Bluetooth: History and Its Impacts

Bluetooth was developed in the late 1990s and soon achieved mass popularity in consumer devices. Bluetooth is a short form of communication technology that uses radio waves, so if it weren’t for the discovery of the radio, Bluetooth would not exist! Back in the 1800’s, Heinrich Hertz proved that electromagnetic waves could be transmitted through the air rather than a wire, thus discovering radio waves. After the radio had been invented, Dr. Jaap Haartsen wanted to find short-range radio connections, unknowingly discovering Bluetooth. 

In 1994, Ericsson’s Mobile Terminal Division wanted to find a way to expand the functionality of mobile phones which had been growing in popularity. This Swedish manufacturer of mobile telephones had been developing a technology for several years that was aimed at freeing computers, phones, and other devices from the wires required to transfer data between them. 

Dr. Haartsen experimented and finally created a technology that used UHF radio waves at 2.4 GHz. Not only was he able to make this protocol, but while it was operating, it would consume a low amount of energy as well. Dr. Haartsen then had to devise a way to use frequency hopping techniques to ensure that Bluetooth connections were reliable and tolerant to interference. 

In 1996, industry leaders from Intel, Ericsson, and Nokia met to discuss how this protocol could be standardized between short-range radio technology to support connectivity and collaboration between different products and industries.

But first, the wireless protocol needed a name. Because this new technology had not been named yet, one of the employees, Jim Kardach, suggested they could use a code name in reference before formally naming it.

Kardach had been reading about Harald Gormsson, a famous viking king, who was nicknamed “Bluetooth” because he was said to have had a rotting front tooth that looked blue-ish gray. Harald was famous for uniting Denmark and Norway, and because Kardach thought that was similar to their work trying to unite cellular industries with short-range wireless links, he suggested the name “Bluetooth.” It was never meant to stick, but when it came time to give the protocol a proper name, patents and licensing made it impossible to find something else. The Bluetooth name was supposed to be replaced with either Radio Wire or PAN (Personal Area Networking).

The Bluetooth logo is the combination of the Nordic characters for “H” and “B,” or the initials of Harald Bluetooth. 

 

 

Two years later, Ericsson assembled a group of computer and electronics companies, known as the Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group), to bring the technology to the consumer market, hiring major tech companies and industry leaders. This group still exists today, overseeing updates and features to newer versions of Bluetooth. SIG licensed trademarks and filed patents that made Bluetooth a standard for wireless communication,. This also prevented others from creating a similar protocol, which is why there aren’t any other similar competitors to Bluetooth on the market today. 

After creating Bluetooth, fixing up the technical difficulties, and naming it, finally, the first ever Bluetooth device was released. In 1999, a hands-free mobile headset launched, alongside the first Bluetooth 1.0 specification.

More well known than the headset is the Ericsson t36, which was the first ever mobile phone to utilize Bluetooth technology, released in 2000. The Ericsson t39 became an accessible way for consumers to start using wireless technology in their daily lives. However, its functionality was nothing compared to what we have today. Today, nearly every single smart device uses Bluetooth technology!

Now, twenty-five years later, Bluetooth 5.0 is two times faster, has four times more range, and eight times more capacity. Today, in the era of technological advances, Bluetooth technology is by far at the front of the technological train. Bluetooth has changed everything from the way we talk to people on phones from where we work. In the few decades since it was first introduced, Bluetooth has become so widespread that an entire generation of consumers may not be able to remember a time without it. 

ABI Research estimates that five billion Bluetooth-enabled devices will ship to consumers this year! 

Bluetooth is now in everything from smartphones to refrigerators to light bulbs. Cell phones with Bluetooth technology are completely wireless and compatible with any computer, air pods, and now navigational systems in a car. Bluetooth has allowed phones to stay in their pockets when people drive and also has voice activation! 

If you would like to call someone you can simply speak the name and the phone will dial. You have the option of an air pod or a wireless headphone if you’d like to listen to music without the two-feet confines of wired earbuds. 

Bluetooth even makes sharing photos easier and faster with the “airdrop” feature. Since the invention of Bluetooth, life has been made faster and more products have been made accessible to people around the world. 

Bluetooth is not all good, however. Many speculate that the radiation exposure from these constant Bluetooth devices is affecting our health. However, we are always experiencing radiation from our other devices as well. While Bluetooth devices emit radiation, it is at a much lower level than cell phones. Unfortunately, more precise statements on the harmfulness of Bluetooth radiation cannot be made because the long-term effect of Bluetooth radiation on human health has never been studied. 

