Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Grady Booch on the morality behind software development | Newsmakers | CNET News.com

Cool little dialogue between Grady Booch, the software engineer's software engineer, and Charles Cooper from CNET.  It's just scratching the surface, and made me think.

Debating the morality behind software development | Newsmakers | CNET News.com

Motorola's New Phone Lineup Includes 18K Gold Snakeskin Razr 2 -- Motorola Phones

I didn't hit on this until I read the subtitle in the story:

The company rolled out nine new phones aimed at consumers who are entertainment hungry and fashion aware. [emphasis mine]

My first thought was: entertainment addicted and fashion victims, more likely.  My second thought was: I guess you have to do something to keep people buying new phones every few months.

What do I use?  A second-hand (I bought it from a friend) Samsung SCH-i730.  Great WM5 phone, Pocket PC sized because I like the form factor (MS Reader is too small to use on Smart Phones).  Next phone?  No idea, but it will be the same form factor...

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Motorola's New Phone Lineup Includes 18K Gold Snakeskin Razr 2 -- Motorola Phones

Monday, October 15, 2007

» If kids don’t have electricity, will a laptop change their lives? | Education IT | ZDNet.com

Interesting ZDNet article, which parrots one of the arguments my wife had over OLPC (One Laptop Per Child).  The basic question, as stated in the article title, is whether a laptop will make that big a difference in the hands of a child with no electricity.

Reading the comments, I came across a gem:

Kids in third world countries have already been robbed of their childhood. They face the harsh reality of survival and hunger...

This had to come from someone in the West, probably someone in the U.S.  The notion of someone being "robbed of their childhood" is a completely Western and completely modern notion.  Having a carefree childhood is a completely modern convenience, like a refrigerator and leisure time.  These kids haven't been robbed of anything - they never had a carefree childhood claim to begin with.  Even in the West, up until the early 20th century, children worked, sometimes right alongside their parents.  Some still do in non-Western countries.

Personally, I find the technological aspects of OLPC interesting, but the politics it spawns and the tripe dribbling from the mouth of neo-socialists who back the project is quite irritating.  I'm no advocating doing nothing - doing something to help is always better - but for the love of humanity, stop deluding yourself about it.

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» If kids don’t have electricity, will a laptop change their lives? | Education IT | ZDNet.com

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Innovation | Don’t invent, evolve | Economist.com

It's not a new technology, but the brief case studies look interesting.

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Innovation | Don’t invent, evolve | Economist.com