Exam Blog

Argument that counters my seventh blog. In blog seven I argued against the experience of kindle reading.


In an earlier blog, I argued against the kindle pretty heavily. I thought it was another case of technology trying to force out an older, more traditional system. Recently I found out that my uncle had purchased a kindle, so I decided to ask him for his opinion when it comes to the ‘ipod of books.’ His first three words were “I love it!” He initially admitted that he had numerous fears and doubts about the kindle when he purchased it, but said within the first couple of weeks those fears had vanished. My initial thoughts against the kindle made me want to give my uncles a try. I must admit, my stance as far as the kindle was concerned took a 180 degree turn. The kindle is so easy to use. When downloading a book, the wireless connectivity enables you to shop the Kindle Store directly from your personal kindle, whether your in the back of a taxi, at the airport, or in bed. Buying and downloading a book takes less than one minute thanks to its wireless, auto-delivery system. There are more than 115,000 books to choose from. The book selection was the only problem my uncle still had with the kindle, but he said he was more than willing to give them some time to improve that aspect of the e-book. Another thing he liked was the fact that you could get free book samples, in which you are able to read the first couple chapters from a selection before deciding whether or not to buy it. You can also have many top U.S. and international newspapers delivered to it wirelessly, along with over 300 top blogs from the worlds of various things such as business, sports, politics, and entertainment. The thing my uncle liked most about the kindle is the fact that it holds a large selection of books at one time. He, like most people who read a significant amount, is often involved in multiple selections at one time. The kindle allows these people the opportunity to have a large amount of selections available to them at the tip of their finger. With the kindle, you are connected to the same high speed data network as advanced cell phones, and the best part, there is no monthly wireless bill! This wireless service also includes free access to the online encyclopedia located at wikipedia.org. The feature that comes with the kindle that is most appealing to me is the fact that you can e-mail your word documents and pictures to the kindle. I can’t count the number of times I have finished a paper in the library, and wished I could just leave and edit my work at a later date. With the kindle, you could e-mail your various papers to the device and view them when you wish. Another great thing about the kindle would be its efficiency. How many people do you hear complain about the number of heavy books they have to carry around campus daily? It would be so nice to be able to download all your textbooks to the kindle, and only have the weight of 10.3 ounces in your hands as you walk from class to class. Like I said before, I, like most people, was initially very much against the idea of the kindle. Having done a significant amount of research, and in talking to various people who have experienced the kindle, my stance is now in favor of the kindle.


Argument that counters my ninth blog. In blog nine I argued that a robot, Data in particular, should never be viewed as more than just a machine.


In an earlier blog, I argued that a robot should never be viewed as more than just a machine. As the course progressed further and further, I found myself rethinking this issue, and I have even changed my stance on the subject all together. The main argument I would now use to say that robots could, and often should be viewed as more than just a machine is a result of having read The Bicentennial Man by Isaac Asimov. Throughout the story, the robot known as Andrew has been a significant part of the Martin family for a number of generations. Everyone in the family looks at Andrew as if he is more than a machine. When I think of a robot/machine, I think of something that is given human orders throughout the day in order to function. That was not the case with Andrew. When presenting the case for Andrew to the judge, Little Miss said, “Let’s understand what it means to be free in Andrew’s case. In some ways, he is free. I think it’s at least twenty years since anyone in the Martin Family gave him an order to do something that we felt he might not do of his own accord.” (Asimov p.255) The members of the Martin family obviously didn’t look at Andrew as a simple machine, but rather as another member of the family. When I think of a robot, I don’t think of something with a mind of its own. I think of wires, and switchboards which tell the robot what to think, and tell the robot how to feel. Andrew had a mind of his own. When the judge told him he ‘wasn’t a slave, he was a perfectly good robot,’ Andrew’s response was, “Perhaps no more than I do now, your honor, but with greater joy. It has been said in this courtroom that only a human being can be free. It seems to me that only someone who wishes for freedom can be free. I wish for freedom.” (Asimov p.256) A machine doesn’t reason like that. Thoughts like those take more than a machine. While I was reading this story, I found myself thinking about what it would be like to have an ‘Andrew’ in my family. A robot who has been with my family for multiple generations, and who has done nothing but serve my family proudly. I can’t help but think that I would view the robot as more than just a machine. In fact, I would have a hard time referring to the robot as robot. I am not sure that I am ready to refer to a robot as a human being, but I definitely think that after reading the later works of this class, I have changed my viewpoint, and I don’t think robots are merely machines. I would be the first person to argue now that robots could, and often should be viewed as more than just a machine.