The Great Invention of Histories

What is history?

a story in which one person or group of people recount an event in time. A historical account of the events that brought about change. History can be viewed as documentation of past occurrences through documentation. In particular, each society uses history to understand the social order and its structure. Historical accounts help us learn about our past, examine its relationship with other societies and to understand the relationships surrounding us that make up our present society. Through history, we gain knowledge about ourselves, our communities and the world around us. There is also the understanding of the past and future and of how both impact one another and what makes it a “great invention” for global history. Throughout this blog post, I hope to outline some things I have learned by reading various articles and books on this concept through the years. Let’s begin!

Greatest inventions: World history

What do we use to find out about the greatest inventions and innovations in the world today? When did most of these devices come about? How long have they been around? What were their origins and where are they used? How did they become so successful? To help illustrate my point below, let’s look at a few topics I mentioned above and see if they apply to any of you.

Art — Ancient Egypt

Art is a part of ancient Egyptian religion and artistry was an important part of their life. Art and architecture of all types were often thought of highly and their work was regarded as highly important for the overall preservation of the human species. Many of these products survived until very modern times without much use by the Egyptians themselves but now the craftsmen and artists who created them are more revered than gods. They are still used today to build museums, for burial practices, and for creating jewellery. Notable examples: Tutankhamun (a sarcophagus), kouros and hieroglyphics.

Paper — prehistoric Europe

Paper is perhaps one of the oldest materials in the world, and while paper was not invented in Europe, it is believed that we inherited the practice of making and utilizing it from Neanderthals, Homo sapiens, and apes. Paper works well in both glass-making and in ceramics.

Nails — early China

The Chinese have used many things and methods of making nails since the late Paleolithic (earlier known as the Bronze Age) era. While there are certain techniques such as cutting in wood and rock to shape the desired nails, it was the 19th century that saw the development of cast nails and nail clips. These tools were essential in the construction of boats and ships, making them necessary for trade routes. Nowadays, cast nails are being utilized in a variety of industries. All over the world including car manufacturing, household cleaning, cosmetic surgery, construction, automotive, plastic production, and even on aeroplanes. This method is particularly useful for those who wear prosthetics due to the ease of manipulation. Also for dental implants, these nail clippings are sometimes cut off and replaced with new ones. On some occasions, nails are made into decorative accessories and clothing using different types of steel wire called wires. Nail clippers to hold wands or braids were used during the medieval and Renaissance periods. Today, lace crochet is popular.

Paper & aluminium – modern western nations

Paper and aluminium are two common materials found in the modern world through most of the industrial revolutions. It wasn’t until the 1800’s that aluminium began to become widely used throughout the entire world. Aluminium helped increase the speed of locomotives, shipyards, aeroplanes and trains. As is well with rail, it was originally used to create rails, then later used to convey mail when the United States began moving its mail via horse transport and steam engines. Both paper and aluminium were fundamental to almost every type of industry. Early transportation and electronics included bicycle use and radio transmission. We would get news from far away, we moved goods fast, and we were able to communicate with others. For instance, before Morse Code and electronic messaging, we sent text messages by hand and received letters from distant lands through the Postal Service. After using the telegraph to transmit the news, we quickly became dependent on communication technology. As the 20th century progressed, so did aeroplanes and automobiles in our daily lives.

Hackers — 1950s to 1970s

In the 1940s, computers and electricity were becoming ever closer to widespread availability. If you were in an office building, your computer could be connected remotely to a larger network of computers. Computers were available in homes, schools and banks to make calculations, write programs, print text or drawings, and even play games. Computer programming was beginning to become more complex and complex. With machines doing more complex tasks, programmers were becoming increasingly fascinated with ideas about computer science and artificial intelligence. By 1960, “hackers” had taken advantage of widespread, cheap information to help people make use of computing power. Hackers were hackers bent on causing trouble or just fun so they could steal computer codes, break into buildings and networks, wreak havoc on businesses and government agencies, and generally cause chaos. One famous hacker, Richard Mathew Atkinson, had already written software that allowed the FBI to track computerized victims across computer networks. His code name was Breakout, and he was dubbed the “granddaddy of hackers,” because the first program to achieve this goal, named Breakout, was developed in his garage. He was quoted asking, “Can the NSA read email, monitor telephone records and track down criminals?” This question was eventually answered. Later he released programs to spy on computer users and governments, search computers for evidence, and to crack open system vulnerabilities. Eventually, a wide variety of hacking groups emerged, including nation-states like North Korea, Cuba and Vietnam, along with private companies like Netscape Navratil, Microsoft’s Project Zero, and IBM’s Sandbox. Over time, this form of media has evolved, growing more difficult to pull off, more expensive, and less trustworthy. More advanced forms of data attacks have begun developing; malware and viruses start taking root. Ultimately, the hackers who created these threats did it to draw attention to themselves. Some of the biggest organizations hacked, stole intellectual property from corporations, corrupted elected officials, and planted false stories. Governments and individuals are also vulnerable, as evidenced by the 2008 Equifax breach, wherein thousands of confidential credit reports on millions of Americans ended up with random addresses. Security breaches in our personal and professional lives affect individuals and the government alike.

