Blog Post #5 History and Impact of the Telephone

Do you ever wonder what your life would be like without your phone? The first ever telephone made a tremendous mark on our world's history and started the upwards trend towards electrical communication, something our world could not live without now.

The first ever telephone phone call was made by Alexander Graham Bell on March 10, 1876. According to Bell's journal entry, he remarked these famous words to his partner, "Mr. Watson - come here - I want to see you." This introduced the first time anyone was able to "talk with electricity." You can find Alexander Graham Bell's Journal from 1875-1876 here.                                   

According to, How the Telephone was Invented, Alexander Graham Bell was born on March 3, 1847 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Bell grew up surrounded by a family of experts in elocution and speech therapy which is what first peaked his interests in dealing with communication. After moving to Canada and Boston in 1870, Bell decided to follow in his family's footsteps and became a practitioner of speech therapy, specializing in teaching deaf children how to speak. Among Bell's students was Helen Keller, who was not only blind and deaf but also mute at the time of their first encounter. Along with his invention of the telephone, History.com explains Bell's other credited inventions including: the metal detector, the photophone, the graphophone, and the audiometer. 

Bell's involvement with the deaf community and his meticulous examination of sound and the human voice, ultimately inspired him to create the telephone. Intrigued by Samuel Morse's telegraph, Bell aimed to enhance the concept of transmitting communication by applying his knowledge of sound and speech. 

The telegraph and telephone are electrical systems that rely on wires. Alexander Graham Bell's inventions of the telephone was a result of his efforts to improve the telegraph. While the telegraph had been around for about 30 years and was a successful system, it could only send and receive one message at a time. Bell's extensive knowledge of sound and music enabled him to consider the possibility of transmitting multiple messages over the same wire simultaneously. The concept of a "multiple telegraph" had been suggested before, but nobody had been able to create one until Bell. He came up with the "harmonic telegraph," which was based on the idea that multiple notes or signals of different pitches could be sent at the same time over the same wire.  See Britannica for more information about the concept and engineering of the telephone. 

On March 7, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Watson were granted their patent for the first ever telephone. By 1877, the Bell Telephone Company, which is currently known as AT&T, was established and in 1915, Watson received the first transcontinental phone call from New York City to San Francisco , made by Bell. 

The original telephone completely changed the speed of America and revolutionized communication as we know it. Prior to the telephone, communication was limited to face-to-face- interactions, written letters, and telegraphy, which could be slow and time consuming. The telephone enabled people to communicate with others who were not physically present, which had profound impact on businesses, families, and friend separated by long distance. Telephone technology paved the way to other important inventions such as cellular phones and the internet. 

It is often overlooked how significant verbal communication is. For example, the functioning of

economics depends on communication, and the telephones invention had a profound impact on the way we conduct business. It would be impossible nowadays for modern businesses to operate without phone communication. Both customers and employees depend on phones to communicate. We also depend on phones to find job opportunities. Anything that we do now online and with the internet is all thanks to the impact the telephone has had on our world. 

There is no necessarily negative effects that the telephone had at the time, it was a great discovery. However, the way phones and the media are used now is toxic. A fun fact is that Alexander Graham Bell actually refused to ever have a telephone throughout his entire life because he thought it would distract him from his work.  I wonder what he would think if he saw how people used phones now. 

"The inventor looks upon the world and is not contented with things as they are. He wants to improve whatever he sees, he wants to benefit the world; he is haunted by an idea. The spirit of invention possesses him, seeking materialization." - Alexander Graham Bell 

Blog Post #4 - The Values of Free Experssion

Free expression is an essential component of any democratic society. It allows individuals to communicate their thoughts and opinions without fear of censorship or retribution.

 The concept of free expression is rooted in eight values: marketplace of ideas, participation in self-government, stable change, individual self- fulfillment, check on government power, promotion of tolerance, promotion of innovation, and protection of dissent. 

Of these eight values, the one that resonates with me the most is the individual self-fulfillment value. This value emphasizes the importance of free expression in enabling individuals to realize their full potential and to lead to fulfilling lives. It acknowledges that each individual is unique and has their own perspective, interests, and aspirations, and that free expression is essential to allow individuals to express these aspects of themselves. The value of individual self-fulfillment is grounded in the idea that each person has a right to pursue their own happiness and fulfillment, as long as it does not infringe upon the rights of others. This, in turn, allows individuals to explore and develop their own identities. 

