No doubt that technology’s made the world a lot smaller in terms of communications, travel, information and idea exchanges, social networking, etc. It is the basis of the modern era, without which everything – from managing and moving around 6+ billion people, to understanding the way the planet works etc.

Yet there are still some stubborn vestiges of our past notions of cultural and spatial individuality that linger, which frustrates a true harmonization of the single human race. Beyond language and direct cultural differences, which are outside the purview of this blog, there are simple things that we can’t agree on with respect to how we live our lives, and when technology shrinks the world, these vestiges stick out like a field of sore thumbs.

Let’s talk about successes first. Green lights unversally mean ‘go’ at traffic intersections, and I hope people all know what a nuclear waste/danger symbol looks like! Almost all countries have gone metric in some form or another – only the USA, Burma and Libya officially remain exclusively non-metric, though the sciences generally conform to a metric standard.

Let’s start simple: why can’t we decide which side of the road to drive on? The real reasons for the side we drive on developed based on individual societies, but once mass production and mass shipments made vehicles available to all, the reasons held for which side of the road we drive on is more a cultural relic than anything practical. At the same time, why can’t we agree on which side of the car the gas tank should be? We see a lot of car-related issues dealing with technology non-standardization when the Japanese domestic imports – our “deportees” – arrive unable to access local radios and run on higher-octane fuel.

Ok let’s move this to something more complex and directly related to modern technologies. We can’t agree on standardizing which voltage to use in our electrical supply systems, and this has led to a cottage industry of travel plug adapters. We can’t buy DVDs in Europe or Asia to play in Jamaica because we’re wired for Region 1 DVDs, the same as the USA, which also can’t play DVDs from Europe or Asia. Sure, I know this is built in for copy-protection etc, but seriously, in the age of the internet allowing for the downloading of anything, or simply going to YouTube?

So while we need and crave the smaller world to live and work and play in, we – and they – don’t really want it, do we? A smaller world for some things, and an individualized world for other things? Who decides?

This is where the issue of standards is critically important. The Bureau of Standards does a pretty good educational campaign on this, and here’s where the practical application of science comes out swinging. Standardizing technologies is as much psychological science and hardcore chemistry and physics, as it is about understanding cultural norms in different societies, which plays into the social SCIENCE of business and marketing.

But in the meantime, why can’t we just agree on a PLUG type? I’m not talking about voltage cycles etc, simply the plug itself… I’m overseas now, and now I have to go hunt for an adapter… Serves me right for forgetting the simple things.

But I’ve also seen technologists – the programmers, systems analysts, etc – who pay no heed to the science which underpins their work. And I zero in on my field – the geosciences. I’ve seen GPS tracking system developers deploy systems without appreciation of data scale and accuracy (even Google Maps aren’t super-accurate – just because a road is “mapped” doesn’t mean that it’s accurate or scale-correct). The appreciation comes from understanding both the content and the application. If Google Maps are to be used for background data, no problem. But to base location-specific information solely on Google Maps, which was built overseas, is to disregard the importance of scale and accuracy of the data. I’ve seen engineers, with their sophisticated systems for construction, disregard simple geotechnical information on soils, slopes, and natural systems processes that operate beyond the scope of their projects. I’ve seen pretty software developed that are hollow, full of promise that will never be fulfilled. I’ve seen the media buy into the hype of that promise but never follow up when reality hits.

Many things are possible with technology. We CAN do this, and we COULD do that with this and that system. We keep inventing and re-inventing wheels to solve problems that were never fully defined or fleshed out. That’s where the science comes in. When we use technology to assist the science, and where the scientists embrace this (I have some colleagues who still use tape measures and hand-drawn maps), we can do so much more. I know technologists who promise the world, and indeed develop systems that replicate the world in a machine. The problem is that it’s their own interpretation of their world, not the real one where we all live. I’ve seen technologists tell me there’s no such place as Portmore because the community listing only shows Edgewater, Bridgeport, etc; there’s no room for both in their world. So their sophisticated community listing system will return a null listing if you were to type in Portmore, and YOU’RE the one that’s wrong, not them.

You could find two Portmore residents who live next to each other and ask them where they live, where one may say Portmore, and the other may say Braeton. Who’s to say one is right and the other is wrong?

So there we have a fancy system that’s all style and no substance in the real world and real users. We have scientists who can say because of certain tectonic conditions certain parts of Jamaica are likely to be destroyed by a Haiti-style event, but who fail to realize that technology can mitigate against this, or at least make their assessments more accurate and relevant (when combined with other non-seismic data – if the place that will be destroyed is in the middle of nowhere, will it matter? Only technology can answer that, either from a physical or social perspective). So there’s your substance and no style.

