The apocalypse is here. Or is it?
Editorial
According to the Mayan calendar the world will end on 21st of December 2012. How this will happen is not known. Some perceptions of the apocalypse invoke volcanos, flooding and earthquakes, others are referring to meteor strikes. We do not believe in this.
However, having the apocalypse as a topic for this issue of Teknovatøren allows us to highlight some of the more long-term apocalyptic challenges the world is facing. Regardless of what an ancient calendar has predicted or New Agers claim, the world is facing significant challenges this coming century.
The list of concerns is in fact long: climate change, religious and cultural differences, economic collapse, ecological crises, genetic modifications, food shortage, loss of biological diversity, etc. A recurring theme is that technology is involved in all of these concerns, either as the cause of the problem or as a solution to the problem. Sometimes even both. This emphasizes the fascinating duality of technologies; they can be regarded both as solutions to societal challenges, or as problems in themselves.
People in the academic communities studying technol- ogy or people in the environmental organisations are often divided into technology optimists and technology pessimists. I would rather encourage people to be analytical about technologies and to study the mentioned duality that lies within them. We need to be critical about it, but still regard technology as a great tool that has to be handled with caution. Whether we like it or not, technological progression will probably not halt any time soon. The best we can hope for is to try to control its development and use it for the better of the society.
Erlend Osland Simensen
ESST MA Student
Articles
- 2012 – Simensen / Hennum Wendt / Doppelmayr
- My Super Sweet Apocalypse – Tim de Gier
- Sweet & Sour Taste in China – Martin Bredeli
- #Crowdsourcing – Nicolai Hennum Wendt
- The Fear of Creating a Monster – Ulrika Eriksson
- Can Technology Secure Our Food Supply – Nicolai Hennum Wendt
- Paranoid Android – Andreas Doppelmayr
- The Crisis if Modernity – Einar Jacobsen
- Walking the Path Paved with Fossile Fuels – Erlend Osland Simensen
- Are Nations Rich in Oil and Gas Resources Climate Laggards? – Linn Renate Olaussen
- Norway’s Potential in the Technology of Recycling – Håvard Tunheim
- Who Fears – Erland Einbu Wigenstad
- A Talk With Bruno Latour – Ruben Solér & Thomas Rye Eriksen
- Confessions of a Lecturer – Hilde Reinertsen
- Knockout! – Thomas Rye Eriksen
- The Quiz of the Apocalypse – Linn Renate Olaussen
- 3 from TIK – Erland Einbu Wigenstad
Board of Directors
Chairman: Stefan Jøines
Executive Editor: Erlend Osland Simensen
Head of Finance: Ulrika Eriksson
Head og Marketing & Innovation: Marianne Austheim
Art Director: Andreas Doppelmayr
Webmaster: Nicolai Hennum Wendt
Contributors
Layout: Andreas Doppelmayr
Graphics Consultants: Vidar Bakkeli, Huyen Tran Nguyen Ho
Cover Illustration: Ulrikke Nordseth
Logo Design: Ulrikke Nordseth