cells are now part of his body. He said it is hard to deal with it and that he wanted to kiss it goodbye but the right way of dealing with it is living along it. He said that cancer somehow can be a gift that would enlighten your mind. It will help you realize what life really is and how to treasure time you have to live with your love ones. And since cancer is part of nature, meaning it comes along with life, we have to learn how to deal with it.

Nightfall (by Isaac Asimov)

Science fiction (Sci-Fi) is a wide genre of literature and media arts. The first Sci-Fi novel was published on the eighteenth century. This genre, although, not realistic (fictional) it contains metaphors that show the future, current condition of society and our differences as human beings. It features high technologies and creations of man that are unbelievable and overwhelming.

Nightfall is a radio drama that was played during 1940’s. It tackles about the coming darkness of a planet known as Lagash with six suns around it which has never experienced darkness. All the suns of the said planet will set and the world will become dark for the first time in their experience. The story states that it is due to an eclipse that occurs every 2049 years. The people became afraid of the thought of darkness and the revelation written in the bible came into their minds. The characters became anxious and couldn’t imagine themselves living in the darkness. It made them uneasy and they started to think of what to they have to do before the event come. Some showed their faith while others said they accept their fate. The biases of some media were also pointed out.

The radio drama addresses the divisions made by science and religion. It creates a big difference in the way of responding to what will happen. The story ended up with the nightfall that caused the people to lose their minds and feel tense and muddled and with their civilization destroyed.

Bride of Frankenstein (James Whale)

1. How does Frankenstein the book and the film reflect upon the role of morality and science?

Frankenstein is a creature made of different parts from different humans. If we base on religious beliefs and moral ethics, the creation of Frankenstein seems immoral and as what the old lady in the movie, it’s considered as blasphemy, an act against God. On the other side, Frankenstein’s creation is a great accomplishment in the field of Science. This only proves that Science and religion never intersect each other.

2. The difference between the movie adaptation of the monster and in the book is that the monster was able to carry a decent conversation. Why was the monster made dumb? Did it work?

The effect of the dumbness of the monster on me is that it adds humour and drama to its life. Because of he can’t speak well, his encounter with the blind man seemed so funny. And it also made it more dramatic because the condition put the monster into a more pitiful set up. For me it really a big difference and it made the movie more worth watching.

Blade Runner: Director's Cut

Genetic Engineering has been a great issue since it was discovered. Many people disagree on the application of this technology because it modifies the nature of living things. Although the main purpose of the technology is to cure diseases that are incurable, still, many people say it is wrong to modify God’s creation. Their religion and moral values are their basis of stand against the technology. As of today many genetic engineering has accomplished a lot in the field of medicine and health such as gene therapy that has proven to cure some types of cancer and genetic disorders.

The Blade Runner: Director’s Cut, is about advance science in the field of genetics. They create human-like creatures they called ‘replicants’ and used them as slaves. A blade runner is the assigned to retired these replicants which illegally entered the planet earth. The movie somehow emphasizes that humans should not create creatures in our own design because it may bring us problems we don’t expect. We should not abuse any of our knowledge and technologies. We should know our limitations.

Imelda Marcos

Imelda Marcos is one woman with high standards. She’s a person with high hopes for herself and for the country where she resides and she is a person willing to do everything just for fortune, fame and love. Before meeting Ferdinand Marcos who happens to be her knight and shining armor, Imelda was just a girl in search for her obsessions in Manila. I can say that after meeting her one true love, Imelda suddenly became an epitome of modernization and many bowed down to her.

She is our former First Lady and she did everything just to let the Philippines be on the top. For me, that was the goal of the Marcos Regime, to let people across the world be familiar of the country “Philippines”, that’s why she and her husband did everything just to seek everyone’s attention about our country.

She was a slave of her obsessions. From a simple provincial woman to an extravagant and elegant lady – Imelda made herself one of those Filipina beauties worth seeing and following. And she amazingly accomplished all of these by herself; through attending parties of known people, befriending many elites of the country and through hosting auctions and events. She clearly paved everything just for herself.

But all of these slowly took away a piece of her. Knowing that and basing from the interview of her failed assassination, she said that she wanted to be stabbed not by someone ugly and not by an old bolo. We can really see how she is corrupted by money and power that she wanted everything even her death to be elegant.

