Obsolete Technology

       Last week in lab, the class discussed Obsolete Technology, which was a complete blast from the past.  We live in an era where technology is vastly and rapidly producing new things that can do infinite amounts of things.  Because new things are created, developed and produced everyday, we tend to forget about the technology we were using just ten years ago.  Looking back on these technologies, they actually make me feel old now that they are irrelevant and new technologies are the new thing.  When I was a kid, you could catch me with my Gameboy Color playing either Pokemon or Super Mario Brothers anywhere I went.  Looking back on that then seeing how I go about my daily activities now with my iPhone always in my hand, it is crazy to see how times have changed.  It is actually incredibly overwhelming to think about.

           

            Recapping the lab, the class discussed many obsolete technologies.  Obsolete can be defined as something that is no longer in use and outdated.  The class thought about what technologies we had that are now obsolete, how long they lasted, and why we do not use them anymore.  Most of my answers for why we do not use these technologies anymore are because there is some type of technology that was created that was an improvement or upgrade of the previous technology.  Some of the big obsolete technologies that were mentioned were floppy disks, Nintendo 64’s, and MySpace.  I had these three on my list and I very easily remember when those technologies were the best technologies used.  Thinking about it now, these technologies got taken over by USB’s, PlayStation and Xbox and Facebook respectively.  It is crazy to think how far we have come in a short span of time.  There are good and bad to producing new types of technology.  The good is obvious – it is an upgrade of the previous and each technology makes everything more convenient for everyone.  One can pretty much do everything now on their phones, which is another reason why producing new technologies is good, because everything is now consolidated into one device.  However, people are blinded by the negatives of producing these new technologies.  Last week in lab the class discussed the problems of E-Waste and its negative effects on the environment.  This is the problem of mass producing so many technologies, when they want to get thrown out or when they break, where do they go?

The picture above answers that question.  The E-Waste goes into the environment because they have no other place to put it.  This picture was taken in China.

            Summarizing obsolete technology, it is the sources of technology people once used but it is now outdated and more often than not, no longer used.  The production of new technologies is both good and bad.  Convenience and consolidation are two major positives about the technology that is being produced today.  However, as I stated earlier, E-Waste is an extremely negative part to new technology and it will only get worse as long as we do not have a place to put this waste.  This lab was useful for me to put this problem in perspective, and although we talked about some possible solutions, no solution seems like it will work anytime soon.