New Technology Reviews!.: Society

The National Information and Communication System: The TechnodemThe Technodem is a term derived from "technological democracy." It is a unique nationwide network of electronic communication and information system including but not restricted to the following functions:1. Embodies a website from all public agencies, national, regional and local, all production firms and all other private organizations such as those concerned with health care or education, and all individuals within the society. It also includes any individual website placed by citizens for public benefit such as writers, physicians, food experts.2. Information from top down: All governmental laws, rules and regulations are posted to be used and followed by affected and concerned entities or individuals. For example, the national position classification standards prescribed by the government, to be used as a guide by all employing institutions; education standards for all levels of education to be followed by all education institutions as well as students; educational instruction materials and directions at all levels particularly for the workers who have to fulfil twelve credit-hour of required education each year.3. Information from bottom upward: All production and other firms must feed into their website all information regarding their position classification, their operation, financial status and the nature of their products. This makes the Technodem capable of checking their operating standards against the national standards in employment, financial operation, quality of production and so on and advise for correction of deficiencies if any. It also provides detailed information to the government in formulating statistics and other information about the state of economy and other social and economic conditions.4. Serving individual citizen in a variety of ways such as looking for a better job, a healthy way of life, the best buys concerning needed goods or services, and "how to do" of many individual needs around the house or at workplace. It also offers all the services presently available through the internet system but in a more advanced and expanded manner.The Technodem is a self-serving autonomous electronic information-communication system consisting of local, district, regional and national data centers. Beside being an operation tool of the government, business and other service organizations, it is also open for public and individual use. Based on the concept of equality of opportunity, nothing is kept secret from the public. Every individual has access to all its contents including the government and corporate files, and can use the information it contains for individual benefit or enlightenment. As mentioned before, it is one of the three basic components of the technological democracy without which such democracy cannot be materialized. No one interferes in its operation. The information flows up and down as it is fed into it. It is capable of filtering and deleting information not useful or not necessary for the operation of society or individuals such as, for example, pornographic materials or illicit statements fed in by individuals. It is maintained, repaired and serviced by a group of specialists despite the fact that it is able to amend and repair itself without outside help in most cases. Anything wrong with it will immediately pass to those responsible for its maintenance for immediate action. All the technology necessary for the formation and operation of the Technodem is presently available.Services Available Through the TechnodemIt is practically impossible to enumerate the services available through the Technodem or try to describe its vital contribution to every aspect of daily life, individual and institutional development, and most of all to democratic operation of the whole societal system whether political, economic, cultural or social, all based on the principle of equality of opportunity. Here, are just a few examples.Educational servicesEach and every household has access to immense sources of educational information and programs from the preschool all the way up to the highest level. Many hundreds of courses are offered with complete and clear instruction, needed homework, test and grading with no possibility of abuse.While studying, student is able to ask questions and receive explanations. All educational materials are prepared by cooperation of the high quality scholars competent in the field and fed into the system. At a higher level of knowledge, different schools of thought in a field are available for comparison and analysis. This will particularly be true in the areas of social sciences and humanities, the former being and remaining the most complex and increasingly important of all sciences. Student may register for a degree program or may just like to take certain courses to increase his knowledge in some areas of his interest.Examination for each course is carried out and graded through the computer, recorded in student's academic record stored in the Technodem. It is coded and accessible only to the student. It could be accessed by others only by permission from the individual through a temporary decoding process by the use of the individual's electronic ID (EID) card. The Technodem revolutionizes the total educational process. First, it makes to each individual continually updated educational information at every level of knowledge or discipline twenty-four hours a day. Thus, the student chooses his daily study hours as he wishes and the way more convenient for him. Second, the current classroom education and instruction becomes obsolete and gradually discarded particularly in the light of much higher quality and continually updated courses being available through the Technodem. The laboratory work, either for study or research is carried out through the computer by using the latest available facilities. Experimental study or research work is still carried out through the traditional research or educational institutions. Third, instead of classroom teaches, new educational institutions teaching scholars are created responsible to prepare courses in every subject area and at different levels within that subject area and feed them into the Technodem making them available to the students as well as the public.Fourth, for the preschool and the first stage of general education up to the eight grade, physical institutions and instructors are used. However, it it is heavily supplemented by computer education through the Technodem particularly in doing homework and seeking study aid. Fifth, the system serves as an enormous library with far more comprehensive services and easily accessible information. This is a marvelous democratic educational system, providing equal opportunity for all that never existed before, and now, achievable only through the use of a highly advanced electronic information and communication system such as the Technodem.Medical ServicesAn extensive data bank regarding