Blog Task week 8
Posted onMay 13, 2010
Filed under Uncategorized | 1 Comment
Interview with Graham Fleet (my dad) in regards to his e-waste habits – without using the terminology “e-waste“
(He’s a professor at UNSW, so he’s pretty up-to-date with what we’re studying at the moment)
Q. May I please have your consent to publish any answers or statements you may make throughout this interview on my online blog, and possibly elsewhere?
A. Yes, you can have my consent
Q. Thank you. How many TVs do you currently own?
A. Three
Q. When was the last time you purchased a TV?
A. End of last year
Q. What was your reason for purchasing?
A. Present for myself! Updating old TV
Q. And what did you do with the old TV?
A. Put it in another room.. it will probably break soon though
Q. How many, if any, computers / laptops do you own?
A. Too many! 2 work computers.. 2 laptops… just got rid of 2 desktops
Q. What did you do with the 2 desktops?
A. Dropped them off at a council ewaste cleanup. They have been sitting in storage for over 2 years
Q. How did you find out about this event?
A. It was advertised in the leader, remember I showed you?
Q. Yes, shh. Do you believe this is an effective measure of depositing broken or unwanted technologies?
A. Not really… I had to drive out to bloody Kurnell! …It has potential. Its an effective idea, but not a lot of people are aware of programs like that or the proper disposal methods of electronics… most people wont want to go to any effort. You see them outside they just dump it on the street. There really needs to be a better system put into place
Q. Do you know of any other programs that you can take these electronics?
A. I’m sure there are places available, the shop up at Taren Point I think it is takes our empty ink cartridges and printers. You see the problem with this is people aren’t aware of the chemicals used to create these things. Lots of chemicals go into just inks, you know to make them separate.. come out in certain colours, and to not dry up, tones of chemicals! If you stiff that stuff, or it gets onto your skin it can cause serious damage! The mixtures can be very toxic. Its very dangerous to just put them in the trash, but people don’t know you see.
Q. Have you ever had to get rid of any other devices?
A. A few … mainly computers. There was a council clean up a few years back that was good… My university “apparently” recycles our computers
Q. Do you know where they take them?
A. No, no. They just get someone to come in, they replace the monitor and screen, transfer all my stuff over and then take it out all in a day. I don’t see what happens to it after. I might look into that…
Q. How often would you say your electronics, such as TVs & computers, fail on you? I.e. die.
A. Lately very often! All the devices we’ve bought have been really good up until about 4-5 years ago.. That TV downstairs has lasted over 15 years! Longer than the Sony one we bought that died last year! And computers don’t last more than 2-3 years now.. Its ridiculous, but that’s the world we live in today … 15 years ago things were made to last. That fridge we haven’t had to replace since before your mother and I lived here. Its probably going to break soon, but I’ve been really happy the way its lasted. Things were of really good quality back then. Now things break down before its even out of warranty
Q. Do you get them fixed or replace it?
A. Generally I try to get things fixed, but they’ve made it such an inconvenience these days, and its generally cheaper just to replace it. I spent 4 hours on the phone to some guy in the Phillipines yesterday trying to work out what was wrong with that printer, and its still not fixed!
Summary
The interview was face-to-face, informal and semi-structured. It took place in our kitchen, with the use of an iPhone voice recorder.
As the interview unravelled, I scrapped my pre-planned interview and began to improvise questions in response to the answers Graham was giving. It was obvious he was aware of the subject of e-waste, and the importance in recycling it. Being a scientist, he is also knowledgeable and therefore concerned about the impact and harm that toxic chemicals produce when ineffectively disposing of electronic goods (particularly printer inks haha). It helped that the interviewee was concerned about the disposal of electronic waste, as this allowed me to steer from my prepared questions and gage follow up questions, probing further into the subjects mind in search for more informative answers and a “hooking point” (Moore, 2010).
From the information gathered, I can conclude that Graham is conservative in his technological purchases, only buying or updating when necessary, if things are broken and cannot be fixed. Graham is someone who will go to some effort to properly recycle e-waste. He contributes by taking printers and inks to a local disposal shop, and is moderately aware of e-waste clean up programs around his residential area. Graham raises the issue of the lack of awareness of e-waste and its dangers, saying that perhaps if more people knew about the dangers to them personally, it could impact the way people dispose of their electronics. This links in with my groups research question, and as a result we can use this inverview as a primary source of data.