In its twenty-five years of being open to the public, Bluetooth has revolutionized the way people interact with each other, themselves, and their products. Without this communication technology, our world would not be as connected as it is today. 

For the history of Bluetooth, I read from this article, this article from Britannica, and this article. To find the current benefits of Bluetooth, I read this article and this CNN article.To find the negative effects of Bluetooth, I read this article.

A Value of Free Expression: Promoting Tolerance

Freedom of speech and expression is part of our American right as said so in the First Amendment of the Constitution. One of the eight values of free expression is to promote our tolerance of speech, including hate speech. Free speech does not and should not shield the government or the people from criticism. The First Amendment protects hateful speech because it teaches us to be more tolerant in other aspects of life. We as a society don't need to ban hate speech because society can regulate our speech by itself. It would be redundant if we were to ban hate speech. 

To support this idea, Lee Bollinger wrote The Tolerant Society: Freedom of Speech and Extremist Speech, which argues for protecting hate speech. According to Bollinger, tolerating hate speech is important because it provides a shield for mainstream political discourse, or spoken/written communication between the people and the government. The people should be able to say whatever they want to say, without worrying about any subsequent punishments.

The Promoting Tolerance theory is one of several important theories that explain the values of the First Amendment. Some other theories that support the idea of the Tolerance theory are the Stable Change theory and the Individual Self-Fulfillment theory. Because there are many values of free expression, it is natural that many of them would intertwine their ideas. The Stable Change theory is also known as the Safety Value theory. It explains how it is in the government's best interest to let any angry or unhappy citizens "vent" their opinions because they are less likely to resort to violence. I agree with this theory because I often need to "vent" out my angry emotions towards something, so then later down the line, I am more emotionally withdrawn and without letting the anger buildup. 

The Stable Change theory encourages hate speech to be spoken, which supports the Promoting Tolerance theory. With citizens being allowed to voice their racial or ethnic struggles without fear of being punished, they are more likely to let their anger not build up. Also by voicing their opinions, negative or positive, other people can respect the rights of them and would be less likely to not perceive them as threats. Promoting toleration therefore helps promote a stable and open society.

The other theory is the Individual Self-Fulfillment theory, also known as the Self-Actualization theory. It supports how free speech enables individuals to think for themselves and believe what they want to believe. Free speech identified in this theory also includes hate speech, which is also encouraged by the Promoting Tolerance theory. Since there are so many Americans that come from many different countries, live in very different states, and have all unique cultures, allowing individuals to think for themselves is best. Everyone has a different religious, cultural, and ethnic background, so allowing any one person to do what works best for them, would create a happier and more functioning society. To help the larger group, everyone's individual needs must be met. 

Many other theories also coincide with the Tolerance theory, but the Stable Change theory and the Individual Self-Fulfillment theory are the two best.

To bring the Promoting Tolerance theory to the real world, this theory has helped grow the idea of cancel culture, which may have brought more bad than good. Cancel culture is defined by the Pew Research Center as "a movement to remove celebrity status or esteem from a person, place, or thing based on offensive behavior or transgression." It not only affects celebrities and famous people, but also affects the political system and the idea of free speech. 

Many people debate over what cancel culture means, deciding if it's a way to hold people accountable or an unjust way of punishing others. Cancel culture is probably mix of both, but over the past few years, it has gotten out of control. It cancels Tiktok influencers and celebrities over a single trivial mistake, holding them accountable to detrimental consequences. 

Most recently, it canceled celebrity Noah Schnapp. Noah expressed controversial views about the Israel/Palestine conflict and the Internet became very upset about it. Not only are millions of his fans hating him, but many are stating how they are going to boycott season five of his show Stranger Things. This is obviously a huge negative reaction from Noah expressing his freedom of speech by voicing his opinions online. Not only is Noah being unjustly hated on, but if no one watches the new season of his show, millions of dollars will be lost, costing the other people their time and money invested in the show. 

Even though it stemmed from the Promoting Tolerance theory, cancel culture can have devastating affects on people. However, as society grows and the government removes censorship, cancel culture and other ways are how we as a society spread norms about acceptable and unacceptable behavior.

Regardless of the benefits or negatives of the Promoting Tolerance theory, this theory is supportive of free expression because of its importance to democracy and self expression. 

For information about the values of free expression, I read this list and looked at this website on the Free Speech website. For information about cancel culture and Noah Schnapp, I looked at this Buzzfeed article and and article from Pew Research.

