Obsolete Technology & Gratification

Brushaud Stanislaus
CAS 283 Lab, Section 004
Obsolete Technology & Gratification

From previous classes and lab discussion it happen to bring me down memory lane. Remembering all the devices I once used as a child/teen: Walkman’s, cd-players, the original iMac desktop. Technology is at  a rapid changing pace that reached the point where if you have the latest device you will only be part of an elite group for maybe a year if you’re lucky. Look at the iPhone for example, I remember seeing people camp outside for the iPhone 5s and the 5c arguing it was the best thing ever. Now not even a year later a new "better" improved set of phones are coming out pushing the line of iPhones from the past into a dark abyss. All the hype and excitement for these devices and websites all result to what professor explain in class 9/10/14 about gratification.

But getting the latest technology devices all comes with a heavy price because all of the old devices have to go somewhere and it’s not the trash. In lab we were exposed to some of those places.  In china, we see cities of obsolete technology covering the lands of many civilians. In high school I was able to take a trip to China for a couple of months and I personally have witnessed these areas and I can assure you it is a lot worse than what we see in pictures. E-waste cities is something we certainly sweep under the rug and turn the other cheek to.

 
I read a great article from CNN,

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/30/world/asia/china-electronic-waste-e-waste/index.html

Which brought to light a lot of the problems that China is facing because of e-waste. The toxins that are leaving these devices are causing drastic environmental changes to the lands to the point that the air alone leaves burning sensations in the eyes and nostrils of visitors. Another eye opener from this topic is that the people who work in those areas won’t even drink the water nor eat the rice that is harvested from the land. To make matters worse is that the rice that is harvested will be labeled with another location and is shipped elsewhere. Which is something to think about the next time we eat rice, exactly where did it come from? E-waste resulting from obsolete technology, I believe is slowing destroying the world from the ground up to our atmosphere especially. Ever think about how many obsolete satellites are orbiting the Earth as we speak.

I googled a picture just out of curiosity and the images are frankly very disturbing.  There are thousands of satellites that are not in service just orbiting around the planet. Also old and broken shuttle parts that were dismantled which did not return back to the Earth’s atmosphere. E-waste is horrible, period. Something that also caught my attention that Rachael had mentioned; is that for companies to break down this material actually causes more harm than good. Chemicals are released from breaking down the material causing horrid living conditions. So technically from a broad point there is only so much we can do to help E-waste. Hopefully not in our time but I have a feeling China will not be the E-waste capital of the world and will have some neighboring cities in the upcoming future at the rate technology is changing in this century.