My Thoughts On... Medicine & Technology

Alright, this will probably be the last blog post til Christmas, because of exams and other stuff.

Just a few notes before I continue with 'My Thoughts On...":

- I've already got one New Years resolution, and that is to post on this blog more, haha. I realize I have kinda dropped the ball on posting recently (like since September? haha). Most of the time, I just forgot that it even existed. But its not like anyone actually reads this thing anymore anyways....

- This is my favourite time of year, Christmas time... and its only 8 more days to the big day. I've tried to keep in the mood with Christmas movies every night of the week, although exams are hampering on this tradition. But Christmas just puts me in another mood, a happier frame of mind, and makes me thoughtful for what I have been given and optimistic for what is to come. I can't help but smile everyday when I put on my Christmas bell bracelets and I turn on my Christmas lights. Its just a great time of year and I love it. =D

- Okay, enough chit chat. Without further ado, here are my thoughts on the fusion of medicine and technology. How relative to the holiday season. < /sarcasm > hahaha

Will we eventually take care of all our health issues online? Will medicine and technology fuse together?

I think we are already headed in that direction. The main goal of technology has been to make our lives easier, proven with the combining of products, such as MP3 players and cameras, into one all-around device like a BlackBerry or iPhone. It just seems logical that technology will continue to branch into all parts of our lives, including our medical and health issues.

The internet has already started in that direction with the creation of WebMD, an online medical information website, which allows viewers to see different medical topics and search based on symptoms, among other things. The success of WebMD shows that people are looking for convenience; they would rather look online for diagnoses than actually visit a physician/doctor.

Some examples of medicine and technology fusing together are bionic legs that are controlled by a joystick and artificially grown lungs. Giving paraplegics the ability to walk again is an extraordinary development with the advancement of technology, as is the ability to grow artificial organs for possible human use. These developments are major breakthroughs in their respective fields, all possible because of the medical field merging with the technological field.

This “fusion” of the two fields can be seen as only the beginning. Ideas only dreamt about in previous decades can now be seen as possible. Robotic arms for amputees? Artificially grown organs for patients in need of new one? Genetically engineered anti-viruses to fight and possibly end cancer? These ideas are all possible with the binding of technology and medicine. Just as long as know where the line is and we learn from the ‘Terminator’ movies and do not let machines take precedence over human life. If society lets that happen (and hopefully not in my lifetime), then God help us all.

My Thoughts On... Second Life!

Sorry for the lack of updates. I have been, to quote the magician from Frosty the Snowman, "Busy, busy, busy!"

So I will continue with my continuing segment of 'My Thoughts On...' by talking about Second Life.

Is it dangerous to have a second life that is more desirable than your ordinary one? Are Second Life and other avatar-based programs a form of escapism?

I don’t think that it is dangerous to have an online second life; it is just how you use it that can be detrimental. I believe once your second life becomes your sole purpose for interaction, that is when you have crossed into grey area. People are fascinated with living different lives. A perfect example would the ever-popular videogame called “The Sims”, where you define what your character looks like, what they do during the day. Almost every possible characteristic can be defined in “The Sims”. Things like Second Life, The Sims, and World of Warcraft are all fine and dandy, but once you cannot recognize the line between the real world and the fantasy world, you've gone too far.

I definitely think Second Life and other avatar-based programs are a form of escapism. People always dream of having a better life, usually because their life in the real world has been a struggle filled with loss and failed expectations. Life is hard. People make these second lives to live the life they determined they have missed out on. In this case, a created online avatar was used as an alternate life to live out in a fabricated digital world. I am an optimist. My life so far in my twenty years on this earth has been hard, filled with pain and loss. But I have to believe that things will get better and they do get better. In my opinion, you cannot dwell in the past. You have to move on and make the best of the life that you have. A fantasy world is just that; a fantasy. These ‘second lives’ are a form of escape for people that think they have missed out on life in the real world and that all they have left is their lives in the fantasy world.