Emerging Technology : Growing food on your face

          Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is a gas that we can encounter everyday in our lives. I say everyday because the moment we exhale, we introduce carbon dioxide into the air. Carbon dioxide is used by plants to grow which is like food for them and in turn they supply us with the oxygen that we breath in. About.com (n.d) says that carbon dioxide at ordinary levels is non toxic and it can also be found in baking products such as baking soda which introduces carbon dioxide bubbles into the food to make it rise. It is also stated that carbon dioxide is among the safest chemical that can be encountered. Heavier levels of exposure to carbon dioxide may result in poisoning and even in some cases, death.

          Algae as referred to by Allaboutalgae.com (n.d), are simple plants that can come in all shapes an sizes and in this case microalgaes or in a bigger size which are popular to japanese as they have them as a snack, seaweed. It is called a simple plant because the demands for these plants to grow are not much and even water that is not clean and filtered can be used to grow algae. Algae grows through photosynthesis which means that it converts sunlight, carbon dioxide and a few nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous into something called biomass. Algae can also grow in the dark with the use of sugar or starch in a process called "heterotrophic" growth or even combine the process of both which is called "mixtrophic" growth. Algae can be found almost everywhere, even in our household aquarium. It is the foundation for the aquatic food chain as it provides fishes with food and most importantly supply 70 per cent of the oxygen we breath. 

Figure 1. This shows how the invention looks in real life

          These two things relate to each other because algae needs carbon dioxide to be able to grow. This is how creative scientists found a way to grow food on your face. Inventors and designers Michael Burton and Michiko Nitta(Yahoo health, Aug 2013) invented the algae mask which has plastic transparent tubes that runs across the face and all the way to the shoulders and back. The end of the tube is then put in to the mouth of the wearer. This works by the wearer supplying essential carbon dioxide that is required by the algae to grow into the tubes. The transparent tubes allow sunlight to pass through so that photosynthesis can be achieved by the plants which makes them grow. 

          The two inventors has their definition to this : "Algaculture designs a new between humans and algae. It proposes a future where humans will be enhanced with algae living inside new bodily organs, allowing us to be semi-photosynthetic. Almost enabling us to become plant-like by gaining food from light. As such, we will be symbionts (meaning that both entities entirely depend on each other for survival), entering into a mutually beneficial relationship with the algae."

Figure 2. This shows the layout of the product mentioned.

           The concept of this invention is to have food available on your face and also this invention aims to promote the symbiotic relationship between humans and plants in a way that both are sustaining each other which in definition (thefreedictionary.com, 2013) means a close prolonged relationship between two or more organisms that are different in species which in this case are the humans and the plants. The definition also states that it may or may not benefit each member as in this case the humans will eat the plants but the algae will keep on growing as there is a constant supply of carbon dioxide and sunlight. There was an opera at the Digital Design Weekend at the V&A where an opera singer wears the symbiotic mask over her head to her back. She then sings to the audience and due to the fact that the algae's growth is dependant on the amount of carbon dioxide it receives, the singer used different pitches and tones to alter various characteristics of the algae which makes it either sweet or bitter through a process called "sonic enhancement". At the end of the performance the audience was allowed to taste the product of her singing. The video below shows two hosts explaining and discussing this emerging technology. They also said that you would be tasting someone's bad breath which i think is quite gross to me. symbiotic relationship

 

Societal Impact

          One of the effect this invention has to the human is that we would not be needing to find food sources in times of food shortage and we would be constantly having a food source but it would need time to grow as it can not just happen in a few seconds. The effect of wearing this technology on ourselves would deem fashion accessories useless and we would not  be able to protect our eyes from the sunlight with the use of sunglasses. The other thing is that it makes us look like aliens. This invention would mostly be supported by vegetarians as they can be seen to accept it more than regular people who has vegetables, meats and fruits in their diet system. A study shows that consuming algae in a regular diet would cause a person to lose weight when it was consumed together with a traditional Japanese diet. Seaweed has been the food of island cultures for centuries(Yahoo Health, 2013) and it is rich in important vitamins such as calcium, iodine, iron, magnesium and potassium. Solazyme, which is a company that makes products such as butter and oil with algae as its base helps in providing us with better health when consuming their products which as the company states that manufactured food can have a lower amount of calories, saturated fat as well as cholesterol. This invention would have a very positive effect with less negative traits to it in a way that it promotes better health and healthier lifestyle. Other than being used as a food source, algae is also used to power machinery as it is being developed as a biofuel.

