Digital Commons Network^™

Cutting The Puppet Strings: Confronting The Singularity, Gabriel Joesph Weiss

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Modern technology has excelled at an unprecedented rate. The rise of artificial intelligence raises many ethical questions and concerns for humanity, as it has incited many pressing debates between philosophers, computer scientists, and social critics who share concerns for the future of humanity but conflict with one another regarding whether or not we should rely on technology to govern human affairs and control society's infrastructures. Drawing from Martin Heidegger, Jacques Ellul, Hubert Dreyfus, and others, this project weighs out the probabilities and problems of the technological singularity posited by Ray Kurzweil, confronting our habits of addressing technology and the way …

The Valley Of Science And Fiction: Capitalism, Labor, Race, And Environment In The Silicon Valley, Juliette R. Zicot

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Multidisciplinary Studies of Bard College

Haredi Chinuch: The Role Of Education And Technology On The Borders Of Ultra-Orthodox Communities, Anna Stewart

Senior Projects Spring 2022

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

“Gaining Control” Women’S Health On Period And Pregnancy Trackers, Stecy Mbemba

Senior Projects Spring 2022

This project conducts a discourse analysis on four FemTech platforms: Clue, Flo, Ovia, and Sprout. It interrogate how these apps market their services and shape user attitudes about health. This analysis takes place in four sections: (1) visuals, (2) language, (3) services, and (4) terms of use and privacy. This project makes an argument for how FemTech replicates rather than mitigate disparities in the U.S healthcare system.

Sustainable Energy Imaginaries: Utilizing Mie Optics To Reengineer Photobioreactors And Reimagine The Socio-Spatial Conditions Of Autonomous Energy Production, Spencer Morgan Checkoway

Senior Projects Spring 2022

In order to build a more sustainable future, society must transition toward carbon negative energy production and infrastructure. Algae photobioreactors have proven to be an efficient producer of lipid rich oil which can be synthesized into carbon neutral biodiesel. However, the neutrality of such a technology rests in its ability to yield adequate algal biomass through photosynthesis. In order to reach maximum quantum efficiency of algal cells, solar flux must be transformed so that photon absorption can occur without oversaturating the constituent matter. This project looks at the scattering effects of iridocyte-like structures and their potential to create cost effective …

Excerpts From Witness’S Testimony, Menahem Haike

Senior Projects Spring 2021

Excerpts from Witness’s Testimony

(New York v Taylor)

including “Eyes Like the Eyes of a Man, and a Mouth Speaking Pompous Words”

by Dr. Daniel Yochai

Introduction by Dr. Yehuda Mendelsohn

From The Black Panther Party To Black Lives Matter: The Weaponization Of Surveillance Against Black Activists, Arianna Marinez-Perry

Senior Projects Spring 2020

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

Touch(Screen), Almeida Paroubek

Senior Projects Spring 2020

How do you maintain a relationship with someone who lives 3,639 miles away? Last spring I collaborated with my partner, who lives in Germany, on one of my final art projects. I wanted to find a way for us to be able to work together despite the distance. This evolved into a larger body of artwork and became the focus of my senior project. The project as a whole became an examination of how my partner and I established a relationship and how it has lasted for two and a half years; despite a heavy reliance on technology--often seen as …

Turned On: An Exploration Of Intimacy In The Age Of Technology., Franchesca Breanna Chorengel

Senior Projects Spring 2018

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Arts of Bard College.

A Historical Comparison, And Speculative Analysis Of The Technological Revolution: Winners, Losers, And Technological Capabilities, Caleb Larosa

Senior Projects Spring 2018

Technological innovation began long ago, and if we start at its origin, and slowly breakdown its progression to present day, a significant role, and purpose begins to emerge. However, technology is now smarter than ever, and despite being able to refer to the past, there are countless uncertainties regarding the current capabilities, and the predetermined path of automation and computerisation. Moreover, there is much to be discovered surrounding the role of technology within income inequality. How much of the inequality and progression of trends can we attribute to technology? Will technology displace the majority of human labor hours? It is …

Virtual Spirit, Alanna G. Rebbeck

Senior Projects Spring 2018

The following reflects my personal beliefs, and does not prescribe them to you

1. Human and technological evolution coincide in a reciprocal cycle of creation

2. In its construction, technology reflects humans

3. In their construction, humans reflect technology

4. Both function in a constant exchange between material and immaterial realms

5. Technological objects generate virtual spaces

a. Virtual space: artificially constructed immaterial space that contains products of technological engagement

b. These spaces exist within both the individual and the external virtual realm

6. Human bodies generate spiritual spaces

a. Spiritual space: organically constructed immaterial space that contains products of …

"I'Ll Listen To Anything But Country Music" The Limits Of Musical Omnivorousness: A Study Of Listening Preferences At The Root Cellar, Aurélia S. Le Vacon

Senior Projects Spring 2018

This research, conducted at a musical safe space called the “Root Cellar”, looks at the recent emergence of a new form of aesthetic preferences, called omnivorousness, that challenges Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of taste as only following an elitist model. This study understands the concept of the habitus as something that can evolve with time and social experiences. Moreover, I found that omnivorousness (eclectic taste) isn’t as musically inclusive as past studies have claimed. Omnivorousness is reinforced by technology, with the creation of online music streaming platforms. The mobility and privatization of listening spaces that emerge from technological progress generate new …

Problems With Using Statistics To Justify Institutional Policies, Justin Shin

Senior Projects Spring 2017

It is becoming increasingly common for institutions to use statistics to inform policy decisions. We should be prepared to ask ourselves what regulatory principles should be imposed on institutions that seek to justify certain policies through deference to a statistical analysis. This paper will examine the difficulties that come with using statistics to justify actions, and argue that certain standards of transparency and verifiability should be expected from any institution that seeks to involve a statistical analysis in the formation of policies. I will first use Market Share Liability, an established use of statistics, to draw out what responsibilities an …

The Curation Of Worldviews, Jason Toney

Senior Projects Fall 2016

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

Like The Moon, Camille Weisgant

Senior Projects Spring 2015

An adaptation of the traditional Japanese Noh play "Ama," "Like the Moon" explores what it means to die in the 21st century, when death, just like life, is mediated by technology.

Cyber Power Restrained: How Strategic Culture Inhibits The Integration Of Cyber Weapons By The United States Military, David Matthew Bisson

Senior Projects Spring 2014

This article seeks to reconcile the support status of cyber power in the United States military with the seriousness of the cyber threat confronting the nation. It rejects the argument that cyber weapons are not useful and are not traditional “weapons” by drawing parallels between cyber power and military force in the physical domains, as well as revealing how some of the most prominent issues in cybersecurity are political and not technological in nature. The article proposes strategic culture as an alternative explanation for U.S. cyber power’s current status. By studying the case studies of American air and space power, …

The Environmental And Cultural Effects On The Conquest Of Mexico, Tristan Siegel

Senior Projects Spring 2012

In this work I examine the environment and cultural attitudes of Mesoamericans, specifically the Mexica (Atzec), and how these factors played a role in the Conquest of Mexico by Hernan Cortes. I begin by examining Mesoamerican agriculture, lithic technology, and metallurgy. I conclude by examining how these factors played out in the Conquest.