I sense a change in the wind.

Our capability to experience the world around us is highly resulted because of our senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. With these five senses we are able to interact with our environment whether that particular experience be good or bad. Now our assignment in Seeing Sideways was to somehow design a new sense. Not only do we need to come up with some kind of new ability, but to have an actual usage for it and describe what other senses it would appeal to.

I will admit I was lost on this assignment at first. I did not know how to make up another sense considering I already believe we have more than five. Everything our body is capable of doing is in someway a sense. However it is an assignment and I must complete it.

My mom and I had watched the movie Erin Brocovich the other day and we got into a discussion about the subject of the movie. For those who have not seen the movie it is based off a true story. Erin gets a job at a law firm as an assistant to a lawyer and along the way makes startling discoveries after speaking with various people about water contamination. A company called PG&E (which still exists today) had been dumping their waste into water pools which then was transferred into the public water systems. In so doing, people around the area were developing deadly and cancerous illnesses by drinking and absorbing the water. Of course no one knew this, but Erin found all of this out after she does mounds of research. She and the victims take the company to court and won their case and PG&E had to pay the victims millions of dollars. At the end of the movie we see Erin still doing research on this subject and even talking to people in other areas of the state, but if the movie ends here, why would they show this?

If you recall in recent news another state has published information on water contamination and people developing deadly illnesses. This water contamination was caused by PG&E. That’s right, the same company doing the same thing they were sewed for. PG&E has done this same act all across the United States and how they are still in business is beyond me.

Anyway, onto the assignment. My idea for a new sense would be Radiosensory. This new sense would allow people to be able to sense radioactive chemicals and fields in order to prevent such issues like PG&E. For instance, say you poor yourself a glass of water and begin to take a drink. A signal in your brain would send a sharp intense message alerting you of the danger. Now this can technically already appeal to the senses of smell and taste. Of course the point is to not internally absorb this chemical in the least bit so sniffing or tasting the radioactive chemical is not in the best of interest; nor is touch because skin can absorb radioactive material as well as cause harm to the exodermises.

This sense would definitely be beneficial to mankind seeing as how this problem with PG&E alone has been going on since the early 80’s.