I really enjoyed this class. I was expecting a really boring History of Technology class and this class was anything but boring. It made me think of music in new ways than I ever have before and even gave me information that I may not need but will certainly be hard to forget, like cat brain testing.

One good thing to come out of the Cold War was modern technology. The relationship between technology and culture which is something that is always in your face. Whether you are sitting in front of a computer screen getting lost down a rabbit hole of information. Using your phone in the presence of others when you could be talking to them, a pet peeve of mine, personally. Does modern day technology cheapen or enrich your daily life? My thought on this is that there must be a balance. As with many things in this class there is not one simple answer. In many ways access to technology allows for easy access to information, on the other hand this leads to “a man sitting behind a screen”.

Carr’s idea that technology is a breakdown of the personal and private self. How you can cultivate attention by linear activities such as reading. He may be on to something there typically people who read live longer, or so I have read, somewhere. To Vannever Bush’s belief that we must MANAGE information technology in order to use it more effectively. He may be on to something too. It is rather convenient to have information at readily available at you fingertips.

There is a tension between open and contained information. Information wants to be free so it can be improved upon the more eyes the better. But it is not safe for all information to be free such as in cases of National Security or certain personal information.

Sterne’s book MP3 makes you think about the technological advance in music format, how it works and what it demands. It also made me think about evolving technology is always going to have new evolving standards and laws.

How technology is constantly tracking you. I look up baby bassinets and all of the sudden I am bombarded with multiple baby bassinet advertisements. This can be convenient when shopping amazon but also quite creepy. There are even new children’s toys that record “for improvement” purposes but at which point does this cross the privacy invasion line?

With many things in this class there are more often than not no simple answers. Some of the things we talked about in class will undoubtedly pop into my mind at random times in the future. I feel like I have been given food for thought for years to come.