Assignment #3 - Birth Rate and Ideology - Christopher Wang

Christopher Wang - Sociology 166 October 28, 2013

On a mission to find out whether or not a higher % of Catholics living in a country actually affects birth rates because of the Papal Encyclical. If it does, prove it, if not then what does have a correlation to birth rates?

6 Nations with Catholic Percentages higher than 85%
Mexico 
% of Catholics- 82.7%
Birth Rate- 18.61 births/1,000 population
Death Rate- 4.94 deaths/1,000 population
Infant Mortality Rate- 16.26 deaths/1,000 live births
Average Lifespan- 76.96 years
Average Income- $12,732
Average Educational Level- 14 years
Unemployment- 9.8%
Does Catholic correlation exist at all- There is a high number of Catholics and a about average number of births per year. The birth rate can also be due to low average income and high infant mortality rate. The higher Catholic percentage did not lead to a high birth rate.

Spain
% of Catholics- 94%
Birth Rate- 10.14 births/1,000 population
Death Rate- 8.94 deaths/1,000 population
Infant Mortality Rate- 3.35 deaths/1,000 live births
Average Lifespan- 81.37 years
Average Income- $22,847
Average Educational Level- 17 years
Unemployment- 25.1%
Does Catholic correlation exist at all- Comparing this one to Mexico, the % Catholics is higher but the birth rate is lower, which does not mean the correlation is necessarily true.

Italy
% of Catholics- 80%
Birth Rate- 8.94 births/1,000 population
Death Rate- 10.01 deaths.1,000 population
Infant Mortality Rate- 3.33 deaths/1,000 population
Average Lifespan- 81.95 years
Average Income- $24,216
Average Educational Level- 16 years
Unemployment- 10.6%
Does Catholic correlation exist at all- Compared to Mexico, Italy only has about 3% less of a Catholic population, yet the birth rate is almost half as much. So there isn't a correlation in my opinion.

Ireland
% of Catholics- 87.4%
Birth Rate- 15.5 births/1,000 population
Death Rate- 6.41 deaths/1,000 population
Infant Mortality Rate- 3.78 deaths/1,000 live births
Average Lifespan- 80.44 years
Average Income- $24,104
Average Educational Level- 19 years
Unemployment- 14.7%
Does Catholic correlation exist at all- There is a high number of Catholics and a slightly below average birth rate. This suggests that there is no Catholic correlation.

Philippines
% of Catholics- 82.9%
Birth Rate- 24.62 births/1,000 population
Death Rate- 4.95 deaths/1,000 population
Infant Mortality Rate- 18.19 deaths/1,000 live births
Average Lifespan-72.21 years
Average Income- $4,000
Average Educational Level- 11 years
Unemployment- 7%
Does Catholic correlation exist at all- There is a slight correlation because the Catholic population is so high and the birth rate here is also really high.

Peru
% of Catholics- 81.3%
Birth Rate- 18.85 births/1,000 population
Death Rate- 5.97 deaths/1,000 population
Infant Mortality Rate- 20.85 deaths/1,000 live births
Average Lifespan- 72.98 years
Average Income- $10,350
Average Educational Level- 13 years
Unemployment- 6.8%
Does Catholic correlation exist at all- It has a high % of Catholics but an average birth rate, so there is not a correlation.

3 Outgroup Nations with Catholic Percentages lower than 5%
Pakistan 
% of Catholics- 0.72%
Birth Rate- 23.76 births/1,000 population
Death Rate- 6.69 deaths/1,000 population
Infant Mortality Rate- 59.35 deaths/1,00 live births
Average Lifespan- 66.71 years
Average Income- $1,500
Average Educational Level- 8 years
Unemployment- 6.2%
Does Catholic correlation exist at all- No, there are almost no Catholics in Pakistan, yet the birth rate is higher than average.

Niger
% of Catholics- 0.13%
Birth Rate- 46.84 births/1,000 population
Death Rate- 13.07 deaths/1,000 population
Infant Mortality Rate- 87.98 deaths/1,000 live births
Average Lifespan- 54.34
Average Income- $300
Average Educational Level- 5 years
Unemployment- N/A
Does Catholic correlation exist at all- No, there are virtually no Catholics in Niger, yet the birth rate is extremely high.