Graham strikes a valid point; If technology was made of better quality and didn’t frequently break / die, would this reduce the levels of e-waste? Or would people still contribute through upgrading their products before the current life span was over? This too could have been an interesting research question.
Reference
Fleet, V, 2010, “Blog task week 7″, weblog, DIGC Field Notes Journal, 9 May, accessed 13/05/2010,http://uowblogs.com/digcvyf693/2010/05/09/week-7-blog-task/
Moore, C, 2010, “Interview Methods”, lecture, DIGC102, Methods in Digital Research, University of Wollongong, delivered 27th April
Dictionary, 2010, accessed 13/05/2010, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/e-waste
UNSW, 2010, accessed 13/05/2010, http://www.science.unsw.edu.au/
STORY TIME !!! LOLZ
Posted onMay 12, 2010
Filed under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Written in relation to blog topic week 5
A few weeks ago a friend of mine, Eve*, and myself took a visit to one of our local clubs. (FYI, it was our first night out in months due to excessive studying).
We met two guys, Adam* and Mark*, who were quite keen to dance and mingle with us. I spent the night hanging out with Mark, and Eve with Adam. We all took an adventure-filled trip to 7/11, and after exchanging numbers, eventually we kissed said goodnight.
The next day Eve adds Adam on Facebook. Curiosity getting the better of her, Eve navigates her way around Adams profile, reading his wall posts, status updates and information and eventually viewing his pictures. She comes across a picture including Mark, and quickly goes to his link to view his profile.
“In a Relationship with Lisa McKay*”
Uh oh (ha ha)
I hadn’t heard from Mark, now we knew why.
Eve sends me the link to Marks profile when I come online.
“Hahaha oh dear, I used to know this girl too!” I tell Eve.
A few days later I receive a friend request from Mark. I accept, despite my dislike for his cheating behaviour and his status still being “in a relationship”.
Mark has been my facebook friend for weeks now. Neither of us has spoken or made any contact with each other since the night we met. Interesting, isn’t it?
This links in with the impact social networking sites have on our relationships with others. You barely need someone’s name nowadays to find out personal information such as date of birth, where they live, single or married (haha).
Another interesting aspect is the notion of our online “friends”. Clearly, Mark and I are not friends. But when Lisa McKay clicks on her boyfriends’ profile, facebook tells us that Vanessa Fleet is listed as a mutual friend!
*Names have been changed
A visual example of how easily we are all connected ...
Week 7 Blog task
Posted onMay 9, 2010
Filed under Uncategorized | 1 Comment
Research Question
Awareness and response to e-waste in Australia
Abstract
Sections
Annie – Reasons behind e-waste – survey – Case study on portable devices.
Hadiman & Naomi- Awareness – focus group, online surveys
Vanessa- Response – Interviews via email
Daniel – face-to-face interviews
Our group is undertaking a diverse methodology in order to research and gather conclusions to our point of subject, the awareness and response to e-waste within Australia. By gathering data via online surveys, online emails, face-to-face interviews and focus groups, as well as a semi-structured survey, we can analyze and collaborate an assortment of conclusions.
I plan to interview government bodies, councils, the department of education and e-waste representatives through online and over-the-phone interviews to gather their opinions and knowledge of the response to e-waste concerns, as well as any programs that are, or may be implemented in order to gain awareness and inform today’s society of this issue.
Ethics participants sheet.
Week 6 Blog Task
Posted onMay 5, 2010
Filed under Uncategorized | 6 Comments
I chose Annie Moon-Arkells presentation on how the introduction of new netbook technology effects the amount of laptop e-waste. The research question was specific with an interesting concept. My job requires me to sell both laptops and netbooks, and I have watched the introduction and change-over to netbooks, particarly over the last 1.5 years, as well as having first hand experience in knowing what people buy and why, therefore this subject really intregued me. Annie had valid points for both laptops and netbooks and presented these in a thoughtful, constructive manner. She spoke clearly with good tone and pitch, which added to the interest in her presentation.