Digital Revolution — 1951–

The digital revolution started early on but took very little place in the 21st century. Digital information began entering the public sphere through the internet — the World Wide Web — as the internet was created. Though most people knew of the Internet, they didn’t know the true extent of it. Thanks to World Wide Web research, it appears that there are thousands of websites and countless ways to access them. Beginning in 1996, websites such as Yahoo, Facebook and YouTube, became prevalent. However, websites that were merely online forums for discussions did not only take hold. Rather, websites like Netflix and Amazon now provide direct links to movies, TV shows and music. Websites like LinkedIn and Google, now called the “web 2.0”, are making up content and advertising themselves almost entirely in the digital realm.

The rise of smartphones — 2010 and beyond

Smartphone phones came into existence in 2001, though actually the smartphone was produced in 2007. Smartphones were initially limited to communicating via voice contact until 2011 when Apple introduced iPads that launched the iPhone 3GS and 4G/5G into being. Since then, smart devices have changed the way consumers interact with each other and their environment. Much of the world is now moving towards using smartphones to access entertainment, send emails and texts to loved ones and interact with their surroundings. Whether this impact will continue to grow as more and more users begin purchasing smartphones for everyday activities will depend heavily upon consumers.

Social Media — 2012 and onward

Social media began with blogging, Twitter and Instagram. Social media has grown tremendously in the last few decades and continues to grow year after year. Major platforms allow us to reach each other through words, pictures, videos and other forms of media. Popular social media sites include Facebook, Skype, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Twitter, Snapchat, Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram. Although social networks have existed for a considerable amount of time, what we consider social media today was created in 2012 with the inception of Snapchat. Unlike traditional media outlets, the likes of Snapchat make it easy to share photos and videos through stickers, GIFs and gifs. Snapchat launched the Snapchat app in June, allowing our favourite celebrities and influencers to tag other stars and share behind-the-scenes clips and video clips, giving them real-time validation and feedback from fans. Within minutes, Snapchat surpassed 250 million users, proving that social media has grown exponentially. Snapchat continues to expand its user base through advertisements that target ads related to specific demographics and encourage younger generations to join the platform. From 2017 onwards, Snapchat plans to release Snapchat Originals, further expanding the service. This is something that gives me hope for the future of mobile apps. Especially from 2020 onwards, I plan on seeing all sorts of mobile apps emerge onto the market such as Bixby, Drip Coffee and Voat.

Online Dating and dating apps — 2014 and onwards

Online dating and dating apps allow us to easily connect to a fellow individual remotely, all with no need for meetings, travel or dates. Before apps surfaced, we met up with people on television sets and in newspapers through letters. Online dating allowed us to stay distant; however, we still maintained connections, especially those 

Memories of 2021

2020 has been a rough year for everyone, especially when we look back at it it is hard to believe that even in 2020. But one thing remains to be remembered what was to happen in 2020 was much like what 2021 will come up. 2020 started as an unprecedented health crisis, with deaths soaring in every single country, with some being higher than 1000. And then Covid-19 hit, which took over the entire world. As of date, almost all economies of the globe are still battling through the pandemic to survive, with countries all around the globe under lockdown. However, there is also a lot going on and there is a need to change things and bring forth the best out of each and every person in our society.