Morocco
% of Catholics- 0.07%
Birth Rate- 18.73 births/1,000 population
Death Rate- 4.78 deaths/1,000 population
Infant Mortality Rate- 25.48 deaths/1,000 live births
Average Lifespan- 76.31 years
Average Income- $6,000
Average Educational Level- 11 years
Unemployment- 9%
Does Catholic correlation exist at all- No, there are no Catholics at all and the birth rate is average.

Conclusion

Because of the Papal Encyclical called the Casti Connubii, we were asked to figure out if a higher birth rate was linked to a higher population of Catholics because at that time Catholicism prohibited birth control. My conclusion after examining data from 9 different countries (6 of which were heavily Catholic and 3 of which were almost void of Catholics) is that Catholicism (or whether or not birth control was prohibited) does not have a correlation with birth rates. The 6 countries I examined that had an extremely high population of Catholics all had about average or even lower than average birth rates, which goes against the initial assumption. This leads me to conclude that the prohibition in using birth control in Catholic culture does not really exist in their behaviors. Furthermore, I believe that birth rates have more to do with income, infant mortality, education, and average lifespan than they have to do with whether or not a society bans birth control. The lower income, average lifespan, or education would result in a higher birth rate. The higher infant mortality rate would also result in a higher birth rate. For both cases, the opposites would also be true, and this is proven through the data above on all the countries that I examined. The only country that was heavily Catholic that had a higher than normal birth rate that I analyzed was the Philippines, and I think that the birth rate there was so high because of a higher than normal infant mortality rate and lower than average income/lifespan. When analyzing the 3 outgroup countries, it is clear that these three factors play a huge role. Take Niger for example. The birth rate there is ridiculously high at 46.84 births, and this can be largely attributed to the extremely high infant mortality rate at 87.98, the low average lifespan at 54.34, and the low average income at $300. Further, the amount of Catholics in my 3 outgroup countries is virtually 0% and their birth rates remain about average besides for Niger. There must be other factors to think about rather than just if a religion bans birth control. All of these facts led me to my conclusion that there are factors that have greater roles in birth rate (like income, infant mortality, average lifespan, education, urbanization, etc.) than just whether or not a culture bans birth control. But, one thing to remember is that we only analyzed Catholics banning birth control. I believe there are other cultures that are much more strict about birth control or having large families that can affect birth rates. Some cultures may strongly be against abortion or birth control and this would play a huge role on the birth rates in these areas. In the Catholic heavy countries I analyzed, I do not believe that the prohibition on birth control was extremely serious and had to be followed to the letter.

Assignment #2 - Eric Kim - ON/OFF the WALL iPhone Case

http://cargocollective.com/benjaminhelle/iPhone-case-fixed-on-the-wall

Product Summary

ON/OFF the WALL is an iPhone case that plugs directly into a wall outlet. It is designed to charge your phone, while also allowing the owner to use it at the same time. It is only compatible with iPhone versions 4, 4S, 5, and 5S. The socket part of the case is designed to fit all types of sockets, whether the plug goes into the wall or not. With the right kind of applications, you can also use the case to turn your phone into a home conductor and easily manage settings like lights, stereo volume, door lock, and much more.

While the idea sounds very useful on paper and looks great on a canvas, it will probably not be adopted for the reasons below.

Relative Advantage and Complexity

As I see it, ON/OFF the WALL (abbreviated as OtW from here on) cannot serve the the purposes that it was designed to in a meaningful way. There are many other “dock” style chargers that people use to hold their iPhones in their rooms; the most popular and well-known example is the iHome. The iHome charges your phone, while also serving as an alarm clock and speaker. Since OtW must plug directly into the wall, it is also a lot less versatile than the iHome, which uses a cord to allow the user to place the device anywhere they want within reach of the cord.

Another issue of practicality that hinders OtW is the fact that the user cannot type on the phone while it is in the dock. In an age when everyone is connected to everyone at any given point in time, it would be annoying to have to take the phone out of its cradle every single time a message or email arrives. Also, for the speaker functionality, the new iPhone 5S models have their aux inputs at the bottom, which OtW does not facilitate.

