El Salvador adopted Bitcoin as an official legal tender in September 2021. Citizens of the Central American nation can pay their taxes with the cryptocurrency as well as shops being able to list item pricing in Bitcoin. This is due to the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, being highly enthusiastic about the digital currency. The president announced the law at a cryptocurrency conference in Miami as well as investing in the currency himself often. The coffers of El Salvador also include over 1,500 Bitcoin.

Fast foreword to January 2022 and the IMF is now advising that El Salvador step back on this decision. The International Monetary Fund’s main concern is the instability of the currency, as well as the government issuing bitcoin backed bonds. The fluctuating currency may make it difficult for the nation to get a loan from the IMF. The Fund advises the country to not stop using Bitcoin entirely, just to revert their decision on making it legal tender.

Things were not all negative, however, the IMF did speak positively of the government on its goals of utilizing Bitcoin and Chivo Wallets in order to make Financial services more easily available to El Salvadorians.

Source: https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/25/22901374/el-salvador-bitcoin-international-monetary-fund-crypto

Last semester in my BISCI class we learned about how smartwatches will be the future of technology for doctors. We briefly discussed how the new technology coming out in smartwatches will be able to help doctors learn more about the human body, and also help them gather personal data on us.

After reading this article I was able to learn a lot more. The future of smartwatches is really bright. Right now they are a great tool for encouraging and tracking fitness and healthy lifestyles, but soon they will be able to help us in and outside of hospitals. Developers are working on having smartwatches be able to track your vitals consistently instead of when you just go to the hospital.

This would also be a great way to have access to electronic health records 24-7. Being able to track blood pressure, vitals, and more 24-7 will allow doctors to determine what causes underlying diseases and infections that as of now, we cannot determine what their causes are.

I think the idea of having smartwatches that have such limitless technology that can help improve so much is really promising, and I hope that this technology comes out soon. I think this will help doctors be able to diagnose their patients more, and have to see patients in person less.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/could-your-apple-watch-replace-your-nurse-what-wearables-can-and-cant-do-for-your-health/

Battery is something everybody would understand, our lifestyle has been influenced more or less by it, but what is quantum battery, how does it work, what would be the difference between quantum batteries and lithium-ion battery, today I am going to show you guys the answer to these questions and maybe some of them can be a good candidate for you to switch to quantum battery in the future.

The principles of quantum batteries and lithium-ion batteries are completely different, Lithium-ion batteries works based on its chemical reaction and quantum batteries work based on quantum mechanics principles, which means “The Nano-Structured Solid State of matter in which electrons absorb photons and become stable. In this state, particles can hold the energy and remain in the device for an indefinite time.” (2022, Manish Kumar), a downside about quantum batteries is it must be placed in the dark, so it may hold quantum charge, and it must be placed in a close state, so it won’t give up its quantum charge to surrounding environment, and once it is satisfied, it will be no-loss batteries.

Another good reason to switch to quantum batteries in the future is it can be a superabsorption, it is unlike lithium-ion batteries, the bigger the battery is, the quicker it charges, and frankly, it can be charge just by exposing itself under the ambient light in a room, and the charging speed is “related to the square root of the number of batteries lined up together” (2022, Ellen Phiddian).

Here is What You Need to Know About Quantum Batteries. | by Manish Kumar | Predict | Medium

Quantum batteries closer with superabsorption breakthrough (cosmosmagazine.com)

Every day, technology is advancing to provide new innovations and discoveries aimed to help our overall wellbeing. Aside from technology’s impacts in industries like business, finance, agriculture, entertainment, etc., one of the biggest technological revolutions has occurred in the field of health and medicine. The healthcare industry today does not resemble what it was 15 years ago. It does not resemble the industry from 10, and even 5 years ago. This is because these technological advancements have drastically shifted and improved the way research is conducted in the field, and new treatments and knowledge are delivered every day to improve the health of humans.

The first (and most interesting, in my opinion) way that technology has changed the medical field is through the process of 3D printing. This tool allows for many solutions, with the most popular being prosthetics used for patients in need. Prosthetics can come in the form of bones and limbs, which significantly changes and aids in mobility. They can also come in the form of organs, which are surgically inserted into the body. While these replicas are still being researched, they have already made an appearance in today’s world. Another benefit of 3D printing is that it allows for surgeons to print specific areas of the human body to perform mock surgeries before performing the actual procedure on a human. This allows for practice on “tricky” areas of the body and perfect implementation.

