[Futurism News 03.04.14]

• Microsoft previews its anti-Siri virtual digital assistant, Cortana (TechCrunch)
• From The Netherlands, an exciting concept for a micro-apartment (Gizmodo)
• Meanwhile, in London, the urban cottage debuts (Dezeen)
• Apple debuts CarPlay for Ferrari, Volvo, and Mercedes-Benz (CNET)
• 3D-printed manicure sets are here (Ecouterre)
• Rolls-Royce developing drone cargo ships (TechCrunch)

[Reflection 03: If and When—The Legalization of Marijuana]

In 2012, Colorado and Washington became the first states in the Union to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. In landmark votes, the peoples of those states not only overturned a decades-long prohibition on Cannabis, they also set the stage for a "states' rights" battle with the Federal government. Additionally, they joined nearly two dozen states with legalized medicinal marijuana mechanisms already in place. Indeed, the mainstreaming of marijuana in American culture has surprised both advocates and opponents of legalization. And while legalization on a national level is far from a sure thing, we are closer to it than at any other point in our history. But what are the implications of legalized marijuana? What does American life look like when pot is made legal?  What would we gain and what would we lose as a society? And what lessons should we learn from alcohol and tobacco? How would legalization affect you?

Include at least three of the following in your discussion:

• "Nine Things to Know Before Smoking Pot in Colorado" (USA Today)
• "Commentary: Marijuana Legalization—It's Time, Congress" (Roll Call)
• "Legally Blind: Why I'm Against Legalizing Marijuana" (Huffington Post)
• "Marijuana Laws are Crippling America, but Millennials Will Lead the Revolution" (PolicyMic) 
• "Marijuana May Hurt the Developing Teen Brain" (NPR)
• "Pivotal Point is Seen as More States Consider Legalizing Marijuana" (New York Times)

Required:

• MLA Style
• Works cited 
• Two full pages in length

Due: Th 03.13

[Week 07: Tu 04/Th 06]

Week 07: Tu 04/Th 06

Readings: ABUNDANCE—Part One: Perspective – Part Two: Exponential Technologies
Class: Reading discussion; Multimedia presentations; Library research session (TBA); Writers workshop
Due: INFOGRAPHIC (DRAFT 1, BRING 2 COPIES)

Upcoming:
Week 08: Tu 11/Th 13
Readings: ABUNDANCE—Part Five: Peak of the Pyramid – Part Six: Steering Faster
Class: Reading discussion; Multimedia presentations; Lecture—“On Wordiness”
Due: REFLECTION 3; INFOGRAPHIC (FINAL DRAFT, ATTACH DRAFT 1 TO BACK)

[Research Paper: The Future of ... ]

Choose one of the following prompts for your research paper:

The future of ...

1. Privacy: The Bill of Rights broadly grants every American citizen a right to basic privacy. However, advancements in technology have drastically changed how we define and set boundaries around privacy. Whether willingly (phone apps and Facebook) or not (NSA spying), Americans have traded their privacy for convenience and security. What will privacy in America look like in the future? Will we strive to protect our individual thoughts, habits, and communications, or will the expectation of privacy eventually become an antiquated concept?
2. Religion in America: The United States is still a nation of believers. However, the religions we practice are shifting, with Protestant faiths (Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, etc.) set to become minorities in the near future. Indeed, more Americans are opting out of religion altogether. According to Pew Research, "Among Americans ages 18-29, one-in-four say they are not currently affiliated with any particular religion." Will the majority of Americans still practice and celebrate religion in the future, and, if so, with which religions will we identify?
3. Endangered Foods: A byproduct of climate change has been the emergence of so-called “endangered foods.” As a result of everything from overharvesting and depleted environments to drought and disease, foods as diverse as cocoa beans, salmon, and bananas, may be threatened in the coming decades. For example, in North America, sugar maples (a major source of maple syrup) are now considered one of many threatened native species. What would be the impact of losing some of these foods? Profile three threatened foods (plant or animal), examining both the cause for their decline, as well as efforts to save them. 
4. War: From muskets and pistols to drones and Humvees, the ways in which America has engaged in conflict has changed dramatically since its founding. Today, the US has the most technologically advanced military in the world, but also spends more on defense than the next 13 biggest militaries combined. How will that money be spent in the future? How are today’s military strategies, including counterterrorism and cyberwarfare, shaping the wars of tomorrow?
5. Masculinity: The last century saw a radical shift in America’s perceptions of what it meant to be a man. How are future concepts of masculinity being shaped? For example, how will social movements, such as stay-at-home dads, economic equality, and the gay rights movement, change what we expect of 21st century masculinity?
6. Water: In a 2001 speech, then United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan warned that "competition for fresh water may well become a source of conflict and wars in the future." Others, including environmentalists and economists, have also warned of impending “water wars.” Others disagree, calling the prospect of future water conflicts both alarmist and fabricated. Will future wars be fought over water? 
7. Mixed-race America: President Obama is often lauded as our first black president, but it is more accurate to call him our first biracial president. His white mother and black father were together at a time when such relationships were largely discouraged by American society—and in some places even illegal. Today, the number of multiracial Americans now numbers some ten million people, having grown 32 percent from 2000 to 2010. By 2060, multiracial Americans are projected to number close to 30 million. What does the future hold for an increasingly mixed-race America? How will this trend reshape American ethnic identity? 
8. Cities: What forces will shape the cities of the future? Economics? Climate change? Overpopulation? Geopolitics? Are we on the verge of burgeoning urban utopias or will megacities envelope us in pollution and congestion? How are architects, designers, and engineers laying the groundwork for the future’s cities?
9. Fashion: The future of fashion is about more than just incoming waist lengths or new silhouettes. Instead, it’s about how technology and fashion might merge to meet 21st century demands, such as textile renewability and eCommerce? For example, if our future is to be hotter and more polluted, then might 21st century fashion gives us clothes that refract harmful UV light or can read our biorhythms? What does the coming century hold for fashion? 
10. Transportation: How will we move from one place to another in the future? Hover cars? Maglev trains? Pilotless planes? How transportation meet the demanding needs of the 21st century? Which of today’s developing technologies will revolutionize transportation? And what will be the United States’ role? Will we help usher in a new technological era or watch from the sidelines?

