The Technology Slump

After a hiatus from writing my STEM blog, I decided to write my thoughts from last week. I was thinking about the world that we live in, what we have acheived, and what we will acheive in the future.

My thought rested on one key idea, asking if I'm in the wrong timeline? No, not like an episode of Fringe or the X-Files, but more about my place in history. I am aware of how wrotten the 19c was, the illness and very young deaths make it a no return policy, but I believe they might have had a positive outcome that works to mark-out these measly notions.


With technology being at a sombre spot in this era, we were still open to many new ideas. There was a lot to explore, places to see, and information to attain. I am worried that we have hit a slump! We have advanced so fast with our tech in the last century that we may be ahead of where we should be, and until the advancements reach planetary exploration, these new-land-discovery urges can only be a dream.

We might be talking about going to Mars by 2030, though I'm sure it will happen later than expected, what we have now feels like it is holding us down to the ground. As an exploratory person, I love to find new places, create new ideas, and build, just build! I feel that my skills and ideals are wasted right now, being better used 150 years ago, or 150 years in the future? What can I do about it? Let's look at these:

• We are splashed with information all of the time, there is little to be learned beyond the struggle to surpass our current tech level. Although the Internet is a great idea, we are able to share and archive like never before, so what is there to explore anymore?
• Our idols have shifted to 15 minute has-beens, people who are famous for being a face on a cheap TV show. The engineers of the past, scientists that saw huge acclaim, are seamingly forgotten about. It is these people who could alter the future of our planet, making new leaps into a better future.
• With a positive mortality rate, are we making things worse? It's not great dying at 35, but with so many more people pushing 100, are we simply working against the planet's capability? Perhaps this pushes more reasoning towards the off-planet living many have dreamt about.

I could spout on about this, but the key focus is on the fact that I am hard pushed to find new ideas now. As a wee 10 year old chap, I would hash new sketches, build basic prototypes from scraps, all this whilst bearing in mind that 3D printers were still two decades away! This was an inspiring time for me, one that I fear has left me, and the world, for good.

So, should we sit back and wait for the new age to begin in the hope that we make it there, or should we be the ones to start it? What would it take, a new focus on tech for a better future, not a more comfortable one? Perhaps that is were we are going wrong?

What do you think? Tech is great, and serves a key purpose in modern life, but there must be something you would prefer in your life, perhaps from the olden days, or for a future yet to be seen.

Register at beingstem.uk and be a part of the STEMvolution. Until next time...

Tolerant World: Adding warmth to those that don't have it...

As I sit under the moon, typing by the warming hum of my PC, I can only sense the feelings that hamper our homeless citizens. The town that I live in is home to many without a safe-space; sleeping in doorways and hoping for a couple of quid for a 'bite' is all they have.

It would be easy, and is for many, to look down on these individuals, knowing that we are tucked away in the relative security of our closed block. I am not going to do this, and want us all to make a step into the new initiative, that is, Tolerant World.

Picture it: I was in a McDonald's restaurant in Stoke-on-Trent, having a coffee with a friend, when suddenly I noticed that the 'loyalty' stickers, that I collect and swap for another beverage after the sixth, were making huge leaps forward, into the trash!

What do you think was running through my brain then? What if...we could gather the dead stickers and offer them to the homeless on cold, winter, nights? If only 25% of people that threw them away would place them into one place, we could make sure that the cold months were a little more easier than what they are now.

I have come to these assumptions:

1. McDonald's must budget for these stickers being used at least 75% of the time, if not, it could have ramifications beyond their control,
2. The people that throw them away aren't bothered anyway, what is the loss to them?
3. In every 1000 binned stickers, 25% would equate to 250 of them, which then would cover 41 loyalty-cards with 4 left over.
4. There are other loyalty schemes for hot beverages in the market place. Can we get something out of these multi-billion dollar companies? They could help the 'high-street' in the process!
5. As a hot beverage drinker, I believe they do make a difference in the cold weather, even if it is a small one.

So, with these in mind, a little more research and some 'fire' in the form of support, this could become a reality. Whether they are issued to charity houses like Shelter, of to hostels that are already on the ground, it could start a ball rolling in a positive direction.

