Singularity - Living Forever?

Ray Kurzweil is one forward thinker, believer and advocate in the ideas of technological singularity. One of the main   beliefs of "the singularity" is that super-human intelligence will one day soon be able to think and opperate of their own capacity. Kurzweil has had many of his ideas about future technological advancements published, including The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology, which is a continuation on his previous writings. Kurzweil reiterates several key points,

- A technological-evolutionary point known as "the singularity" exists as an achievable goal for humanity.

- Through a law of accelerating returns, technology is progressing toward the singularity at an exponential rate.

- The functionality of the human brain is quantifiable in terms of technology that we can build in the near future.

- Medical advancements make it possible for a significant number of his generation (Baby Boomers) to live long enough for the exponential growth of technology to intersect and surpass the processing of the human brain.

The term genomics refers to the branch of biotechnology concerned with applying the techniques of genetics and molecular biology to the genetic mapping and DNA sequencing of sets of genes or the complete genomes of selected organisms, with organizing the results in databases and with applications of data. Kurzweil's own site, Kurzweil Accelerating Intelligence has an interesting blog post that gives a more in depth explanation of the technological advances in regards to studying genes. 

The prospect of using technology to prolong my life span indefinitely, is both an exciting concept and frightening. Having the ability to replace body parts that are no longer functioning at full capacity is a powerful and life changing ability. If it is true, that this is to become more of a common practice, then there are many ethical questions that need to be considered in regards to society as a whole and how these technological advancements will shape future generations. 

The Aging Population and The Designed Environment

For my senior interior studio project I have chosen to design a long term care nursing home that is an aging in place facility. A long-term care nursing home is a facility that is designed for patients who are not able to care for themselves and need constant supervision. These facilities are required to meet strict regulations set forth by the state department of public health. Traditionally they tend to feel more like a hospital than a home. Many different variations exist today for elderly living design models, each offering more innovative approaches. One source describes the term aging in place as "a philosophy as much as a concept that promotes independency and livability of all types of living environments. Properly applied, aging-in-place principles allow an individual to remain in an environment that he or she chooses."(1 Lawlor)

Through extensive research I have come to understand the tremendous need for these types of facilities in the present and soon to be future. Many of the sources that I came across pointed to the changes in social-economical factors for the tremendous spike in the elderly population. Decline in the birth rate is a direct result of the changes in today’s cultural society. The term “boomer” refers to the generation born following World War II, from 1946 through 1964. It is estimated that this generation “comprises nearly one quarter of the total U.S. population”.(3 Schriener) According to the U.S. Census Bureau dating July 2009, boomers numbered 77 million out of the total population.(3 Schriener) According to this statistical data, it is apparent that the boomer population is a dominating force in all aspects of the socio-economic market. Changes in health care policies are allowing more and more people access to medical treatment. All of these factors combined are clear indicators of the expected demand for facilities to better accommodate this population.

This diagram depicts the estimated increases
in elderly population (in thousands) by age group 

This chart shows the frequency of assistance needs
with particular daily activitie

The physical changes that occur as a direct consequence of natural aging have a large impact on the designed environment. According to one source "The specific abilities, disabilities, limitations

and needs of individuals within the frail elderly population vary, and may range from lower assistance needs to more intensive needs. This variance in levels of assistance needed not only fluctuates from person to person, but through time as a particular person's condition may change from day to day or month to month, with short-term illness or infirmity, or as conditions develop or evolve."(2 Brummett) The elderly residents needs encompasses many physical needs in addition to emotional and psychological well-being.

I feel a genuine home environment, as opposed to a "home-like" environment will allow the residents to live with more independence, safety, and be better integrated into the community as a contributing member. A large part of my design solution will be focused on developing the essence of home for the residents in my facility, from the perspective of the community and from the perspective of each individual resident. Another important aspect of my project will be providing residents access to health and wellness facilities, such as therapeutic horticulture, physical therapy, etc.

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(1) Lawlor, Drue, and Michael A. Thomas. Residential Design for Aging in Place. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2008. Print.

(2) Brummett, William J. The Essence of Home: Design Solutions for Assisted-living Housing. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1997. Print.

(3) Schriener, Judy, and Mike Kephart. Building for Boomers: Guide to Design and Construction. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print.

Perfection - Young, Beautiful and Tan

I went to the nail salon today to get a manicure. I enjoy having nice fingernails; it makes me feel better about myself. I would even go as far to say that having nice fingernails makes me feel more feminine. While I was getting my manicure, there was a television show on in the background that I found rather captivating. Coincidentally, the show that was on was all about beauty regiments, and how they can essentially take over a person’s life in their pursuit of “perfection”.

The program was The Doctors, and they had several segments, ranging from excessive plastic surgery, to makeovers, teeth whitening, etc. The one segment that I found particularly horrifying was the one on tanning beds. They had a girl on the show that was so obsessed with getting tan that she would sometimes go twice in one day!! During the interview she even admits how much tanning is a part of her life, she states that “If I miss tanning, I have about a heart attack and I have to get back to the tanning salon and the fact that I work there, I can go after hours, so even if they're closed I can still always get in there.” The entire time I was watching this, I just kept asking myself, why does it matter to her so much? Is she really doing this just to satisfy herself?

The Doctors-Tanning Bed Dangers

I myself am guilty of stepping into a tanning booth, and in some way I understand the desire to fit into today's ideal of being young, beautiful and tan, but at what price? According to The Skin Cancer Foundation website, tanning is the body's reaction to the UV radiation. The website explains that,"UV rays damage the DNA of the skin's epidermal cells, triggering enzymes that race to repair the damage. UV rays damage the DNA of the skin's epidermal cells, triggering enzymes that race to repair the damage. However, these enzymes do not always repair the DNA successfully, and all this unrepaired damage can lead to mutations that increase the risk of skin cancer." With all of the scientific evidence out there about how dangerous tanning (tanning booths and unprotected, excessive sun tanning) is, I don’t understand why people are so willing to sacrifice their health to feed into this image of "perfection". Is it to satisfy themselves, and make themselves feel better, more confident, like me getting a manicure. Or is it more about fitting into what society wants us all to look like?

The Skin Cancer Foundation Website

I think that American culture is obviously obsessed with their appearance. We are bombarded on a day to day basis with images of the perfect woman and the perfect man. Magazine covers, television shows, commercial advertisements, movies, they all promote physical perfection to some degree or another. It is inevitable that the psyche's of young people today are being warped and persuaded into thinking "This is what I need to look like to be considered "perfect"  To say that American culture as a whole needs to be less concerned with physical appearance is an unrealistic statement. I do think that the idea of what perfection and ideal beauty is needs to change.