Another presentation i enjoyed was by Jennifer Norrie. Rather than focusing on the negative impacts of e-waste, Jennifer’s reseach question posed a different angle; “Who can profit from e-waste”. Her findings included things I did not know previously, such as Apples incentive program and the Winter olympic medals being made out of e-waste. The only constructive criticism I can give Jennifer is that her slides were a bit plain to look at; some colour and photos could alleviate this 
Hadiman’s presentation topic, the “Changing Awareness and Responses to E-Waste in Australia” could be related and combined effectively with my own research topic for our group assignments. He discusses e-waste recycling programs within Australia, some of which I have not addressed, such as Apples recycling program for computers, and 1800ewaste, and StEP.
Blog task Week 5
Posted onMay 1, 2010
Filed under Uncategorized | 2 Comments
What is the impact of the networked environment on your social relationships, how do your online and offline “friend” practices and relationships differ – how might you record, interpret and visualise the qualitative information of your profile, or your entire social network?
The concept of a network economy implies that it is better to be connected to a bigger network than a smaller one, as the benefits of connecting to a network display an increasing function for the number of other people connected to it (Pol & Carroll, 2007, pg 142).
With Facebook reaching over 400 million users who are spending over 500 billion minutes per month on the network (Facebook, 2010), the level of communication and ability to interact with such a sizeable population is quite phenomenal. This greatly benefits me, (and probably other Facebook users) as Facebook has a huge impact on my, and many others, social relationships (see blog STORY TIME LOLZ !!!). Without it, I wouldn’t even know or have contact with a second cousin in Spain (seriously), I wouldn’t keep in touch with more than half the people I know from school, and, due to the “events” application, I wouldn’t have very a social lifestyle.
Facebook is my main source of communication and maintaining contact. Majority of my friends and I converse over Facebook chat, rather than speaking on the phone or face-to-face.
For my real “friends”, the online / offline friendship remains the same, if not better, because Facebook can inform me of things like when their birthday is . However, I wont deny that some of my 653 “friends” are people I’ve never met. And its always going to be awkward when I walk past someone who’s classified as a”friend” on Facebook, but ignored in reality.
Using Facebook search, I typed in things like “mutual friend mapping”, “analyse”, “friend statistics” and found some useful applications that allowed me to navigate through my profile and friends and put together the below visualizations that emphasize the relationships between myself and my Facebook “friends”.
Accessing all the photos my friends have "tagged" me in
Friend Explorer, 2010, date accessed: 12/05/2010, http://apps.facebook.com/friends-explorer/
the people who are online come to the front, if you scroll the mouse over picture it appears with their details and latest post someones, displays whos birthdays are coming up, can organize by location etc
Friend Explorer, 2010, date accessed: 12/05/2010, http://apps.facebook.com/friends-explorer/
Links all the mutual friends between myself and one of my chosen friends; in this case, I do actually not know him, yet we are connected by several different people
Tools to visualise your Facebook network, 2009, date accessed: 12/05/2010, http://group8020.com/social-media/facebook-visualization-2034/
Attempts to plot the location of all 653 of my Facebook friends, as well as linking mutual friends
Social graph, 2009, date accessed: 12/05/2010, http://apps.facebook.com/socgraph/?ref=appd_my_recent&fa=0
Friend Statistics, 2010, date accessed: 12/05/2010, http://apps.facebook.com/friendstatistic/?ref=appd_my_recent&fa=0
Friend Statistics, 2010, date accessed: 12/05/2010, http://apps.facebook.com/friendstatistic/?ref=appd_my_recent&fa=0
Friend Statistics, 2010, date accessed: 12/05/2010, http://apps.facebook.com/friendstatistic/?ref=appd_my_recent&fa=0
Reference
Facebook, 2010, date accessed: 12/05/2010, http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics
Pol, E & Carroll, P 2007, An Introduction to the Creative Economy 2nd Ed., McGraw Hill Custom Publishing, Australia
Constellation Framework, 2008, date accessed: 12/05/2010, http://danielmclaren.net/node/77
Tools to visualise your Facebook network, 2009, date accessed: 12/05/2010, http://group8020.com/social-media/facebook-visualization-2034/
Friend Statistics, 2010, date accessed: 12/05/2010, http://apps.facebook.com/friendstatistic/?ref=appd_my_recent&fa=0
Social graph, 2009, date accessed: 12/05/2010, http://apps.facebook.com/socgraph/?ref=appd_my_recent&fa=0
Friend Explorer, 2010, date accessed: 12/05/2010, http://apps.facebook.com/friends-explorer/
Face to Face Interviews
Posted onApril 27, 2010
Filed under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Class activity
QUESTIONS
1. Do you own
- Mobile phone
- Laptop
- Computer
- television?