In conclusion, Imelda Marcos is a woman who strived hard to be on top and worked hard to stay there. She is a person that signifies royalties in Europe countries. And she is a person changed by poverty, fame and elegance.

Music and Science

Music is one of our own ways of coping up with the different stress life gives us and on the other hand, science is one thing to be considered from all stress and deprivations that we get. Basically, it's a give and take between the both, a relationship to be noticed and a system to be observed.

Studies show that people who have undergone music training have higher reasoning skills and motor skills. This only is a proof that science is closely related to music. These two areas in particular are quite removed from musical training as we imagine it, so it’s fascinating to see how learning to play an instrument can help kids develop such a wide variety of important skills.

Also one study shows that our preference of music shows what type of person we are. In a study of couples who spent time getting to know each other, looking at each other’s top 10 favorite songs actually provided fairly reliable predictions as to the listener’s personality traits. The study used five personality traits for the test: openness to experience, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and emotional stability.

Interestingly, some traits were more accurately predicted based on the person’s listening habits than others. For instance, openness to experience, extraversion, and emotional stability were the easiest to guess correctly. Conscientiousness, on the other hand, wasn’t obvious based on musical taste.

Basing from the above stated, it is clear that science really does something to music. And on the other hand music really jives in with science.

Imelda

The reign of the Marcos family was a chapter in Philippine history wherein people have mixed feelings because of the events that unfolded. It is no doubt that both Ferdinand and Imelda are both smart and talented people. They would not have been able to assume such a position if this was not the case. But sometimes intellect is not enough to beat the desire and hunger for power once you are put in a position where you are given more than what is needed.

In the documentary, Imelda was portrayed as a beautiful, smart, talented and driven woman. She had this vision of making the country follow in her ideals about inner and outer beauty. Being the first lady of the Philippines and having the power and resources needed for her vision to come to fruition, she had this idea that the country will only be more beautiful by concentrating her efforts on creating structures and buildings concentrating on arts and music. This may not be a bad idea but during those times, it was not the thing that was most needed by the citizens of the country. It may give other countries the idea that our country is on par with their's but it is only a front that hides the true state of our country.

She may have been a smart person, but after watching the documentary, I doubted her capability as a leader. She said at one point that she believes the country is in such a good state and that the people in poverty do not mind the state they are in because they are living through her. It may have been the shock from loss of her husband or the corruption money has brought to her that led her to that state of mind, but in my personal opinion, this is not the way a leader, or even a sane person would think when seeing people in such a state. It is still a mystery to me how people still idolize her. It may be because of her charisma and talent in the past, but it is something that still bothers me until now.

Nightfall Reaction Paper

Nightfall is a story written by Isaac Asimov about a civilization who experiences no night time because their world is surrounded by 6 suns. A group of scientists find out that every 2000 plus years, there will come a time when the world will experience night time because of an eclipse. They prepared for this event because the scientists are scared how the citizens will react. They are more surprised however not by the darkness but by the stars they see. They realize how huge the universe is. It is implied society collapsed as well.

The story is quite interesting in a sense that we're viewing civilization in another light other than the one we already experienced. The thought of, what if this happened to us is quite thought provoking. There are just so many unknowns in our life that questions like can never really be answered. It's one of the great mysteries of life and maybe someday we will arrive to answers to those questions.

The thought that we are just a small part of the universe. It just feels so very existentialism. It in a way makes you feel insignificant and useless thinking there is something bigger out there. But that's human life. We just have to choose to keep living and make the most of what we have no matter what.

The Bride of Frankenstein Reaction Paper

In the book Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley and the film The Bride of Frankenstein directed by James Whales, Dr. Frankenstein is a scientist who using the body parts of the the dead combined them and reanimated them to a living creature who we call Frankenstein. The townspeople are terrified of the thought that there's a monster lurking around the village capable of killing their children, family and friends. So they band together into an angry mob and "kill" Frankenstein. Dr. Frankenstein in return felt his morality slipping away when he did it so promised never to do it again.

Frankenstein the monster survives though and continues to roam the village looking for a friend to call his own. While this happens Dr. Frankenstein is forced into reanimating another corpse, a woman this time, much to the delight of Frankenstein the monster. When this happens though, Frankenstein the monster sees the error of the reanimation and realises that this shouldn't have happened. Frankenstein the monster destroys any trace of the horrible experiment and Dr. Frankenstein goes on feeling better that his hideous creation is finally gone.