STEM should not sit in the background, keeping the buildings high and providing technological breakthroughs without first being mindful of what is on the ground beneath it all. A tolerant world would make all the difference, not just to the poor and needy, but to ALL of us, we are all human and could all try a little harder to respect it as a fact!

What are your thoughts? Are there ways that you could help? You may have ideas that could launch this initiative and help it become a reality? For now, let's hope that one day we cold really see a 'Tolerant World'.

Engineering from Afar, or Up High...

Investigating a source of engineering history can have its UPS and downs. As a long time visitor to Cosford Air Museum, I love to hear, and then see, the new objects of aviation that become the latest statements of the museum's growing floor-art.

I was able to browse over the latest developments in the Junkers JU88 rebuild. The latest email received from Karen Crick, a name that has popped up in my inbox for many years now, stated that they had put the core air-frame together. There was also the mention that the control surfaces weren't attached yet, this however meant that a more interesting trip was to be evident due to the job being 'in progress'. With parts strewn around their storage boxes, it offered more questioning for my two accompanying learners.

The JU88 was a 1930s fast-bomber by design, with the intention of it having a multi-role responsibility in the German Luftwaffe's plans. The twin-engine bird saw more than 16,000 built, with many specification variations produced that included land and sea-battle capabilities.

The history that oozes from this war relic is prevalent from the moment you get close to its moderate hulk. This is a key piece of Nazism, the Third Reich's effort to cast hell upon those below. I have stated, in a previous blog post, that it is important for us to learn about the Axis Powers too. Knowing of the lives lost from the whole war, may represent a chance to stop us reliving the horrors in our digital-rich present.

As I approach the aircraft, I can see the parts missing from the rear of the wings and underbelly. Tins and surfaces are seen lying on the floor, waiting for the engineers to attach them once again. The work, that has already been completed, is incredible, the usual attention to detail that the museum prides itself on is clear in its display at all levels of refurbishment.

From a previous visit, it was in bits!

I had already seen the aircraft in its constituent parts, laying in the corner of the 'War in the Air' hangar at the rear of the site, Just like that time, I was answering questions from my 5 year old, only this visit, I had an additional 6 year old learning the Cosford ropes. The questions came thick and fast, asking me about the outline of the aircraft and details that belonged to the artefacts shown in their glass tank.

Explaining the controls surfaces was interesting. Why are they on the floor? What is that pipe for? I would like to say that the pipe was integral to the JU88's questioning, but this came up throughout the visit, I am sure it was even asked in relation to a tank!

Again I am reminded of the gem that sits so close to home. The memories are always important, and form a major part of my 'joy' for this local attraction. The revelation this time, was understanding the knowledge that I have for both the displays, and the general science and engineering of flight. For this, I am grateful for all the experiences that I was given as a young boy, and the knowledge that is offered to me in my adult life.

Visit the Junkers, it is remarkable and a piece of rare history, at least in such a complete form, anyway. Seeing it in the mechanical flesh, it is a sight to behold.

Happy flying...or building if applicable!

Written by G.Rudd.

Find articles and more at www.beingstem.uk.

Building? Building what?

As I 'build' my website, ready for the STEM-Revolution, I am reminded of the word 'build'. Seeing that I have adopted the slogan, 'Think, design, then build!', I can assume that I need to truly understand the definition of this word.

What do we build? Everything? Just houses? What about knowledge? If you read the 'About' pages on my site, you will notice that most of my interests, for there is a lot, have an essence of building about them. The creation of anything is paramount to human progress. Every new lesson that is offered to a young child, or just the refreshing feeling of holding your new mobile phone, are all 'built' feelings or ideas at some stage in their processes.

Google Definition Search - 8th April '2017

build

bɪld/

verb

1. 1. 

   construct (something) by putting parts or material together.

   "the ironworks were built in 1736"

   synonyms:

   construct, erect, put up, assemble, set up, raise More

2. 2. 

   make or become stronger or more intense.

   "we built up confidence in our abilities"

   synonyms:

   boost, strengthen, increase, improve, invigorate, augment, raise, intensify, enhance, escalate, multiply, swell;

So, looking at this, what can be noted? Even the second term describes it as size, strength etc. Moving past the obvious, we are constructing all of the time, and that makes me think!