2. How long have you owned:
- Mobile phone
- Laptop
- Computer
- television second hand
3. What was your reason for upgrading to your latest
- Mobile phone broke
- Laptop
- Computer
- television
4. What did you do with your old
- Mobile phone
- Laptop
- Computer
- television
5. how frequently do you update your products
- Mobile phone
- Laptop
- Computer
- television?
6. Do you like to follow updated technological trends?
7. If you hear of a new device, eg mobile phone, will you upgrade to the new product?
INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT
1. Do you own
- Mobile phone “yes”
- Laptop “yes”
- Computer “no”
- television? “yes”
2. How long have you owned:
- Mobile phone “about 2 years”
- Laptop “about 2 years as well”
- television “its second hand, but about 1 year”
3. What was your reason for upgrading to your latest
- Mobile phone “old one broke so my brother gave me one of his old ones”
- Laptop 2nd – “too slow… got really annoying”
- television “updated old tv, it didnt have a remote control so I got one that did”
4. What did you do with your old
- Mobile phone “in a drawer somewhere”
- Laptop “no idea, moved house… yeah no idea”
- television “on the street – council did rounds”
5. how frequently do you update your products
- Mobile phone – “when i really need to, it gets to that point..”
- Laptop – “when needed”
- television? – “current tv is not digital so looking into upgrading soon”
6. Do you like to follow updated technological trends?
7. If you hear of a new device, eg mobile phone, will you upgrade to the new product?
(combined answer for question 6 and 7)
“I would like an iphone, but I’m the kind of person who will think about it, research it for ages and delay the initial purchase so by the time i’m ready to buy, something newer has come out, which I’ll then go and research etc…”
Summary
I can conclude from these results that owning the latest, updated technology is not of huge importance. Although there is a desire for new technologies, she will not feel disadvantaged with her current, working devices. The subject in question does not create a large amount of e-waste.
e-waste presentation
Posted onApril 13, 2010
Filed under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
DIGC102 Final Ewaste Pressssooo
Blog post week 4
Posted onApril 13, 2010
Filed under Uncategorized | 2 Comments
Implications of Internet Filtering
Majority of cyberworld are against government ISP level Internet filtering; experts, ISPs, the common public and even google have advised they think it will be pointless (The Australian, 2010). And most of digc102’s blogs revolve around the same direction. SO, straight to the point…
In my opinion, what’s causing the most controversy is the limit of free speech and the restrictions of innocent users gathering information needed for their own harmless curiosity.
EXAMPLES OF IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PUBLIC
Caring Mother: I fear my daughter has anorexia and I want to find out more about what she is doing and where she is getting these ideas from
DENIED – pro-anorexia sites will appear on the blacklist filter (ABC, 2007); although there are benefits of restricting these sites from teenagers, it can cause angst for someone like a mother who wants to find out what behaviors she can be on the lookout for
Confused teenager: I feel like I dont fit in.. I want to get some information that will guide me in the right direction
DENIED – although its a form of discrimination, gay and lesbian forums and websites, as well as some religious pages, are going to be restricted (3 News, 2009)
EXAMPLE OF IMPLICATION FOR ACADEMICS / RESEARCHERS
Medical researchers would have limited access to drug-related information, which can limit examinations, theories and also the development of medicines (3 News, 2009)
EXAMPLE OF IMPLICATION FOR ARTISTS
Artistic Nudes may no longer be accessible as they are considered perverse. And its ART?! A whole culture could become close to extinct (ABC, 2007)
EXAMPLES OF IMPLICATIONS FOR JOURNALISTS
Perez Hilton: I need to get some info on heroine so I can demonstrate that Lindsay Lohans gotta return to rehab.
