SFM Vol 6 No 1

Sixth Form Mercury, November 2016 1 Sixth Form Mercury By Wilson’s students, for Wilson’s students. Volume 6, Issue 1...

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Sixth Form Mercury, November 2016

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Sixth Form Mercury By Wilson’s students, for Wilson’s students.

Volume 6, Issue 1, November 2016

Book review: The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan By Anthony Piwowarski A common argument against the way history is taught in Europe and America is that it is too Western-orientated. It focuses an awful lot on the Kings and Queens of England, and the wars of Germany and France, without pursuing wider horizons. The Silk Roads could arguably be described as a critque of that attitude, not just because Frankopan deplores such a narrow and distorted worldview, but because it is simply bad history.

medieval France, driving the economies of Western Europe. And far from being one single trade route, this complex economic web saw fur from Northern Europe procured by the Baghdadi gentry in the 8th and 9th centuries, for example, which spurred the creation of mighty states between the Black and the Caspian Seas such as The Khazars. These exemplify an interconnected world of economic dependence.

At face value, The Silk Roads is a book concerning the economic analysis of various trade routes, centred around, but not exclusive to, the stretch of land between Asia Minor and China, which is often termed the ‘Silk Road’ because of the extensive commercial activity undertaken there.

The same could be said of the Silk Road itself. These passages have always occupied the minds of powerful rulers, from Alexander the Great’s conquests, to the Islamic Caliphate’s fixation with its riches a millenium later.

However, Frankopan is liberal with the aspects he discusses, delving extensively into religion, politics and culture, which transforms his writing into a history of the world told through the lens of central Asian trade routes. This is made possible by viewing trade routes not just as movements of cargo, but of people and ideas. The merchants from India and China traversing the roads exported not only silk and spices, but also Buddhism, and returned home not just with worked glass and frankincense from Europe and Asia Minor, but with cultural and architectural inspiration from Greece. His book ambitiously stretches from the dawn of human civilisation in Persia and Mesopotamia to the twenty first century. This broad timespan is one of the book’s

greatest assets; it forms the groundwork for Frankopan to present a history in which themes and key concepts can be seen to repeat themselves. As well as focusing away from the West, the book weaves a past not based on mutually exclusive events and people, but on deeper currents which consistently underpin the progress of societies. Whilst economic globalisation is sometimes viewed as an entirely modern concept, Chinese silk was bought and sold in

Now, the states which occupy these passages, particularly Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, have become the focus of so much Western foreign policy. The area has once again risen to prominence, this time by virtue of its natural resources. Oil has spurred superpower after superpower to take an interest in the roads and greatly affected the development of these nations. This quest for control is as scandalous as it is fascinating, and is presented by Frankopan as the battleground between the world’s most powerful nations in their bids for superpower status. Britain, America, Russia and even Nazi Germany have in their time invested time and money to wrestle for control of the mines and pipelines. All of these states were indiscriminate in their methods; generous loans and infrastructure development were

Want to write for the Sixth Form Mercury? Open to all Sixth Formers with an interest in writing or illustration! Contact either Tommy MacGillivray or Matthew Kayanja for more information. Email: [email protected]

Sixth Form Mercury, November 2016

2 supplemented by regime toppling and propaganda campaigns. The key was to establish a foothold over this ‘black gold road’. In this instance, however, Frankopan focuses on Western involvement, and is damning in his evaluation of the way in which first Britain, then America, meddled in the affairs of the various states occupying the territory, seeing the policies as short term and valuing present stability over future development. Perhaps Frankopan’s most poignant insight is into the future. Over the last 40 years, he has observed an insurgency in the region caused by the inhabitants themselves. The establishment of OPEC has seen the balance of power over oil shift away from American-backed corporations and towards the states of the Silk Road. Untold amounts of capital have flowed into the region, creating vast metropolises such as the newly built Astana in Kazakhstan.

the only way to obtain full understanding of Western development is to look well beyond its traditional Eastern border

Through reading the book, it is clear that a solely Western orientated outlook is wrong, because these roads have extensively influenced the fate of the West for many centuries, and will likely continue to do so . The two are inextricably linked, and the only way to obtain full understanding of Western development is to look well beyond its traditional Eastern border. It is therefore worth reading both for enjoyment, as an extension of historical skills, and understanding.

Meanwhile, the Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013 set out his vision of ‘one belt, one road’ and has since invested heavily in infrastructure, building not only railways and pipelines but relations with neighbouring countries. Frankopan even sees this emergence as usurping the age of Western dominance, and he isn’t surprised; to him, this region is the ‘true Mediterranean’.

The Paradox of Automation By Ghusharib Chohan must remember that there will no longer be any need to do a driving test. As great as it sounds to no longer have demon instructors sitting next to you, waiting for you to make an error and berate you about how useless your driving is, it will mean that we will no longer know how to drive a car. We should never fall into the trap of assuming that not knowing how to drive is not a problem because computers are perfect. They aren’t.