For me, the value of individual self-fulfillment resonates strongly because I believe that each person has a unique set of talents, skills, and interests that should be nurtured and developed. I can not imagine a life where I would be unable to express my creativity of ideas and art. I am a big reader, I love to read nonfiction books where I can choose what I want to learn from other peoples experiences and ideas. Having the freedom to read anything I want without the government choosing what I read, is something I take advantage of as I realized some areas in the world aren't so fortunate to have this form of free expression.  Free expression allows individuals to share these talents and skills with others, to inspire and be inspired, and to contribute to the common good. It also encourages creativity and innovation, as individuals are free to explore new ideas and push the boundaries of what is possible. 

Individual Self-Fulfillment Value and Social Media 

In today's world, social media has become a prominent platform for self- expression. People use social media to share their thoughts, opinions, and experiences with a wider audience. This can be a positive thing, as it allows individuals to connect with others and feel heard. 

However, there are also negative aspects to social media that can hinder self- fulfilment. For example, the pressure to conform to social norms and gain popularity on social media can cause individuals to suppress their true thoughts and feelings in order to fit in. This can lead to a lack of authenticity and challenge personal growth. So, while social media remains a good platform of free self- expression, it is important for individuals to use it mindfully and prioritize their own well- being over short-term validation. 

Individual Self-Fulfillment Value and Current News

This value also resonates strongly with many current news stories that highlight the struggles of individuals fighting for their right to express themselves and pursue their passions. For instance, the #MeToo movement that began in 2017, has brought to light the experiences of countless women who have been subjected to sexual harassment and assault in the workplace. This movement has highlighted the importance of free expression for individuals to speak up about their experiences and pursue justice for themselves and others who have been similarly affected. 

Overall, this value is particularly relevant in many of today's news stories, which often center on the struggles of individuals fighting for their right to express themselves and achieve personal growth and self realization. 

Blog Post #3: The Supreme Court

 

After watching the assigned video about the supreme court, I now understand how the importance of the Supreme Court cannot be overstated. I already knew that the Supreme Court is the highest judicial in the country, but I never necessarily understood the history of the Supreme Court, and it's role in interpreting the constitution and ensuring the protection of individual rights and liberty. 

Another thing I learned was how the Supreme Court serves as a check on power of the other branches of government. The court has the power to declare laws and actions of the executive and legislative branches unconstitutional, which helps to maintain the balance of power among the different branches of government. I always knew about Checks and Balances, but the video helped me better understand why this was important to have in order to have a successful government.

The most important take away I learned from the Supreme Court is the responsibility it has to interpret the constitution. The constitution outlines the basic principles and structure of government. However, the Constitution is a document that has been interpreted in many different ways. Therefore, the Supreme Court, 9 justices, play a critical role in this process by providing legal interpretations of extreme cases by the Constitution which is something that a lower court system cannot decide on by itself. 

The most surprising thing I learned from this video was that the Supreme Court receives over 7,000 cases per yearly term. However, they will only actually hear about 100 of those cases. That is shocking to me and something that makes it hard for me to wrap my head around because the evaluation process of choosing which case is good enough, even though I am sure they are all awful, must be very challenging.

 The video changed what I thought about the Supreme Court for sure about the history and importance of the document.

Blog Post #2: Privacy

 What is privacy? Privacy has changed significantly over time, and with the rise of the internet and other digital technologies, privacy is going to continue to change for the worse if extreme measures are not taken against. In the past, privacy was mainly a physical concept, focused on protecting one's personal space and possessions from unwanted intrusion. This includes things like locking doors, closing curtains, or keeping personal information confidential. 

Today, privacy has taken on a more complex meaning as people spend more and more of their lives online. With the proliferation of social media, e-commerce, and other digital platforms, people share an unprecedented amount of personal information online, often without realizing the implications of doing so. 

In many cases, this information is collected and analyzed by companies and governments to target advertising or minitor people's behavior. As a result, the definition of privacy has expanded to include digital privacy, which involves protecting one's personal data and online identity from unauthorized access or misuse. But can we really control our online privacy in today's society? My answer to that question is no. 

In all the TED talks I watched assigned to our class which included: Your Online Life Permanent as a Tattoo by Juan Enriquez, The Small and Surprisingly Dangerous Detail the Police Track About You by Catherine Crump, How Revenge Porn Turns Lives Upside Down by Darieth Chisolm, Think Your Email's Private? Think Again by Andy Yen, and How Tech Companies Deceive You Into Giving Up Your Data and Privacy by Finn Lützow-Holm Myrstad, there is one thing in common, which is how our privacy has become limited to growing technology advancements. 