DENIED – access to anything related to drug use is restricted (ACMA, 2009)
In conclusion, although the government is trying to make a credible move through filtering and “making the internet a less scary place”, restricting access to websites may not be an appropriate method, as it can also cause more implications than good. Through reading many reviews and opinions of the topic, I feel that filtering is an anti-utilitarian approach – this action does not provide the greatest good for the greatest number of people!
Reference
ACMA, 2009, accessed: 16/04/2010, http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD..PC/pc=PC_90102
The Australian. 2010, accessed 16/04/2010, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/no-proof-isp-filtering-works-abbott/story-e6frgakx-1225850260443
ABC, 2007, accessed 16/04/2010, http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/31/2129471.htm
3 News, 2009, accessed 16/04/2010, http://www.3news.co.nz/Concerns-raised-over-secret-internet-blacklist/tabid/412/articleID/112859/Default.aspx
Blog Post Week Two
Posted onApril 9, 2010
Filed under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Is Google Evil?
Its no mystery that google is incorporated into our lives daily. Google has encompassed us through more than just a search engine; it has infiltrated our lives that without even realizing, the word “google” has been incorporated as part of our own English language.
The most common debates and conspiracies state Google is evil mainly because it does infiltrate our lives so widely, and of course with this comes privacy issues.
After watching and reading a multitude of videos and articles centred on google being “evil”, I have come to the conclusion that people assume that because it’s a multi billion dollar company, it is corrupt. I don’t think google is necessarily evil, its just doing business. Really well at that.
True, they probably do have a database with everyone’s information in the ball of their hands, but government laws and regulations restrict them from doing much with that.
I believe that Google is a massive marketing, research and development corporation and gathering information about the human race helps invent things the global population wants or desires. Google could be one of the most innovative companies in the world; they are now branching off in different areas of research. They may be the founders of future technology, and who has ever disagreed with a creative and knowledge based economy if it leads us to economical benefits?
Good outweighs the bad; I’m happy for Google to have my information in return for the massive database of information, socialising networks and entertainment they provide through their services.
Example: comedian Dane Cook references google 6 minutes and 52 seconds in …
Reference
- Small Business Newz, 2008, Google is Evil? According to Joseph Farah it is…, accessed 12/03/2010, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkKQOi3hJ2Q&feature=related
- oniszczak, 2007, Is Google getting EVIL? Facts…, accessed 12/03/2010, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn4qQwMnLfA&feature=related
- therobba, 2007, googles dark side – google conspiracy, accessed 13/03/2010, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNofb-OlZyQ
- Peneberg A, 2006, Is Google Evil?, Mother Jones, 10 October, Page unknown, Accessed 10/03/2010, http://motherjones.com/politics/2006/10/google-evil
- Fester, 2006, Is Google Evil?, accessed 10/03/2010, http://www.isgoogleevil.com/
- Marrone M, 2009, Is google evil?, NY Daily News, 3 September, page unknown, accessed 12/10/2010, http://www.nydailynews.com/tech_guide/2009/03/13/2009-03-13_is_google_evil.html
What recycling programs are being implemented to help sustain the growing concern of e-waste in our environment, on a global scale and locally?
Posted onApril 9, 2010
Filed under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
What recycling programs are being implemented to help sustain the growing concern of e-waste in our environment, on a global scale and locally?
Introduction
Particularly over the last decade, we have seen the rise of digital technology through TVs, mobile phones, laptops, net books, mp3 players, DVD players, blu-ray, DSLRs and the list continues. People are continually upgrading their products to keep up with technological advances. But what happens to all the now-obsolete products? They are binned, discarded, forgotten about, and the individual thinks no more of it. But clearly there is much more to such intricately made products being dumped on the sidewalk.