Another advancement in health and medicine that is relatively new is the use of medical apps. This includes apps that track your calorie intake and help with your diet to remain healthy. There are also numerous apps to monitor your movement (steps per day), and they can plan exercise schedules for you. Apps monitoring your heart rate are prominent features in many phones today, as well as symptom checkers to identify illnesses and limit unnecessary, time-consuming trips to talk to a doctor about a small issue. Last, the rise of telemedicine, especially during the pandemic, has allowed patients to communicate with their doctors and attend appointments from home.

Technology has also sped up the process of medical research and the collection of data. Compared to experiments in the past, which took years to conduct and publish, experiments today are completed within months due to technological innovations. These studies are especially helpful with finding efficient treatments for diseases, discovery of new drugs, and updating equipment for use in hospitals and other medical settings. Overall, technology has made medicine and healthcare more accurate, faster to deliver, and accessible for patients around the world. Life expectancy has increased, and cures to diseases are constantly being found thanks to advancements made every day.

Sources:

How Technology is Changing the World of Medicine

How Has Technology Impacted The Medical Field?

After researching some current stories going on with technology right now, I discovered a really interesting article from The Verge. The article discusses how landlords, people leasing houses, apartments, etc. perform background checks on potential residents before letting them sign a lease. While this does not sound like anything abnormal nowadays, and did not strike me as shocking, as I continued to read I realized the real effects of using platforms like these. Platforms like CrimCHECK, CoreLogic, ScorePlus use automated tools to interpret, flag, and notify leasing staff when criminal records are found that don’t meet their leasing requirements.

A lot of what is beginning to get flagged is what we consider “judgment calls.” Computers and databases do not have the capacity to interpret and analyze unique situations and make a judgment call, instead, they can just check the boxes they were programmed to. Landlords and staff do not see any of the documentation they used to decide if someone was unfit to be a resident, and are putting all of their trust in computers.

The article explains that after extensive research experts have determined that using these tools “will lead to blocking people who otherwise would have been accepted by a more personalized form of screening” (Lecher). I think that this article is a great example of how technology is taking away a lot of the personability that used to go along with so many things. Technology makes things less personable and takes away a lot of reasoning that goes into decision-making. I definitely think this is a topic that needs more awareness and needs a solution in some aspects.

https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/1/18205174/automation-background-check-criminal-records-corelogic

There’s no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has propelled our lives further than ever into the digital world. In modern day it is common to have multiple social media accounts, hours of screen time a day, and a pair of blue light glasses on hand. We find that one massive pro of social media is to stay connected. There is no doubt that it has helped us stay together when we were all in isolation. It’s also an easy way to connect with people that you may not know that well, or a mutual friend of a friend. Have you ever passed by someone and recognized them just from their Instagram account that you follow but have never actually met them in person? That’s the power of social media: connection. These are all great aspects of social media, but there are definitely some cons to consider.

I think it’s common to hear some say, “I think I need a break from social media.” When I watch YouTube, a lot of the time some vloggers will say this. We can all easily get caught up in the digital world without realizing how far from the truth it is. When you see an image on social media, the chances are that it was the best picture out of at least twenty that were taken. Often people only post the best pictures that they have of themselves, or the highlights in their life. It is definitely not an accurate representation of a day to day life of an individual. Additionally, a student that attends college at Penn found that social apps such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat can increase feeling isolated. Reducing time on social media is a great way to lessen this if you are having these feelings. Moreover, depression and anxiety may be more common in your life if you find yourself spending too much time on these apps. If you can, distance yourself from social media as often as possible because it can definitely start to consume your time and mental health.

Things that can help you keep busy can be spending more time with offline friends, rather than playing a video game with a friend online. Pencil in time on your schedule that you have to yourself without your phone. Interaction and face-to-face relationships are going to help you not feel isolated or consumed by social media.

Are you impacted by any of these things? What are your thoughts on social media consuming our time?

Source: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/social-media-and-mental-health.htm

Do you have your notifications on to share your average screen time every week? Personally, I like to have this on to keep my screen time as low as possible. If you didn’t know, there is a feature on Apple devices that tracks your screen time. It is broken down by each app; it shows which app is consuming most of your time. Interestingly enough, 65% of Americans experience digital eye strain symptoms. Even if you get your weekly screen time report on your phone, this does not include all of the time that you spent on your laptop or iPad.