Among the two main “competing products”  (quoted because the standard charger is too obvious of a competitor) named, OtW loses out hard due to some practicality issues. However, if we were to compare OtW to other real home conductor products, OtW might have a relative advantage in complexity and affordability. Note that this advantage only comes under the assumption that there are iPhone apps that allow the “home conductor” function to work as intended. As far as I know, there are no apps on the market that allow homeowners to use their phones as all-in-one home conductors, in which case, OtW would be useless.

Compatibility

OtW is definitely compatible with the needs of today’s society if used as designed. I would imagine that there is not much “home conducting” to be done when the owner is not home; instead of investing in an expensive home management system that would overlap with functionalities that the iPhones are already capable of doing anyway, the money could be spent somewhere else. The case would be a fashionable placeholder for empty plugs in the house, while providing a cradle for a mini control center in one’s home. Especially because many technological advances in recent times allow for centralized control of various functions around the house, this could prove very useful. However, it should be noted that - at least in North America and most of Asia (regions where I’ve lived), most wall power outlets are located near the floor. If my assumption that plugs in most parts of the world are also located near the bottom of the wall, this invention is absolutely useless because no one wants to have to drop to the floor to adjust their home settings.

Adaptability / Reinventability

There isn’t much room for adaptability in this case since the functionality is set in stone; the plug part of the case cannot be detached from the sleeve part, which means that the case is not portable at all due to the protruding prongs. Another point of inadaptability, which is a regional problem that only affect some of us, is that in North America, the round prongs that are shown in the pictures do not fit the wall outlets. This means that, in order to use this specific product as designed, those of use in North America would need to add on another adapter at the plug, which would make it even bulkier and detract from the the wall-hugging case design. The size and hole placement of the case also specifically fits the iPhone, which means it most likely can’t be used with any other types of phones.

Observability

If used as intended, the product would have very observable results. Buyers would see the product hanging on the wall, be able to dock their iPhones in it every time they come home, and actively use it to control various settings around the house. The case itself wouldn’t have an effect, but they would see the case holding the phone in place and acting as a “home-conductor case”.

Conclusion

OtW has zero chance of being adopted unless two minimal conditions are met: 1) the development of sufficient apps and/or programs that allow iPhones to act as all-in-one home conductors, and 2) the general trend of wall outlet placements change and more outlets begin to be placed higher up on walls where people can actually use them as home conductors. Even then, there is no guarantee that people will love other aspects of the product design, such as material and color. At this point, while the sketches and prototype designs look impressive and aesthetically pleasing, ON/OFF the WALL does not have a place for adoption within practical inventions of 2013.

Assignment #2 - Justine Lee - Rapid Ramen

Product Summary

The Rapid Ramen Cooker is a microwaveable ramen cooker. Simply place the ramen into the container, add water to the line, put in the seasoning packet, microwave for 4 minutes, and it’s ready to eat straight from the container. Perfect for college students, it’s a fast and simple way to ensure your ramen comes out perfect every time. In addition, it is BPA and dishwasher safe.

Relative Advantage

In comparison to the traditional method of cooking packaged ramen, the rapid ramen cooker has many advantages. First, it is extremely easy to use. The ramen noodles fit perfectly into the cooker, you don’t need to measure how much water to use, and everything is conveniently done in your microwave. Second, it is considerably healthier to cook ramen using this method than traditional ways. Because it only requires one cup of water, half the traditional amount, only half of the seasoning packet is necessary to produce the same great taste. This is an incredible advantage, as one of the central drawbacks of ramen is that it is unhealthy and packed with sodium.  The ramen cooker is also efficient, cutting down the cooking time on an already quick-cooking product.

Compatibility

This product is in-line with social norms as it capitalizes on society’s desire for instant gratification. A main reason why people choose to cook ramen is because it is quick. The rapid ramen cooker answers the users’ need by expediting the cooking process.  And it does this because the pan is made to fit the shape of the ramen noodles, allowing an even heat distribution. In particular, this product appeals to the main consumers of ramen, college students, who can appreciate the simple, yet effective, design.

Adaptability/Reinventability

The success of this product is due to the fact that the pan is almost the same shape of the ramen noodles. Because of that, the product has medium adaptability. While it isn’t adaptable to different types of noodles, it still functions as a microwaveable bowl. If the inventor was to create different shapes and sold them in a variety back, the product could have much more use and reach a wider audience.