In the video,The Small and Surprisingly Dangerous Detail the Police Track About You by Catherine Crump, she explains how police departments have been detecting and capturing our private whereabouts. There is now video and photo footage getting evidence and information about us like never before. They track things like if we go to church or not, what we do in our free time, who we are with, ect. From this, the government can gain a detailed interpretation of who we are and see who we are based on these images.

 They do this by having things like automatic license plate readers which track every plate that passes by the reader and represents mass quantities of data of where all americans have gone. It gives the date, time, location, and may even include a picture of you getting out of your car in your own very driveway. According to Crump, the federal government will tell police cars to drive past certain mosques to see and examine who was attending. This is outrageous to me.

Additionally, Crump communicates that cell towers also track our whereabouts when our phone sends a signal to the tower every 30 seconds just by being turned on. They can send these signals inside homes and entire neighborhoods to see if you are there. Did you know you were signing up for this limited privacy when you bought your everyday cell phone or car? NO!

As consumers and members of this society there is not much we can do about these issues as there is already so much of our information in huge databases that we can not control. The correct answer if you are worried about your privacy issue would be just to get rid of your phone or have it completely turned off everywhere you go or delete all your social medias and internet... but by doing this you are also signing up to fall off the face of the earth which society does not accept these days; and not to mention when you accept the terms and services of any social media, the company now holds your information for life even after you delete your account...

We have lost control of our privacy, data, and life. This is a very relevant issue that is being thrown under the rocks. The government needs to reevaluate the access they are allowed to have on our lives before the internet and rising technologies become anymore powerful than they already are. 

My 5 News Sources

 

 1. One Garden 

One Garden, though now acquired by Saga Plc, has to be my favorite channel that I get my news from because it is information put out for the curious. Although you have to pay a monthly subscription for it, I have received a lot of my knowledge from this news source. One Garden is a place where professional experts will post videos of their unique research and information that teaches and inspires others to think bigger. Such topics include information like how there is the largest volcanoes on Mars, Saturn, and Venus; or if the Earth's magnetic field is the reason we exist. There is even motivational videos that explain research of the power of our purpose in life, all by well renowned scientists and doctors. 

2. The Conservation 

The Conservation is another favorite news source of mine because you can find information about really anything here. It adds important information about every topic that matters in the current world and gives multiple credible opinions on these topics. Topics ranging anywhere from Art + Culture, Economy, Environment + Energy, Ethics + Religion, Health, Science, ect. My favorite topics to research are that of Environment + Energy and Ethics + Religion here. This site is very helpful for those who are pursuing an environmental science education like me, because The Conversation covers an even wider range of environmental topics, such as climate change, conservation, and keeping sustainable agriculture. 

3. TikTok 

TikTok is an interesting and popular social media platform to receive news from because it allows users to create and share short videos on a wide range of topics, from entertainment to education, humor to serious world matters and politics. TikTok's algorithm learns from users' preferences and suggests content that they are interested in. This is why I prefer my news from TikTok because I am able to get easy to understand information that is directed towards me without having to search for it. TikTok's short- form videos can provide quick and engaging ways to stay informed about current events and trending topics. 

4. EarthSky

EarthSky is an amazing news channel. I actually heard about EarthSky when I was on a mission trip in Lincoln, Nebraska. The member that was helping my group out around the church was an old man named Kent Reinhard. If you don't know who he is, he is actually one of the incredibly intelligent men who created the first Hubble Telescope for NASA years ago. In the two weeks I spent with him, I learned something incredible about our solar system every single day. After I left he asked if I wanted to sign up for his weekly email chain of sending cool facts about our earth and solar system, which I did. It now my favorite thing throughout the week when I get an email from him and generally it is a cool news article from EarthSky. Astronomy is one of my favorite hobbies so I use this site a lot to gaze at throughout the week. 

5. YouTube

Lastly, YouTube is my other favorite news source because I can look up a video about anything, and it will be on YouTube. When I need to know how to do something, the first place I go is YouTube. YouTube is the reason I passed Advanced Biology because I couldn't understand biology from my teachers lectures, I only could learn and understand something by watching the Amoeba sisters on YouTube, a short cartoon with catchy phrases and visuals about the chapters and general understanding of biology. YouTube always comes in handy when you need quick information or entertainment about anything.