 As Shift Sight is primarily concerned with humane, sustainable edtech, the last few posts might have seemed out of place.
They are the preamble for this one. General tech typically becomes edtech due to profiteering, so the previous posts about what is happening outside the classroom is especially relevant. Let's get back to school.
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 Technology is the great equalizer, we are told. Technology will save us all, we are told. It might be assumed that ownership of more technology creates more social mobility and a better life.
The reality is that we are seeing reduced quality-of-life across the board whether you measure it by health or wealth. Shift Sight believes that technological equity, not equality, is a way to better society. Keep reading to learn more.  Evil never presents itself as evil. There are no corporations standing on street corners twirling their proverbial mustaches.
There are lies and deception. There is whitewashing. And there is technology forced on society without full disclosure. This is a wolf in sheep's clothing. What is a common theme in the tech marketing you will hear? “This technology is helpful!”  Our planet is a very delicate puzzle. There are many interdependent, interlocking pieces. When we remove one of these pieces, the picture becomes incomplete for a bit.
But it does not stay incomplete: like any organic structure, a reorganization occurs to reach a new point that is stable. For example, as the population of a species declines, new predator-prey relationships form in the food chain. The gap closes quickly. Keep reading while we assemble our puzzle for you. Let's start with the corners.  We have been working almost every hour of the day to get Shift Sight off the ground. Tonight, I want to share with you some details in most of the categories posted on the Progress page. Some of the items that I have disclosed have a minor broadcast delay.
 Business failures are all over the place.
Some of the failures make national headlines. But it’s not the headline that you might expect. For example, a multi-billion dollar company releasing a much-anticipated new product. Confused? It’s actually quite simple. These businesses are borrowing too much from the future and calling it the GDP in the present. They are failing your children, and they are failing the planet that your children will inherent.  Who likes making mistakes? Societal institutions and attitudes punish those that make mistakes. Mistakes are forbidden. This is why we hold acts of forgiveness in such high esteem.
I am not advocating that we intentionally make mistakes. I am suggesting that we need to change how we think about and act on them. Dr. Montessori was on to something when she believed that children need to make mistakes. Adults need to make mistakes too, but with a caveat.  There is a growing movement of individuals who believe that you should own the electronic goods that you purchase. In most cases, you simply get a license to use the device.
With everything from screws that do not come out, to software lockouts / DRM / artificial obsolescence by remote-control, to glued-in batteries, to illegal "warranty void if opened" stickers, it is clear that manufacturers are not on board with you owning or repairing your device. All of these tactics lead to e-waste and more consumption. In the industry, there are best practices for Design for Manufacturing (DfM) and Design for Testability (DfT). Shift Sight is pioneering Design for Repair (DfR). Keep reading to learn more...  Have you stopped to think that most human institutions are not aligned to most human needs? It should not be surprising when we consider that monetary wealth – the most basic measure of what you can do in this instant – is so unevenly distributed.
Is more technology going to bend this arc? Follow the money for an answer.  Did you see the recent ad suggesting that your family might be drowning in tech? That you should buy less to be happier? Yeah, I didn't see that ad either.
Tonight's post explores how technology – and toward the end of the post, how Jade – affects our most basic social unit in the fabric of humanity: the family. Keep reading... |
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Ty is a Founder of Shift Sight, LLC. Archives
December 2018
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