Yes, I have found various Science Fiction works (as well as other fiction) to be inspiring. But all of the discussion here up-to-now seems to emphasize the technology. I think that the larger influence is when good scifi forces me to rethink the social implications of alternate or future worlds.
Take the original question's reference to The Diamond Age as an example. I read it soon after it came out, enjoyed it, and put it on the shelf; I rarely re-read anything, but felt like I might enjoy it again some day. A year later, my son was diagnosed with autism. As I learned about the disorder and made plans for helping him, I kept finding that my thoughts returned to Nell and her Primer (from the book, if you haven't read it). For me, it didn't matter that the actual technology of the Primer was out-of-reach, but rather, I was inspired by the general idea of technology being used to reshape the education of an underprivileged child. I re-read the book again, and during this second reading, I developed several, specific ideas for helping my son. I cannot say my solutions were direct implementations of Stephenson's work, but they were certainly inspired by it.
Four years later, when I left my regular, paid engineering position to form a non-profit which develops technology for disabled children, I still found myself inspired by some of Stephenson's ideas. For example, I believe one of the interesting ramifications of The Diamond Age is that Nell was actually being raised by Miranda, with the Primer serving only as a conduit for their relationship. I've found that idea recurring in some of my designs which have emphasized the importance of a live mentor to augment the technology.
This is but one example among many. I call on ideas from fiction every day, at least to the degree that great fiction has shaped my personality, my aspirations, and my values, while (less-frequently) specific ideas from fiction seem to reinforce and inform my concrete designs.
There must be wider phenomena at work here, because all of the great engineers I have worked with have all been voracious readers.
When I read the original article at newsforge, they served up an ad encouraging me to "Move to Apache 2.0" because "The More You Wait, The More You Lose". screenshot
You're in a school, this is would be one of the BEST environment[s] to educate the people about all of these issues. You'll say that some people won't give a rat, but that's like in society in general, if people don't give a rat and anarchy reigns, stronger measure needs to be taken.
Yes, but while we're at it, can we also take a moment to at least consider the possibly that some P2P uses are legitimate?
For example, look at the EduCommons project for a case where researches are trying to advance the cause of "learning objects" through P2P mechanisms.
We are often quick to lament the poor state of education, but we forget that if we are ever to see improvement, then we'll need to allow a little creative dissonance. So, solutions to this very real problem which limit or discourage abuse (such as QoS govenors and Acceptable Use Policies) are significantly better than solutions which bludgeon future development.
Slashdot Mirror
Yes, I have found various Science Fiction works (as well as other fiction) to be inspiring. But all of the discussion here up-to-now seems to emphasize the technology. I think that the larger influence is when good scifi forces me to rethink the social implications of alternate or future worlds.
Take the original question's reference to The Diamond Age as an example. I read it soon after it came out, enjoyed it, and put it on the shelf; I rarely re-read anything, but felt like I might enjoy it again some day. A year later, my son was diagnosed with autism. As I learned about the disorder and made plans for helping him, I kept finding that my thoughts returned to Nell and her Primer (from the book, if you haven't read it). For me, it didn't matter that the actual technology of the Primer was out-of-reach, but rather, I was inspired by the general idea of technology being used to reshape the education of an underprivileged child. I re-read the book again, and during this second reading, I developed several, specific ideas for helping my son. I cannot say my solutions were direct implementations of Stephenson's work, but they were certainly inspired by it.
Four years later, when I left my regular, paid engineering position to form a non-profit which develops technology for disabled children, I still found myself inspired by some of Stephenson's ideas. For example, I believe one of the interesting ramifications of The Diamond Age is that Nell was actually being raised by Miranda, with the Primer serving only as a conduit for their relationship. I've found that idea recurring in some of my designs which have emphasized the importance of a live mentor to augment the technology.
This is but one example among many. I call on ideas from fiction every day, at least to the degree that great fiction has shaped my personality, my aspirations, and my values, while (less-frequently) specific ideas from fiction seem to reinforce and inform my concrete designs.
There must be wider phenomena at work here, because all of the great engineers I have worked with have all been voracious readers.
Try to find any info on Ron Dantowitz's space shuttle pictures.
Well, it wasn't that hard. I found this post on slashdot.
When I read the original article at newsforge, they served up an ad encouraging me to "Move to Apache 2.0" because "The More You Wait, The More You Lose". screenshot
The best eclipse map I've seen is in this May 20th article at space.com.
You're in a school, this is would be one of the BEST environment[s] to educate the people about all of these issues. You'll say that some people won't give a rat, but that's like in society in general, if people don't give a rat and anarchy reigns, stronger measure needs to be taken.
Yes, but while we're at it, can we also take a moment to at least consider the possibly that some P2P uses are legitimate?
For example, look at the EduCommons project for a case where researches are trying to advance the cause of "learning objects" through P2P mechanisms.
We are often quick to lament the poor state of education, but we forget that if we are ever to see improvement, then we'll need to allow a little creative dissonance. So, solutions to this very real problem which limit or discourage abuse (such as QoS govenors and Acceptable Use Policies) are significantly better than solutions which bludgeon future development.