Homework 6: Help a Classmate and Triz

1.

What will the average human lifespan be in the US, in the year 2050?

http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2009/03/can-humans-live.html
Work being done at Cambridge. One geneticist thinks some people alive today will live to be 1000. I don't think so. Show me a documented person who has lived 200 years, 300 years, 600 years, 800 years, and then we can talk about living for a 1000years.

http://www.allacademic.com//meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/2/4/2/9/1/pages242911/p242911-1.php
"This paper presents data from 18 semi-structured interviews with genetic researchers working to understand the genetic mechanisms of aging." It seems to focus on how society perceives the anti-aging research and if it is welcomed or feared. Some good points are raised about whether or not we should even be pursuing a longer lifespan.

http://www.prb.org/pdf06/NIA_FutureofLifeExpectancy.pdf
Have We Reached the Ceiling or is the Sky the Limit? This article makes some good arguments for an age ceiling. However, ~80 year for a person now, and likely in the future, is really more like 100,000 miles on your car. Yeah, you have to replace some stuff that fails around then but that doesn't mean you can't get anymore out of your car.



DNA database(s) of the future:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Criminal-DNA-Database
Criminal DNA Database. Isn't it a little creepy to think that your DNA is stored all over the US by the police, doctors, the government etc. Do the police really have the right to keep my DNA even if I'm not guilty?

http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/liberty-privacy-and-dna-databases
This article highlights liberty, Privacy, and DNA databases. We can all see the usefulness of DNA databases. This article gives us the dark side of DNA databases.

http://boards.library.trutv.com/showthread.php?t=293162
A forum post that links to a New York Times article about the FBI expanding their database to include all DNA samples they get, not just the samples from the guilty.



When will cars will be fully automated?

http://www.templetons.com/brad/robocars/
"Why we must do it. How we might get past the social and legal barriers. How it will change energy, pollution, cities, transit, war, work, real estate and manufacturing, and cars." This isn't just a webpage. This is a site devoted to the topic of "auto" automobile. Very interesting. This guy has really put some thought and research into this topic.

http://www.idsia.ch/~juergen/robotcars.html
Do people even want automatic cars? It’s a good point that needs to be considered.

http://eetimes.com/article/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=51200442&sub_taxonomyID=4217
This article is a good over all summery of where “auto” automobile technology is at currently, where it is likely to go, and what pieces of the technology will be most important.

2.

This is a ridiculously hard question to answer. Computers already do, well, everything. Voice, movies, music, documents, create, edit, print anything, surfing, gaming, work, etc., etc., etc. The only thing I could think of that some computer isn't already being used for is personal appointment scheduling. For example, I could verbally tell my computer to call my doctor and make an appointment for me (with conditions) while I am at work. "Computer, call the nearest doctors office and make an appointment for Tuesday between 10am and 1pm or Friday before 11am. I need to talk to him about this pain I keep having in my leg." "Yes, Mr. Smith. I will call today." The computer would know basic language for setting up appointments and store the information it got from the doctor's office. Also, it could automatically search for the office number online and print a map for you too."

I can't do this next part on computers as a whole so lets apply Triz to OS’s and computers in general.

1. "Taking out": remove the annoying user overprotection in Vista and put it only on computers designed for children.

2. "Merging": add the useful run functions from XP back to Vista

3. "Anti-weight": Make an OS “environment” smart. Make the computer waterproof with a floatation device that deploys if the hardware tells the OS water is detected. Could be extra useful for the military.

4. "Beforehand cushioning": design the OS to automatically back itself up at night

5. "Equipotentiality": Put airbags in the bottom of computers to soften falls and drops.

6. "Another dimension": add a storage compartment on the top of laptops to hold a notepad and pencil because sometimes its just easier to write a quick note by hand. Then, with your textbooks on your laptop, you wouldn't need to care a backpack.

7. "Mechanical vibration": Have your computer vibrate when it’s on silence. Programs that usually use sound to get the attention of the user can use vibration in the keyboard.

8. "Continuity of useful action": OS that automatically evaluates the condition of the computer and runs maintenance at night

9. "Feedback": OS that asks the user if they like a behavior and learns from the feedback.

10. "Mechanics substitution": projected screen and keyboard, which would allow the computer to be much smaller.