When an early-adopter buddy of mine stopped by recently in his brand-new electric Ford Mustang Mach-E GT, I was stunned at how impressed I was. For one thing, unlike other electric vehicles (EVs) I have seen up close (mostly Teslas), this one looked and felt like a real car: it had a real dashboard with real switches and knobs, a real brake pedal, and an overall design that did not look like something an eight-year-old doodled after seeing Blade Runner 2049. More importantly, it was by far the fastest vehicle I have ever driven, so much so that by the end of a quick spin I had an idiotic grin on my face I could not quite shake. It was, as Matthew Eisler reports in Age of Auto Electric, the “EV smile.”
Category: Environment
IEEE ISTAS 2023 Conference in Swansea, Wales, Hosts First of Two Scheduled Climate Change Panels
By terribookman on September 16th, 2023 in Articles, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blog Posts, Conferences, Environment, Ethics, Health & Medical, Human Impacts, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Some topics addressed on the September 13 panel included climate change challenges related to health and healthcare, contributions of computing to the climate change problem in terms of energy use, along with the potential of computing to contribute to solutions to the crisis, agriculture and food security issues related to climate change, systems design, finding solutions and improving communication across IEEE societies, carbon removal, and economic and social aspects of the crisis including forced migration, water supplies, and the responsibilities of developed nations to developing nations in climate change mitigation.
On Day 2 of ISTAS 2023, Second Climate Change Panel: “Public Safety Technologies and Climate Change”
By terribookman on September 15th, 2023 in Articles, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blog Posts, Conferences, Environment, Health & Medical, Human Impacts, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
The IEEE International Symposium on Technology and Society (ISTAS 23) continued into its second day of regular programming on Thursday September 14, and included the presentation of a second panel related to climate change, this one focused on “Public Safety Technologies and Climate Change.”
Ensuring Food Security Through Meal Optimization
By Liselotte Schafer Elinder on September 4th, 2023 in Articles, Commentary, Environment, Ethics, Health & Medical, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
It is fully possible to design diets that are nutritionally adequate, with 65% lower greenhouse gas emissions, and which do not cost more than the baseline diet.
BOOK REVIEW: How to Talk to a Science Denier
By Jacob Ossar on June 15th, 2023 in Articles, Book Reviews, Case Studies, Environment, Ethics, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
The fact that science denial is deeply implicated in identity helps explain why science deniers are usually unmoved by contrary evidence that on a purely rational level should be extremely convincing.
BOOK REVIEW: Atomic Doctors: Conscience and Complicity at the Dawn of the Nuclear Age
By Rachelle Linner on May 1st, 2023 in Articles, Book Reviews, Environment, Ethics, Health & Medical, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Dr. Nolan and his colleagues were responsible for developing standards to protect against radiation exposure in the laboratory and during the Trinity Test in July 1945. The physicians were continually frustrated by their inability to convince the military about the dangers of radiation but “there is considerable evidence to suggest that the doctors were ever mindful of potential legal consequences and careful to take precautions to protect themselves and the military from future litigation.”
Humanistic Engineering: Engineering for the People
By Matthew L. Bolton on January 26th, 2023 in Articles, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Commentary, Environment, Ethics, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Robotics, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
While it is true that technology is addressing problems and making elements of some people’s lives easier, there are aggregate measures that suggest a troubling trajectory.
PeaceTech
By Paul Heidebrecht on December 11th, 2022 in Articles, Commentary, Environment, Ethics, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
PeaceTech is “the movement to use technology to end violent conflict and extremism.”
A Serious Role-Playing Game as a Pedagogical Innovation to Strengthen Flood Resilience
By Evalyna Bogdan on December 10th, 2022 in Articles, Commentary, Environment, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Scholars critique physical infrastructure approaches as ineffective because flooding routinely exceeds defense structures and disaster assistance and removes the incentive for property owners to reduce their risk. As an educational and engagement tool, the flood resilience challenge (FRC) game aims to build the capacity of stakeholders to improve flood resilience and enhance flood risk governance, including collective decision-making.