medical information, including preventive medicine, health and diet care, are provided while being continually updated by medical task forces, each consisting of experts in a specific area of medical knowledge. All are made available to each individual through the home terminal. The Technodem serves as an ever-ready medical aid that keeps the individual conscious of his health condition and provides him with guidance in taking care of his health. The possibility of many illnesses is discovered by the aid from the Technodem without reference to a medical expert, inducing the individual to consult a doctor. The computer also analyzes all drugs and outlines their beneficial as well as side effects. The same applies to the foodstuff. The computer also provides a list of physicians in the area, with their specialties. After consultation with the computer if it perceives the possibility of an illness, the individual then receives a copy of the computer analysis from the printer of his computer and take it with him to the physician. The Technodem is specifically useful in the case of children, the elderly, and those who shy away from seeing a doctor or are reluctant to pay attention or disclose their physical ailments.Legal ServicesMost of services rendered by attorneys are available to each individual through the Technodem such as information and commentaries about the laws, court decisions, administrative rules and regulations; legal forms needed by an individual such as a lease form, an affidavit, a financial loan, a corporate charter, and thousands of other forms, with appropriate information about completing each form and procedures to be followed. It has also a list of attorneys within the area with their specialties. If asked about a certain illegal act, the computer will explain the laws applied to the situation, including all legal precedents. It will also propose the steps to be taken to resolve the problem which may include seeing an attorney. The Technodem is used extensively by lawyers, prosecuting attorneys, judges and other judicial officials and legal scholars in resolving specific cases, finding answers to specific legal question, computer analysis of suggested legal matters as well as legal research.Product services and Market InformationIn technological democracy, the Technodem will be the principal tool of marketing, shopping around and buying goods and services. One needs to pay attention to understanding the simplicity of highly complex processes of marketing and distribution effectuated through the Technodem.MarketingNearly all kinds of commercial advertising currently used are discarded. As society moves toward technological democracy and the Technodem stores more and more information, production firms gradually tend to submit their catalog of products to the Technodem. When a consumer want to purchase a product, he asks the computer, which immediately shows different varieties of the requested item available in the market with their specifications and price for each. Thus the current system of commercial advertisement loses its effect and tend to be discarded.Tens of billion dollars spent in commercials are saved allowing reduction in costs of goods and services produced, resulting in lower prices since no profits can be made. This enormous capital saved by discarding commercials can then be used toward production of goods and services producing employment opportunities. Another important benefit is the elimination of the unwanted, annoying and time-wasting commercials in the media, particularly television and radio programs, that viewers are presently trapped to listen or view..Each community, depending on its size, has one or more information centers with one or more computers through which newcomers, visitors and travelers can get access to the Technodem and receive information about housing, apartments for rent, hotels, restaurants, entertainment, shopping malls and other desired information.ShoppingShopping, whether retail or wholesale, is carried out mostly through the Technodem since it is easier, reliable, more economic, environmental friendly as well as enjoyable. One may just desire shopping around to see what is in the market. If he is looking for a specific item he may feed it to the computer. The computer responds by listing different brands and varieties of that item produced by different firms with price for each. The consumer may choose items within his desired price range and ask for detail specification about the item by clicking on the item. Specifications for that item appears next to it. If the customer after looking at those has difficulty in choosing a specific item from among those checked, he may ask the computer which one of those is the best buy and why. If he want to see the item before he buys, he may ask which stores in the area carry that item. The computer lists all local stores near to him having the item available.In technological democratic society there is little use for money as we know it today. Each individual carries an electronic bank card where his money is deposited. This card can be used like credit cards we use today. The purchase price is automatically transferred to the seller's account and is immediately verified. The card can be used for any spending such as in restaurants, movie houses, buying gasoline etc., any place in the country and abroad where there is an internet connection. The card holder has easy access to his bank account through the Technodem and manages his account as he desires. There is little use for paper money if any, and ultimately its use will be discarded.Library ServicesIt must be noted that in a technological democratic society, every home has an information-communication center which is a device consisting of a television set, a highly advanced computer, double VCR, copier, printer, scanner, photo-telephone and fax machine, all digital, combined together as a single device. All TV programs, photo-telephone images or computer pages appear on the same large screen. All computers used in any community have access to the Technodem's library. It consists of incredibly vast information in all areas of knowledge, covered worldwide, in humanities, history, social sciences, physical and pure sciences, technology and beyond. Currently, such extended sources of knowledge are not available and those available are stored in thousands of different places. All this immense knowledge is easily accessible to every individual, having access to a computer, through the Technodem. Consequently, the presently existing libraries become all obsolete and gradually discarded. The new local and regional libraries are electronic and actually a part from the Technodem.Of course, any necessary part from the information, whether written, audio, or video, can be copied. However, there is no need to copy any TV program or movie or else since all these are available through the Technodem for viewing, free of charge, at any time. For example, if one wants to see the football championship