Eye strain can result in how close you are to your device, how many hours you spend on it per day, and how bright your screen is/ blue light exposure. Although we move deeper and deeper into the digital world, it is important to make sure that you are protecting your eyes as much as possible. For example, wear blue light glasses when you can, and turn your brightness down. When you are laying in bed at night scrolling through TikTok, try to not strain your eyes to full brightness. Fun fact, you can turn on a “Night Shift” feature under your settings. It takes the blue light out from your display. I have my set to turn on at 9pm until 7am. This way, each night when I am on my phone before bed, I am not straining my eyes and the blue light wont affect my sleep.

Additionally, suggestions from the American Academy of Ophthalmology suggest that you take consistent breaks throughout the day to break up your screen time, and to sit around 25 inches from your display, looking slightly downward.

Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-digital-eye-strain-affects-your-health-and-what-to-do-about-it/

Technology is such an important factor in our day-to-day lives. Almost everyone uses some type of technology each day and this is because it has become easy to use. Everyone can learn how to use an iPhone because of its simplistic designs. It is difficult to imagine a life without technology because of how heavily we rely on it. However, I begin to wonder if society has become too dependent on technology over the last two decades or so.

Technology is always going to have its benefits but even if there are tons of positives, there will be negatives. Technology has impacted the way we research because even though we can find the answer in seconds, there is a lot of misinformation out on the internet (University of the People). It has affected how we go about social interactions, it takes away from interpersonal relationships. Forming relationships and being able to communicate with people is a huge skill that now scares people.

I can speak from personal experience that imagining a life without technology is pretty difficult. I have my laptop, iPad, TV, phone, and other devices at the tip of my fingertips. For as much as you don’t want to admit it, I am very dependent on technology and maybe too dependent. Our generation grew up with technology and we use it for everything. Do you feel you are dependent on technology? Is society too dependent on technology?

Is Society Too Dependent On Technology? 10 Shocking Facts

In this century it is very common to be on your iphone many hours of the day. It is normal to get addicted due to the fact that “the app and web developers specifically designed it that way (Komando).” The different apps on your phone is endless and it is hard to have self control.

Most people do not have willpower to voluntarily go off your phone so apple has come up with ways to help out phone users. You are ble to check your screen time and track how long you have been on your phone. You can also see which apps are taking up more of the time. You can even see things such as how many times you have unlocked your phone. Along with this Apple has a new feature that allows you to set limits. Instead of hiding your phone from yourself you can get a notification that it is time for “downtime” to remind you to get off your phone. You are able to select specific apps, people who call and text you during downtime. You can also set limit on apps and categories. Android has come out with the same features as well.

Being on the phone to much can effect your helth in many ways and these are just a few ways to benefit yourself. It is up to you to decide if you want to make these changes in your settings but Apple and Android has created them for the people that want to. I am not enterily sure I would set these up in my settings, what would you do?

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/tech/break-your-phone-addiction-settings 

Social Media is. huge part of our lives. With the growth of social media however, came the consequence of modified pictures, fake profiles and much more. It seems that social media has become a highlight reel of peoples lives where all people see is the best version of you for likes. Our society has thousands of followers of people you can barely know and I feel as if the original thought of social media has faded.

Lately there have been some apps and trends circling around to try to make social media a more “realistic” place. A couple examples include people using the hashtag, “#makeinstagramcasualagain” to bring back the nostalgia of when social media was first created and people were using the platform to just share fun memories, pictures and videos with friends. Rather than today were people modify there pictures to make them fit a standard set by social media.

Another app is called Get Real where people have 2 minutes to take a picture exactly how they are (no filters, cant edit, etc) and your friends can comment / use “realmojis” and react to the picture of you just for fun. This app has really brought the fun back to casual social media and looks like it is on the rise.

With this new trend of real social media, do you think social media is becoming more realistic or more toward a less realistic highlight reel of everyones lives? What is your take of social media and how do you think it became this way? Do you think our generation is capable of going back to a more “casual” use of social media.

source: https://www.eatmy.news/2020/10/is-social-media-turning-into-fake.html