What if we can use this as a means of STEM encouragement? Imagine that we have 10 people in a room, without gender being a focus, there would be at least 7 of those 10 that saw no interest in the creation of structures or everyday items. This could be out of bricks made from clay or plastic, it wouldn't really matter. So, can we take, from those 7, some creativity? If I am stating that we ALL build in different ways, then surely each of those do too?

It's an odd concept, but I am sure that there is a shred of plausibility in this concept. With that, I am going to produce a basic survey, a simple click of a radio button will suffice. Let's look for the smallest of creativity in all, we may even find a small number that find a niche in a role that is much needed to be filled. 

What are your opinions? Fill out the survey dots for me, you will find it in the research tab in the menu. 

This post has been written by Gavyn Rudd, Operator of @beingSTEM. You can find out more, register to be an Insider, or just say hello at www.beingstem.uk. @beingSTEM - Think, design, then build!

Is it the 'Advent of True Home Automation'?

There's been a buzz for home automation for years, BBC's Tomorrow's World showed us in the early 80s that we could turn the lights on with a request made to a crazy robot voice in the walls. They were even highlighting the advances in touch-screen units in 1981. (As an amateur inventor, Tomorrow's World was the staple BBC show for me at that time. I can honestly say that I miss it! CNET would later take over, though this was only syndicated through cable channels at odd times of the day.) In the past few years, we have accepted the use of personal assistance in the forms of Siri (October '2011), Google Assistant (May '2016), and Cortana (2014). Newer still, is the creation of Alexa, an Amazon fuelled techno-blob that will do minor tasks for us.

What is the point in Alexa? Well, if you read the outlines for both the taller Echo and the stubby Echo Dot, they offer features such as:

• Music on demand
• News and weather updates
• Search facilities
• And other things that have been done for some time now!

This sounds a little degrading, but I am not aiming for that. I am a little taken with the Echo system, I am not sure how much is being done to make this the true future living, but movies have made a good job of showing us that automation will be the norm in the nearest years to come.

The only crux is that we need to make this an all-round technology, that way, we can have the 'tech-talker' working wherever we are. Our mobile phones are grate at this, there is still work, but they are able to lots with just our voices.

Talking to a phone makes me reminisce about the nightmare of IBM's ViaVoice Suite (August '1997). This was an added software bed, that actively allowed you to 'talk' words into your word processor. There was also the Dragon Naturally-Speaking software (June '1997), this had a similar, and yet, still the unsatisfying operation of talking to Microsoft Word too.

The ideas were great, it was there to give those that couldn't, the chance to write on their computer, I don't believe that this was always the case though. you would often read about companies that used to buy it to replace their secretaries (old speak for a personal assistant), I am not sure what the overall success of this was though.

Are we feeling better about this kind of technology? We were once a species that felt awkward at the mere thought of talking into an answer-phone machine, what are we like now? How often do you see people walking around talking to there phone on speaker, rather than the more traditional at-ear approach?

I don't believe there's a big difference! The public can't interact anyway and headsets always made you look like you were talking to yourself. At least asking your phone for the nearest place that will sell you a pack of Rolos looks like you are on the speaker-phone, and you might even look like you have a friend too, which is quite nice for many in the community.

As a rule, we must progress to become a better society (whatever a better society is). We will create ever more impressive tech every ten years. The decade that opened up from the Millennium was one of great advancement. Everything from mobile communications to hair styling products took a rocket ship to new heights. I would like to think that, likely in the next decade, we will be able to create better technology for those with physical and mental disabilities.

Imagine a world that uses technology to make us better, there is a feeling that we are being less communicative in this decade, perhaps we are becoming distant from each other, up to the point that we live our lives in individual pods, sectioned from the rest of the world. Could voice technologies help us to communicate better? What if it is the answer?

'I hypothesise that talking to electronics could bring about a communication revolution. What if the need to be on our devices could be merged with good old fashioned person to person interaction (AKA talking!) If we can't free ourselves from our phones, maybe we could use it to open up connections before it's too late.'  (G.Rudd - 4/17) (This is only suggestive, what do you think?)