The History and Workings of the U.S. Supreme Court

From watching these two embedded videos and reading an article from the History Channel, I learned what the Supreme Court consists of, what the justices do, and how their decisions have affected the past, present, and future. The most important thing about the Supreme Court is their incredible impact on protecting an American's freedom and rights.

The Supreme Court is the most powerful judicial court in the world with its power resting on public faith, independence, and partiality. Even though it has a huge reputation and is very famous, I learned a lot more about it. For instance, the court gets over seven thousand cases a year, mostly about arguing that a lower courts ruling was incorrect, but they only approve around one hundred cases! 

The Supreme Court is made up of nine justices: one chief justice and eight associate justices. They are nominated by the President of the United States and confirmed or denied by the Senate These nine justices have a very important job- to interpret the two hundred year old Constitution and apply it to the cases they receive!

Fun Fact: There have been a little over one hundred Supreme Court justices since the court has been established!

 

 

Even though the Supreme Court is very official and deals with issues of national freedoms, I forget that they are still a group of people. They can disagree on topics and are allowed to change their mind after they make an initial decision. I found it shocking that they were nervous before going into oral argument. The Supreme Court is simply a group of people thinking and coming to decisions about controversial topics in order to help benefit the now and future.  

 

 

 

The video I watched compared the first time being a Supreme Court justice to being struck by lightning because the experience is so overwhelming and strange! 

 

Another cool thing I realized what that the decisions the Supreme Court makes and the opinions that influence these decisions actually mark history from today and beyond. Although there were very important decisions about civil rights and equality made during the era of the Constitution, then the important decisions made during the abolition movement, the decisions made today are still important for the future. 

Back then, "we the people" included a small part of the population, and now thanks to the decisions that the court has made, everyone is included. So, the opinions made today can help decide future cases and decide the rights of Americans.

The Constitution has been an important document in protecting American freedom since it was written. Thankfully, our Supreme Court interprets this document and applies it to hard decisions today to still protect our freedoms. 

I'm referring to this article from the History channel and the two embedded Youtube videos.

Top 5 Sources of News and Information

I love watching news channels and having different sources of information daily so I can form my own opinions that stray from biases. Staying current on what's happening locally and in the world also keeps me updated and aware. This is important because I want to be knowledgeable in conversation and in the professional life.

1. Inside Edition 

Inside Edition is my favorite news channel to watch because I used to watch it with my parents when I was younger. It includes investigative reports, interviews with different people, and numerous human interest stories. I like to watch the side scoops that their lead journalist investigates because it is often lighthearted news. They are short, informative, and entertaining. The information also gets my attention because most of the time they are undercover finding something or covering something interesting that happened. The channel also is very stable because Deborah Norville has anchored the channel since 1995.

Inside Edition

2. CNN 10

CNN 10 stands for the Cable News Network that also lasts only ten minutes. The news reports are done by Coy Wire and covers a variety of topics in a short amount of time. This helps it fit into my busy schedule. There are fun facts that lighten up darker topics and quick quizzes which are engaging. Another great thing about it is that a new ten minute segment gets released everyday to update the people watching about what's going on in the world, which is a nice start to the day. CNN is also very liberal, so I can get the other side of stories I watch on more conservative channels.

CNN 10

3. Fox 8 News

Fox 8 News is another news channel that I like to watch. It shows top stories from their daily broadcasts along with stories happening in real time. They also show breaking news, weather for the day, and local traffic, which is nice to be aware of in day to day life. It covers all types of stories locally, country, and sometimes internationally wide. The channel has very unbiased news reporting and is a conservative media site, so when I watch it, it agrees with my beliefs.

Fox 8 News

4. Tiktok

I like to watch Tiktok more than the actual news because the shorter time spans capture my attention better. It is also more convenient because I can be updated on current events anywhere I am from the comfort of my phone, instead of having to find a TV. I can also use the search icon to find more information on news that I hear from other people, so I can get specific details. Tiktok also allows many people to upload their take on a story, so I can hear the story from different sides. This minimizes bias and allows me to form my own opinion based on the videos I've watched. 

Tiktok

5. Instagram

Instagram is a great source of personalized news. I follow many accounts on Instagram because I can find many different accounts that relate to things I like. For example, RapTV is a pop culture news account on Instagram. They mainly write and post about rapper news along with a variety of trending news. They let you know about new music, and other cool things which I'm interested in. I also follow the High Point University Instagram page. It keeps me updated on new events that High Point offers, like any taco trucks coming, fun REC activities, and any school sports games. This is more practical in my life, rather than knowing any political turmoil in Washington.

Instagram