18 Apr The Technology Culture Artifact for this assignment is the Electric Train, which was first invent by Werner Von Siemens in Germany. This is what thi

Instructions:

In this paper, you will write a 1000-1250 word narrative that communicates your assessment of your technology's impacts, biases, and political properties.  The technological artifact that this assignment will be on is The Electric Train, first invented by Werner Von Siemens in Germany.

Attached alongside with this document, is stage 2 which was done prior to this assignment. Please use this to help complete this. Also attached is the article to use for question #4.

Your paper should do the following: 

1. Introduce your technology by describing its intended use, its location, and its creators and their demographics.  

2. Answer the question, "What invisible biases, values or norms may have been introduced into the design, planning or intended use of this artifact by the creators or planners, and how can you determine this?" 

3. Based on your observations of interactions between people and this technology, and the context of the technology (physical or digital), discuss who benefits from the technology the most and who benefits from it the least and offer some reasons why this is the case.  

4. Review pages 252-256 Winner's article, "Do Artifacts Have Politics," from Week 3 and suggest how the technology you have chosen can create a certain types of social order in our world by including and benefiting some people while excluding others. Or, you could talk about how the artifact emphasizes some values and norms over others in its actual design as well, basing your observations on Brey's ideas from "Disclosive Computer Ethics" in Week 4, even if the technology is not digital. You can include any sociological, anthropological studies that have been done on the technology or lawsuits that have been filed etc. as part of your research as well. 

· For example, driver side safety air bags and car seats are often designed for the average height and weight of men, thus protecting them better in crashes, and even injuring women as many experience pelvic fractures from the impact of airbags. A technology that is not designed to equally protect people of all sizes may be an ethical issue.  

5. Have a concluding paragraph that sums up the conclusions you have drawn about your technology in the process of doing this project.  

6. Support and explain your points with observed evidence and any research you have done. Also, be sure to use the Required Learning Materials from weeks 3-4 to help you.  

7. Make sure to provide in-text citations for any paraphrases, summaries and quotes in MLA format and provide references for all sources in MLA format. In general, avoid long quotes from your resources (more than 3 lines) and make sure to use all of your resources in your paper. 

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Question Exercise

April 10, 2022

Question Exercise

Electric Train

Answer all questions in complete sentences. Write about 2-5 sentences for each question.

Who created and designed this technology? What are the demographics of the creators?

This technology was created and designed by Werner von Siemens. Middle-aged white men making more than $100,000 per year, with a college diploma or higher and at most one other vehicle in their family, make up the demographics of electric train creators (Payne, 1967).

Brief history of the technology

Werner von Siemens launched the first electric passenger train in Berlin in 1879. A 2.2 kW series-wound motor powered the locomotive, and the train, which included the engine and three vehicles, had a top speed of 13 km/h. The train conveyed 90,000 passengers over the course of four months on a 300-meter circular track. Between the rails, a third insulated rail carried the electricity. The electricity was collected using a contact roller.

Who uses, depends on or interacts with this technology the most and the least? Why?

China uses this technology the most. The introduction of high-speed rail has drastically cut travel time and altered the country's society and economy (Kafi, 2017). According to the study, a wide spectrum of travelers of various income levels prefers HSR because of its comfort, efficiency, safety, and timeliness. The United States is the least country since electric railways are significantly more expensive to construct and sustain than non-electrified railways.

Who never uses, interacts or depends on it or does not have easy access to it? Why?

Rural areas across most countries do not have access to electric trains since they are expensive and some have no electric trains near them.

Who uses, depends on or interacts with this technology the most and the least? Why?

People living in modern places use this technology the most due to easy access and also to save time. However, for most people, the formalities of booking when compared to auto transportation, booking and receiving goods by railways takes a lot of time and effort.

Who never uses, interacts or depends on it or does not have easy access to it? Why?

Railways cannot be economically run-in rural areas due to high capital demands and traffic. As a result, huge rural areas still lack railway service. The people who live in rural areas suffer a great deal as a result of this (Taylor, 1972).

Who seems to benefit from this technology the most?

Those individuals that enjoy comfort, and to save time. In comparison to other modes of transportation, railways have a low risk of accidents and breakdowns. Furthermore, the traffic can be shielded from the sun and rain.

Who might have difficulty benefitting from it and why?

Because rail transportation is limited to a single track, it cannot deliver door-to-door service to most business people. Intermediate loading or unloading comes at a higher cost, with additional wear and tear and time waste.

What kinds of built-in biases might this technology have due to who benefits from it?

Bias in online ads, Bias in word associations and Bias in online recruitment tools. Bias can come into a project at any point, whether it's by defining the problem in ways that effect classes differently or by evaluating an inadequately diverse range of components.

Describe one possible change to the design, location, programming or planning of this technology that could change who uses it and/or who can benefit from it.

To accommodate more passengers without lengthening the railway, all coaches to be double-decker. With the similar amount of seats, a double-decker train is lighter than a single-decker train. 

References

Kafi, Abubaker Siddig Fadlelmola, Mohammed Basheer Aldaleel Hussein, and Muaz Abdelrahman Abbas Abdelraheem. Design and Implementation of Non-Stopping Electric Train System. Diss. Sudan University of Science and Technology, 2017.

Payne, Peter L. "Inventor and Entrepreneur: Recollections of Werner von Siemens." (1967): 405-406.

Taylor, Rod. "Our Electric Train." The Southern Review 8.1 (1972): 188.

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