1. What are the benefits of the new technologies (industrial machinery, feeding machine, closed circuit cameras) shown in the film? Who gains from these technologies?
A. The Standardization of the Products
A. The Standardization of the Products
One of the benefits of the industrial machinery is the standardization of the products because the quality of the products is easier to be controlled unless the machines are broken. Because (parts of) the products come from the SAME mold, SAME or even IDENTICAL (parts of) the products will be produced. The possibility of man-made mistakes would be minimized. As a result, the quality of the final products can be easier maintained.
B. The Higher Efficiency of Production Rate
The machines can manufacture the products in a higher speed. In a factory, the system adopted is an assembly line which means that the production process of the products is divided into many small tasks. A specific group of workers (Chaplin himself in this case) are responsible for a particular small task, every time they work, that group of workers performs and concentrates on the SAME PATTERN repeatedly. Since ‘practice makes perfect’, those workers are familiar with their own job and are the ‘experts’ of their own procedure. Then, they can not only perform better (because they know the skill), but also faster (because they get used to it).
C. Mass Production with Lower Cost
2. What is the effect of these technologies on the main character’s life/mood/body?
Charlie Chaplin or we can generalize to all factory workers are exploited by his boss. The boss does not allow them to take a rest from long working hours. The boss even speeds up the machine so the workers need to repeat the action in a faster pace. This reinforces the robotic action of the workers. Charlie even cannot control his body during the lunchtime. His hands still repeat the action unconsciously. It also reflects from the film that Charlie is so nervous and tense about his job. When he sees the buttons on a women’s dress, he thinks they are the things manufactured by the machines. Obviously, Charlie is deeply affected by his job.
3. What effects does using computers and the internet have on your life/mood/body?
It does not deny that computers and the internet affect me greatly. For the academic aspect, when we write paper or do project, we can look up the relevant information on the internet by the search engines. It would be convenient for us to do so because the search engines extract some key websites automatically for us to look at. As a result, we can glance the whole picture quickly. Comparing with the literature research in the library, we have to spend much more time to find a suitable book and relevant article.
C. Mass Production with Lower Cost
It is obviously the machines can help the mass production of the products. However, the most important point is that the cost of such mass production is lower INDIRECTLY with the help of machines (when it is compared with same amount of products produced without the aid of industrial machineries). Since, same amount of products are produced in a shorten time, both the wages of the labor and the electricity cost thus are reduced. As a result, there is a possible low unit cost for manufactured goods.
D. The Convenience brought by New Technology
Conclusion
The Boss (capitalists) gains the greatest benefits from the advanced new technologies because these technologies help him to make the greatest profits. The consumers also gain benefits from the new technology because they can buy products with low price but high quality.D. The Convenience brought by New Technology
Although it seems that the feeding machine brings a lot of problems in the movie, it may be useful and convenient in a certain sense, such as for the disabled people. Because of the new technology, the disabled people can eat by themselves without the aid of others.
Instead of going every department in person, the boss can stay in his office to watch the whole factory through the CCTV. The boss can monitor the working environment of the factory so that the workers are under control. He can command his workers with the microphone and speakers as well. It is much save time for the boss to do so. It can also avoid the laziness of the workers.
Instead of going every department in person, the boss can stay in his office to watch the whole factory through the CCTV. The boss can monitor the working environment of the factory so that the workers are under control. He can command his workers with the microphone and speakers as well. It is much save time for the boss to do so. It can also avoid the laziness of the workers.
Conclusion
2. What is the effect of these technologies on the main character’s life/mood/body?
Charlie Chaplin or we can generalize to all factory workers are exploited by his boss. The boss does not allow them to take a rest from long working hours. The boss even speeds up the machine so the workers need to repeat the action in a faster pace. This reinforces the robotic action of the workers. Charlie even cannot control his body during the lunchtime. His hands still repeat the action unconsciously. It also reflects from the film that Charlie is so nervous and tense about his job. When he sees the buttons on a women’s dress, he thinks they are the things manufactured by the machines. Obviously, Charlie is deeply affected by his job.
3. What effects does using computers and the internet have on your life/mood/body?
It does not deny that computers and the internet affect me greatly. For the academic aspect, when we write paper or do project, we can look up the relevant information on the internet by the search engines. It would be convenient for us to do so because the search engines extract some key websites automatically for us to look at. As a result, we can glance the whole picture quickly. Comparing with the literature research in the library, we have to spend much more time to find a suitable book and relevant article.
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| An electronic typewriter |
Besides, my hand writing is not good and thus the standardized font style would make our work neatly and tidy. Consequently, the work is easy to read. Although some people may think typewriter can achieve this purpose, the computer can have more different font styles and effects.
And the most important is that the word processing software helps us organizing our paper easily. We can edit our text before printing and need not ‘cut and paste’ physically. As Carol mentioned in class, she has to cut her paper in different sentences and then arrange them. The editing tool in the software is more user-friendly as we can ‘undo’ our action by a few buttons. We not only reduce using paper, but also save the physical space.
Sometimes I think I am addicted to the internet. I sit in front of the computer for long times or until midnight. My posture is not that appropriate. Therefore, my shoulder and the back are painful occasionally. Bibliography:
Most of your points are related to "Effectiveness" and "efficiency". And it is always be a great concern for the boss, government and not for the workers.
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