Observability

If the rapid ramen cooker were adapted, the results of use would be very observable, as it would start appearing in kitchens and college dorms all around the world. There could also be an increase in ramen sales as the two products are complimentary goods.  For people who consume a large amount of ramen, effects of using the cooker could be a healthier self, as a 50% reduction in sodium is quite large.

Conclusion

Overall, I think the rapid ramen cooker is a great product that has a strong chance of being adopted by society. It appeals to almost everything a ramen connoisseur could possibly look for: efficiency and simplicity without sacrificing flavor and satisfaction. For those additional benefits, not to mention health improvements, the price of $7 is well worth it. If they inventors could expand on their line to create more shapes and sizes, the rapid ramen cooker could be the next big hit.

Assignment #2 - William Cai - Fork-Chop

Description of product
This product is called a ‘fork-chop’. It is simply a combination of a fork and a pair of chopsticks. While eating a meal, the user can conveniently switch between using a chopstick and using a fork by rotating the fork-chop.

Relative advantage
There is a relative advantage because the fork-chop is an improvement upon both a single fork and a single pair of chopsticks. There is potentially an improvement in efficiency and improved output because some foods are consumed more easily using a fork and others are consumed more easily using chopsticks, but the fork-chop allows the user to use both with just one utensil. However, this may only be a perceived advantage because in reality it could be inconvenient to constantly rotate an utensil, compared to having two different utensils that you can pick up with either hand.

Compatibility
The fork-chop is definitely consistent with the values and norms of society. Almost everybody uses forks or chopsticks to eat food, in addition to other utensils such as spoons and knives. The fork-chop is simply another distinct utensil used for consuming food.

Adaptability (re-inventability)
The fork-chop can be adapted to new purposes by changing the two individual utensils it is made out of. For example, instead of a fork and a pair of chopsticks it could be adapted to be a fork and a spoon, which would be useful in societies where chopsticks are uncommon. Another example could be in restaurants that serve soup next to a meal, where a spoon would be more useful.

Observability
The results of this technology are pretty easily visualized. If you saw somebody using this product you could immediately see how it differs and the ways that it could benefit the user. However, a potential issue is that people could consider the impact to be low, because it is not that much different from having one fork and one chopstick separately.

Will it be adopted?
I think that overall this product definitely has the potential to be adopted, when considering the above analysis. There is a relative advantage of using it over individual utensils, no issues with compatibility or observability, and potential for adaptability. However, there are also some significant issues with the product (discussed below), which detract from the usefulness of the product. Hence, I feel that make the fork-chop would be adapted slowly, if at all.

Design errors and suggested improvements
The main issue with the fork-chop is that when you rotate it to use the other side, food residue may drip down onto your hand. This is a significant problem and would make the fork-chop extremely inconvenient to use. In addition, there are many situations where it would actually be easier to use two separate utensils. Consider, for example, the cutting of a steak. One would rather use a fork and a knife separately than a utensil that combines the two because of how inconvenient it would be to rotate the two-sided utensil. With these inconveniences the fork-chop becomes a lot less likely to be adapted, especially when considering that it is also currently not that difficult to just use two separate utensils. One possible solution to this could be to make the two parts of the utensil detachable, which would mitigate both of the above issues and possibly increase the chance of adoption.

Assignment #2 - Andrew Yeh - Walking Sleeping Bag

http://www.complex.com/art-design/2013/05/25-inventions-that-are-completely-pointless/walking-sleeping-bag

Product Summary

The Walking Sleeping Bag is a new take on the traditional sleeping bag with one minor adjustment. Instead of being one oval shaped bag, it now has leg holes that fit like pants. The bottom can be zipped closed, or it can be opened for your feet to slip through to make walking possible. 

Relative Advantage / Complexity

There is no complexity involved. Anyone who tries this product should be able to intuitively understand how it functions. It does provide some relative advantage in that while it does not detract from the original purpose of sleeping bags, it adds the ability to be mobile. You can walk around without having to unzip and leave your sleeping bag. While this does add mobility, it does not address other common issues that you would find in traditional sleeping bags. There are no arm holes to hold things, so even if you can move around, you can't do anything. People often have to get out of their sleeping bags to go to the bathroom, and even though this invention allows you to get to the bathroom, there is no zipper down there for you to unzip and you'll have to slip off the entire sleeping bag anyway. One other advantage is the ability to place your legs in more comfortable positions when sleeping, as demonstrated in the photo on the bottom left.

