A couple sci-fi books I've read have supposed the existence of microwave power transmission (Borders of Infinity by Lois McMaster Bujold, and A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge). Are there any projects seriously pursuing this?
As other posts have stated high school teaching does not pay well. This reflects a general underestimation of its importance. With the current high demand for technical savvy this means that very few people with technical savvy become high school teachers. The people who do become high school teachers have generally learned programming by rote. They know (have memorized) some basic techniques but lack the ability, desire or opportunity to understand what motivates those techniques. This tendency towards memorization is reinforced by the standardized testing process. The AP exam deserves credit for having a section that requires actual programming but it does little to counteract the general trend of the SAT, SAT II and AP exams. Despite the progress made in the last century high school, especially high school science, is still focussed on memorization rather than reasoning.
This is a pretty bleak picture but it isn't hopeless. Most high school teachers are starved for appreciation. Show some appreciation for whatever is being taught in a way that leads to open source. Visualizations are great for this and Python/TK makes them simple and cross platform. Whether you actually feel any appreciation is up to you but do keep in mind that high school teaching is an unenviable job.
There appears to be a concensus that someone who wrongs is responsible regardless of the instrument they are using. The more difficult question is the degree of responsibility of the designer and manufacturer of the instrument.
Capitalism provides an excellent way to assess the responsibility of manufacturers. A manufacturer can be taxed for wrongs in which their product is instrumental. To use everyone's favorite example (the gun industry), a gun manufacturer could required to yield one hundredth of its yearly profits to the social security program for every crime in which one of their products was instrumental. Patent holders could have their royalties taxed in a similar manner. This doesn't answer the question of ultimate responsibility but it does address the profit that businesses are realizing at the expense of the society.
The larger question is fascinating but I have to go play frisbee so I'll just recommend a few books that provide insights into the question: "A Canticle for Leibowitz" by Walter Miller; "The Cassini Division" by Ken MacLeod; and "Cat's Cradle" by Kurt Vonnegut. The title track of Ani Difranco's new album, "To the Teeth" is also relevant.
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A couple sci-fi books I've read have supposed the existence of microwave power transmission (Borders of Infinity by Lois McMaster Bujold, and A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge). Are there any projects seriously pursuing this?
As other posts have stated high school teaching does not pay well. This reflects a general underestimation of its importance. With the current high demand for technical savvy this means that very few people with technical savvy become high school teachers. The people who do become high school teachers have generally learned programming by rote. They know (have memorized) some basic techniques but lack the ability, desire or opportunity to understand what motivates those techniques. This tendency towards memorization is reinforced by the standardized testing process. The AP exam deserves credit for having a section that requires actual programming but it does little to counteract the general trend of the SAT, SAT II and AP exams. Despite the progress made in the last century high school, especially high school science, is still focussed on memorization rather than reasoning.
This is a pretty bleak picture but it isn't hopeless. Most high school teachers are starved for appreciation. Show some appreciation for whatever is being taught in a way that leads to open source. Visualizations are great for this and Python/TK makes them simple and cross platform. Whether you actually feel any appreciation is up to you but do keep in mind that high school teaching is an unenviable job.
There appears to be a concensus that someone who wrongs is responsible regardless of the instrument they are using. The more difficult question is the degree of responsibility of the designer and manufacturer of the instrument.
Capitalism provides an excellent way to assess the responsibility of manufacturers. A manufacturer can be taxed for wrongs in which their product is instrumental. To use everyone's favorite example (the gun industry), a gun manufacturer could required to yield one hundredth of its yearly profits to the social security program for every crime in which one of their products was instrumental. Patent holders could have their royalties taxed in a similar manner. This doesn't answer the question of ultimate responsibility but it does address the profit that businesses are realizing at the expense of the society.
The larger question is fascinating but I have to go play frisbee so I'll just recommend a few books that provide insights into the question: "A Canticle for Leibowitz" by Walter Miller; "The Cassini Division" by Ken MacLeod; and "Cat's Cradle" by Kurt Vonnegut. The title track of Ani Difranco's new album, "To the Teeth" is also relevant.