but you can read as much as you like.
Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.
This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.
Perfectly cut; as the disc of flavor hit the surface of the ripping hot cast-iron, its unctuous liquid rapidly began to evaporate just as quickly as the exterior brought about its own Maillard Reaction. Once properly tanned, it flips, and becomes smothered by a generous amount of golden yellow blankets, slowly encasing the flavor that once roamed free moments ago. Escorted off the metal and onto a crisp and warm pillow, it begins to settle down and relax within its golden cocoon. See-through and pungent; stringy-layers of red and white sit upon this golden throne, patiently waiting to be coated in an acidic and tangy liquid. Following suit, multiple crisp and softened greens are evenly distributed upon the thick liquid and after a light layer of fluid is applied to its exposed interior, the second crispy and soft pillow is slowly set upon this mound of piquancy…
After a moment of silence, a long and noisy release of air and a loud “EXCUSE ME” signifies its maker that their goal has been achieved.
When researching sources for my topic, one thing I found difficult was acquiring sources direct to my thesis and argument. My topic is about the ethics of DNA sequencing. In specific; is it ethical for parents to alter the genes of their unborn children, otherwise known as “designer babies”? In the first article titled “Prenatal Whole-Genome Sequencing — Is the Quest to Know a Fetus’s Future Ethical?”, authors discuss that because the fetus has limited health history, it is uncertain on whether or not it is ethical to alter the genes because we would not know whether or not the fetus would want or benefit from the alterations. In the second article titled “Ethics of gene alteration on the unborn” authors discuss in more specifics the ethicality of gene altercation in the lineage of offspring. However in this article, it is set up into segments to easily explain the history of genes, how we got to this point of technology and its social and cultural implications it has now and may lead to in the future.
Article #1: https://obgyn-onlinelibrary-wiley-com.libproxy1.usc.edu/doi/full/10.1002/pd.5038
Article #2: https://go-gale-com.libproxy2.usc.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA263520920&v=2.1&u=usocal_main&it=r&sw=w&p=CSIC&xp=
For my paper I plan to discuss the the ethicality of DNA Sequencing. In specific: is it ethical to alter a child’s DNA and how does it relate to the ethics behind evitro fertilization. This field of discovery is “emerging” in more developed society’s that have the money to fund DNA splicing and sequencing. While there has already been years of development on DNA and embryo fertilization, DNA Sequencing is considered “emerging” not because it is new, but because the development could become controversial in the debate between what is considered right and wrong, especially when it comes to altering a child and if it is ethical to do so. I assume that the parents of the child could benefit from this technology since they would be the ones making the decision. However, the children could also benefit too. For example, if a parent knows that their child is going to be born deaf, they could change the sequence of its DNA so when it is born it will be able to hear, which I assume would be beneficial for the child, but some would argue otherwise. On this note, the children who have yet to be born would be the ones who could possibly be harmed or damaged from this process. I plan to discuss the ethical implications within editing the genes of a child, does a child have its own rights? If so when do they get their rights? Or are the parents allowed to make the decision or can other people make the decision to edit genes? All of these questions may not be answered, but they will be addressed and backed by sources to help give further information and a deeper understanding on whether or not it is ethical to allow DNA Sequencing on unborn children in specific.
While thinking about the topic of technology, I have always been interested in the fact that there are always constant improvements and changes that the tech industry, and technology itself constantly go through. Although museums mainly are oriented on historical artifacts or information about topics of the past, since I am focusing on technology, which is always improving and is somewhat new, I wanted to use this to create an interactive exhibit more about a technological related topic that has little known information. Using the unknown to invite open discussion and debate for the exhibit, not only will it help educate those on the subject, it will also keep them informed on the improvements of technology before it is even created. Furthermore having people opinions on the issue, it might also help show statistics of how many people feel like it should or shouldn’t be implemented in society.
I want to use these tactics to create a museum with multiple exhibits related to “mind uploading”. Mind uploading is the preservation of the brain and then copying the memories stored in that brain to a computer to preserve all the knowledge and information inside which will then eventually be implemented into AI. I plan to discuss what the memory information could be implemented to, such as cyborgs, or using it as cleaning bots, or even using the AI brain power to further improve technology. While this seems like something out of a movie, progress has already been made. The main issue is that technology needs to catch up and improve more before a larger scale change can be made to this discovery. All in all, the point of my museum will be to introduce the development, discuss different trajectories it can go in, and have interactive exhibits and activities opinion oriented to get feedback from the people of the community.
Link to the California Science Center website: https://californiasciencecenter.org/
“Science learning for everyone!” The slogan for the California Science Center (CSC) accurately describes the use and purpose it has as a museum to the visitors who explore the multitude of varying exhibits within. The CSC uses both technology and science to not only educate but make learning fun by including interactive and captivating exhibits about knowledgeable information ranging from spaceship parts to underwater life. What stood out to me the most was the way the CSC used different forms of technology to interest me to learn more about the environment. For example, when I first walked into the museum, I entered a large room with flat screen TV’s on all sides and surround sound to make me feel like I was inside the different biozomes it had panning across the screens. With that there was an extra TV that provided information on each habitat that was displayed on the TV’s and I ended up reading almost all of them, loosing track of time. Furthermore I believe it is important to educate children and the younger generation and the CSC does exactly that by providing interactive machines in each exhibit in the museum to interest kids in learning while also making it fun for them. All in all, the CSC was able to educate people of all ages about science, technology, and the environment through multiple iterations uses of science and technology within each exhibit to make learning and educating fun for everyone.
In most films, the females are represented as having less power than the male characters. There always seems to be a “damsel in distress”, specifically in the early star wars movies. Princess Lea is captured and released and seen as vulnerable and powerless through most parts of the movie. While this movie is fictional, it does relate to the real world in the sense that many people (specifically male) see women as inferior. In a similar sense, like in the show The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon, who is the smart tech and science guy, comes off as nerdy and stereotypical to that of an actual tech person; bald/little hair, frail and a geek. The stereotypes of the typical scientist/engineer were definitely reinforced through this portrayal of a character. While looking through the USC libraries I found an article that relates specifically to how the culture of a department has a great affect on women, specifically when it is male dominated. I would use this to discuss the negative effects it causes on women and how it relates to data studies showing that a lot of women change careers after they graduate because of the bias in the work force. I do recommend this to those writing about any biases in general in relation to women because the article covers many topics and not one in specific.
Here is the link: https://search-proquest-com.libproxy2.usc.edu/docview/2002808986/B12317F164AB47D5PQ/1?accountid=14749
Moving from my first to second draft was fairly easy, not because I didn’t find it difficult but because I wrote a lot for my first draft. So when I moved on to create my second draft, all I had to do was create an intro and fix my grammar mistakes. One problem I did face however was the organization of my essay. Normally when writing I create an outline with the topics I am going to cover, however in this essay I took a new approach which was me just constantly writing without making any edits. Once I finished writing all my thoughts down I went back to correct and organize them. While this was a new method for writing my papers, it was very helpful in constructing my essay. The most beneficial part about the whole process by far was the group feedback I got. I feel as though my essay wouldn’t have been as detailed as it is now without it. The most work needed moving onto my final essay by far will be my conclusion/solutions paragraph because I have not written anything about it up until I have to do the final draft. With my approach to the final essay I will prioritize organizing my paragraphs and points while also constructing solutions to add into my final paragraph.
Food for Thought