Technological Life Cycle - Assignment Example

Technological Life Cycle. The technology to be analysed in this life cycle involves a computer. Computers have become common household items. These electronic devices sometimes outlive their purposes with the introduction of newer and more efficient machines. One case of a computer outliving its purpose can be described through an old Macintosh computer (Liu 2009). This computer could be introduced into the market in 1995. The computer could have an old processor working at 256Hz and a RAM of 512MB. These specs currently can be outdone by mobile devices from the same company. To make matters worse, the old Macintosh computer cannot be carried around. Its general appearance represents a classic item. Because of these factors and many more, the computer becomes more of a burden than an asset. Given that the machine exists beyond its prime time, it cannot be placed in a public place at home (Liu 2009). This picture may draw embarrassment in the form of exposing the owners as outdated or old fashioned. The process of making these types of electronics involves diverse industrial processes and mechanism to extract and build items. The types of extractions involve different types of minerals in different places. For instance, gold, which happens to be the most valued mineral in history, can be used to make components of a computer (Liu 2009). These components include the storage devices and lining of disks. This gold can be acquired from different markets depending on the price and industrial value of the same. Other minerals that can be used in the manufacture of a computer include aluminium and copper. These different types of materials do not originate from the same place hence their combined usage involves assembling them in the required quantities. Their assembly involves a large scale collection since they become used in mass production. For instance, an old Macintosh computer can weigh up to 15 kilograms. The production at that time perhaps involved an average of 10,000 computers per day. When the total weight to be produced in a day becomes calculated it adds up to 150 tonnes. When the industrial waste due to the production becomes added, the weight involved can add up to approximately 200 tonnes of raw materials per day. This means that at least 200 tonnes of raw materials has to be shipped into the company every day. This shipment involves the mining of similar quantities from the sources (Liu 2009). These quantities can be directly proportional to the percentage that they make in one electronic component. The expenditure used in the acquiring of materials becomes passed on to the customer. Electronics usually have a short life span due to the numerous inventions in the technology industry. These inventions make the manufacture of this equipment to evolve rapidly. Because of the rapid evolution of this equipment, the rate at which a product becomes outdated, increases significantly. This may not have any impact on the people who do not need to keep up with the trends, but for the young, these trends influence their lifestyles a lot. In addition, the quality of these products becomes improved to extents that make the functionality of the previous products look like Stone Age products. As a result, the machines, which become outdated, become useless almost immediately. Their functionality may still be intact, but their necessity becomes diminished. As a result, this equipment finds their way into dustbins faster than they should be dumped. The computer discussed above in a cradle to grave environment can end up dumped or worse still buried. The fate will depend on the ignorance or knowledge of the former user. This component at times may become totally hidden in an archives store. It can only to be retrieved when the storage needs to be cleared. During this moment, it can be re located to a dumping site. Given that most of the components can decompose or can be affected by chemical reaction, the old computer may waste away in the dumping site (Liu 2009). In a cradle to grave design, this rotting computer may end up being a health hazard. This may be due to its components becoming integrated with the environment either through chemical reactions or decomposition. Given that the computer as an industrial product it becomes made through different chemical compositions, these chemicals may end up in the environment. Other effects also include depletion of the environment since the dumping consumes space. The areas that this equipment become dumped become health hazards since a person’s carelessness can lead to the subject getting injuries. In a cradle to cradle design, this equipment can be recycled as a conservation measure (Miller & Cuginotti 2008). This conservation can be in form using the old equipment to build equipment that serve similar purposes. This equipment can be as described earlier whereby old computers become useless due to new versions of computers. A good example of a recycling method that can be used involves people with old computers exchanging them for new computers at a reduced price. The companies that make these computers can make offers in a bid to get cheaper raw materials for their new products. Additionally, these raw materials make the production simpler since only extraction of the required material from the old computers becomes done. This may serve to make the owner be at ease with getting rid of their old equipment. This way of doing this can be a realisation of hitting two birds with one stone. The user of the old computer becomes a proud owner of a modern computer and in addition, gets rid of the old computer. This getting rid of the old computer also becomes done without depleting the environment. The cradle to cradle design can also be used to acquire essential elements (Miller & Cuginotti 2008). For instance, a computer recycling company in Japan reported the recycling of old computers had led to extraction of gold (Bradsher 2010). This gold becomes recycled in other industrial processes whereas the rest of the computer waste became used in other ways. This move which results from Japan’s exhausted mineral deposits goes on to show the effects over using the current natural resources (Bradsher 2010). The country has made tremendous progress in tapping minerals from old