game of 1955, or summer Olympic games of 1966, he needs just to ask the Technodem. This library is so incredibly complete that it provides information even instruction on any imaginable subject. This may be a beginner tennis lesson, a high level physics, biochemistry instruction or a recipe for a specific Japanese soup.EntertainmentThe Technodem has in its library an immense collection of materials and programs for entertainment such as movies from its silent stage to the most recent productions, concerts, operas, ballets, documentaries of all kinds, whether historical or relating to the nature of things or outer space, sports of any kind, with championship matches, and so on. In each category, the Technodem has in its files all that is available in recorded history of the event or program. from its beginning. For example, in the area of concert, it has available not only concerts held in the Western world but also those held in the Middle East, India, Japan and elsewhere; not only concerts consisting of the Western classical music but also those embodying music from other cultures such as Persian, Arabic, Chinese and so on. Every individual and group wherever they may be located in the world, finds a variety of programs suited to their taste and desire for enjoyment. It must be noted here that the Technodem can be copied by other nations only if allowed by the nation which owns it. It cannot operate in societies which are not democratic which do not adhere to the principle of equality of opportunity.Job Market and EmploymentThe placement services and opportunities available through the Technodem to every individual are unique, and never possible before. Every institution that has any open position feeds it to the Technodem. The person looking for a job or desiring to change his current occupation or place of work may ask the computer for open positions in his desired field or location. He immediately receives a list of such positions in the desired location. If there was none available in that specific area, the computer gives openings closest to the desired area. If the individual has no locality preference, he nay ask for positions open within the region.Each opening has a computer code number appearing on the screen. The applicant, after selecting one or more of the open positions, gives the code number of the position to the computer and inserts his personal computer card (EID) in the computer. Immediately, the terminal in the personnel department of the corresponding institution extracts and transcribes the applicant's personal data. The department's computer, then, studies the applicant's qualifications compared to those of other applicants, and using the applicants EID card code, informs the applicant of the results and his ranking among all the applicants. All this transaction is completed within a minute or two. A supreme benefit of this process is that the applicant finds out, immediately after his application for the job, about his position compared to the other applicants and can figure out the likelihood of being employed. If his standing is not promising, he may then go after other openings without waiting for final results from the one already applied for.After the deadline for application, the final decision is made by each institution and is communicated to the applicants, through the Technodem. The institution may decide to interview the top two or three on the list to select one. The applicant waits for the results of his application for position from other institutions until he is selected by one and is employed. The Technodem provides for incredible speed and simplicity in employment for job-seekers as well as the employers not available before, in a democratic manner and in accordance with the principle of equality of opportunity. At the same time a tremendous amount of time, red tape, and money presently wasted in employment process is saved.Electoral ProcessIt may be said that the most important task of the Technodem is to provide for a democratic electoral process on the basis of equality of opportunity through its enormous capacity to carry out elections for any office in the country. This is a device that for the first time provides for popular democracy and thus materializing the concept of government by the people, of the people and for the people.Each individual is issued an electronic identification card (EID) similar to a credit card, may be smaller in size, containing several megabyte capacity. It contains all information about the owner including birth date, gender, citizenship, residence address, education, employment background, convictions if any. This card is self-updating. Each time it is inserted in the computer, it is updated if a new information about the owner has been entered in the Technodem such as a speeding ticket or any kind of verified illegal action or conviction.On election day, the individual, wherever in the planet with access to computer, inserts his EID card in the computer and votes for any office up for election. Upon the insertion of the card, the Technodem checks information stored in it, verifies and then allows the voter to proceed with voting on the elections website. After he makes his selection for the national, regional or local offices, he clicks he register button. but before his vote is registered, the computer shows him the list of his choices. If he agrees, he clicks the confirm button. His vote then is cast and registered at the local, regional and national electoral data bases. But if he wants to revise it, he clicks the "try again" button and starts all over again. If the voter tries to vote for the same office more than once, it will immediately discovered by the Technodem and not only will be rejected but his improper action will be also recorded in his EID card. The Technodem is immune against hacking or any virus. In a democratic technological society, each individual has access to a high power computer as large as a wrist watch that he carries with him and through which he is in contact with the Technodem as well as the rest of the world. He can also proceed to vote during an election through this computer while walking, or having coffee in a coffee shop. Producing of this device is even possible today with our existing electronic technology.Reference: 1. For details of electronic electoral system see Electronic Electoral System: Simple, Abuse Free, Voter Friendly, by the author. For information about this publication visit democracywhere.com2. For details about the Technodem, see Technological Democracy: A Humanistic Philosophy of Future Society, Chapter Five, also by the author. For information about this publication visit democracywhere.comDr. Reza Rezazadeh 1080 Eastman Street, Platteville, WI 53818 Phone: (608) 348-7064

Post Capitalist Free Market Society (Part VIII) - The Technodem, the Base of Technological Democracy

The National Information and Communication System: The Technodem The Technodem is a term derived from "technological democracy....