Living in the twenty-first century, many a time we can get away with the concept that technology can do something for us. From getting out of meeting up with friends to researching homework, technology seems to be unstoppable and there seems to be little need for our old traditional ways. Yet many people, including myself,

For example, Tesla recently came under scrutiny after a person tragically would beg to differ. lost their life in a crash in Florida on May 7. The car’s autopilot function In 10 to 20 years we may be looking at failed to recognise a truck’s trailer as fully automatic cars, driving us every- an obstacle in its path, due to its where and anywhere at a touch of a height above the ground. The car, inbutton. The aim is to make driving a stead of slowing down, raced straight lot safer for everyone and to reduce under the trailer, tearing off the roof car crash fatalities to zero. and killing the driver. Of course, in this case, the driver was probably oblivious But with the automation of driving, we to what had happened right up to the

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point of impact because he was said to have been “watching a movie” while the car was racing towards the truck.

What the paradox of automation shows us is that we need to remember our old traditional ways and brush up on them once in a while, so when the time comes that our technology fails us, we know how to save ourselves.

In another case, Google’s self -driving car was involved in its most serious incident to date last month where the computer managed to recognise that a truck headed its way was about to run a redlight, but was unable to realise what to do in such a situation and handed back control to the human. The computer’s late reaction to hand back control meant the driver had no chance of avoiding the truck, though thankfully he survived with minor injuries to his body.

And the paradox exists outside of Self-Driving cars too.

For example, how many 90s kids the- The manufacture of a product may se days know how to rewind a VHS go wrong, and without prior tape? knowledge, we may not know how to fix the method of production. ReliWe put our faith in technology, but ance on GPS can go wrong when it even technology has its imperfecstops functioning and you’ve never tions, and when we no longer know followed road signs before. And of how to drive a car, because there is course, it’s all well and good punchno need, what will we do when the ing a few numbers into your silver All this proves computers aren’t per- Computer decides it doesn’t know calculators and getting an answer, fect but how does this come into the what to do anymore and hands back but when your battery dies 5 minutes idea of the Paradox of Automation? control to the human? The human into the exam and you don’t know will not have the skills required to how to solve a quadratic, then you’ll The idea is that over time, we will no save him– or herself from the situa- be in trouble. longer need a particular set of skills tion, and that would inevitably lead due to automation, and so slowly to a collision. they will fade from our memories.

Technology and social action By Daniel Sharpe Over half-term I had the joy of wandering through the streets of Madrid, browsing for gifts for friends and relatives and visiting tourist attractions. But there was one aspect which sticks in my mind more than any other: the sight of so many homeless men and women sleeping in the streets surrounding the city centre, with many others who begged for loose change with palpable desperation and a sense of hopelessness. The reactions observed were mostly of two kinds: some tourists tried to ignore their existence whilst others, more importantly, seemed to want to help but were unsure if giving a 20 cent piece achieved this.

It would be a lie to pretend this is a problem which is exclusively confined to the plazas of Spain. In our capital alone, the number of rough sleepers has increased dramatically in recent years, doubling in the last five with some 7500 sleeping rough in 2015. The same desire to help the homeless (but anxiety about how to do so) also exists here. Although some give to homelessness charities such as Shelter, many wish to assist the specific person in front of them. This is where technology can be used most effectively. The role of technology in helping the homeless is relatively unexplored, but there are

examples of projects aimed at assisting public giving. A particularly inspiring app is named Homely and started life during a Christian hackathon named “Code for the Kingdom” a year ago. The developers all felt a need to help the homeless and wanted to provide a way in which to donate to these vulnerable individuals directly, without being naïve about the fact that the money given directly can be spent on alcohol and drugs. The concept they suggested is simple: an app to inform the public that there are homeless people nearby and offering the chance to donate money to a charity supporting them.

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A letter from the new editors Hey everyone! This edition of The Mercury sees it return from a hiatus with new editors and a new writing base of sixth formers. As the new editors we’re honoured to be a part of it, but of course we can’t do it without the generous contributions of you guys! So, we’re looking forward to a bright future for The Mercury and we’ve got high hopes and many ideas, which we hope you will join us in bringing to fruition. So stay tuned and get in touch! Matthew and Tommy

The technology behind it is also a truly innovative application of existing techniques. The developers envisage using location beacons to alert members of the public to homeless people nearby through a notification. This would then enable them to donate (through an app) to a local charity which is supporting the specific person. It would also highlight a target which the money would go towards - examples given include paying for their next meal or money towards the cost of retraining with the hope of eventually finding a job. It is this manner of applying technology which could be the most effective as it uses aspects which are already tried and tested to help solve a different problem. However, this is not an issue which can be left to develop on its own. Homely has hit a sticking point and is struggling to find partners despite providing the opportunity to solve a commonly felt conundrum. Whilst it has had initial conversations with a variety of partners, including the Big Issue, it is currently unclear how (or if) it will progress.

In a world in which technology is often demonised for a plethora of social harms, the most worthy applications are in danger of being set aside.

In a world in which technology is often demonised for a plethora of social harms, the most worthy applications are in danger of being set aside. We should strive for a new perspective which values technology for the innovations it can bring. For as long as the distressing and oft forgotten spectre of homelessness still haunts us, we should all feel a duty to help the most vulnerable. This should include disregarding the stigma surrounding technology, and drive us to support projects which look to apply it for social action.

The discussion about the use of technology and the opportunities and potential dangers it creates needs to start now, or the opportunity for this worthy idea may be lost.

Want to write for the Sixth Form Mercury? Open to all Sixth Formers with an interest in writing or illustration! Contact either Tommy MacGillivray or Matthew Kayanja for more information. Email: [email protected]