OPINIONS
TAKING THE ALTERNATIVE SEAT IN THE OVAL OFFICE Professionalism and formal etiquette yet to be observed in the post-truth era Connor Svensrud CONTRIBUTOR
Regardless of your political views, there’s no doubt that the Trump administration is easily one of the most controversial in recent North American history. From the way its executives talk to the way they act, it seems no one can go a week, let alone a day, without the administration coming up in conversation. Recently, a viral photo taken in the Oval Office was the subject of public scrutiny. In it, the president is meeting with a group
of representatives and leaders of several African American colleges, shaking hands with them and posing for a photo. However, the bigger focus was on Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, who was captured sitting with her feet up on the couch, in a kneeling position, on her phone, no less. This picture isn’t just worth a thousand words. It’s almost a perfect metaphor for exactly how the administration is treating their appointment to the White House. One might expect their kid to sit like that in their bedroom or living room couch, but we’re talking about the counselor to the president of the United States here, not a bored teenager taking a snapshot at a family gathering. Officials such as Conway and Spicer have put themselves into precarious positions by opting to throw traditional etiquette and courtesies out the window in favour of appearing like people who can “shake up” Washington. With these newly appointed members of staff in the White House, it just doesn’t seem to register with them that the office
they’ve been granted the privilege to occupy comes with very serious responsibilities. Instead, with this administration, what we’re witnessing seems closer to a violent shakedown. Those who are inexperienced are revered and those who have an adversarial track record with the very departments they’re being appointed to run are celebrated and touted as strong leaders, worthy of praise and admiration. From what we have seen of the administration in such a short time in office, it would hardly come as a surprise if Conway were sitting that way during a meeting with Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. Frankly, they’ve refused to take responsibility and prioritize the critical work they’ve been hired to do. No, these guys are too cool to act like politicians, because they aren’t like all the other liars and crooks in Washington. They are going to provide alternative facts, because the enemy of the people (read: free press) are not being “nice” to them. They are going to opt out of frivolous things like security and legal briefings, so they can excuse
themselves and shift the blame onto others when they find themselves in hot water. Who would have known that occupying the country’s highest office would require solving such complex and intricate problems? Surely not those with bad experience who have dedicated years and years of their lives to public service. It’s not only how Conway was sitting that reflects the ethos of the Trump administration. What it really boils down to is professionalism - something the Trump Administration clearly doesn’t even know the definition of. Right now, there are people in the White House who have openly and proudly demonstrated that they care little for things that will affect the lives and well being of real human beings. Morals, ethics and empathy seem to mean nothing to those who are in control of the Trump administration. Both the right and left wing have people who care deeply about these issues, but the tragedy is that none of them are sitting in the Oval Office.
APP ATTACK: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN TECHNOLOGY TALKS BACK Artificial intelligence will transform apps as we know them Gabriel Scorgie
THE CAPILANO COURIER
VOLUME 49.5 ISSUE NO. 17
FEATURES EDITOR
If the addition of Black Mirror to the Netflix roster did anything, it put the fear of God into the hearts of those who are unsure about the future of technology. In a sense, it’s understandable. A world where your entire house can be controlled by voice command and you can study in a virtual reality classroom isn’t unfathomable. However, these fast-approaching realities should be seen as cause for celebration, not fear. The widespread integration of artificial intelligence technology into our everyday lives could be the death rattle of many apps as we know them. Make no mistake; the slow disappearance of apps is a good thing. Just a quick scroll through your phone’s app pages will prove that most of us have too many apps but barely make use of any of them. How many specialized apps do you have for tasks like tracking cheap plane tickets, checking the weather in Zimbabwe or finding places to eat, that you can’t get rid of because they might be useful again at some point in the future? Not to mention the plethora of games we download, play once, then completely forget about. The advancement of technology like Google Home, Siri and the like will become a “one stop shop” with the functions of all those specialty apps built right in. Voice controlled devices aren’t going to supersede mobile apps in the same way that DVD killed the VCR. Instead, they’ll supplement them, covering their blind spots. For instance, voice controlled Tinder would be awful. Nobody wants Siri reading out strangers’ bios or asking if you’d like to swipe left or right. It’ll be the niche apps
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-JULIANA VIEIRA
that control your the temperature in your apartment and keep track of your groceries that fall to the wayside. One of the hurdles this technology will have to overcome is the shitty, but everimproving, voice recognition software. Not many people in Australia are going to want to talk to a device that hears “happy Tuesday” as “hoppy cheese day,” but developers are already working on that. Plus, there will be the capacity for some really iconic celebrity voices. Anybody who had the Snoop Dogg narrated GPS knows the endless potential there.
An interesting part of voice activated technology is how it could replace human contact. We are naturally social creatures, but talking to an intelligent enough AI could satisfy our social urges. It could even be used as a way to help people with social anxiety overcome their fears. The extreme of this was seen in the movie Her, where a very lonely Joaquin Phoenix falls in love with his day planner, voiced by Scarlett Johansson. Then again, who wouldn’t fall in love with their celebrity voiced AI? There are a few people in the Maple building who would love to fall asleep to the soothing
voice of Ryan Reynolds telling them a bedtime story. Overall, the future of voice controlled technology is full of potential. Smart homes could be fully operated by a device like Google Home. Grocery shopping could be done by your fridge and delivered to your door. Thermostats and light fixtures operated by voice control. Since real life isn’t an episode of Black Mirror, it’s not likely that your house is going to kill you. Ultimately, these new technologies are going to make life more convenient, not deadly.