The film and the book reflect upon morality because Dr. Frankenstein was playing god. He made life where there is none but used parts from those who died to make it. Dr. Frankenstein did this for science's advancement and all that. In a way it reflects upon the development of science in our own history. Morality limited science and vice versa. Before you had to choose between the 2 because morality and science couldn't coexist. Now though it could because of ethics established by scientists.

I believe that the monster was made dumb so the audience can sympathise with the character. Perhaps they wanted the audience to have an emotional attachment with the monster so they could relate and be better invested in the story. I think it works because I too related with the monster and felt sorry for him. It was a good plan to portray the monster this way.

Rhetoric of Cancer Reaction Paper

In this time of age, cancer affects more than the usual number of people in this world. I wouldn't be surprised if each of us has either a family member or a friend or even an acquaintance who has cancer or died from it. Cancer has already been associated with death and hardship. With all that comes sadness, depression and loss of hope. That's one side of the coin though. The other side of the coin speaks of something much better.

Rhetoric of Cancer tells of the experience of a cancer patient and how views his ordeal with cancer. He doesn't see it as a curse or a misfortune, he sees it as something that's part of himself. He saw the positive through cancer like bringing families together or gaining inner strength and confidence. It's just a matter of perspective. Through this rhetoric, we remind ourselves that there is a positive side to every situation. Things also happen for a reason. It's what you do next is what will dictate your life.

If more people can listen to this, I believe more people will be inspired to continue on living. Even with all the hardships, trials and misfortunes, there is still hope at the end of the tunnel. Less people would be depressed and will see how silly they thought there problem is. A lot of people fail to see how good they have it compared to those who are truly suffering. This will always serve as a reminder that everything happens for a reason and we just have to make the best of it .

Imelda Marcos

Imelda Marcos is best known as the former first lady of the Philippines and of course, her obsessive collection for shoes, jewelries and beauty. She is our own modern Cinderella, a starry-eyed, penniless, provincial lass in search of a good fortune in Manila. Then came Ferdinand E. Marcos, literally a knight in shining armor who rescued her from poverty and misery.

In another way, I see her vision truly extravagant for the world to see how beautiful we are and glamorous. I'm sorry but it is true that when you have a vision, you have to let it all happen. Dream higher, aim higher, achieve your goal. She was seen mostly in luxurious parties, befriended lots of known people in the world because that was part of the couple's propaganda- to make the Philippines attractive in the eyes of foreign bloods. It is also her charms that captivated millions of Filipinos to vote for Marcos during elections for they were popular being a sweet couple due to the fact that most Filipinos are romance lovers.

Everyone desires beauty but her obsessions and philosophy in life, in my point of view, has gone beyond normal. Everything has to be in proper place or else it will turn unpleasant from her view. For instance, her obsession of collecting thousands of shoes, jewelries, paintings, and other luxurious stuff. She said that she is one way to represent the country as a mother, that she was sent from above to tell the nation the importance of beauty as a virtue and strength. Her lavishness seemed unreasonable. Though her infrastructures are still being used today and somehow helped improved our country, still this has been subjected to corruption way back during Marcos regime as suspected.

Imelda Marcos's personality is way too compelling and innovative as well. The way she makes her own philosophy about peace based merely on beliefs. One will say she's being lunatic for her endless desires and wish but she is best known in that way.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

You never really know what to say

There are so many claims nowadays of how this or that can cause cancer. Food, drink, tobacco, gadget radiation, pollutants, even the sun! [1] Each year, scientists discover more and more carcinogens, making people even more prone to such a sickness. Statistics show that the number of cancer cases is expected to increase by 36% by 2025. [2]

Learning about the causes of cancer is truly a blessing, as it helps people take care of themselves in order to prevent the risks of cancer. However, scientists have proven that it may even be genetic, depending on the history of family illness. This is even worse because it seems as if this illness is inevitable for some people.

When you find out that someone has cancer, you never really know what to say. “Stay strong”, “Continue to fight”, “You’ll survive the battle”. These things may be helpful, but as Andrew in BBC’s The Rhetoric of Cancer puts it, why does the language have to resemble that of a war? What if the person isn’t strong to begin with, what if the person isn’t ready for the battle, does that mean he’s already lost?