The worst of all is the no style and no substance – the scientists talking nonsense using upside-down overhead projector slides…

So let’s all go for all style and all substance. Otherwise it’s a waste of time…

Professionally, I focus on the former, where pre-evaluations and modeling help make more informed decisions, but the fact is in order to do this, we still need data from past events, ie., data collected post-event from a previous disaster fed into informing us ahead of a future disaster.

But today I’m focusing on post-disaster activities, but it’s important to remember the cyclical nature of disasters. So it’s as important for relief agencies etc to collect the scientific data to assess an event immediately after an impact, almost as important as it is in coordinating relief operations and distribution of supplies etc. One does not need to be at the expense of the other, and can be carried out simultaneously.

But in the medium-term post-event, however, there are some important elements I’ve noticed that have been disturbing. Six months after the Haiti devastation, hundreds of thousands of people are still living in tent cities, and relief supplies are stockpiled in warehouses undistributed. We’re well into the hurricane season, yet there is no urgency to speed up reconstruction. I’m seeing and hearing alot of red tape in terms of getting real traction on the ground. While I understand the need for organization and coordination in getting the job done, and preventing corruption and graft in the process, real people are suffering. Alot of “studies” are being done to “assess” what to do etc, while real people are suffering. The math should be simple: tent cities need to be converted into proper permanent homes quickly; food stockpiled in warehouses need to be distributed ASAP. There is not business as usual, and action needs to be carried out without the usual bureaucracy.

Compare this tepid response to several incidents in China, where the military coordinates emergency response in both the short- and medium-terms. Pound-for-pound, six months after any of their events – floods, earthquakes, etc – you would not see the type of conditions that exist six months after the fact in Haiti. Granted that Haiti’s own government system, in so many ways, isn’t the same as China’s, nor is its capacity to provide response. But when the UN and international relief agencies come in, along with the tons of donations from across the world, and there is still a logjam, something is very wrong.

While real people are suffering…

Next, let’s call it sour grapes, now that Brazil and Argentina are both out of the World Cup in South Africa.

But I wanted to talk about all the controversies regarding FIFA’s refusal to use technology to assist them in resolving disputed calls on the field. When bad calls are made, like the one against England against Germany, and again in the Argentina-Mexico and Slovenia-USA matches, technology, through the use of replays, should be used to make the call once and for all. Careers and millions of dollars of investments, not to mention the hopes and dreams of entire nations, are riding on proper officiating. Accounting for human error, technology should augment the eagle-eyed referees, not replace them, and be used judiciously in the event of controversial calls.

But why ignore tools that are readily available? Technology is already used in training videos, as well as athlete conditioning and preparation. The stadiums themselves are riddled with technological innovations, from the tickets to the seats, to the big screens. Sports in general evolves, supported by technology. And with the stakes as high as they are, why does FIFA cling on to its dinosaur-ish tendencies and wake up to the realities of the 21st Century. Other sports take advantage of the instant replay rules (I can list many, but let’s look at cricket’s third umpire system for reviewing run-outs); why not on soccer’s biggest stage?

Finally, admittedly, I’m not a soccer-phile, so I really am just passive observer riding the hype. I’m just always impressed by the technologies required to pull off 21st Century spectacles (remember the Beijing Olympics?). So why can’t soccer come up with a more savvy way of clock management to remove the whole stoppage-time business. Stop the clock during dead time, maybe?

Alternative power sources are needed, but will have to make a serious impact quickly. LNG is the latest to come along, and it has real potential. The arguments being made by the Jamaica Manufacturers Association, that LNG is also subject to world price fluctuations, misses the point – LNG can be used to produce electricity more efficiently that oil, and is cleaner than coal. So on that basis, it’s already a winner. Other forms of energy already in use – wind power and hydropower – need to be able to supply a larger market share in order to make a real difference. And forget the nuclear energy option I’m hearing bounced around; that’s DoA on so many grounds – financial, environmental, etc.

The distribution problems JPS faces is obvious enough, made worse by scrap metal thieves and careless drivers tearing off power lines and poles with reckless abandon. JPS needs to consider burying their cables underground in a more systematic manner, taking care of the car crash and scrap metal problem, while also reducing the exposure of power lines to hurricane winds and similar weather-borne threats, as well as (hopefully) making it more difficult for thieves to connect to the system illegally by removing a temptation that’s literally dangling in front of them.

