[Tech News 4.23.16]

• Thirty companies are currently developing self-driving cars (Business Insider)
• Mandatory DNA tagging to commence on all Kuwaiti citizens and tourists (SputnikNews)
• The staff at IGN try the Paranormal Activity VR game to see how scary it really is (YouTube)
• New bill would force tech companies to encrypt back doors into their encryption (DigitalTrends)
• Swedish designers creates all-weather bike (Inhabitat)
• The era of undersea robotic water snakes is upon us (Gizmodo)

 

[Reflection 6: The Truth is Out There—Investigating Conspiracy Theories]

We live in an era in which Americans are suspicious of authority. A mounting distrust in our institutions, built over decades of scandals and cover-ups, has Americans weary of many of the government’s “official” positions on issues. In the absence of this civic trust has allowed conspiracy theories to fill the void. These theories arouse our paranoia and rest on the common belief that we are not being told the truth. Coupled with social media, conspiracy theories have thrived in recent years. It is idea vehicle for the wide dissemination of misinformation. For this reflection, examine two of the following conspiracy theories. In your examination, explore why the theories were born and why they persist. Finally, do either of them have any grounding in reality? Are you a believer? If so, why?

Choose two of the following:

• Ancient Alien Theories
• The Battle of Los Angeles
• The Roswell Crash 
• Area 51 
• The Death of Marilyn Monroe 
• The JFK Assassination 
• The Moon Landing Hoax 
• The Bigfoot Conspiracy
• The Face on Mars 
• The Death of Elvis Presley 
• The Death of Tupac Shakur 
• The Death of Princess Diana 
• The Illuminati/New World Order
• The 9/11 Cover-Up 
• The Global Warming Hoax 
• The Chemtrails Cover-Up 
• The Autism-Vaccination Link 
• President Obama’s Fake Birth Certificate 

Cite any sources you use in your examination.

Requirements:

• MLA Style
• 1.5 pages in length
• Works cited page

Due: Wed 4.27
 

[Week 13]

Week 13
Mo 4.18/We 4.20
Class: Multimedia presentations

Upcoming:

Week 14
Mo 4.25/We 4.27
Class: Multimedia presentations
Due: INFOGRAPHIC (FINAL DRAFT 1; DUE VIA EMAIL ON MON 4.25 BY 5 PM); REFLECTION 6
 

[Tech News 4.13.15]

• SpaceX successfully lands rocket on a moving barge (ArsTechnica)
• Can microbots clean polluted oceans? (Phys.org)
• MIT sets sights on roads with no stoplights (FastCoDesign)
• Toyota's Setsuna concept is made of wood and designed to last 100 years (TheVerge)
• New metal foam armor can disintegrate bullets (Inquisitr)
• Meet the Flyboard (YouTube)

[Week 12]

Week 12
Mo 4.11/We 4.13
Class: Writers workshop; Multimedia presentations; Lecture—“Research Writing: A How-To”
Due: INFOGRAPHIC (DRAFT 1; BRING 2 COPIES)


Upcoming:

Week 13
Mo 4.18/We 4.20
Class: Multimedia presentations
Due: INFOGRAPHIC (FINAL DRAFT 1; EMAIL BY 5 PM) 

[Infographic: The Artificial Intelligence Debate]

As you now know, there is intense debate about the future of artificial intelligence. For this assignment, you will rework your Rogerian Argument into an infographic. In doing so, you will visually translate your argument in to a new medium. In this infographic, all six components of your Rogerian argument (overview of the issue, summary of opposing view, statement of understanding,  stating your position, statement of contexts, and common ground solution) should be illustrated in one of three areas on the slide: pro, con, and solution. Aim for some variation of THIS configuration. Also, find samples HERE and HERE.

Infographics are most easily utilized in PowerPoint (or a comparable program). Additionally, if you are experienced in them, you may also use Photoshop or Illustrator. This assignment must be delivered electronically.

A well-executed infographic will:

• Have a title that articulates that this is a Rogerian Argument
• Have a design dictated by the topic
• Visually translate perspectives and facts in a clear and enlightening manner
• Stay within the parameters of the AI debate

Due: Wed 4.13 (Draft 1; B&W hard copy or in electronic form); Wed 4.20 (Final draft; email to dhdelao@gmail.com by 5PM)

[Tech News 4.6.16]

• Does Alphabet want to make its own city? (Daily Mirror)
• Here are ten kickstarters aiming to make a difference (Inhabitat)
• HP's new Spectre 13.3 is as thin as a AAA battery (Engadget)
• Stanford study: Humans become aroused when touching "sensitive ares" of a robot (Independent)
• Government researchers develop wireless charging systems for electric cars (ComputerWorld)
• Technicolor stores a million copies of a film in DNA (Phys.org)