computers, cell phones and other electronic gadgets. This shows that the old computers can be put to proper use if recycled hence saving a lot of expenditure (Bradsher 2010). Several artistes use their creativity by recycling used computers to convey their message to others in an artistic form. This artiste can also make toys using parts of old computers. Some of the toys implemented include toy cars made from the mouse of an old computer. This can be sold to a parent for his or her children. These artistes also make jewellery out of the same. For instance, a ring can be made from the keys of a keyboard. A necklace can also be modified from the keys of a keyboard. These also come along with letters to represent a person’s abbreviation or field of interest. Bracelets also come in handy in the variety of the jewellery made. The artistes also use more complicated methods of modifying old computer parts. Some artists go as far as making toy animals such as; elephants, butterflies and spiders. Some make keys of the keyboard as key holders for their keys. One creative method involves the use of the “Home” key as a key holder. This goes without saying that the door key held with the keyboard key labelled “Home” belongs to the owner’s home. Some creative designs have gone on to make monuments and landmarks such as the Eiffel tower. Other components can be used to make military toys, mini sandals and even toy helicopters. The old computers can also be used to represent the historical evolutions of a company. Just like antics become collected to be displayed in a museum, old computers can be displayed in a museum (Anon 2011). For instance, the old computers used at the beginning of the 19th century can be found in different museums. Some people have seized this opportunity to make old computer museums. These museums consist of old computers, which may or may not be functional. These computers can be used to explain in a meaningful way the evolution of computers. These computers when collected to form museums, can lead to the creation of space formally occupied by them. This also leads to reduction of wastage since the functioning computers become utilised in their original forms without having to recycle them (Anon 2011). A person who can take this organisation of old computer’s museum can also find alternative ways of generating income. Given the different models and versions of computers made over time, the old computer museum can have visitors and students interested in computers’ history (Anon 2011). In conclusion, the cradle to cradle design has a lot of benefits. The recycling program proves to be a saving method in many dimensions. If utilised well, the environment can be conserved a terrific deal and old computers can become useful once again. Question 2 1. The attached spread sheet shows the annual costs and benefits. It also goes on to compare the solar energy, natural gas and electricity in graphs. These graphs show the favourable choice among them which happens to be solar energy 2. The net present values of the technologies according to the calculations on the spread sheet are as follows: . Solar – $20,403.92 Natural Gas – $8,568.00 Electricity - $3502.10 3. The best technology for low discount rates is electricity. This decision arises from the fact that the electricity comes from a constant source whose primary role involves provision of the service. The solar system has many risks due to weather patterns hence may not be a constant supply of energy. The natural gas can have many irregularities such as insufficient gas (Anon. 2012). The gas also needs extra investment in time in order to cater to the periodic needs that this system requires. These comparisons show that the electricity has the biggest reliability since all you need to do only involve paying the bills on time. Electricity has the least risks. On the other side, solar has the highest number of risks making it the most preferable choice. The natural gas has an unpredictability that makes it neither a big risk nor a preferred choice. Additionally, the solar system of energy happens to be free and renewable (Tom Pisello 2010). This makes the solar energy not only saving on expenditure but also useful in preservation of the funds. The spread sheet gives figurative evidence for this observation. 4. The best technology for low discount rates happens to be solar since it has the highest benefits after the net present value becomes calculated. When solar technology becomes compared to the natural gas it has a far much higher return on the costs. On the other hand, natural gas has higher than returns which automatically makes solar energy the best choice. 5. The simple payback amounts to 3 years for Solar, 2 years for Natural gas and 21/2 years for the electricity. This represents the amount of time it will take to fully recover the original investment cost. References Anon. (2011). How to Make Art From Old Computer Components [Online]. USA: CollTickling.com. Retrieved from: http://cooltickling.com/2011/how-to-make-art- from-old-computer-components/ [Accessed 2nd October 2012]. Anon. (2012). Definition of Cradle-To-Grave Analysis [Online]. UK: Green Plank. Retrieved from: http://ecowood.greenplank.eu/definition-of-cradle-to-grave- analysis_123_term.html [Accessed 2nd October 2012]. Anon. (2012) U.S. marketed natural gas production levels off in the first half of 2012 [Online]. USA: Today in Energy. Retrieved from: http://www.eia.gov/ [Accessed 3rd October 2012]. Bradsher, K. (2010) Japan Recycles Minerals From Used Electronics [Online]. USA: New York Times. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/05/business/global/05recycle.html?pagewanted=all &_r=0 [Accessed 2nd October 2012]. Braungar, M. (2012). Cradle to Cradle Design. Brussels: EPEA INTERNATIONALE UMWELTFORSCHUNG GMBH. Liu, L. (2009). Tracking the Life cycle of Steel: The Development of a Resource loop. Kansas City: Kansas School of Engineering. Miller,K. & Cuginotti, A. (2008) Design and decision making: Backcasting using principle to Implement Cradle to Cradle. Karlskrona. Sweden: School of Engineering, Blekinge Institute of Technology. Pisello, T. (2010) Net Present Value defined [Online]. USA: SearchCIO. Retrieved from: http://searchcio.techtarget.com/tip/Net-Present-Value-defined [Accessed 3rd October 2012]. Read More

