DDT is a pesticide and this means it kills pests, if you have read my previous blog post you would know this. I related that it had been banned, but the truth is that it is still made today. Despite the known dangers of DDT, it is still manufactured in the United States but it is illegal to use it here (link). The chemical is only used in this country in response to a dire public emergency, such as need for strict disease control (spread by insects) or body lice epidemics. A quick internet search did not pull up any results about whether or not DDT was used against West Nile or its ilk, so obviously these did not count as public emergencies (what classifies this?). The U.S. can manufacture and sell DDT to countries, like Kenya, Thailand, and Mexico. They use it to control pest populations, where many are desperately trying to stem the deaths from mosquito borne diseases.
When DDT was first introduced, it was hoped that it would be able to eradicate things like Malaria, a tragic global pandemic. Many debate today if that was ever possible, with some pointing out the resistance insects developed to the pesticide through overuse. Though, we all know that DDT was not synthesized to help people, it was synthesized to control pests that eat our crops. This type of mentality, controlling nature, is prominent in western culture. Due to this cultural need for control, this dominion of nature, DDT was used. This is technology, why it is used and made, can be thought of from a cultural determinism standpoint. I actually intend to argue both sides, with the other being known as technological determinism. I want to do this to show that yes, I do pay attention in class. Also, I find that to think of things from a single theory never bodes well with the idea of truly trying to understand something. Even if that something is just a pesticide.
Cultural determinism is the belief that culture develops the needs for new technology, meaning that it has a say in how it is used. DDT was made to be a pesticide, well it was accidentally made, but when its effects were known the creator won a Noble Peace Prize (link). Knowing this it is not hard to imagine that this was a happy accident. Killing is what DDT does and that is what it is used for, it was used to purify the bad wilderness and bring our civilizing good crops. It did have nobler aspirations, but because of its overuse for big agriculture, they could not be met.
On the flip side, technological determinism is the belief that technology causes effects, and thus is causes the changes to culture. DDT caused a lot of effects, it killed birds, fish, and harms the environment, and this all affects us. It never just eradicated the bad bugs that destroyed our crops, but caused a wave of cultural changes that still is moving today. This chemical cause a generation of people to turn to organic farming (after reading things like Silent Spring), and reject big corporations. This organic movement (which has deviated from the original movement) is now a major player in the global economy. We know that DDT was an accidental invention, so its side effects were not really known until around the 40s, around 30 years before it was banned.
DDT was just something to kill some bugs so our plants would grow better, it would be cheaper to produce them, and then cheaper for us to buy them. But, as time went on we began to realize that our technology began to have a negative impact on us and our environment. We determined what we wanted it to do, but in the end its effects forced our culture to change.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Beauty, Glamour, or Confidence...What IsThe Goal of Hairweave
Hair weave is considered to be, by most people, an aid to beauty and self confidence.It is almost certain that any woman feels better when her hair meets her approval, along with many other things.Glamour has become a significant way of life, and women a go through almost anything to reach that goal, such as implants, lipo suctions,breast enhancements, and long processes of applying hair weaves.Hair weaves is one of the biggest contributors to assumption of what is glamorous.Jennifer Slack and J. Macgregor Wise mentions in the book Culture and Technology that technologies of the body (ranging from make-up to surgery) can be used to alter identities to either conform to or rebel against cultural norms(pg.161).In other words, technologies such as hair weave can be used to help some one fit into what is culturally accepted for them, or to help someone stand out or be the outcast of thier group.Hair weaves are used to enhance a person's natural hair by adding lenght, adding volume and thickness, adding fashionable colors to the hair without the use of damaging chemicals ,and/or just to achieve a certain hairstyle.Celebrities are some the hugest users of hair weaves and wigs as an glamour statement.Celebrities have hairweaves shipped from places like India to ensure that they have the best quality hair that money can buy.The highest quality extension hair is Indian human remy hair.They sometimes spend up to 5,000 dollars for wigs
and hair weaves, simply to look glamorous.
and hair weaves, simply to look glamorous. 
On the other hand, others use hair weave as a source to gain back self confidence,not as a fashion statement.Hair weaves give some people the opporunity to feel beautiful and normal.Hair loss occurs commonly with cancer patients who are going through Chemotherapy .Hair loss occurs over periods of days or weeks,starting with thinning to complete loss of hair.Most Cancer patients who plan to use Chemotherapy and experience hair loss choose to use human hair wigs and human hair pieces.Arthur Frank states,in The Body's Problems With Illness, that "When adult bodies lose control,they are expected to attempt to regain it if possible,and if not then atleast to conceal the loss as effectively as possibly (pg.33).Erving Goffman's classic work on stigma shows that society demands a considerable level of body control from its members(pg.33).Goffman shows that they are responsible for how they present themselves and manifest the signs of illness(pg.33).Hair weaves help to achieve the goal of appearing "healthy" and "normal".