However, people can’t help but say these words, as cancer is truly a challenge that resembles a battle - the body with the illness, where you do everything to survive. Saying it to someone is a way of telling that person “You are in a battle, but I am here, ready to be a part of your troop.” When someone says this, it’s in the hopes that the person feels that he is not alone.

However we may talk to patients diagnosed with cancer, I am sure though that there is a proper way to address those who have died because of it. We should not refer to these people as those who have “lost the battle”, as if saying that the illness beat them, that they were not strong enough to win, that they just gave up and allowed the cancer to triumph. Because from the beginning, it was never really in their hands, and despite them not surviving, this does not discount the fact that they gave it their all.

[1] What Causes Cancer?. (n.d.). What causes cancer. Retrieved March 17, 2014, from http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses

[2] Ferlay J, Soerjomataram I, Ervik M, Dikshit R, Eser S, Mathers C, Rebelo M, Parkin DM, Forman D, Bray, F. GLOBOCAN 2012 v1.0, Cancer Incidence and Mortality Worldwide: IARC CancerBase No. 11 [Internet]. Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2013. Retrieved March 17, 2014, from http://globocan.iarc.fr

Reaction paper for The Rhetoric of Cancer

Music and Science

Music and Science are closely related to each other. The method of creating the instrument alone requires quite a lot of science. As a violinist, I know that making a single violin that produces the best tone takes quite a lot of time to make. That's why if you want a grade A violin, the cheapest would be around 20-30 thousand pesos.

First, You have to consider the type of wood to use. The curvature of each piece is critical. The distance between strings should also be noted. The tension of the strings should give the right note. The size of the f-holes helps in the acoustics of the musical instrument. The position of the bridge alone is crucial so that tuning the violin won't snap the bridge out, and give the best sound. And the most important piece yet: the sound post. A millimeter away from the right place, the violin would sound a couple of times different. The sound post is just a little piece of wood, but if misplaced, it would be crucial tot he acoustics of the violin.

Instruments of music alone are filled with science and math. Sheet music too, for example. The number of beats per minute, the corresponding beats per note are all associated to math, in turn, Science. An auditorium where an orchestra plays is also filled with science. One must consider the placement of seats so that the sound waves can bounce off the walls and back to the listener.

In turn, music is also in science. Animals like crickets produce high pitched sounds in lower temperatures. Our memory also takes part of remembering music or sounds like how we can differentiate some people's voices.

PATRON, Pia cassandra
2013-14845

All The Time

After considering the politics. science, technology. art and society when the episode was made, If you were going to write an update or adaptation of story, what would you do?

If I were to write an adaptation of the story, it would go something like this:

A child has this massive love for music. He loves to play the piano and the violin starting at a very young age. However, due to some science gone wrong, a pill his mother took while she was pregnant, or some happening that causes him to have genetic abnormalities, or perhaps a sudden drop or high falls resulting to brain injury, he develops epilepsy in a young age. Therefore, to overcome his sickness, his Corpus callosum should be cut in order to prevent the spread of seizures. The child cannot play music anymore.

PATRON, Pia Cassandra
2013-14845

Bride of Frankenstein Reaction paper

1. How does Frankenstein the book and the film reflect upon the role of morality and science?

Victor Frankenstein (the scientist) created life out of nothing. In most religions, there would be quite a catastrophe in this idea because he acted the role of a god, and not just any scientist. Ironically, creating a female counterpart of the monster was yet another famous story in the Bible. Basically, the morality of the movie is quite a metaphor of religions. See, with science, you can do anything, that is why it has led to disastrous effects at the end because science, although powerful, can be harmful in ways when one does not take caution. And quoting, "Man must not play god."

2. The difference between the movie adaptation of the monster and in the book is that the monster was able to carry a decent conversation. Why was the monster made dumb? Did it work?

Perhaps the monster was made dumb because we humans think we are 'superior' to other beings. The term 'monster' itself differentiates us from the creature. Basically, if the monster was permitted to carry a decent conversation in the movie, then there is nothing else that separates a man from him, well, except that he was dead, of course. It was pretty much saying that this creature is human too because he communicates very well. Take for instance an animal and a human. Since they cannot speak human language, we tend to think we are 'superior' to them. But if otherwise, then what difference does it make?