The Covid Pandemic

2020 began with a sudden outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) that led to multiple cases everywhere, worldwide. What started in Wuhan, Hubei Province in China, spread across the world pretty quickly, leaving many areas extremely weak and with no hope of survival. People were confined indoors with strict measures put into place to control the virus; including wearing masks and avoiding social distancing. This meant that millions of people suddenly had to adapt their daily lives from all walks of life.

As a result, an empty year ended up looking completely different in terms of how everyone looks back at it now, as the past 12 months have been not only chaotic for many but also devastating for both humans and the planet, with numerous casualties of global proportions. There has been the loss of thousands of human lives, and the vast majority of the population has lost almost everything they’ve known and loved. No one could have imagined what would come after in the coming years that would go down in history and shape the future of all humanity.

In my opinion, I see the world slowly moving towards freedom, a new beginning of the global community, where citizens come together to create something beautiful that will last a lifetime. The biggest hope that can make it possible in the coming months is the possibility of bringing back normalcy throughout the world, because that may help us overcome our current issues. All this while, we have to remember that change is slow, but it will eventually arrive with the right person, and with the support of the masses. In other words, we cannot rest until the end of this pandemic, which will likely be a few months away right now.

As the vaccine rollout begins, I want to remind you that we never ever forget about anything, so let's take this opportunity to start living once again. That way, life will begin to return to normal in everyone's homes, with restaurants reopening and mass gatherings taking place. We're going back to work and continue the fight against COVID-19, for those who are stuck at home to stay alive to enjoy the moment, and for others who are seeking more freedom to live what they love most.

The End Of Bad Times

In order to achieve this, we must learn how to cope with adversity, we must learn how to rebuild our trust and how to move forward as a stronger and united community. After spending the first 6 months of the outbreak in isolation and mourning, we must work hard to rebuild our relationships across the world, knowing that each of us is capable of making huge changes on the global scale, but as individuals, we can also help make those changes come to pass by sharing stories of how we were able to overcome or overcome, our own shortcomings.

I am very optimistic that 2021 brings forth more positive changes, and I hope that our hearts and minds will be able to focus more on what helps us move towards a free and fair society.

Memories

We were best friends.

We have already worked enough hours in Panamania. So, we are not going to spend Sunday night partying because it is a trip back to our Panamanian way of life. 

So efficient and hushed are our brains in their day-to-day operations, we are apt to miss what an extraordinary and complicated achievement it is to feel mentally well. A mind in a healthy state is, in the background, continually performing a near-miraculous set of manoeuvres that underpin our moods of clear-sightedness and purpose. To appreciate what mental health might be  (and therefore what its opposite involves), we might take a moment to consider some of what will be going on in the folds of an optimally functioning mind: First and foremost, a healthy mind is an editing mind, an organ that manages to sieve,  from thousands of stray, dramatic, disconcerting or horrifying thoughts, those particular ideas, and sensations that actively need to be entertained in order for us to direct our lives effectively. Partly this means keeping at bay punitive and critical judgments that might want to tell us repeatedly how disgraceful and appalling we are - long after harshness has ceased to serve any useful purpose. When we are interviewing for a new job or taking someone on a date,  a healthy mind doesn’t force us to listen to inner voices that insist on our unworthiness. It allows us to talk to ourselves as we would to a friend. At the same time, a healthy mind resists the pull of unfair comparisons. It doesn’t constantly allow the achievements and successes of others to throw us off course and reduce us to a state of bitter inadequacy.  It doesn’t torture us by continually comparing our condition to that of people who have,  in reality, had very different upbringings and trajectories through life. A well-functioning mind recognizes the futility and cruelty of constantly finding fault with its own nature. Along the way, a healthy mind keeps a judicious grip on the faucet of fear.  It knows that, in theory, there is an endless number of things that we could worry about:  a blood vessel might fail, a scandal might erupt,  the plane’s engines could sheer from their wings… But it has a good sense of the distinction between what could conceivably happen and what is, in fact, likely to happen - and it is able to leave us in peace as regards the wilder eventualities of fate,  confident that awful things will either not unfold or could be dealt with ably enough if ever they did so. A healthy mind avoids catastrophic imaginings: it knows that there are broad and stable stone steps, not a steep and slippery incline, between itself and disaster. A healthy mind has compartments with heavy doors that shut securely. It can compartmentalize where it needs to. Not all thoughts belong at all moments. While talking to a grandmother,  the mind prevents the emergence of images of last’s night erotic fantasies; while looking after a child, it can repress its more cynical and misanthropic insights. Aberrant thoughts about jumping on a train line or harming oneself with a sharp knife can remain brief peculiar flashes rather than repetitive fixations. A healthy mind has mastered the techniques of censorship. A healthy mind can quieten its own buzzing preoccupations in order, at times, to focus on the world beyond itself. It can be present and engaged with what and who is immediately around.  Not everything it could feel has to be felt at every moment. It can be a good listener. A healthy mind combines an appropriate suspicion of certain people with a fundamental trust in humanity.  It can take an intelligent risk with a stranger.  It doesn’t extrapolate from life’s worst moments in order to destroy the possibility of anything good emerging with a new acquaintance. A healthy mind knows how to hope;  it identifies and then hangs on tenaciously to a  few reasons to keep going. Grounds for despair,  anger, and sadness are, of course, all around. But the healthy mind knows how to bracket negativity in the name of endurance. It clings to evidence of what is still beautiful and kind. It remembers to appreciate; it can - despite everything - still look forward to a hot bath,  some dried fruit or dark chocolate, a chat with a  friend, or a satisfying day of work. It refuses to let itself be silenced by all the many sensible arguments in favour of rage and despondency. Outlining some of the features of a healthy mind helps us to identify what can go awry when we fall ill. We should acknowledge the extent to which mental illness is ultimately as common, and as essentially unshameful,  as its bodily counterpart. True mental health involves a frank acceptance of how much ill-health there will have to be in even the most ostensibly competent and meaningful life. And we should be no more reluctant to seek help than we are when we develop a chest infection or a sore knee - and should consider ourselves no less worthy of love and sympathy. 

