domingo, 25 de mayo de 2008

Virtual linesmen in the Soccer field


First of all I want to make clear the reason why I chose this topic.
I did it mainly because I like sports very much and specially Soccer,
Also because I think that this kind of topics are the ones that you
can talk or discuse with anybody. Well, mainly man but some girls
like them too.


Since I'm a Football fan there is controversy with the linesman work,
but With sensors packed into the pitch and microchip technology
aiding crucial decisions, angry fans would no longer be able to berate
the hapless assistant referee. However, with this technology people
will not be able to give an opinion about the game, every whistle will
be a right sanction. Nobody could say anything about a linesman
sanction and the referee factor would disappear.


The Orange Future of Football Report polled sports experts to look at
the possible impact of technology over the next 10 to 15 years, and
found science fiction might soon become fact. And here is where we have
our debate;

is it necessary to use a virtual linesman in a football match?

do the people need to give opinions about a referee's work to enjoy this sport?

sábado, 24 de mayo de 2008

Technologies that will change the world

What do we understand when we hear the word “technology”? We can say that technology refers to those things that make our lives easier, maybe we don’t realize how much as a society we depend of technology, but wether we want or not we can’t live without it.
Technology is a concept that copes whith the usage and knowledge of tools and crafts, and that is our point. How harmful can it be for humans at the moment of the application of all this knowledge? What kind of society are we becoming? Maybe a society that’s selling its soul to the devil in return for power, and what are the costs? Our freedom, our health, our own life or, more dramatically, our existence in this planet. This sounds like a science-fiction movie, but we must be aware of the future we are creating. In the past, nobody would have believed that the moon landing was possible or that one day the modern cloning techniques would have been successfully performed on several species. If now we can see things that years ago were unthinkable, How far will technology advance in 20 or 30 years? What can we expect? And how will it affect our lives?
Your opinion about this subject is important.

Living longer


The Holy Grial. We’ve seen lots of movies where people do everything to benefit from this sacred piece, then, what are that benefits? Immortality. But, have a think, may be this thought is not as far as we could imagine.

Scientists are close to unlocking the genetic secrets that could allow us to live for centuries, or may be forever. Advances in biotechnology, tissue regeneration, artificial organs and diagnostic procedures will make it almost certain that we will enjoy longer lives as time progresses.
Nowadays, more people than ever before are enjoying robust health into their seventies, eighties or even beyond. Surveys have shown that life expectancy, for Americans, has increased thanks to improvements in health care, nutrition and the overall standard of living for most people. However, Americans are not only living longer, but also remaining healthier and more active into older age. At the same time, diseases of aging continue to affect many older men and women, such as, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer disease. And that has serious effects on the quality of their lives.

I’m sure that if any older person hears any talk of extending his stay with the living I have no doubt that he or she will be interested to extending his life. Probably he’ll want to be part of his great-great-grandson’s childhood, to be present at the day of his wedding, or he might believe that medical technology, by that time, will have solved most of the limitations which he has to deal with, limitations in basic physical tasks like walking or climbing the stairs.

Nevertheless, I think there may be a high price to pay for living longer. We must think in the costs that this project involves. For instance, scientists and experts must be aware of demographics projections, because if they are able to lead this life extending treatments, soon, the planet is going to be overpopulated. But more important than that, in my opinion, is the quality of life, this is not about how much time you spend on this planet, but the way you spend that time, the way you are gonna live. For that reason, instead of daydreaming in the uncertain future, we should be thinking in the present and start now to encourage people to make healthy lifestyle choices, if they want to have a better future. Accordingly, do you want to live longer? So that, exercise regularly and eat right.

jueves, 17 de abril de 2008

Nuclear energy in Chile



The economy of Chile is facing new risks as the demand of energy is growing faster than the supply of it. Chile has had energy rationing in the past and the possibility of having the same problem again is nearer everyday.

Chile depends on its neighboring countries for energy resources. This dependence has become very dangerous for Chile as Argentina has to supply its own domestic market. Furthermore, Bolivia refuses to sell gas to Chile and has said that it’ll do it only if Bolivia gets sea access.

Argentina, which already has nuclear energy, and France have recently begun talking about some nuclear energy cooperation agreements. On the other hand, Chile has refused USA cooperation in this area.
President Michelle Bachelet’s administration has said the government is studying nuclear energy development options. However, the final decision will be taken by the next government. Chile has uranium resources in the north, but those resources haven’t been explored despite its high price in the market.
Chile is a country that has many earthquakes, which would certainly mean that there would be many risks. On the other hand, there are countries that have geographical problems and have nuclear energy, which is the case of Japan. Nuclear plants release small amounts of radioactive gas into the air. Besides, storing radioactive wastes is very expensive. Consequently, some countries in Europe have stopped building nuclear reactors because of the high price.

Considering some of the positive and negative implications of nuclear energy, should Chile develop nuclear energy?