PATRON, Pia Cassandra
2013-14845

Imelda Reaction paper

Imelda, in my opinion, is smart - in her own ways. Because of the power she holds due to politics, she was able to control the nation's growth and at the same time, cover up the reality that has been happening in the Philippines. Politics play a key role in the development of a society. First of all, it has the power (or money) to control over almost anything. For instance, Imelda specifically allocated a lot of money to the expansion of the Arts and Culture in the Philippines, like funding for the creation of CCP and PICC. Why? Because she can. She has the political power and money to do so. She wanted to portray Philippines as a country of exuberant art and culture, however, Filipinos are not as exuberant as her. During the interview about the failed assassination of Imelda Marcos, she has said that she wanted to be stabbed by something more beautiful rather than just a plain old bolo. This signifies how much power and money corrupted her, that even in her death she wished of something beautiful and extravagant.

As for the documentary, we could see different sides of Imelda. Of course, we saw the troubling times during the Marcos era, but we also see her creative and imaginative side, especially the part where she derived the symbol of peace using the cosmos and man. It might quite sound a bit off and just mere babbles to us, but we may never know. It can be true that these connections were true.

This is what is hard for the society. We are easy to judge based on acts, no matter how big or small. Who are we to judge her? Maybe the reason why Imelda has done all this is because it really was her way of thinking - the idea that this is the right thing to do.

We see int his documentary how politics greatly affects the society.

PATRON, Pia Cassandra
2013-14845

The Bride of Frankenstein (Reaction Paper)

1. How does Frankenstein the book and the film reflect upon the role of morality and science?

Just to make things clear, I haven’t read the book, so most of my opinions will be based on the film and general knowledge of Frankenstein only. If you asked a random person on the street to describe Frankenstein, then you might get responses of descriptions pertaining to a huge human-like monster made out of parts of various corpses. And you’d probably know that they were wrong. They were describing Frankenstein’s monster, not Victor Frankenstein himself. But that doesn’t make the scientist any less eligible to be called a “monster”.

Victor Frankenstein’s breakthrough of uncovering how to bring life to the lifeless is certainly controversial, both in the context of morality and science. He tried to play “god” and create life, and he kind of did, but at what cost? He created a creature that probably doesn’t want to exist and is dangerous to the society. Said creature then lives on hatred and tries to kill pretty much anyone he meets. Sure, it’s a scientific breakthrough. So is human cloning, hypothetically. But the risks are too many that they overrule the choice to pursue the actual experimentation of these theories.

2. The difference between the movie adaptation of the monster and in the book is that the monster was able to carry a decent conversation. Why was the monster made dumb? Did it work?

On the topic of why Frankenstein’s monster was made dumb in the movie unlike its original persona in the book, I’m not too sure why James Whale, the director of the movie “Bride of Frankenstein”, or whoever was in-charge in that department did do so. My hypothesis to this is that they didn't want the plot of the film to be that complicated and that they wanted to be able to add comedy to it by allowing the audience to laugh at the monster’s grunting and attempts to speak. If that was their purpose then it certainly came across. Additionally, if the monster was able to speak like in Mary Shelly’s book, then the film would have been lengthier and the script would require more intellectual conversations worthy of quoting, probably.

Yanna Palo

2013-07181

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Imelda

Delwin Rose Villarey
2010-79267

My mother works at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), one of the institutions that Imelda Marcos helped establish during Ferdinand Marcos's regime. I have personal behind-the-scenes experiences about how it was managed after the Marcoses vacated Malacanang. Artists and the public help CCP to continue to flourish through its own means at promoting Philippine arts and culture, as well as inviting other nations to share their culture with us. Overall, I think that out of all the public institutions we have, it is one of the most prestigious and also one of the government's least financially-supported institutions. Somehow, public officials think that it is not in need of support. I think it is a shame that people's negative opinion of the Marcoses makes them see the things connected to their legacy in bad light. It is a shame that art and culture takes a backseat because of politics.

About the documentary, I think it was one that presents us with a gross framing fallacy. Through its juxtaposition of Imelda's luxury and the Filipino class-E poverty, it is subtly condemning Imelda Marcos not only as the wife of a fallen dictator but also as a rich Filipina.

The thing is, Imelda Marcos is "easy" to judge. She is conceited, self-possessed, lacks judgment, etc. That's what I gleaned about her personality after watching the documentary. But it was framed that way. Her love for the true, the good, and the beautiful was exaggerated until it looked absurd and comical. The documentary even had interviews from people who supposedly know her, talking about how bad her egotistic rationale for everything she did was. Heck, there was even a Jesuit priest in the interview who explicitly condemned her by telling the audience that "Imelda can't handle the truth." But who the heck was he, Imelda's confessor? Or was he one of those priests who joined the Communist party? The documentary did not substantiate that.