Blow your mind with Psychological Facts

My dear readers today we are going to learn about some psychological facts that will blow your mind ...

         The Effect of Technology on The Brain

Potential harmful effects of extensive screen time and technology use include heightened attention-deficit symptoms, impaired emotional and social intelligence, technology addiction, social isolation, impaired brain development, and disrupted sleep.

With social media sites being used by ⅓ of the entire world, they’ve clearly had 

a major influence on society. But what about our bodies? Here are 5 crazy ways that social media and the internet are affecting your brain right now! Can’t log off? Surprisingly, 5-10% of internet users are actually unable to control how much time they spend online. Though it’s a psychological addiction as opposed to substance addiction, brain scans of these people actually show a similar impairment of regions that those with drug dependence have. Specifically, there is a clear degradation of white matter in the regions that control emotional processing, attention and decision making. Because social media provides immediate rewards with very little effort required, your brain begins to rewire itself, making you desire these stimulations. And you begin to crave more of this neurological excitement after each interaction. Sounds a little like a drug, right? We also see a shift when looking at multi-tasking. You might think that those who use social media or constantly switch between work and websites are better at multitasking, but studies have found that when comparing heavy media users to others, they perform much worse during task switching tests. Increased multitasking online reduces your brains' ability to filter out interferences, and can even make it harder for your brain to commit information to memory. Like when your phone buzzes in the middle of productive work. Or wait...did it even buzz? Phantom Vibration Syndrome is a relatively new psychological phenomenon where you think you felt your phone go off, but it didn’t. In one study, 89% of test subjects said they experienced this at least once every two weeks. It would seem that our brains now perceive an itch as an actual vibration from our phones. As crazy as it seems, technology has begun to rewire our nervous systems - and our brains are being triggered in a way they never have been before in history. Social Media also triggers a release of dopamine - the feel-good chemical. Using MRI scans, scientists found that the reward centres in people’s brains are much more active when they are talking about their own views, as opposed to listening to others. Not so surprising - we all love talking about ourselves right? But it turns out that while 30-40% of face-to-face conversations involve communicating our own experiences, around 80% of social media communication is self-involved. The same part of your brain related to orgasms, motivation and love is stimulated by your social media use - and even more so when you know you have an audience. Our body is physiologically rewarding us for talking about ourselves online! But it’s not all so self-involved. In fact, studies on relationships have found that partners tend to like each other more if they meet for the first time online rather than with a face to face interaction. Whether it’s because people are more anonymous or perhaps more clear about their future goals, there is a statistical increase in successful partnerships that started online. So while the internet has changed our verbal communication with increased physical separation, perhaps the ones that matter most end up even closer. Speaking of social media.