Frank, Arthur."The Body's Problems With Illness." pages 161
Slack,Jennifer and J.macgrefor Wise."Culture and Technolgy."page 33
Infuse Bone Graft rhBMP-2: The new future of bone growth
The use of Infuse bone graft is for many different purposes. One being that a patient may need Infuse for oral maxillofacial purposes and others might need it for posterolateral lumbar spine fusion. What ever the case Infuse is an effective way to have bone grow at a rapid rate while reducing the percentage of follow up surgery for the patient. According to a Medtronic news release in 2007 it is estimated that more than 350,000 bone grafting procedures to generate or regenerate bone in sinus augmentations and localized alveolar ridge augmentations for defects associated with extraction sockets are performed in the United States each year. Autogenous bone grafts, or bone harvested from other parts of the patient such as the tibia (shin), ilium (hip) or chin, are currently the standard grafting procedure used for these patients. INFUSE Bone Graft offers surgeons and their patients an alternative to autogenous bone grafting, possibly reducing patients’ pain, limiting scarring and reducing surgical time. According to Dr. Daniel Spagnoli an oral and maxillofacial surgeon with University Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in Charlotte, NC he says “Patients come to see us with a multitude of problems and it’s our job to help patients discover methods to achieve their goals.” “When we talk to an individual, we have to think about more than the structural problem. We also consider the psychological and social aspects of missing teeth. INFUSE Bone Graft encourages bone growth to make it possible for them to have the corrective dental work that gives my patients a chance to have confidence, to feel good about their smile, to function well and to be able to enjoy a meal,” he added. What Dr. Spagnoli is saying relates to what our book Culture + Technology says about cyborgs. Acoording to our text a cyborg is an entity part human and part machine. (p. 169) When surgeons do work on our bodies to help us have a normal and a productive life they are essentially putting technology in our bodies that gives us an advantage to be able to continue with life normally. From putting artificial limbs on our bodies to help us to walk and swing our arms, to putting bone from one area to another area to help new bone grow in our mouth so we can eat, can all be argued that it is a form of creating a cyborg. According to The Spine Journal official journal of the North American Spine Society, a patient sample was taken. It states that 102 patients over the age of 60 years old required posterolateral lumbar spine fusion and all used Infuse Bone graft. Could this mean that our medicine is taking a step toward us all becoming cyborgs as we get older? Could this help us all to live longer and without back pains in the future. The answer to that will soon come, but medicine has definitely taking a huge step technologically where it is able to do things our bodies cannot. One being growing bone healthier, stronger and quicker like Infuse does.
Friday, February 25, 2011
If I Had Shoes I Would Walk All Over You.....2
The history of shoes is relatively an exciting invention; shoes first came on the scene in the 1600-1200 BC in Mesopotamia worn by the mountain people who lived on the border of Iran (inventors.about.com/od/sstinventions/aShoes_2.com). In other counties such as Egypt and the Middle East, shoes were shape in the form of a sandal, which was made from palm leaves (factshistoryofshoes.com). Back in Mesopotamia they first started with soft material which wrap around the foot to help protect the foot from being damage. There was only one style there was no difference between a right and left shoe the soft material suited everyone's feet. In 1850 shoes took their first break with leather material, the leather was heavier material that wrapped around the soft material to help protect the foot while mountain climbing one good word to describe how this typical shoe looked is, moccasin. Moccasins were worn when traveling daily and hunting for food, it was not until moccasins cross over to America, Americans found there utopia.
Shoes were first introduced to the United States in 1628 by one of the Mayflower pilgrim, by the name of Thomas Beard, who nailed together the first pair of shoes in America (factshistoryofshoes.com). This was a trade Beard took up from the Indians, and rapidly became popular in America. In the book Culture and Technology, it describes the convenience of technology as a forced by fordism which causes things to speed up for the convenience of materials things which surrounds us. This is exactly what it did in 1858; Lyman Reed Blake was an American who invented the sewing machine for soles of the shoe. Americans took shoes to another level, not only using animals to eat but to make shoes. Shoes were soon put into a size; size thirteen was the only shoe size that was created through barleycorns. Barleycorn was an England term meaning, ten plus three use from the English king, Edward II in1324. This term was brought to America by the Indiana’s. Materials were being added on shoes almost every year. In the book, Culture and Technology, it talked about progressing moving forward. America found evolution being able to walk around without glass or rocks touching their feet. By the 1900 shoes were introduce to factories all over the world. The average pair of shoes caused eleven dollars to make and could take up to weeks to make. By this time color, valcro, and shoestrings also played a major role in making a shoe. The mark of the new term began in 1913 when shoes were starting to get recognized by particular names.
