Android Technology (Individual Project)

The development of android technology, especially its OS versions, have shown that it is one of the most competent platforms today. Development of the OS stated in the infographic shows that in 2009-2011, many various OS versions were created, thus creating a hype of android during that time since it was relatively new. In the succeeding years, android OS versions became less frequent but with outstanding leap of technology from one to another. More or less, most people who use android also have the updated OS (JellyBean and up). The continuous updating of android OS or the purchase of products that run in android indicates that people are patronizing it. In addition to that, the increase in the android users through the years may also be because of the said increase in technology in each OS version. Because of this, android stands out as a platform preferred by people. As supported by the news regarding Android's market share, its versatility makes it attractive to people. It has even surpassed its strongest competitor in market shares in US by the end of 2013. With the new phones and gadgets coming up this year and hence the new OS versions, another good addition to the "sweet" android line-up would surely charm the many android users around the world.

Works Cited/References:  

2014. Dashboards. Android Developers. https://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html. March 1, 2014.

2013. Google Android : Android History - Development Versions. How to Google.Org. http://www.howtogoogle.org/2013/05/google-android-android-versions.html#. March 1, 2014.

Burnette, Ed, 2013. What's new in Android 4.1 (JellyBean). ZDnet. http://www.zdnet.com/blog/burnette/whats-new-in-android-4-1-jellybean/2629. March 1, 2014.

Soper, Taylor, 2014. Mobile stats: Android leads in US with 50.6% market share, iOS slips. GeekWire. http://www.geekwire.com/2014/android-70-sales/. March 1, 2014.

Name: Danica Sy
SN: 2013-50915

Where to Draw the Line: A Commentary on the Usage of In Vitro Fertilization (Individual Project)

2013-14349

Monica Tricia L. Rivera

The comic depicts a couple discussing what they’re going to use In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) for. At first, they only want to use it as a means of conceiving a child despite infertility. Afterwards, they realize that they can also use it for disease prevention and traits selection, such as sex and eye color.

This can be likened to the history of IVF. At the beginning, IVF was only used to help couples with infertility. However, with the dawn of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, it has become possible to select embryos according to desired traits.   This has raised many moral contentions. Should IVF be only used for infertility, or also for disease prevention? Is it unethical to use IVF for reasons unrelated to health? (Ly, 2013).

Where should the line be drawn? This is what the comic above explores.

Reference:

Ly, Sarah, 2013. Ethics of Designer Babies. The Embryo Project Encyclopedia.

http://embryo.asu.edu/pages/ethics-designer-babies/. March 8, 2014.  

Imelda's Beauty

“It is easy to be beautiful because it is natural.”
I have heard my parents say that Imelda Marcos indeed valued and still is valuing beauty. Some said she looked like the Virgin Mary. Some branded her as the most beautiful Miss Philippines.

Imelda used her beauty and politics (from his husband, late President Ferdinand Marcos), to shape our society. As first lady in Marcos’ presidency, her role according to her was to be the mother of the country. As a mother, she was to give love. To give love, she needed to have beauty. So in order to have beauty, she relived the culture of the country. She was the person behind the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). In her time as the first lady, Imelda made the people reminisce their culture. She made them realize how wonderful their culture is. She made the country, in short, beautiful. Like herself.

Folk Arts Theater, Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), Philippine Heart Center, Lung Center, and Children’s Medical Center are all established during the reign of Marcos. These structures truly shaped the society of the country. By just the idea of being a mother, of being able to channel her beauty to the people and to the country, Imelda Marcos took part in reminding the Filipino people of who they were (especially then in the time of wars). And that really matters.

‘Beauty’ is constantly heard in the whole duration of the documentary/movie and I was amused at how Imelda made her own statement about that certain word. Beauty is more than just beauty for her. “Beauty is a discipline, an art.” 

Keanne Samar, 2013-16445

A Glimpse at the Mind Museum

I have heard about the Mind Museum from my friends, and I have often been told that I must go there while I'm still a public school student so I can get in at a lower rate. Because of its distance and because of the number of things to do for school,  I have always put it off. Luckily, a few days ago, people from the Mind Museum visited our STS class, and I got a glimpse of what's inside the museum.

The goal of the Mind Musuem is simple: it is to pique at the curiosity of children and to cultivate in them a sense of wonder and appreciation for the things around them, to make them see the world around them with the science behind it, and not to be afraid or intimidated by it.  Their tagline "Science Comes Alive" is very appropriate for their goal, and they stayed very true to it when they started their demonstrations.

Their first activity was lighting a 500-peso bill on fire. They soaked it in a 40% alcohol solution, and with the water in that solution, the money did not burn. At first this seemed a lot like a fascinating magic trick, but after learning the science behind it, it became even more fascinating.

The next one involved coating  the inside of a 5-gallon water bottle (the one in water dispensers) with alcohol, and light a match inside it. I forgot the science behind it, but the bottle suddenly collapsed onto itself, like a deflating balloon. Even a person hugging that bottle trying to squish it with all his might couldn't do that, which makes that experiment so interesting.  Finally they did a few demonstrations on how to explain the solar system and the states of matter without any materials.

Right after they finished and announced they had a booth outside selling all day passes at a discounted price, I checked my wallet if I had money. I only had money for my own ticket so I called my friend and asked him to buy one for him so we can go together. I cannot wait to visit the Mind Musuem and see what else it has in store for us, and I promise myself that right after all my requirements are completed, that's the first place I'll go.


Lizabeth Ann Franco
2009-29329

Mind Museum

The Mind Movers were pretty great in their presentation. It was evident that they have been doing this for a while now and that they really knew how to capture attention. What's really great about their presentation was that it had substance in it. They would back up the "flash" of the demonstrations with explanations that were easy to follow. I could see how they would spark a child's curiosity with their presentation. I think what they're doing is pretty noble. It's important to see what we learn or memorize in school applied in real life situations. We often take for granted science and technology. We use them everyday but we never really know how things work.




Felicia Naguiat
2011-17398

Mind Museum

"We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology."

--Carl Sagan

If there's something that i can remember quite well during the demonstration of the people from mind museum, it would be this quote.

It is so true that we live in a society where everyone just needs/ wants science in our daily lives, without even thinking the "science" behind every stuff. From the smallest particle of  every matter to the vast and endless space, all we can say now is that Science is just a little bit of  everything.

The mind movers from the Mind Museum tried their best to make us appreciate the wonders of Physics, and actually they did. It is really cool to think that these people explained us the distance of space and the movement of particles with and WITHOUT any stuff at all! And so far this is the best demonstration I have ever seen in a Science class.

What they left me was something not academic. Getting back to the basics where science, or rather  learning and education root from, you get curiosity. It is really all in the mind.

The Bride of Frankenstein

What is the line that science cannot cross? Whether or not something is ethical in science is, and will always be and issue. The film and the book reflected the role of science and morality by letting the audience think for themselves... Was bringing someone back to life moral even though it is a scientific break through?

In the movie version of Frankenstein, the monster was dumbed down even though it could carry a decent conversation in the book. In my opinion, this change was made because the audience needed a clear protagonist and antagonist. If the monster could carry a conversation in the movie version, the audience would relate to its "humanity". I think the movie version wanted it to be clear that the monster is just a monster and nothing more.


Felicia Naguiat
2011-17398