This means that at least 200 tonnes of raw materials has to be shipped into the company every day. This shipment involves the mining of similar quantities from the sources (Liu 2009). These quantities can be directly proportional to the percentage that they make in one electronic component. The expenditure used in the acquiring of materials becomes passed on to the customer. Electronics usually have a short life span due to the numerous inventions in the technology industry. These inventions make the manufacture of this equipment to evolve rapidly.

Because of the rapid evolution of this equipment, the rate at which a product becomes outdated, increases significantly. This may not have any impact on the people who do not need to keep up with the trends, but for the young, these trends influence their lifestyles a lot. In addition, the quality of these products becomes improved to extents that make the functionality of the previous products look like Stone Age products. As a result, the machines, which become outdated, become useless almost immediately.

Their functionality may still be intact, but their necessity becomes diminished. As a result, this equipment finds their way into dustbins faster than they should be dumped. The computer discussed above in a cradle to grave environment can end up dumped or worse still buried. The fate will depend on the ignorance or knowledge of the former user. This component at times may become totally hidden in an archives store. It can only to be retrieved when the storage needs to be cleared. During this moment, it can be re located to a dumping site.

Given that most of the components can decompose or can be affected by chemical reaction, the old computer may waste away in the dumping site (Liu 2009). In a cradle to grave design, this rotting computer may end up being a health hazard. This may be due to its components becoming integrated with the environment either through chemical reactions or decomposition. Given that the computer as an industrial product it becomes made through different chemical compositions, these chemicals may end up in the environment.

Other effects also include depletion of the environment since the dumping consumes space. The areas that this equipment become dumped become health hazards since a person’s carelessness can lead to the subject getting injuries. In a cradle to cradle design, this equipment can be recycled as a conservation measure (Miller & Cuginotti 2008). This conservation can be in form using the old equipment to build equipment that serve similar purposes. This equipment can be as described earlier whereby old computers become useless due to new versions of computers.

A good example of a recycling method that can be used involves people with old computers exchanging them for new computers at a reduced price. The companies that make these computers can make offers in a bid to get cheaper raw materials for their new products. Additionally, these raw materials make the production simpler since only extraction of the required material from the old computers becomes done. This may serve to make the owner be at ease with getting rid of their old equipment. This way of doing this can be a realisation of hitting two birds with one stone.

The user of the old computer becomes a proud owner of a modern computer and in addition, gets rid of the old computer. This getting rid of the old computer also becomes done without depleting the environment. The cradle to cradle design can also be used to acquire essential elements (Miller & Cuginotti 2008). For instance, a computer recycling company in Japan reported the recycling of old computers had led to extraction of gold (Bradsher 2010). This gold becomes recycled in other industrial processes whereas the rest of the computer waste became used in other ways.

This move which results from Japan’s exhausted mineral deposits goes on to show the effects over using the current natural resources (Bradsher 2010). The country has made tremendous progress in tapping minerals from old computers, cell phones and other electronic gadgets.

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