Compatibility

This invention is in line with social norms and is just a slightly adjusted version of an already widely adopted technology, the normal sleeping bag. I don't think there will be any issues for this invention in terms of compatibility. 

Adaptability / Reinventability 

The Walking Sleeping Bag in general does not have that many options to be adapted any further than the traditional sleeping bag, but it could be adapted to be used in multiple environments and uses. It could be used to stay warm rather than just to sleep, like an extra large onesie if you will. It could add a dimension of fun to the traditional slumber party. I also think it would be a popular product among the hobos that live around Berkeley. It could also be used for camping purposes as well, where being mobile may be an advantage if a bear suddenly attacks your tent.

Observability

The design and purpose of this invention is quite observable. The characteristic that distinguishes it from the traditional sleeping bag is very obvious. In terms of visibility to the general population, it is probably much lower. You rarely have the chance to actually see someone sleeping in sleeping bags, and the opportunity for you to use one yourself is seldom as well. 

Conclusion

I think that this technology has a good chance to be adopted. It does not detract from any existing technology, is not difficult to use, and provides specific relative advantage that some people may find useful. However, as its observability is low and low adaptability and reinventability, I think that the adoption rate for this technology will be slow.

Assignment #2 - Christopher Wang - "Thanko Flick Finger Mouse"

URL: http://www.japantrendshop.com/thanko-flick-finger-mouse-p-1903.html

Product Summary

The Thanko Flick Finger Mouse is literally a computer mouse that you can slip onto your finger to control. It works like any normal mouse, and is easily controlled by gestures and has the left and right click buttons. It works for Windows, Mac, and Android systems. This invention allows you to relax on a couch instead of having to sit at your desk all day. All you need is a finger and a thumb and a USB connection to make this invention work for you. Although the idea is interesting, the Thanko Flick Finger Mouse will probably not be adopted by many people. I have listed the reasons under certain categories below.

Relative Advantage / Complexity

The finger mouse has little relative advantage unless it is used by people who are extremely lazy and use their computers that are linked to some sort of huge screen. It would not be a good idea to use the finger mouse as a replacement for the current mouse that all people use because the finger mouse is probably a lot less functional and can be hard to use. Also, with a price of $100, there is probably not many people out there would would be willing to spend that much for a mouse that they would use once in a while. Furthermore, I can just tell by watching the video that this product will not be fully functional and will take a bit of time to get used to. Unless the detection of the finger mouse is extremely accurate, I am sure there will be a lot of misclicks that can waste tons of time.

Compatibility

I think that the finger mouse may be compatable with today's society just because in today's society everyone wants to find shortcuts and different ways to be lazy. The finger mouse does allow one to do this because you can control your computer from a greater distance and don't really have to be near your computer to use it. With today's world being obsessed with making things easier and more convenient, one way to do this would be to use a only 2 fingers to control something that you would normally have to use an entire hand to do.

Adaptability / Reinventability 

Given its design and its intended use, the Thanko Flick Finger Mouse has a low adaptability or reinventability. There really isn't anything you can use it for besides as a substitute mouse that you can control with just two fingers. I think the only thing you can really change about this is the color or size of the strap that you can use. Some people may have bigger fingers so that is why there should be multiple straps for this product.

Observability

I think that the only people that will observe the immediate effects of this product are the people who may see others using them during presentations. That is the only place that I think that this product would really be useful, and would maybe cause other people to adopt it. Instead of having to use some sort of clicker, a finger mouse would be a little cooler to use during a presentation as long as the functionality of it worked out. But, if people were to see the negative functionality of the product, then it would spread negative publicity about it.

Conclusion

I think that this can be adopted by certain people that do presentations a lot and need to have their hands free. This type of product would not be a good substitute for the actual mouse, and would not really be beneficial for personal use. If they could somehow make it look a lot better and make sure that the functionality is 100% working, there may still be a chance for this product. Also, it wouldn't hurt to throw in some different colors for this product. All in all, unless they make some pretty awesome changes to this product and lower the price, it probably will not see more than a few thousand sales. It is also hard for people to see just how this can benefit their lives, meaning people won't be interested in buying the product.