Reference
- Author unknown, 2009, “Catastrophic e-waste fuels global toxic dump: experts”, Sydney Morning herald, 14 November, page unknown, accessed 24/03/2010, http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/catastrophic-ewaste-fuels-global-toxic-dump-experts-20091114-if37.html
E-waste is swiftly becoming a major concern worldwide, as depicted in this article.
Useful quotes that can be used from this secondary source that highlight this concern include “A ‘catastrophic accumulation’ of millions of tonnes of “e-waste” from computers, cell phones and television sets is fuelling a global pile of hazardous waste” and “Add an increasing demand for electronic gaming, higher definition televisions or smart cars, and the result is a catastrophic accumulation of e-waste, now and into the future”. These quotes can be used to emphasise the importance and need for e-waste recycling on a global scale.
On an International Level …
- PC World, 2008, The dangers of e-waste, accessed 25/03/2019, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJnFFsHDxuw
This video clip is a collaboration of primary, secondary and tertiary sources that outline the dangers of e-waste and emphasize the importance of recycling programs in order to sustain our environment. The company “Green Citizen” is interviewed, and gives a brief breakdown on how difficult it is to recycle e-waste, special devices that their company has developed that are used to help recycle e-waste in China, and other regulatory recycling programs.
- Basel Action Network, 2008, The Digital Dump Official Trailer, accessed 25/03/2010, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0xpRk7MYNg&feature=response_watch
A response to the above video gives a visual example of the effects and dangers of e-waste in developing countries, particularly Africa. It is an interesting primary source that vividly shows how manufacturers are literally dumping their waste for less developed countries to get rid of. It once again emphasises the need for regulated recycling programs in order to sustain our environment globally.
- Mathias, 2010, International Electronics Recycling Conference & Expo (IERCE), San Francisco, ewasteguide, 18 Feb, accessed 25/03/2010, ewasteguide.info
International conferences are being held for electronic manufacturers, electronics recyclers and information technology managers in order to engage in networking activities and learning revolved around the recycling and impacts of e-waste.
This is a tertiary source that can be used as an example of programs that are being put into effect globally to address the concern of e-waste.
- Schluep, 2009, recycling – From e-waste to resources, UNEP & UNU, accessed 25/03/2010, http://www.unep.org.br/admin/publicacoes/texto/EWaste_final.pdf
This secondary source is a report that outlines detailed ways for the recycling of e-waste, including appropriate handling of e-waste, recovering valuable materials and the main action for a recycling chain which follows three steps – collection, storing and dismantling and end-processing of e-waste. This report is extremely valuable in addressing a thoroughly researched action plan and program for e-waste recycling that, with proper funding, can be implemented on a global scale.
- Mcallister, CW, 2006, Systems and methods for deployment and recycling of RFID tags, wireless sensors, and the containers attached thereto, US Patent 032586).
Patents are a primary source that can be used to analyze authorized developments and methods of recycling e-waste, for example, “methods for deploying and/or recycling wireless tags, such as RFID tags and wireless sensors, and the containers they may be attached to” and “Methods are also disclosed for reducing waste and pollution resulting from wireless tags contaminating existing recycled waste streams”. Both are great examples of government legislations taking action in implementing recycling programs that can benefit worldwide.
Within Australia …
- Author unknown, 2010, What’s on in Sydney n.d., accessed 25/03/2010, http://www.whatsoninsydney.com.au/whatson.asp?id=8483)
Another tertiary source that exemplifies programs being implemented for recycling e-waste, but on a local scale, is an event hosted in Sydney recently that allowed local residents a free e-waste disposal.
- Mosman Council, 2010, E waste Recycling Collection, photograph, accessed 26/03/2010, http://www.flickr.com/photos/mosmancouncil/3361174929/
The below pictures are a primary source that exemplifies a recycling program based in Sydney’s own Mosman.
- Armstrong WT, Morris MS, Wilkie G, Schiers J, 2005, A method of recycling mixed streams of e-waste, AU Patent 000848
Further recycling methods of e-waste are being developed within Australia. This patent demonstrates local inventors recognising the problem and achieving a highly successful recycling method that can be implemented within Australia and offshore.