Requirements:

• Minimum 10 pages in length
• MLA Style, including parenthetical citation
• Minimum of 6 outside sources—at least 3 from peer-reviewed academic texts
• Works cited page

Include in your research paper:

• A thesis outlining a clear argument
• An analysis of your subject's development over the next 50-100 years
• A conclusion that illustrates an understanding of your subject matter

Due:
Week 11: Th 03—RESEARCH PAPER THESIS; ANNOTATED WORKS CITED
Week 13: Tu 15/Th 17—DRAFT 1: UP TO PAGE 2 (BRING 2 COPIES)
Week 14: Tu 22/Th 24—DRAFT 2: UP TO PAGE 4 (BRING 1 COPY)
Week 15: Tu 29/Th 01—DRAFT 3: UP TO PAGE 8 (BRING 1 COPY)
Week 16: Tu 06/Th 08—FINAL DRAFT

[Infographic: Artificial Intelligence, Real and Imagined]

Though we tend to think of artificial intelligence (AI) as a 20th century phenomenon, it has been imagined, in one form or another, since ancient Greece. But by the 19th century, visions of human-built artificially intelligent beings began to take root in fiction—thanks largely to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Today, AI is a staple of film, books, and television. But while what Mary Shelley frighteningly envisioned was out of the reach of her era's technology, our visions of AI are already here or coming soon. For this assignment you will construct a binary infographic illustrating the parallels between fictional and real life artificial intelligence. Thus, one side should illustrate significant AI representations in fiction, while the other should highlight AI's real-life advancements—you will be responsible for providing six of the eight required sources. Just as in traditional essays, you will require a central argument to guide your design.

Your infographic must include the following two sources:

• "A (Very) Brief History of Artificial Intelligence” (AITopics)
• "The 8 Evil Forms of AI that Gave Robots a Bad Name" (Popular Mechanics)

To help guide your design:

• "You Suck at Infographics" (Wired)
• "80 Best Infographics on the Web" (Creative Bloq)
• "What Makes a Great Infographic?" (DashBurst)
• "Infographics: Separating the Great from the Mediocre" (The Next Web)

The above texts can be found in the eReader.

To create your infographic, you may utilize either of these two programs:

• Easel.ly
• Visual.ly

Additionally, if you are experienced in it, you may also utilize Photoshop.

Requirements:

• Eight sources minimum
• Include a works cited page

A well-executed infographic will:

• Have a title that articulates the goal of the assignment
• Have a concise thesis as the subheading—important
• Have a concise controlling argument dictating the design
• Visually translate perspectives and facts in a clear and enlightening manner
• Stay within the parameters of the fictional and real life AI

Due:
DRAFT 1—TH 03.06 (BRING TWO COPIES)
FINAL DRAFT—TH 03.13 (ATTACH DRAFT 1 TO BACK)

[Futurism News 02.25.14]

• IKEA lets customers virtually arrange furniture (Engadget)
• Philips Hue light bulbs open up a world of color possibilities (Wired)
• Google Fiber may come to San Jose and Silicon Valley (Silicon Valley Business Journal)
• DIY: How you can transform sewage into fresh water (Popular Science)
• 90% of Madagascar's Lemur population threatened with extinction (Scientific American)
• High-tech goggles help doctors pinpoint cancer (Ecouterre)

[Week 06: Tu 25/Th 27]

Week 06: Tu 25/Th 27
Readings: eR—“You Suck at Infographics’ (Wired), “80 Best Infographics on the Web” (Creative Bloq), “What Makes a Great Infographic?” (DashBurst), “Infographics: Separating the Great from the Mediocre" (The Next Web), “A (Very) Brief History of Artificial Intelligence” (AITopics), “The 8 Evil Forms of AI that Gave Robots a Bad Name” (Popular Mechanics)
Class: SHORT ANSWER RESPONSES; Reading discussion; Multimedia presentations; Watch—Excerpts from Her (2013), Lecture—“Twelve Essential Grammar Rules to Know”

Upcoming:

Week 07: Tu 04/Th 06
Readings: ABUNDANCE—Part One: Perspective – Part Two: Exponential Technologies
Class: Reading discussion; Multimedia presentations; Library research session (TBA); Writers workshop
Due: INFOGRAPHIC (DRAFT 1, BRING 2 COPIES)