2023 IEEE International Symposium on Technology and Society
By terribookman on November 15th, 2022 in Articles, Blog Posts, Call for Papers, Conferences, Environment, Ethics, Human Impacts, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact, SSIT Announcements
Call for Papers – ISTAS23 – Submission deadline March 1, 2023 – “Technology and Analytics for Global Development”. 13-15 September 2023, Swansea University, Swansea, Wales
The IEEE Workshop on Electronics for mitigating Climate Change (EmC2)
By terribookman on October 31st, 2022 in Articles, Blog Posts, Conferences, Environment, Ethics, Human Impacts, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact, SSIT Announcements
The IEEE Workshop on Electronics for mitigating Climate Change (EmC2) will be a place to discuss issues arising by climate change such as the risk of passing a tipping point of planetary boundaries if we do not accelerate the path to reduce GHG emissions.
ISTAS 2022 – Nov 10-12, 2022
By terribookman on October 5th, 2022 in Articles, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blog Posts, Call for Papers, Conferences, Environment, Ethics, Health & Medical, Human Impacts, Privacy & Security, Robotics, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact, SSIT 50th Anniversary, SSIT Announcements, Standards, Student Activities
“Digital and Societal Transformations” – Conference website here: https://www.istas22.org/
Fifty Years of Good Trouble
By Clint Andrews on March 19th, 2022 in Articles, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Environment, Ethics, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, President's Message, Privacy & Security, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
SSIT members have a history of getting into “good trouble” as they encourage IEEE toward more humanistic stances on ethics, transparency, sustainability, and global equity.
Growing a Culture of Technological Stewardship
By Jason Lajoie on January 15th, 2022 in Articles, Commentary, Environment, Ethics, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
The negative effects of technological innovations can be foreseen, and more importantly, mitigated through more intentional and skillful engineering. Systematic efforts to address these impacts remain peripheral to the engineering profession. The Canada-based Engineering Change Laboratory has identified a set of behaviors that take a value sensitive approach to the practice and culture of engineering.
Autonomous Vehicles in Rural Communities: Is It Feasible?
By Diandra Prioleau on December 2nd, 2021 in Articles, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Commentary, Environment, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Robotics, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Although much research has been devoted to the effects of autonomous vehicles (AVs) on urban areas, little work has been dedicated to the potential impacts of AVs in rural areas, especially related to feasibility and accessibility [1]. How will automated vehicles impact rural communities?
Watch: An Introduction to SSIT
By terribookman on September 12th, 2021 in Call for Volunteers, Conferences, Environment, Ethics, Human Impacts, Privacy & Security, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact, SSIT Announcements, Video & Podcasts, Videos
IEEE SSIT: Who we are, what we care about, and our history within the IEEE organization.
When Outlandish Science Fiction Becomes Real
By cia romano on September 5th, 2021 in Blog Posts, Case Studies, Environment, Health & Medical, Human Impacts, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
The nuclear anxiety of the Cold War now seems quaint. While speculative writers of the late 20th-early 21st centuries have largely relegated nukes to the past, the situation at San Onofre reminds us of our sins — of assuming the future would take care of the future. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission enabled this consensual hallucination. Did it take climate change into consideration?
Facing the Fragility of the Man-Made World
By cia romano on August 7th, 2021 in Articles, Blog Posts, Case Studies, Environment, Ethics, Human Impacts, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
When we see a built world, we tend to take its permanence and stability for granted. For those who have chosen coastal homes, that built world goes back at least 50 years, with few residents ever realizing that oceans, lakes, and rivers are living entities constantly in motion. The average person relies upon experts such as architects and civil engineers, and supposed guardrails such as state building codes and homeowner associations, to assess safety when purchasing property. But the 21st-century assumption that the built world is stable is a risky bet. Especially in “business-friendly” states.
When Technology Drives Us Off the Climate-Change Cliff
By cia romano on June 22nd, 2021 in Blog Posts, Environment, Human Impacts, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Arizona continues to build, build, build, and instead of requiring new residents to adapt to the climate, city governments and developers market the very bad idea that the desert can be made green, and thus more desirable.
Book Review: Techno-Fixers: Origins and Implications of Technological Faith
By A. David Wunsch on May 23rd, 2021 in Book Reviews, Environment, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
The public’s faith in science and technology has never been higher. Computer “apps” that explore things such as the frequency of, and point of origin of, COVID-related Google search terms, and Twitter posts, are being used to trace the progress of the virus and to predict the sites of further outbreaks. The United States has been roiled by the death, at the hands of the police, of George Floyd. Floyd’s killing was captured by an app that has been circulating throughout the globe that has acquired the near iconic power of the crucifixion. With the majority of the American people equipped to make audio–visual recording of police brutality and post them on social media, we expect that crimes such as this will certainly diminish.