What do you think about the way we are talking to machines? Will there be a day that we are able to use machines as a true sound board? I guess we'll have to see. Please visit www.beingstem.uk to see my work with STEM. Become an insider too, you can offer suggestions and ideas.

Stand under the STEMbrella. Think, design, then build!

@beingSTEM 2017

The Big Bang Theory's Sudden Disappointment!

I have watched The Big Bang Theory since the very beginning, and apart from the most recent season, I have enjoyed it.

In the UK, E4 show episodes every day, this means that many of the older episodes are shown, whilst they still give us the chance to watch the latest offerings.

My disappointment came when I was casually watching the episode entitled 'The Fermentation Bifurcation'. (Season 9:Episode 22) There is a scene that involves the gang, minus Sheldon and Bernadette, attending a wine tasting event. It is there that they meet Penny's old boyfriend (and ex-husband), Zack. This is part of the dialogue that is spoken during the scene:

=-=-=

Zack: So how's the science world? What are you guys up to?

Howard: We've actually been working on a prototpye for a navigation system we invented.

Leonard: But we won't bore you with the details.

Zack: Are you kidding? I love science, Einstein, Stephen Hawking, Mike Degrasse-Tyson.

Amy: Mike Degrasse-Tyson?

Howard: Yeah, you know, the boxer who grew a moustache and became a scientist.

Zack: So what's your invention?

=-=-=

Post-viewing source: https://bigbangtrans.wordpress.com/series-9-episode-22-the-fermentation-bifurcation/ (I needed to make sure how it was scripted!)

We should invite everybody's ideas!

My problem is with the attitude of the dialogue that I've made bold. This is a simple matter of snobbery. The character of Howard is often mocked for ONLY being an engineer by Sheldon. So what was this for, especially as Sheldon's comments often hurt his feelings?

If Mike Degrasse-Tyson is, by an implied idea, not a proper scientist, then neither is Professor Brian Cox. Isn't he the 'musician that trimmed his floppy hair and became a scientist'? I disagree with this, I am a big fan of both scientists! They are not pretend! This is a problem for those who don't believe they could be a scientist. Children, when asked, still think of scientists as a balding, white, male, with a glacially toned lab coat that has been bleached to death. This idea is not the best thing when you are trying to give children the chance to believe in themselves.

I know this sounds like a rant, but I feel strongly about this. I was genuinely shocked. I have seen this episode before, but don't remember this scene! We should be pooling ideas, not passing off people as a weekend scientist, or even a hobbyist mathematician.

What do you think, are YOU that bothered? I understand that it is just light entertainment, but I do wonder how Mr. Degrasse-Tyson felt about it.

Make sure you check out my online presence. www.beingstem.uk / @beingstem / YouTube: Meegosh Media

Thanks for reading.

By: Gavyn Rudd.

A Triumphant British Science Week in Staffordshire

With a hectic schedule, and much going on in life, it is easy to give blogging a miss. It's a hard thing to deal with, not having the chance to get those oozing STEM thoughts out of my mind.

This week has been very busy, British Science Week 2017 got under way with a bang. This year was about creating opportunities for the children to, da da dahhhh, BUILD! I created the 'We're All About Wheels' ideas so that all children, in each year group, could be a part of it. For the past couple of years, I have slowly built up the foundations for BSW, bringing in more year-groups each time. This year was the big one, all around the school, you could see the stress of building, designing and debugging their original ideas.

With the younger members of the school looking at the act of pushing and pulling, the Key Stage 1 children built cars, ones that would go a further distance than their opponent's. Key Stage 2 were set up to build their power-pullers, ready to join the arena in a tug-of-war scenario affectionately named 'Chug-O-War'..

What a great week, there have been builders that don't normally build, some builders that are made to construct, and there are those that managed to create a vehicle, with effort, determination, and the will of the competition.

All-in-all, a great event, building is what makes us unique, building is what fires imagination and brings us new technologies. Tech that builds our homes, mobile phones and televisions all come from the foundations that are set in events such as this.

Here's to more STEM based events everywhere. Watch this space for more about STEM in Staffordshire, we need to pull resources to give children a chance to develop their choices and shine through potential clouds of despair.

For more information and a video, check-out my YouTube channel at MeegoshMedia, or visit the @beingSTEM website at www.beingstem.uk