I saw the movie, liked it and wonder how many nay sayers saw more than the trailer? Not everyone will agree with his views. Many will. His deductions however are verifiable. Be sure to attack the man. Character assassination is often used when you can't attack the argument.
His biggest point is a word picture that compares much of academia enclose by a Berlin Wall mindset. This is arguably true. No amount of reason is going to change peoples minds when they don't want to change. It's easier just to put up the wall. Safer too. It's easier to punish those with questions than answer them.
Some will think they are doing right by preventing free speech and free exchange of ideas. I believe it was Joseph Stalin who said "We don't let our people have guns, why would we let them have ideas". Where theres a will, there's a wall.;-)
Hi, All
I've been a techie almost my whole life. I'm 54 and have been tinkered with just about everything. The only thing I don't have a heavy interest in is bio-med (Not likely anything I could tinker with);-) My grandmother grew up in Oklahoma and moved to Washington State as a young woman. She saw the world change from horse and buggies to landing men on the moon. She was smart and alive. She had seen wars, dust bowl OK, fashions, the depression, the new deal, paradigm shifts and people come and go. She drove a truck during WWII and quit driving after that. It just didn't interest her. She was her own person and refused to be manipulated by pop culture or others opinions. Myself, I've worked on computers since "core memory". Back when as a tech you had to know how to use machine code on front panel switches to boot up a down system and write in assembly language to fix a utility. I've raced sailboats, flown bush planes, and made all forms of radical and some dangerous devices. I used to race my motorcycle at speeds that make people wet themselves, ski extreme moguls, rock climb, etc. I did all the excess, extreme and stupid things you could imagine. I found Jesus at 26. I have almost been killed five times (that's just the times I progressed into unconsciousness) and didn't think I'd live to see thirty. All this is just to say I didn't sit on my butt my whole life. I also enjoy the Internet. I have created programs in basic, COBOL and FORTRAN not to mention in assembly language. When I was hot and heavy in the mainframe business, I used to get so burned out on tech that I would only wear an analog self-winding watch and refused to do my math with a calculator. Those were the days of sailing and skiing, etc. We choose what we can endure. It is true that a lot of older people don't really have an interest in spending hours upon end in video games. My eight-year-old even has a threshold (a high one). Computers only became popular when they became Internet appliances. The tech is going to go places you can only imagine. I've seen all the promises and watched real progress. We use TV to live vicarious lives wishing if only. Some people use computers the same way. But what I see for a few is using Internet appliances to experience real life. You ever been surfing in California? Imagine your wireless wrist pda with retinal write sunglasses. Anything any time your way. Broad band everywhere. You could be on your board waiting for the next good one and while your digital satellite link is analyzing the wave sets, you're talking to your girl friend. You could be snowboarding in Colorado giving your buddies live feed and bragging rights for a rad ride. I remember my first digital watch. It was possible to tell time using both hands instead of one (had to push the button). Now they come with GPS. When devices and services reach the point where they become intuitive and machines conform to us versus the other way around. When technology becomes invisible... Until then it's going to be the domain of us techies with others holding on for their lives. It is interesting that in Kenya many of the Masai tribesmen who left village life (some even getting college degrees) returned to their tribal ways. They felt more of a sense of being alive following traditional ways. It's really a kick seeing mud huts primitive weapons, livestock and children running around naked and the biggest kick knowing these peoples backgrounds is seeing traditional tribal dress on the men and them wearing modern electronic wrist watches. Cultures and individuals that are wise pick only the things they regard of value and ignore the rest.
Rant finished,
fmhuff
Slashdot Mirror
So this is the new science. Fire the dumb down cannon Mr. Spock.
I saw the movie, liked it and wonder how many nay sayers saw more than the trailer? Not everyone will agree with his views. Many will. His deductions however are verifiable. Be sure to attack the man. Character assassination is often used when you can't attack the argument. His biggest point is a word picture that compares much of academia enclose by a Berlin Wall mindset. This is arguably true. No amount of reason is going to change peoples minds when they don't want to change. It's easier just to put up the wall. Safer too. It's easier to punish those with questions than answer them. Some will think they are doing right by preventing free speech and free exchange of ideas. I believe it was Joseph Stalin who said "We don't let our people have guns, why would we let them have ideas". Where theres a will, there's a wall. ;-)
Hi, All I've been a techie almost my whole life. I'm 54 and have been tinkered with just about everything. The only thing I don't have a heavy interest in is bio-med (Not likely anything I could tinker with);-) My grandmother grew up in Oklahoma and moved to Washington State as a young woman. She saw the world change from horse and buggies to landing men on the moon. She was smart and alive. She had seen wars, dust bowl OK, fashions, the depression, the new deal, paradigm shifts and people come and go. She drove a truck during WWII and quit driving after that. It just didn't interest her. She was her own person and refused to be manipulated by pop culture or others opinions. Myself, I've worked on computers since "core memory". Back when as a tech you had to know how to use machine code on front panel switches to boot up a down system and write in assembly language to fix a utility. I've raced sailboats, flown bush planes, and made all forms of radical and some dangerous devices. I used to race my motorcycle at speeds that make people wet themselves, ski extreme moguls, rock climb, etc. I did all the excess, extreme and stupid things you could imagine. I found Jesus at 26. I have almost been killed five times (that's just the times I progressed into unconsciousness) and didn't think I'd live to see thirty. All this is just to say I didn't sit on my butt my whole life. I also enjoy the Internet. I have created programs in basic, COBOL and FORTRAN not to mention in assembly language. When I was hot and heavy in the mainframe business, I used to get so burned out on tech that I would only wear an analog self-winding watch and refused to do my math with a calculator. Those were the days of sailing and skiing, etc. We choose what we can endure. It is true that a lot of older people don't really have an interest in spending hours upon end in video games. My eight-year-old even has a threshold (a high one). Computers only became popular when they became Internet appliances. The tech is going to go places you can only imagine. I've seen all the promises and watched real progress. We use TV to live vicarious lives wishing if only. Some people use computers the same way. But what I see for a few is using Internet appliances to experience real life. You ever been surfing in California? Imagine your wireless wrist pda with retinal write sunglasses. Anything any time your way. Broad band everywhere. You could be on your board waiting for the next good one and while your digital satellite link is analyzing the wave sets, you're talking to your girl friend. You could be snowboarding in Colorado giving your buddies live feed and bragging rights for a rad ride. I remember my first digital watch. It was possible to tell time using both hands instead of one (had to push the button). Now they come with GPS. When devices and services reach the point where they become intuitive and machines conform to us versus the other way around. When technology becomes invisible... Until then it's going to be the domain of us techies with others holding on for their lives. It is interesting that in Kenya many of the Masai tribesmen who left village life (some even getting college degrees) returned to their tribal ways. They felt more of a sense of being alive following traditional ways. It's really a kick seeing mud huts primitive weapons, livestock and children running around naked and the biggest kick knowing these peoples backgrounds is seeing traditional tribal dress on the men and them wearing modern electronic wrist watches. Cultures and individuals that are wise pick only the things they regard of value and ignore the rest. Rant finished, fmhuff