Imelda, for all her faults as a person and as a wife, is still human. Human beings have a desire for appropriation. We all have an acquisitive nature. The problem with Imelda is, she cultivated that desire to the extremes. Rather than taking Imelda as a Marcos crony who has a lot of shoes and hand-woven dresses, I saw how hard it was for her not to be corrupted, how hard it was for her to lose Ferdinand. It was painful for me to watch her sing a kundiman next to her husband's emaciated body.

She is a tragic figure, a woman who had everything and lost everything. Imelda is over 80. Is it too much to ask if I forgive her?

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Carbon Capture and Storage Technology (Individual Project)

It has been already established that Global Warming is currently changing our world a degree higher than its regular atmospheric temperatures. This could eventually lead the bio system into chaos, rather, a shift to a massive change that may result to extinction and biosphere behavioural and survival alterations. This is due to the Greenhouse Effect which utilizes the "trapping" action of the atmosphere to the greenhouse gases.

These gases are essential in balancing out the system such as supplying the needed heat of the earth to survive. Though at larger volumes, more gases accumulate and becomes trapped which cause more heat to be trapped as well inside our atmosphere. This phenomenon results to a more varied climate change and increased water volume through the melting of the ice caps and frozen regions. These are catalysed by the increased heat absorption of the darker coloured oceans, which simultaneously releases captured methane, and in effect adds to the greenhouse gas volume.

The urgency of developing a process in reducing, if not to completely eliminate, the greenhouse gases becomes a major challenge in the continuous use of fossil fuels as one of the primary resource in energy consumption.

Figure 1. Global Greenhouse Gas Emission

Figure 2. Total U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Economic Sector in 2011

The amount of Carbon dioxide (CO₂), the main component of the greenhouse gases, has alarmingly grown to 80% from 1970 to 2004. Due to the excessive emission of CO₂, scientists have developed carbon capture facilities which primarily and directly utilize the reduction of CO₂ emission in the atmosphere. Three stages defines the process: (1) Capture and Separation of CO₂ from other gases; (2) Transportation of the Captured Gas to Storage Location; and (3) Underground Storage.

Processes involving the capture and separation of CO₂ are mainly classified according to which stage of combustion they were performed, or the type of oxygen enrichment process used.

Post-Combustion Carbon Capture involves recovery of CO₂ from the resulting flue gases after fuel combustion. The flue gases usually include water vapour, sulphur dioxides, nitrogen oxides, and CO₂. To separate the CO₂, filters made out of solvents are attached to the smokestacks, which then preferentially absorb CO₂. This prevents 80% to 90% of a plant’s carbon emissions.

Pre-Combustion Carbon capture on the other hand recovers CO₂ before fuel combustion. The process mainly involves the oxidation of fuel, and transformation of the resulting synthesis gas comprising of H₂ and CO, into H₂ and CO₂. The CO₂ can therefore be separated from this relatively pure stream, while the remaining H₂ can be used as fuel for combustion.

Oxy-fuel Combustion is done when the fuel is burned in oxygen instead of air. The resulting flue gas is relatively pure comprising of mainly CO₂ and water vapour. The water vapour is condensed via cooling which leaves a pure stream of CO₂.

Captured CO₂ are transported to suitable storage locations. Currently, utilization of pipelines is the cheapest form of transport. Pipelines start from the carbon capture sites extending towards the storage sites. They may be installed underground or underwater. Pipelines can also handle transportation of CO₂ in solid (dry ice form), liquid, or gaseous state. Proper CO₂ quality is maintained to avoid the corrosion of the pipelines.

The captured CO₂ may be stored in either underground or under water storage sites.

The higher pressure underground causes CO₂ to behave like a liquid causing it to seep inside the porous rocks. In the process called Geological Sequestration, CO₂ is injected into these underground porous rocks, which then uses the overlying rocks as a “sea” to contain the gas. In some applications, CO₂ is injected into Basaltic formations, turning them into limestone, essentially storing the CO₂ permanently.

Studies are being done for underwater storage of captured CO₂. It is claimed that at great depths (greater than 3500 m), the high water pressure will compress the CO₂, making it fall towards the ocean floor. However, there are still concerns about its effect on marine life and possibility of the resurfacing of CO₂.