     

          

         

References

-Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D (n.d). Carbon Dioxide Poisoning. Retrieved from : http://chemistry.about.com/od/medicalhealth/a/Carbon-Dioxide-Poisoning.htm

-All about algae.com. (n.d) What are Algae? Retrieved from : http://allaboutalgae.com/what-are-algae/

- Kimberley Mok. (August 2013). Eating Sunlight : Algaculture suit proposes symbiotic bond between humans and algae. Retrieved from : http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-product-design/algaculture-suit-proposes-symbiotic-bond-between-humans-and-algae-burtonnitta.html

- Burton Nitta. (2013). Projects by Michael Burton & Michiko Nitta . Retrieved from : http://www.burtonnitta.co.uk/index.html

-  Brian Krans (Aug 2013). The Future of Food : Growing Your Own Algae? Retrieved from : http://health.yahoo.net/articles/nutrition/future-food-growing-your-own-algae

- io9.com (Sept 2012). Opera singer grows algae on her face by feeding it with her breath and then the audience eats it. Retrieved from : http://io9.com/5946858/opera-singer-grows-algae-on-her-face-by-feeding-it-with-her-breath-and-then-the-audience-eats-it

 

Module 3 : Ethics

Workplace Ethics & Social Network

          The internet was created in 1960's and is used as a tool to solve issues relating to getting hosts to communicate with each other(computerhope.com, "Who invented the internet?", Para 5). It was used to send and receive messages to people across a vast distance away. The internet as we know today is perceived as an information highway where we can get all sorts of information by just typing it in a search box. In this technological age, it is said that information is just at our fingertips and a lot of things that we have today have internet integrated in to them so we can go about our daily lives as well as communicate with peers and also families and friends. Even cars are starting to implement internet into their system so that communication through the internet for businessmen for example can communicate with each other to get the deal done. People rely too much on internet these days which affects their lives one way or another. For example digital maps that are already included into our phones with a GPS as well these days provide quick details of where we are without needing us to find it like how we would do in a traditional way by looking at a paper map. 

         

          Wikipedia states that "The workplace is the physical location where someone works. Such a place can range from a home office to a large office building or factory. The workplace is one of the most important social spaces other than the home, constituting "a central concept for several entities: the worker and his/her family, the employing organisation, the customers of the organisation, and the society as a whole". The development of new communication technologies have led to the development of the virtual workplace, a workplace that is not located in any one physical space." Most of the workplace in and around the world has computers that are used by workers as a tool to type in information to keep track of items and inverntories, as well as look for a person for example in the database. Other than that the computer itself is used for work purposes only. Since social networking has become a buzz these days, most people have accounts to keep up with friends and families. Office workers spend their idling time on social networks posting things and not concentrating on work itself which turns them in to less efficient workers. A study that is done by the Ethics Resource Centre to active social networkers states that 72% of these workers are likely to change employers within the next five years compared to the other 39% who are non-active social workers. Is social networking in the workplace considered an ethical practice? There are pros and cons to using social network in the workplace. A survey done by Workplace Media states that 78 per cent of people spend less than 30 minutes on social networking sites. 

This youtube video explains the disadvantages of the social network in the workplace and how it affects the behavior of the employee as well as the company itself:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLG9jwgAios. 

