In McNeil’s chapter “Fuels, Tools, and Economics”, he discusses the specific eras of time that revolutionized our society and the environment (umbworld). These two categories or what he calls clusters, created the technological and fossil fuel oriented society that led us to our foundation today. The first cluster is consisted of heavy engineering, powered textile mills, steam engines, and railroads that he categorized as the Coketown cluster while the Motown cluster consisted of the assembly line, oil, electricity, plastics, and chemicals (McNeil 2009). What McNeil failed to mention was the most important and fundamental category that reorganized our socio patterns toward a whole new direction; the information technology era. The new category, in addition to the two, would hypothetically be named Techtown.
McNeil discusses the assembly line created by Henry Ford in the Motown cluster as being the most influential piece of design that effected both the physical environment and the economic status of that era. As “Fordism” was its economic term, the hypothetical Techtown would have a label too. Bill Gates revolutionized the tech industry with his innovative software programs that allowed consumers to surf the internet and use the computer in an organized and efficient manner. By creating an assembly line-like process, he was able to create millions of duplicates from one model. Gates evolutionary process would create the economic impact known as “Gatesism”. According to Richard J. Gilbert and Michael L. Katz, Microsoft used exclusionary behavior to gain a competitive advantage, but in the end hurt their own consumers due to price increases (AEA 2001). By being a monopoly and having a huge market share like Henry Ford did in the Motown cluster, Gates increased the amount of consumption by becoming the only one to provide an operating system for a PC and therefore affected the environment in an indirect way. Although Gates affected the environment indirectly, there are other parts of Techtown that directly impacted the environment.
Semiconductors are fundamentally the backbone products of the Silicon Valley and are highly demanded in the market due to high consumption rates. These products are dangerous to the workers and most importantly to the environment. “More than 220 billion chips are manufactured annually, requiring up to 1, 000 separate chemicals and metals. Many of these materials are known or suspected carcinogens. Jim Harris, 59, worked as a technician at Santa Clara's National Semiconductor Corp. in the mid-1970s. He now has leukemia, something no one else in his family has ever contracted” (SF Chronicle 2005). It’s evident that these chemicals are extremely harmful to the umbworld and has the power to destroy any type of living life.
Techtown has dramatically changed our society from industrialized to social computerization within a significantly small amount of time. The influence of “Gatesism” was the inevitable catalyst for this change, and only time will tell which direction it takes us.
Richard J. Gilbert and Michael L. Katz, An Economist’s Guide to U.S v. Microsoft. The
American Economic Association. Accessed: 12/2/2009
http://www.jstor.org/stable/2696590
David Lazarus, Toxic Technology. The San Francisco Chronicle. Accessed: 12/2/2009
http://www.sfchronicle.com/
McNeil, J.R., Something New Under The Sun: An Environmental History of the 20th Century World. W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 2000
McNeil discusses the assembly line created by Henry Ford in the Motown cluster as being the most influential piece of design that effected both the physical environment and the economic status of that era. As “Fordism” was its economic term, the hypothetical Techtown would have a label too. Bill Gates revolutionized the tech industry with his innovative software programs that allowed consumers to surf the internet and use the computer in an organized and efficient manner. By creating an assembly line-like process, he was able to create millions of duplicates from one model. Gates evolutionary process would create the economic impact known as “Gatesism”. According to Richard J. Gilbert and Michael L. Katz, Microsoft used exclusionary behavior to gain a competitive advantage, but in the end hurt their own consumers due to price increases (AEA 2001). By being a monopoly and having a huge market share like Henry Ford did in the Motown cluster, Gates increased the amount of consumption by becoming the only one to provide an operating system for a PC and therefore affected the environment in an indirect way. Although Gates affected the environment indirectly, there are other parts of Techtown that directly impacted the environment.
Semiconductors are fundamentally the backbone products of the Silicon Valley and are highly demanded in the market due to high consumption rates. These products are dangerous to the workers and most importantly to the environment. “More than 220 billion chips are manufactured annually, requiring up to 1, 000 separate chemicals and metals. Many of these materials are known or suspected carcinogens. Jim Harris, 59, worked as a technician at Santa Clara's National Semiconductor Corp. in the mid-1970s. He now has leukemia, something no one else in his family has ever contracted” (SF Chronicle 2005). It’s evident that these chemicals are extremely harmful to the umbworld and has the power to destroy any type of living life.
Techtown has dramatically changed our society from industrialized to social computerization within a significantly small amount of time. The influence of “Gatesism” was the inevitable catalyst for this change, and only time will tell which direction it takes us.
Richard J. Gilbert and Michael L. Katz, An Economist’s Guide to U.S v. Microsoft. The
American Economic Association. Accessed: 12/2/2009
http://www.jstor.org/stable/2696590
David Lazarus, Toxic Technology. The San Francisco Chronicle. Accessed: 12/2/2009
http://www.sfchronicle.com/
McNeil, J.R., Something New Under The Sun: An Environmental History of the 20th Century World. W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 2000
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It is important to note that the dangers of handling semi-conductors is widely unknown. We hear about the dangers of smoking, cell phones and microwaves almost daily it seems. However,we spend more face time with our computers--especially in our case, being college students-- than any of the a fore mentioned devices. The public deserves to know not only of the dangers of handling these semi-conductors in the workplace, but also the dangers of using the end product.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to the dangerous carcinogenic repercussions, we must also consider the social repercussions of the use of these devices to which our umbworld is so entangled. These repercussions are almost as bad or worse, in my book.
Some of the materials used for making these products are extremely dangerous, especially if there was an accident at a manufacturing plant. If one of these plants were to catch on fire, forget it. Firefighters would not be able to put this fire out with water. Alot of the materials used to make computer parts are reactive to water. Water would actually cause the metal-fire to explode. Firefighters have to use halon systems or a foam substance to extinguish the flames, which can cause a mess to the surrounding environment.
ReplyDeleteGates truly followed in Ford's footsteps . . . he made it affordable so his workers could afford one after 58 days' wages. jomamawindy
ReplyDeleteI think it is important to link the impact that Gates did/does have on the increased demand for computer products and therefore increased production of semi-conductors. His influence didn't just stop at the software, monopolization of the market requires that he take the responsibility for the larger effect in the umbworld, people were and are (Windows 7) buying computers because of what Gates offers.
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