In COMM 272G, we were asked to do a brief final project. I chose to do a brief paper on five technological advancements that I found interesting. Most of them revolved around school, such as online/zoom classes and how ID cards were our keys, though I did mention QR codes as well. The entire assignment can be found below.

There are a number of technological advancements that I find interesting, but these are the ones most poignant to this project. All five of them happen to be related to something on campus as well!

The first one are the food delivery robots; I find it fascinating how they are able to navigate by themselves and not get damaged by vehicles or passing students. This is the first time I’ve ever seen one in person, before they were just conceptual ideas and funny videos of prototypes to me- now they are real and fascinating. They’re also cute.

Secondly, I find it interesting how ID cards have changed. Years ago, campus ID cards were just to make sure people could verify who you were on campus, but not have many more direct ways to do that. You use them to get into your dorms, the dining hall, scan attendance, and even as a campus-connected “debit card” of sorts.

Thirdly, most of the restaurants on campus work by touch screen now. I find this unfortunate; restaurants like Chick-fil-A do so much better with a friendly person you can talk to to order. Now you just order it yourself. The technology has essentially turned the customer into the cashier, making it wildly impersonal.

Fourth, after the pandemic, online classes became a thing. Since then I have not only seen online classes remain popular even five-odd years later, but “asynchronous classes” are now a thing- classes online with no teachers where you essentially teach everything to yourself.

Finally, one thing I have always found fascinating are QR codes. They feel almost like magic runes to me- strange emblems placed on a wall that lead you to a result if you point your magic mirror (phone) at them. I’ve always wondered exactly how their shape translated into a result, or how they were generated. They’re used frequently on campus, especially for club information and even for attendance.