Friday, February 11, 2011
History of Cosmetic Makeup
“A woman without paint is like food without salt.”- Plautus
Early Uses
The first known uses of makeup appear in Egypt’s first dynasty around 3000 B.C. Archaeologists and historians discovered jars of makeup in ancient Egyptian tombs. Particularly, the use of kohl appeared most prevalent. Kohl, essentially a product of soot, acts to darken around the eyes. Both men and women play a part in the history and evolution of makeup in ancient times, as Egyptian men also used kohl to illuminate the eye.
Like Egypt, ancient Roman civilization also developed and consumed cosmetic products and remedies. For example, Plautus, a Roman philosopher living around 200 B.C., famously professed, “A woman without paint is like food without salt.” This statement represents both Roman ideals regarding beauty and somewhat accurately predicts the ideology makeup will represent globally in the future. Specifically, Romans also used kohl to darken the eyes, making them a predominant feature of the face. In addition to kohl, Romans used chalk to lighten the skin and rouge to redden the cheeks.
Later, during the European Middle Ages, makeup became a sign of affluence. Again, like the Romans, pale complexions represented beauty. However, here, pale skin indicated wealth as the rich did not attend to manual labor outdoors as lower social classes could not avoid natural elements due to their work. Despite the use of “lightening” makeup by the affluent, many women achieved this look by literally bleeding their faces. Similarly, Victorian notions of beauty emphasized the gentile appearance of fair complexions. However, Victorian women approached skin care differently than previous eras. While excessive makeup was largely discouraged, women drank vinegar and avoiding going outdoors to retain their pale complexions. http://www.fashion-era.com/make_up.htm#Victorian%20Delicacy
During the Regency Era in the United Kingdom, the era which bridges the Gregorian and Victorian eras, beauty became a central feature of femininity. During this period, beginning in the early 1800s, the concept of lightening skin became widespread. Light skin represented a life of leisure. Like, the Middle Ages, this era favored pale complexions, however increased technologies became available. For example, despite that many chemicals used in this process were lethal women, still used cosmetic products Many of these cosmetics contained white lead and mercury, which could prove fatal. During the 1800s many women used “belladonna”, a plant native to Western nations, to make their eyes appear more “luminous.” However, this substance is poisonous and continued to sell despite its fatal risk. Although often made by pharmacists in English apothecaries, these products contained mercury and nitric acid, both of which are poisonous. In addition to women’s use of cosmetic makeup, men also adorned their faces with a variety of products. Until the mid-1800s, men used makeup widely. For example, King George IV used makeup regularly, as it was a socially acceptable mode of dress. http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewArticle.asp?id=15438
Twentieth Century
The beginning of the twentieth century marks a critical turning point in the cosmetic industry. Companies began to emerge resulting in mass production and subsequent consumption of cosmetics. For example, Maybelline and Max Factor introduced products to consumer market. Specifically, the 1920s marks the main ideological shift toward makeup and cosmetics. That is, through makeup, women displayed a sense of independence and freedom of expression. Sun-tanning became particularly notable in the 1920s as women began to favor tanner skin complexions celebrated by the famed, Coco Chanel. This trend led to the development of lotions and creams designed to protect the skin from the sun and natural elements.
In Cosmetics, an article published in 1938, H. H. Hazen an American physician provides an overview of cosmetic use from both a medical and social standpoint. Rouge, according to Hazen, consists of talcum, zinc oxide starch, chalk, dyes, wax and fat. Additionally, undesirable elements inherent in rouge include barium and lead. Lipsticks act to stick color onto the lip. Made of, waxes, fat and dyes, lipsticks act to dye the lips. Eyelash enhancers originally made from copper or lead ore still produced fatal consequences as late as 1938 when Dr. Hazen published this article. He notes that mascara consists of lamp black, petrolatum and a component of soap. However, numerous accounts of blindness and sever poisoning still remained recurred. http://www.jstor.org/pss/3413149
Theoretically, the inclusion of makeup as a societal norm, asks two questions. First, if makeup is in fact a technology, what is it for? That is to say, what is society progressing toward? Secondly, one must ask whom the technology is intended to progress through this technology. Specifically, who benefits from the technology and who is victim to its product remains critical. Inequalities of power result through the introduction of technologies, affecting seminal patterns of social existence. The evolving technological advancements in cosmetics and makeup represent evolving cultural ideologies including increasing globalization and ethnocentric outlooks. Technologies like cosmetic makeup ultimately act to overcome the human body.
In today’s society of mass consumption, the cosmetic industry has evolved through cultural influences that preclude the appearance of new technologies. For examples, today, cosmetic companies use clinical tests, emphasizing protection of consumers through the guise of “safety.” Although these products are no longer considered a luxury, the ideal of female beauty rests firmly on the cosmetic makeup industry.
(Enter Witty Title)
The KINECT!!!
