[Xmca-l] Re: TECH FLASH: update on the foibles of The Internet of Things, oh and also the honey bees

[Huw Lloyd]

Does he make a point or is it just rambling 'journalism'?  I understand
wicked problems to be ethically related too, not a mere soft systems
problem.

Probably the most salient thing I noticed in software circles related to
the VW scandal was the lack of discussion.  Most software people don't seem
to recognise that there are or could be ethical values to uphold over
company decision making.

I guess there will be some nice things that come in through the internet of
things mediators, such as getting careless drivers off our bumpers.  As we
see with change in habits for using plastic carrier bags (min 5p per bag),
there are people who can't control their actions and admit to wanting
externally imposed controls (because they seemingly can't do this for
themselves). So the internet of things can help relieve these people of
'culturally mediated' effort.

As I understand it, the reason why a 5p charge works for curtailing excess
carrier bag wastage is that people find it hard to have a differentiated
rule of frugality.  If they started applying reasons to determine when 5p
was a reasonable expense then they'd open themselves up to more commercial
inveiglement, so instead they have a blanket rule of frugality which is
occasionally forsaken in favour of binge spending.

All of these crutches show how un-radical these ideas are compared to
having schools teach how to think.

Best,
Huw


On 8 January 2016 at 06:33, Annalisa Aguilar <annalisa@unm.edu> wrote:

> Hello!
>
>
> Saw this article by Cory Doctorow:
>
>
> http://www.locusmag.com/Perspectives/2016/01/cory-doctorow-wicked-problems-resilience-through-sensing/
>
>
> For people who've begun to hear the phrase, "The Internet of Things
> (TIOT)" and don't know what the hoopla is about, this is perhaps a nice
> introduction of what it might be and, importantly, various ethical
> implications that derive from a network of things that can talk to other
> things (with or without our knowing it). Software Defined Radio (SDR) is
> how it will work.
>
>
> So then... there's this thing about the bees:
>
>
> http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jan/06/honeybee-populations-decline-pesticides-united-states-epa-study-imidacloprid
>
>
> Is there a reflection of SDR interference with TIOT between neonicotinoids
> interrupting bee pollination? ....maybe!
>
>
> If only Hedy Lamarr was still around to do the math for spread spectrum
> frequency hopping, but instead of bumping torpedoes off course she could
> provide our little bees anti-neonicotinoid kneepads (say that 10 times
> fast, eh?).
>
>
> Kind regards,
>
>
> Annalisa
>
>