Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Inventions Used for Good and Bad

     I recently found an article discussing the person who invented the original thumbdrive (http://business.asiaone.com/Business/SME%2BCentral/Prime%2BMovers/Story/A1Story20101207-251263.html).  It was a very fascinating article, but what I found most interesting was his invention of the i-Ball.
     The i-Ball is a wireless webcam about the size of a 50 cent coin, and can be used with whatever device (smart phone, laptop, etc), the user wants.  However, the part that I found most interesting was how it discussed the potential for wrongdoing with this i-Ball.  Whenever I hear of the latest and greatest inventions or technology, the first things that come to mind are how it can help alleviate people's problems or make people's lives more simple.  I have never realized how certain inventions can bring as much harm to people's lives as they do good.
     This article describes how the i-Ball is viewed as having the potential to violate people's privacy through voyeur or peeping tom like schemes.  I guess I never thought about how with all of the good that comes with these types of inventions, that there is the potential for a lot of bad as well.

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