Which is my final point. Electricity theft is so pervasive and rampant, yet if compliant customers miss any payment by 1 or 2 days, they’re liable to have their service cut off, regardless of their payment history. Running ads in the paper and on billboards is nice and all, but let’s see their effectiveness.

Granted, the JPS isn’t the only utility to arrogantly seek payment for services under-delivered; yes, I’m talking about the National Water Commission. But the gall to seek this when posting profits (the NWC is nowhere near that cushy financially) is ridiculous. This is why healthy competition is useful in breaking up utility monopolies. Look at LIME now, with Flow, Digicel and Claro running rampant in the local telecommunications market. Competition fosters innovation, better customer service and low price points, all which benefits the consumer. It would also lead to happier customers less likely to complain loudly, but also less likely to use their ingenius minds to buck the system…

Here are my rules for qualification: the scientist has to have actively contributed to Jamaican science, but may or may not be Jamaican-born. The contribution has to be real and obvious, with lasting value for Jamaica and Jamaicans. What do you think?

Here are some of my thoughts so far:

1. The Hon. Prof Edward Robinson OM – Geology; living icon of Jamaican geology and formation

2. The Hon. Prof Anthony Chen OM – Atmospheric Physics; member of Nobel-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

3. Dr Thomas Lecky – Veterinary Sciences; creator of the Jamaica Red, Black and Brahman breeds of cattle.

Jamaica has its share of entertainers (Bob Marley, Miss Lou) and sports figures (Usain Bolt, Courtney Walsh) and politicians (Michael Manley, Norman Manley) who have made significant impacts on the world stage. It’s time to take a look at our indigenous scientists who have made world impacts and contributions.

There are a lot more scientists to mention here; your time! Who do you think are our top chemists, biologists, doctors, etc of all time?

But let’s keep our eye on the big picture: earlier this year, people were concerned about a worldwide “earthquake epidemic”, with seemingly “big ones” popping up all over the place, when, in fact, the only real anomaly was the January 2010 event that shook Haiti. That wasn’t even the monster of the group; that one was the February event in Chile, which was along the Pacific Ring of Fire anyway, so no surprises (and relatively few casualties compared to Haiti).

But let’s look at 2010 from the point of view of floods and mudslides, which, like earthquakes, have no season, and all threatening Jamaica at any time. Right now we’re seeing catastrophic flash flooding in Arkansas and Oklahoma City in the USA, as well as events in Rio de Janeiro, Madeira, Myanmar, the south of France, Singapore, Bangladesh and Vancouver. Some numbers:

Rio de Janeiro, April 2010: 212 dead; 15,000 homeless; US$13B damage

Madeira, February 2010: 42 dead; Euro1.4B damage

Bangladesh, June 2010: 53 dead; damage estimate still not known

South of France, June 2010: 25 dead; worst rains in over 2 centuries

Arkansas, USA, June 2010: 20 dead

Note how many of these happened this month alone. While none of these reached the massive casualties experienced in Haiti, nevertheless, these were catastrophic to cities, infrastructure, economies and families. And none of these were associated with a hurricane or earthquake, the two hazards we seem to concern ourselves with in Jamaica; we have earthquake awareness week in January, and natural hazards month at the start of hurricane season…

Let’s just realize that hazards exist year-round, and that, while hurricanes may have seasons, you don’t need a hurricane to have floods or landslides. So preparedness is year-round.

However, my views have changed with the realization that blogs measure the pulse of the audience, both in terms of where they are coming from (an indicator of the reach of the news itself), and the intensity of the feelings and emotions of the audience. And it’s not just blogs too. Interactive fora, comments sections and Facebook/Twitter pages all capture the masses with an immediate and sometimes visceral impact that is essentially a snapshot in time of audience emotion.

While blogs may be sometimes full of nonsense and ramblings, they’re often useful for breaking news – important in the rabid 24-hr news cycle we’re all in now. They cater to specific audiences in a way that commercial media may not find economically viable. Where else can we get sneak peeks at Summer 2011 movies, or the latest version of a Mercedes being tested in South Africa?

