Gladwell Response

As stated in Gladwell's article, ever since Eadweard Muybridge disproved the convention of ventre à terre, “belly to the ground”, with his sequential photographs of a galloping horse, photography seemed to capture reality and truth itself.  Methods of photography have been adapted by different disciplines to assist in tasks in the medical and military fields. The medical field uses mammography as a screening tool that aids in the detection of breast cancer.  The military uses a device called LANTIRN that would take a high-resolution infrared photograph of a four-and-a-half mile range to assist in the detection of tractor trailers that the Iraqi’s were using to fire rockets from. These images; however, show a reality that humans must decipher; the truth must be interpreted.  Gladwell speaks with a physician, Dave Dershaw, in the article, who explains all of the different kinds of calcium deposits, lumps, and bumps and the plethora of different traits that make something benign or malignant.  This is the same as the military devices, although there is an image that shows what might be a possible target, that possible target may not be a threat at all.  Human perception and interpretation is needed to make these tools successful, and even then, that is not always the case. Mammograms only increase the chance of detection by ten percent, and the definite number of Scud kills due to LANTIRN was zero.  These methods are shrouded in controversy, especially mammography, because of these low numbers.  In the case of mammography, ten percent means that thousands of lives can be saved every year.  These methods could be better, but as of right now these are the best, and doctors and military officials alike will use them to increase the chances of fighting the enemy, whether it be a disease or a human enemy.  These methods are not as strong as they could be because the error that cannot really be effected is the human one.  These images require human interpretation.  Human interpretation changes based on the individual and some are better at interpreting these images than others; some are better at finding the truth. Technology, in this day and age, has become a comfort.  Not only does it make lives easier in day-to-day life, but mammography and devices like the LANTRIN make the public feel as if there is something that can be done to keep them healthy or safe.  These images capture reality, but without human interpretation the images are simply images.  These technologies combined with human interpretation comforts the woman who was just diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer and can be treated, just as an attack could be thwarted due to LANTIRN’s images.  Tools and technologies aid in the detection of a threat, but it is the human interpretation that must interpret the truth from that image; whether the threat is real or not.