Ann B DESMA9

When you ask someone what they think of when they hear the word nanotechnology, the typical Nano probes from Star Trek response probably has something to do with the science fiction or dystopian movies that have the main characters using some outlandish technology. This was personally the line of thought I initially took, thinking of Star Trek and the way nanotechnology is used by the bad guys to essentially brainwash people.   But in reality, use of nanotechnology in this way is improbable.   Instead, nanotechnology is being used in ways that help people.   For example, the army used nanotechnology to develop “smart shirts” that track the vital signs of the person wearing them.    Example of commercial smart shirt This same technology has been commercialized and people can buy their own smart shirts to track things like sleep patterns or vital signs during exercise.   Nanotech is also being used in other areas such as medicine and pharmac...

Yesterday I visited the Hammer Museum in Westwood and saw many exhibits, one of which was Judith Hopf’s new exhibition. Example of a vase that was given human features.  The overall theme of the exhibition is the impact that technology has on the human experience, such as on perception and group dynamics.   Not only is this relevant to the material in our class but also to society in general as we become ever more reliant on technology.  One thing that was repeated throughout the different portions of the exhibit was the anthropomorphization of inanimate objects.  I took this as a symbol of the way technology has become so ingrained into society that it is like its own person in our lives.  This reminded me of the material covered in the section on robotics and art, specifically Ford’s automatons and Walter Benjamin’s view that mechanization has changed to nature of art and work. Drawing of anthropomorphic laptops from the exhibition. The most...

The brain is the most complex, and arguably the most important, of all the organs in our body.  For something that plays a role in everything human beings do, there are still so many things that are unknown about the brain.  However, in recent years, the field of neuroscience has been making advances on imaging and studying the brain and its functions.  Because of the brain’s central role in daily life, it is not surprising that studying the brain has gone beyond the field of neuroscience to influence other parts of society, what Franzetto and Anker termed neuroculture.   Examples of the some of the many different shapes a neuron can have. What makes neuroscience and all things brain related so easy to apply to other areas is the vast amount of diversity within the brain.  Not only are most of the neurons in the brain different, unique shapes but the brain performs so many function from controlling movement to pain awareness to consciousness. Th...

This past week, I attended the show “mnemoawari” by Eli Joteva.  From the moment I walked in the room, the show captivated my attention from the use of spotlights to highlight the spheres in conjunction with the acoustics of the water drops echoing throughout the space and the large 360 projections of the spheres.   But, my favorite part of the show was the fact that was dynamic.  Every minute I spent there, the pieces were changing, whether it was the ice melting off to expose more of the plants or pieces of plants falling to the ground.  The ever changing nature of the pieces in the show is reflective of the way things on our plant are constantly changing from interactions with the environment.  This theme is especially relevant now not only with the climate change crisis facing our planet but also with the scaling back of the EPA in the United States and the cutting back of environmental regulations.  I also thought this show was very re...

Being a Human Biology and Society Major, I was already fairly familiar with the concept of biotechnology prior to reviewing this week’s material, including some of the bio-art mentioned like the fluorescent rabbit.  However, I was not aware of the full extent of the political undercurrent that surrounds this movement.  For instance, I did not realize that artists were tackling questions such as what constitutes life through their work (Levy).  But, this makes sense as art is a great medium to use to inspire discussion, especially because it gives people a tangible representation of an abstract concept.   Photo of Alba, the fluorescent rabbit created by Eric Kac in conjunction with French scientists.  While it is undoubtedly useful to combine biotechnology and art, doing so raises a myriad of political and ethical concerns.  Politically speaking, the development of new, living creations could completely shatter our the way society has been set up, p...

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