I read a fascinating article about technology today in Newsweek (September 24, 2007). The article, "Power to the People," by Steven Levy, comes under the aegis of "The Boomer Files: Technology." Levy's point is, had it not been for the baby boomers and the counterculture of the 60s, then technology would have stayed in the possessive hands of an elite who wore suits and ties and restricted access. But boomers such as Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Bill Gates, Paul Allen and Mitch Kapor saw the possibilities of the moment and would not be left out. They had the know-how and vision to write their own software and open the world of technology to people and empower them. Like boomers, says Levy, "the computer assumed a leadership role, while still maintaining an unruly edge." (p48)
According to Levy, to early computer specialists, the proposition that people would want a computer for their own was preposterous. I remember, not so long ago, thinking that way. Why in the world would I ever put out all that money on something totally foreign to me, like math, that would need to be upgraded every few years and maintained for a lot of money? Why would I do that to myself? I stayed as far away from computers as possible--they were for geeks.
But boomers Jobs, Gates, etc., truly envisioned a PC revolution that would expand the minds of ordinary people. To their credit, they were right. Last night while talking to my son via skype and using code to get my weblog linked to my class wiki, I felt my mind expand. I really felt it -- the InterNet.
I learned from Levy's article that Google's unofficial motto is, "Don't Be Evil." (p50) I'd never heard that.
Levy helped me see the confluence of technological advancements and innovative boomers. In so doing, my disdain for technology is being replaced by admiration for the boomers who work hard to make it a tool for empowerment. May my mind expand at a rate fast enough to empower myself into passing this class.
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Have you ever heard of the One Laptop per Child project? [[http://www.laptop.org/index.en_US.html]]
It was started by Nicholas Negroponte of MIT Media Lab fame. OLPC is a wonderful attempt to spread the power of computing to children around the world. I haven't seen the Newsweek article yet but if you liked that you may also enjoy reading more about OLPC.
Right after you left me this comment, I read an article in Newsweek, I believe, about OLPC. It coincided with my having just amiled my old laptop to my son in Guatemala for $400! Oy--I could have spent that on two OLPC, one for my son, and the other for a child. The chips didn't fall that way, though. Funny how you hear about something all at once.
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