Currently, Carbon Capture and Storage technology is still facing various concerns regarding its efficiency. It also requires higher energies to implement based on our current technological capacities. Still, it is a promising solution to effectively reduce CO₂ emission into the atmosphere. Thus, it is of the utmost importance that we continue research in this field.

References:

[1] 2014. How Carbon Capture Works. How Stuff Works. http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/carbon-capture.htm. March 7, 2014.

[2] 2014. Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions. United States Environmental Protection Agency. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/sources/agriculture.html. March 7, 2014.

[3] 2014. Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data. United States Environmental Protection Agency. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/sources/agriculture.html. March 7, 2014.

Monday, March 10, 2014

The Karaoke Machine (Individual Project)

The Karaoke Machine: STS Individual Project
Video link

by: Yanna Katriel S. Palo
2013-07181

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Pedro E. Flores and the Modern Yo-Yo

The yo-yo is considered to be the 2nd oldest toy in history next to the doll. Its origins date as far back 2500 years ago in Ancient Greece and Egypt. During that time the yo-yo was made with either wood, metal or porcelain. Modern versions of it are made with plastic and other materials that can appeal to customers. There have even been studies that claim that early filipinos used the yo-yo as weapon. It was designed much bigger than the yo-yo we are accustomed to today with sharp edges and studs attached to a thick rope. It’s also because of a filipino that the yo-yo became a craze worldwide and that filipino’s name is Pedro Edralin Flores.

Pedro Flores was born in Vintar, Ilocos Norte, Philippines on April 26, 1896. He later immigrated to the United States of America at 1915. He went to law school but then dropped out. Pedro Flores found himself completing odd jobs one of them being a bellboy. While a bellboy, he read an article about a millionaire who made money out of a ball attached to a rubber band. He then remembered about the bandalore (the former popular name for the yo-yo) and how it was popular in the Philippines as past time. He capitalised on the idea and that’s how the yo-yo came to the market.

Pedro Flores started his Yo-Yo Manufacturing Company on 1928. Flores did 3 important things for the yo-yo. First he named the toy yo-yo. This made it easier to market the toy because of the catchy name it has and it’s true to Pedro Flores’s roots to the Philippines. Yo-yo in Filipino means “come back” and that is what it is called in the Philippines. Second, the string of the yo-yo looped around the axle instead of it simply being attached or tied to the axle. This gave the yo-yo the ability to spin at the end of the string which revolutionised how it was played with. Lastly, Pedro Flores introduced the yo-yo contest which became an absolute craze at that time.

The craze for the yo-yo heightened due to the competitions surrounding it. The hype was so high that in 1929, Popular Mechanics published an article on how to make a Filipino yo-yo. It eventually caught the eye of entrepreneur Donald F. Duncan. He bought the company from Flores for $250,000 and this made the yo-yo even more popular. When asked why Pedro Flores decided to sell his company he clearly stated, “I am more interested in teaching children to use the yo-yos than I am in manufacturing of yo-yos.” Flores then became one of the key promoters for Duncan’s company staying true to his word.

This just goes to show what we can accomplish if we put our minds to it. Pedro Flores’s legacy will live on to this day. The yo-yo has truly impacted the world because of it’s simplicity and ingenuity. Truly, Pedro Edralin Flores will forever be known as the “Father of the Modern Yo-Yo”.

SOURCES:

Meisenhemier, Lucky J. Lucky's Collectors Guide to 20th Century Yo-Yos: History and Values. April 1999. March 9, 2014

Bellis, Mary. The History of the Yo-Yo. http://inventors.about.com/od/xyzstartinventions/a/yoyo.htm. March 9, 2014

Bellis, Mary. Pedro Flores. http://inventors.about.com/od/hispanicinventors/a/Pedro_Flores.htm. March 9, 2014

http://www.yoyowiki.org/wiki/Pedro_Flores. March 9, 2014

Imelda: A Reaction Paper

One of the global icons of power, beauty, wealth and femininity – Imelda Marcos has had this image before she was even married to President Ferdinand Marcos and even after he passed away. Following the steps of her late husband, she has continued to serve the country and the Filipinos. Their blood truly produced a line of politicians.