This video also states the importance of having policies in companies that restricts the use of social media in the workplace. Other than that it explains how the National Labor Relations Act affect the rights of the employee posting things. This video also shows the importance of information sharing in the social media network and how it would affect potential customers.
This next video will show the statistics that are involved in social networking at the workplace : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vE6AjPXZpq0

Figure 1 : Study showing how much time is spent on Social networking sites

Is this a good practice or not and how does this affect work? Employers would be happy to know if their workers were not on social networking sites all day and concentrate on the work given to them. Social networking are considered distractions that decreases the productivity of workers. Due to the ease of passing on messages in social networks, workers tend to express their feelings in social sites and also they might expose confidential information that has been prohibited by the company. Workers also say what they feel about the company itself(Colleen Taylor,Study : Social networkers have more ethics problems at work, para 5) like negative comments and thus make the company have a bad name to the public making future employment of workers difficult due to this comment. 

Figure 2 : Research done by Microsoft.

         

           A study done by Microsoft proves otherwise by saying that the use of social media actually increases work productivity. The study states that, "Nearly half of employees report that social tools at work help increase their productivity, but more than 30% of companies underestimate the value of these tools and often restrict their use." Microsoft did a survey with  9,908 information workers in 32 countries (Ms. Smith, Microsoft Study shatters myth, 2013, para 4) and found that 39% of employees don't get along or collaborate well in their workplaces much which can be due to the fact that they are not communicating well amongst each other due to the restriction of use of social networking sites. The study shows that 40% of the people in the workplace believe that the use of social networking sites promotes better teamwork amongst colleagues which is a good thing as workers get together more to increase productivity in the workplace which is good for the employer as well as the company itself. Social networking sites are also used by workers to have a time of relaxation or a short period off of work to relieve stress so that they are more ready to do work without stress. According to Microsoft, social networking will be able to make the pace of work faster, just like how email did when it came in the 90's where information could be transferred much faster to workers as well as managers or businessmen. Social network would be the next thing to come after the email that will definitely improve the work pace and increase productivity which is good for the company. 

          Financial sectors prove to be the one which is the most strict when it comes to information sharing on social networking sites as information of customers could be compromised and identity fraud might be the effects of information sharing. That is why social networking in financial sectors are only due to security concerns only not any other reasons. Those that are working in retail and travel departments have said that this decreases the productivity levels in the workplace.

  The effect it has on society

          The social network itself has undoubtedly give benefits as well as negatives. This has been proven by the research done by Microsoft. Workers are working better as a team with the use of social networking at the workplace which is a good thing as it increases the productivity as well as the profit of the company itself. Social networking sites have been with us for a while and it will be here for many more years to come, just like how email is being used until today. They will be used in the workplace and employers will finally begin to understand the benefit that it gives to the workplace and therefore it can be used to increase productivity in the office itself. Live conferencing through social networking also makes the need for traveling not required which can save the cost of traveling from one place to another as well as provide a greener form of communication between peers which in turn is good for the environment as well.

          Long lasting bonds can be formed between colleagues from social networking sites as this bond is important in that it ensures that workers can communicate with each other not only in work but also out of work where they can socialize and maybe get work done as well. The bad effect that social networking has on people is that it makes people so attached to it that when they go out for a drink of coffee they would be communicating with their friends online rather than communicating with their friends at the table. Communication would be sparse and also a negative perception of this person would be had and friendship would be a thing of the past. 

 

References

-Ms. Smith (2013). Microsoft study shatters myth, says social media use increases work productivity. Retrieved from : http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/microsoft-study-shatters-myth-says-social-media-use-increases-work-productivity

-Wikipedia(2013). Workplace. Retrieved from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workplace

-Mark Walsh (2009). Survey : Social Networks Not So Hot In The Workplace( And No One Cares). Retrieved from :http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/109046/#axzz2fOYPRwMg

-Colleen Taylor (2012). Study: Social networkers have more ethics problems at work. Retrieved from :http://gigaom.com/2012/01/06/social-networking-employee-ethics/

-Microsoft News (2013). Bring your own service: Employees want social tools at work, despite company restrictions and hesitation, reports new Microsoft survey. Retrieved from: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2013/may13/05-27socialtoolspr.aspx