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Alan Kay Decries the State of Computing
gnaremooz writes "Computer pioneer Alan Kay (DARPA in the '60s, PARC in the '70s, now HP Labs) declares 'The sad truth is that 20 years or so of commercialization have almost completely missed the point of what personal computing is about.' He believes that PCs should be tools for creativity and learning, and they are falling short."
Hermione strolled down the street in Hogsmeade, feeling more relaxed than she had in weeks. No one paid much attention to her; she was just another attractive young witch walking down the street and she was glad. Usually school was such a pleasure, but between Draco Malfoy's crude sexual innuendos and Harry and Ron's over-protectiveness, she felt like she was suffocating at Hogwarts. She had come to Hogsmeade with the guys, but had left them admiring the new brooms at Dervish and Banges with a comment about going to the bookstore. She turned down the nearest street and spotted the Hog's Head Inn. Perfect. Students didn't usually go to the Hog's Head, preferring the friendly confines of The Three Broomsticks. Hermione went inside, conjured a glass and ordered Firewhiskey. The bartender raised an eyebrow. Hermione placed a galleon on the bar. He shrugged, pocketed the money and poured the drink. She took it to a table in a darkened corner at the back of the bar, and sat down. She noticed a staircase that spiraled upwards and surmised it led to the rooms above.
She sighed and took a sip of the Firewhiskey. Her eyes watered and it burned all the way down, but once it hit her stomach, she felt its pleasant warmth spread through her. She took another sip which went down easier and her muscles relaxed for the first time in days. Damn, Draco Malfoy, anyway. If he didn't ease up on her, she didn't know how she was going to get through her NEWTS. She considered going to the headmaster, but she hated to bother him with something like this when he was so busy with the escalating war against Voldemort. She took another sip of her drink and decided to keep this problem to herself for now.
Hermione was startled from her thoughts when two people sat down suddenly on either side of her.
"Hermione, hello! I didn't expect to see you here!"
Pansy Parkinson. And her newest Slytherin best friend, Iris Icabod.
Just my luck, she thought. "Hi, Pansy--hi Iris."
"Hi!" Iris' high-pitched, rather babyish voice grated on Hermione's nerves even more from five inches away than it did from across the potions classroom. "It's so nice to see you outside of school!"
Hermione wasn't so sure about that sentiment.
"Where are Harry and Ron?" Pansy asked.
"The last time I saw them, they were gaping at brooms."
The other girls laughed.
"My boyfriend is always talking about Quidditch," Iris complained. "Sometimes I just want to shove that broom right up his arse."
It was Hermione's turn to laugh. "I know how you feel." She finished her drink, feeling her head begin to buzz. "When they start talking brooms, my eyes glaze over."
Pansy smirked. "I'll get the next round," she said as she rose and moved toward the bar.
Hermione made small talk with Iris as they waited for Pansy to return, wondering why in the world they had decided to join her. She smiled warily at Pansy when she returned and distributed the drinks.
"Cheers," Pansy said, raising her glass.
"Cheers!" The other girls mimicked her actions.
Hermione drank. The Firewhiskey seemed rather bitter this time, but as the now-familiar warmth spread through her, she brushed it aside. What did she know about whiskey? Ooo, wow, this glass seemed to be going straight to her head. She sipped, listening to the other two girls prattle on about the latest fashions. How come they were being so nice? They had never been anything but awful to her in the past...although...she really hadn't spent any time outside of school with these girls before. And without Malfoy around they were so different...
As she finished her drink, Hermione began to wonder why she had never talked with these two before because...they seemed like so much fun!
By the time Iris got her round, Hermione was quite agreeably drunk. There was much giggling coming from their table, and she continued sipping her drink as they chatted.
"You know, Hermie," Pansy purred into her ear. "I should be very ang
McDonaldization does this. This is the result of a liberal, capitalistic free market based society. Why is a man of this intellectual caliber surprised by this?
un-fucking-believable that someone took the time to make that shit up.
I use my computer for talking crap on message boards and shooting virtual aliens thanks.
and the innovation in malware! This guy is just a whiner!