After watching the documentary on Imelda Marcos, I’ve judged Imelda Marcos whom I have not personally known and arrived on the hasty generalization that she truly is influential but with an elitist and a conceited side too. I heard her say the word beauty many times in the whole documentary and there had been instances also when she talked about not being able to withstand garbage and dirt.

What fascinated me while watching the documentary was the subliminal messages of the producer. Watching the first part of the video, you can perceive the praises and flattery given to Mrs. Imelda Marcos but as the film progressed, you could watch insights from people too judging Mrs. Imelda Marcos. There had also been a part where an alternating series of frames consisting of her luxurious collection of dresses and shoes; and the poverty-stricken parts of the Philippines were seen.

She is strong, powerful, brilliant, talented even and a fashionista. But criticisms also followed her name after the historical fraudulent elections which affected badly the name of the Marcoses. Despite all this, the Marcos clan remained firm on their roots and continued their service to the country even after all the incidents.

Many have loved them, but we cannot also deny the fact that many have also hated them. It takes so much for one to be as influential as they are especially like Mrs. Imelda Marcos and until many know them, their contribution will always be marked in the Philippine history.

Ergonomics (Individual Project)

Ergonomics: Hand on Hand with Science, Technology and Society

The world no longer is in the stage where humans go out of their homes to find for their basic commodities. Now, provision of these necessities has found its way to each and everyone’s doorstep in a few minutes if not hours or days. All thanks to technology and the related fields of sciences dealing with making daily tasks easier.

One of the fields of sciences which best contributes in making our lives easier is ergonomics. Ergonomics is derived from the Greek words “ergon" which means work and "nomoi" which means natural laws. It is the field of applied science which deals with designing machines, tools, and work environments to best accommodate human performance and behavior (Rickover, n.d.). Values related to the field are practicality, efficiency and safety for the users.

At present, many products have already been created, if not modified, which would best complement human anthropometric factors to allow humans to work efficiently and safely every day. These anthropometric factors include physical measurements such as height, weight, shoulder length, and the sensory aspect as well which are taken into consideration in the design of products (Ryan, 2013).

The output of considering these factors in the design of products and work environment include more productivity, reduced fatigue, increased efficiency and safer nature of work. All of which are for the users.

With the aid of technology and the creative minds of humans to ergonomics, many products have been developed in the 21^st century which have helped people all over the world, in different fields and professions including agriculture, architecture, engineering, medicine and more.

An example in agriculture would be the famous cubic watermelons which have been produced in Japan. (BBC News, 2001)

Figure 1. Cubic watermelons in Japan

These watermelons are not genetically modified. The fruits have been put in cubic cases in their early stages to follow the form of the container. These allowed consumers to store the fruits easily in their refrigerators and to slice them up without the problem of rolling across the table.

In architecture, homes are beginning to have smart modifications with this staircase and bookshelf together. To save space at home and make use of areas in a smart way, staircase design have been modified to make it into bookshelves (Ocana, 2008).

Figure 2. Staircase and Bookshelf in One

Meanwhile in medicine, ergonomics has help in the development of a tool using computer graphics for the Institute of naval Medicine to assist in the design of surgical environments on board ships. With this, users have been able to use the tool in a wide range of civilian medical and surgical applications (Stone, 2004).

Figure 3. Computer Graphics Aid for Civilian Medical and Surgical Applications

In engineering, ergonomics have contributed in making industrial tasks easier along with the development of material reinforcements that are good alternatives to other materials which may be hazardous to the health of engineers and to people in the industry (OSHA, 2012). Because of ergonomics also, work-related injuries have been minimized if not prevented.

Figure 4. Modified container than can be bent

These are just few among the many contributions of ergonomics in the different fields and professions. With the help of ergonomics, work has been made easier, more efficient and safer these have been achieved with the help of science and technology.

References:

Rickover, R. (n.d.). Ergonomics. Retrieved from http://ergonomics.org/.

“Ergonomics.” Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ergonomics

Ryan, V. (2013). Anthropometrics and Ergonomics. Retrieved from http://www.technologystudent.com/despro_flsh/revise11.html.

“Square fruit stuns Japanese shoppers,” (2001). BBC News. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/1390088.stm.

Ocana, M. (2008). Home Designing. Retrieved from http://www.home-designing.com/2008/11/stairs.

Stone, R. (2004). Ergonomics in Medicine and Surgery. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC406327/.

Occupational Safety & Health Administration, (2012). Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/ergonomics/controlhazards.html