But I’m going to segue slightly. Along with the blogs, interactive comments sections also yield interesting observations about the mindsets of people. Not everyone who reads, hears or watches a news piece feels compelled to write something, so we must bear in mind that this isn’t a representative set of the true audience. While they can be serious, insightful and informative, they can often be amusing. And amusing as in genuinely amusing, or amusing out of ignorance. I saw a comment recently online with respect to the recent Dudus affair, where, upon learning that Jamaica was under a State of Emergency, a commenter proceeded to lambast the government for copying the USA because “Jamaica has parishes, not states”! Some comments on my own blog here are longer than the blog itself – nothing inherently wrong with that, however. In other cases, a lot of people have strong opinions, and I would urge that they turn these opinions into action as well. They obviously feel strongly about whatever topic enough to write, so they’re halfway there to action, compared to the apathetic person who doesn’t care enough to write!

But as we push towards increasing investments into technology and outsourcing solutions, we need to play to our collective strengths as a people and a nation, and not give in to self-destructive individualism. I don’t think it’s necessary to shoot for the stars if we’re going to tear everything else down to get there. We need to recognize our inherent cultural attitudes and strengths, and not to ape other places with different social, historical and cultural identities.

So much has been said about the paths forged by Jamaica and Singapore since the 1960′s, when both countries gained independence. And there’s been so much nonsense being said about Singapore being under a dictatorship in order to achieve what it has. Why do people complain about a no-chewing gum law when the crime rate in Jamaica is spiralling out of control, with corrupt officials and politicians calling all the shot in a zero-sum game of “leadership”?

But I’m not going on about politics in a science blog. The fact of the matter is that, as a people, we are not Singaporeans, so let’s stop copying them. We’re trying to get tech investments here. And why shouldn’t we? We’re near to the largest tech market in the USA. We’re English-speaking. We’re proudly not a dictatorship. So why hasn’t it happened? Why would investors go halfway across the world instead? Mind you, we still get some good and decent investments, and we’re continuing to improve. But why are we playing in a crowded field when we can blaze a trail in other areas?

There’s no hotter Jamaican commodity right now than our athletics programme. These guys are not just world class; they’re world beaters! They literally run rings around the national football team and regional cricket team in terms of Brand Jamaica identity and visibility, and are the antithesis of everything that’s wrong with Jamaica. And the athletes aren’t the super-privileged uptown kids either, and serve as role models to young people that hard work and dedication (something the get-rich-quick Cash Plus and Olint people could have used) can yield rich rewards of fame and fortune.

We should (and are developing) proper sports medicine programmes to study these specimens, and create an athletics factory of more world beaters. Spinoffs include anatomical simulators and biomechanical equipment that can be used in non-athletic fields, such as general physiotherapies and similar areas, opening up the door further for medical tourism. And there’s so much more – you fill in the blanks here…

We just need to make sure we don’t screw it up by missing the opportunities here, or by over-bureaucratizing simple procedures that would promote investments and business clientele alike.

The on-going disaster with the Gulf of Mexico oil spill has no end in sight, with measure after measure intended to plug the well, which is currently spewing oil at the rate of over 2,700 gallons per minute, failing. The new ‘top kill’ method is failing, as did the plan by BP to cap and funnel away the oil in a big box a few weeks ago. So as this spill eclipses the Exxon Valdez disaster and becomes the US’s worst oil spill ever, and continues to devastate the gulf shoreline, with the precious marshes and wetlands along the Louisiana coastline and Mississippi delta, as well as the rich Gulf fisheries, what are the lessons here?

Certainly, my perspective is going to be more as it relates to Jamaica and small island developing states, with some general science interspersed throughout. Like the Katrina disaster, this latest incident threatens to loom over President Obama the way Katrina loomed over his predecessor. However, as a percentage of GDP or any other economic measure, both Katrina and this oil spill didn’t/wouldn’t devastate the entire country’s economy as it would if it hit a small island, whose smaller size and more vulnerable population, in terms of economy, resources, etc, would be set back many years. So clearly, with the continued surging demand for oil and gas driving companies to push out further and further in the search for the commodity, we, as small countries, have to be careful when allowing these types of activities off our coast.

While BP and the other oil and gas companies did engineer and design fail-safe mechanisms for their rigs and wells (the current disaster was the result of a rig fire and a cascade of other problems before and afterwards), clearly these were not enough. And they were left scrambling to figure out what to do afterwards, with plan after plan failing, all prefaced with the claim that none of them have ever been attempted at such depths before. In which case, why did they even go drilling in such depths without having the necessary contingencies?

And marine and international laws are funny as well. If this occured somewhere else, where the spill plus plume began to foul up international fisheries and beaches in multiple countries, can you imagine the mess, in more ways than one?