Science and Global Politics: Focus on Asia

Doctors can use telehealth to communicate with their patients. Could this be a way to decrease the effort and resource requirements needed to visit the doctor's office? This may be a beneficial alternative to both parties (Doctors and Patients).

Vietnam is one of the fastest growing social media countries. In Vietnam, there are now approximately 145 mobile phones for every 100 citizens. The estimation is that social media growth in Vietnam will not slow down anytime soon.

This article discusses some of the beliefs associated with why tech giants such as Microsoft, Apple, Google, and Facebook are typically started in America. The article also carries with it a sense of urgency towards ending the game of technological catch up.

An affordable new way to find your stolen motorbike. People continue to find new ways for technology to provide efficient help when needed. I wonder if anything like this has already been implemented in America.

The two main up and coming power houses continue their conflict over oil and gas. I am intrigued to see how much the United States will intervene as the conflict continues.

It sometimes seems as if we try to be the police of the world, and yet we are also sometimes the most despised nation of the world. Do we need to change our tactics in the face of globalization?

Developed in India, RISUG is one of a kind. It is a new form of temporary birth control that is claimed to have no hormonal side effects. I am curious to see if this type of medicine will be used in America in the near future and the cultural implications that it might have.

Tensions are rising as we approach the rocket launch window given by North Korea; the United States has moved ships into the area, and Japan has already ordered its military to shoot at any debris or rocket passing their air space. Even China, one of North Korea's only allies, has called on them to cancel their rocket test.

It is interesting and somewhat frightening that the North Korean government would launch rockets without the permission of not only America but China and even Japan as well. It seems that even through globalization and the development of a multipolar world, opposition to the majority is still plentiful.

Developed nations seem to approaching a point where most people are using the Internet, so now Google is looking to nations in Asia that are developing as a new demographic to target for Internet use. With people from these new countries, the amount of information and idea sharing on the Internet has the potential to expand in vast amounts. Google wants to expand to its influence in countries like Vietnam, India, and Indonesia as a way to bring more people online.

This was a smart business move for Google. Not only that, but I think the concept of mass media has changed over the last few years. I used to think of the mass media as a medium for different ideologies and dialects to come together in America to create one larger dialect and ideology shared by our nation. Now, it seems that the mass media does the same except on a global scale. The pace of globalization seems to be on a multiplicative increase along with technology.

There was relatively little damage as a result of this earthquake, and one major reason is the system Japan has been implementing since 2004 for early warning; in the analysis given by Jason Palmer, he mentions that many citizens received warnings on their mobile phones several seconds before the quake reached them, allowing them a few seconds to move toward a safer location.

Countries in South Asia are working on improving science education among women and children. Literacy rates are fairly high, but science education is not. These countries believe that they must invest more in the scientific education of their children because they will be growing up to run the world soon and need to have knowledge in these fields. Most of the science education varies by country to fit along with what is most important to the people there. For example, developing countries like Nepal are focusing on energy, food, and water resources.

It's good to see some countries trying to improve their scientific literacy. Even if some of these kids don't want to pursue a career in some science field, a better understanding of science could help develop better problem solving skills and help them make more informed decisions in the future. Plus, more people who understand the issues they discussed like global warming can lead to more possible solutions.

Today in class we talked about robots or machines with artificial intelligence, AI, and how it is going to be a reality soon. This article is about China's military advancements in unmanned aerial vehicle or UAV for short. The drone is similar to the Predator drone used by the US military but is cheaper at $1 million. The drone is called "Yi Long" but called Wing long in English. The editor of Kanwa Defense Monthly stated, "They know that in future wars unmanned warfare will be very important." Now with this new technology; choices are going to be harder to make when it comes to casualties. It is very easy to be objective when you are sitting in a room far away from the action, but if you are on the field doing the work its another story.

The quote from the Chinese president about having to win the war in an "information age" is really interesting. It is becoming more and more apparent that advancing military technology during this time makes a significant impact on warfare today and the future.

An interesting article, but what stood out to me even more than the particular subject of the article was the response of the villagers. They were unaware of even the type of weapon used against them, and there is an absence of medical attention to care for the burns suffered by many protesters. This is definitely a politically troubling article, particularly because it is coming out of Burma, a country that has recently had hopes of a more democratic future.

This incident shows how much not as developed countries such as Burma wish to expand their industry and technology, to the point that they are harming their own people in such a terrible way. The fact that people have burns but cannot place where they came from is a sign that some questionable forms of force were used.

An computer at Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency was infected with a virus, and it might have had information about their new rocket taken from it. If data about the rocket, Epsilon, and the other rockets being developed along with it was taken, the mission to launch them next year has been compromised. Japan is hoping to compete against the space programs of the U.S., China, and Russia, so this would be a major setback for them.

Having access to a personal computer lowers or decreases the risk of cognitive decline and dementia in older men by up to 40 percent, say researchers in Australia.

An Australian study of over 3,000 fathers has found that approximately one in ten report high levels of distress in the first year after having a baby.

The study, published this week in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, shows that over the last decade there has been a dramatic 58 percent increase in the use of psychotropic medications by the Australian population, which has only increased by 13 percent over that time.

On a similar note as the news of China's space program, South Korea is set to launch a spacecraft for research purposes. This is their third attempt at launching a space rocket after the previous two attempts failed.

In response to police brutality, students of a northern Sri Lankan university have begun a two-day boycott of classes. Southeast Asia has been in the news a lot lately, maybe because of the ASEAN summit that President Obama attended; and while a good portion of the recent news has been optimistic, it's important that when issues such as this one arise, that they are appropriately covered and discussed.