Abstract
Hundreds of graduate students were introduced to the fields of instructional design and educational technology with the riddle of the smart machines, yet over the years no one has answered it correctly. After revealing the surprising answer to this riddle, both the negative and positive impacts of smart machines are analyzed. An example of this is given by developing practical interventions for the shortcomings of the award-winning simulation program The Oregon Trail.
References
Adams, D. (1998). Is there an artificial God? Retrieved from http://www.biota.org/people/douglasadams/
Adams, D. (2004). The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. New York: Harmony.
Anthes, G. (2004, July 5). IBM works on gadgets and gizmos, too. Computerworld. http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/story/0,10801,94287,00.html
AppleMasters. (2009). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved August 4, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AppleMasters.
Batista, E. (2003). Chilly Forecast for Smart Fridge. August 02, 2003, Wired Magazine. http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2003/08/59858.
CNN (2005, June 28). Clever toilet checks on your health. http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/06/28/spark.toilet/index.html
Dubno, D. (2003, November 6). My IBM Vacation. CBS News. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/11/06/tech/digitaldan/main582146.shtml
Hightower, J. (2000, January 9). Coke’s “Intelligent Vending” Machine. http://www.zmag.org/ZSustainers/ZDaily/2000-01/09hightower.htm
Hoover, E. (2002). IBM Introduces ‘Smart’ Washing Machines on College Campuses. The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 3, 2002. http://chronicle.com/free/2002/09/2002090302t.htm
Kornblum, J. (2001). MIT students log on for the loo lowdown. USA Today, retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2001-09-05-ebrief.htm.
Lightreading.com. (n.d.). IP on Everything. Retrieved May 30, 2008, from http://www.lightreading.com/techenc.asp?term=IP%20on%20Everything
Manuel, G. (October 20, 2003). Dial-a-Coke is slacking thirst in Australia. The Wall Street Journal, R3
Needleman, R. (2006). Video: Linux with chocolate flavor? Retrieved February 22, 2008, from http://news.cnet.com/1606-2_3-6036425.html
Overholt, A. (2002, March). A (Virtually) Perfect Close. Fast Company, Issue 57, p. 112.
Rothman, W. (2003, November). Cable Cutters. Time, p. A41.
Tierney, J. (2007, December 18). Why nobody likes a smart machine. New York Times. Retrieved May 30, 2008, from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/18/science/18tier.html
Yee, B. (2003, August 29). Internet Accessible Coke Machines. Retrieved February 22, 2008, from http://www-cse.ucsd.edu/users/bsy/coke.html
Zuboff, S. (1984). In the Age of the Smart Machine. New York: Basic Books.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Howell, D.D. The Riddle of the Smart Machines. TECHTRENDS TECH TRENDS 54, 33–37 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-009-0361-z
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-009-0361-z