It All started October 18th 1958 when a physicist debut his newest invention, an electronic tennis game with two separate controllers connected to an analog computer. Ok, I guess I could fast forward a few years and get to the real inspiration of Xbox Kinect.
It all started on November 19th 2006, when Nintendo launched the Wii. The Wii is a gaming console that uses wireless controllers to track your movements so that it can be relayed back to the console to move your avatar in the game. This was the first gaming console that actually made people get up off of their butts inside of their own home to play a game. It literally took the world by storm. In the U.S it broke records for most sold console in a single month. With that being said it is only natural that its competitors would try to match it or up the ante. In 2007 Don Mattrick, leader of the xbox business, challenged his x box team to expand gaming to a whole new set of customers by getting rid of the controller. A small team was put together to research this possibility. After a short while the team realized that the hardest challenge was going to create a device that tracked the user’s body as it moved.
Microsoft bought many 3d companies to try to solve this problem. Eventually with their vast technology they figured out thru math how to let a depth sensor track the body parts without getting confused by rapid movements. This was the break thru that they needed. The next obstacle to tackle was the use of voice recognition. This would be a very complicated process if Microsoft would have started from scratch, but they had been working on voice recognition for nearly over a decade.
With all of the technological questions answered, all that was lacking was the first game. They knew that Wii sports made the wii popular so they needed something similar, so they started working on Kinect Sports. Microsoft got to work and in 4 years from the first idea they released the Kinect. Inspired by the Wii but made with many other enhancements and without the Wii’s biggest flaw, a controller.
But What is The Kinect?
The Kinect itself is a bar that you place below or above your tv that has motorized pivot point that actually moves up and down to get the best angles. (everytime I start up my X box and it moves it still amazes me) Inside of the Kinect It has 3 main components. A microphone, a Rgb Camera, and a depth sensor. This allows the kinect to have voice recognition, full body 3d capturing, and even face recognition. With These 3 things it resulted in a new multi billion dollar business.
I'm Bug Free with my DDT!
Hey farmer, farmer put away that DDT now,
give me spots on my apples,
but leave me the birds and the bees please!
"Big Yellow Taxi"- Joni Mitchell
| |
| DDT |
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane or as it is commonly known, DDT, is an organochlorine (carbon and hydrogen that share an electron bond with one or more chlorine atoms), and is used in insect control. Way back in 1874 it was first synthesized, and it was not until 1940 that it insecticidal properties were discovered by the Swiss Paul Müller. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, as it was proven highly proficient in sticking onto the shell of arthropods. It was marketed in 1942 as a pesticide that was good to specifically use against the housefly, louse, Colorado beetle, and the deadly mosquito.
The insecticide used before the war was slowly running low on its reserves, so the introduction of DDT was welcome. Typhus is spread by the louse, which is very prevalent in crowded wartime conditions, and DDT killed the louse very efficiently. Malaria is spread by the mosquito, and DDT was used throughout the world to quell the epidemic. The Colorado beetle was a menace to crops and DDT was seen as a probable answer. During these years the chemical was sprayed everywhere, on crops, sprayed through neighborhoods (like our modern day mosquito trucks), and apparently down soldier’s shirt fronts.
DDT has saved many lives, supposedly 25 million soldiers were saved from malaria and typhus due to its extensive use in those disease prone areas of the world (click the photo caption for more info). How DDT kills is not really known, but it acts as a sort of nerve poison. What I have been able to gather from my sources is that the pesticide sticks to the exoskeleton of arthropods, and then it eventually makes its way into the body, where it begins to force open sodium ion channels in neurons. Because of these rapidly firing neurons, the insect starts to spasm, these spasms are a precursor to death.
Things were looking well for the first synthetic of the industrial era, but soon it was to be known of its disastrous effects on the environment. In 1947 tests were done of insects resistance to DDT, but the results were not widely published. By the eighties over 200 insect species were shown to be resistant to DDT. This was mainly because of overuse in agriculture.
Not only were insects building up a resistance to the pesticide, it was revealed that the stuff sits in the soil for up to two to fifteen years in water it can last up to 150 years! It is also said to “bioacculmulate” which means that if DDT is ingested it is not expressed naturally out of the body. It sits in the fatty stores of the body and when a person begins to lose weight, the toxin is released and is detrimental to the liver. It is highly toxic to fish, which in turn can be passed onto birds. It was found that their egg shells were thinning, the American Bald Eagle almost went extinct, possibly due to DDT.
Even if a place never spayed DDT it can spread to it by water currents and wind, so it is a global risk and not a localized one. When DDT was first introduced it was seen as continued human dominion over the animal kingdom, another one of our manifest destinies, but it made us kings of perfect crops but quiet fields. DDT was banned in 1972, but the U.S. still produces and exports to countries that still use it. It is also stockpiled in case of a medical emergency, but one would think with its track record, that it would cause more damage than fix it.
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