Re: Cory Doctorow on iPad, Apple ][+

[DaveSchmenk <dschmenk@gmail.com>]

On Apr 5, 4:14 am, "Don" <numberfiveplus...@gmail.com> wrote:
> "Michael J. Mahon" <mjma...@aol.com> wrote in messagekN6dnXtasfnOACTWnZ2dnUVZ_oGdnZ2d@giganews.com">news:kN6dnXtasfnOACTWnZ2dnUVZ_oGdnZ2d@giganews.com...
>
> > There remains the point that Apple seems intent on delivering
> > technology that "is indistinguishable from magic"...  ;-)
>
> I think most technology is going that way ... even the lowly light bulb has
> morphed from a device [the incandescent lamp] that can be understood by any
> high school graduate to a new form [CFL] that requires a bit more than
> knowledge of basic electricity to fathom the workings of. :-) [I took one
> apart and was amazed at the dense packing of electronics embedded in the
> little screw-base.]
>

...and will soon have it's own IP address.

> OTOH most people are not Geeks and don't care if they understand *how* it
> works so long as it let's them check Aunt Bessie's Facebook page. :-)
> --
> be seeing you ... Don
> Don Melton, Sr. Consultant, Vatic Technologies Limited

I think the point from the article is that the engineers/scientists/
designers that are creating these products came of age with mind-
expanding products such as the Apple ][.  How will the future
generation of products be understood if the kids from today only
understand the technology superficially (ooh, look how shiny my FB
page looks)?  Maybe the kids in India and China are the ones who will
are understanding the technology - I don't see it around here.  Even
if products are designed for the masses and to be foolproof, it would
be nice if there was more of a "discovery mode" that didn't involve a
$99 yearly fee and high barrier to entry.

Bah, humbug.

Dave...