Exam question
Imagine you are a reporter in
the year 2050. Write a story about how some relatively new
technology has impacted society (as of 2050). In your story, make
sure to trace the history of that technology and ideas about its impact
back into the 20th century. Pick a technology that interests you
and allows you to use what you have learned in this course. Avoid
duplicating material discussed in class or that you covered in your
research paper (if you pick a related technology take a very different
perspective on it).
Weinberger
interview
The question the course poses is, unsurprisingly: Is the Web
very different from what came before, a little different, or not
different? from http://www.hyperorg.com/blogger/2008/04/18/how-important-is-the-web/
- different how?
- is it just the same stuff in different form or is the
difference important?
- is it just a different way of doing the same thing
(just makes life convenient)
- not just faster, says DW
- we create our own path to what we want to know rather
than have it created for us
- college courses aren't yet taught that way
- won't work well if you need to get a certain body of
knowledge
- what if everyone wants to go a different way?
DW says that social networks are moving away from that
- we are organizing knowledge now in social ways rather
than rigid ways (DW)
- are our institutions (such as libraries) going to
change to fit this new world? are libraries going to become museums
- what is going to happen to copyright?
- things we enjoy won't be replaced by technology
- it doesn't feel different because it is so organic
- we tend to naturalize technology--as soon as we get
used to something it feels natural to us
- the internet hasn't changed the world for everyone,
only in selected areas
- first a mess of information, then ways of organizing it
(Google, etc.)
- you need not just the new capability, you need the
killer ap
- it is hard to change a technology that has momentum
Digg
Where does he think it is going?
- experts are less important
- instead we put together lots of people with a little
knowledge each
- consider a doctor as an expert--pays for education and
can make money from providing that knowledge to people, but it isn't
just knowledge but also how to use it and a social role
- two kinds of experts--certified experts and
experiential experts
- we have more superspecialized experts--we still need
researchers
- experts take responsibility for the information--it is
about trust
- we want the skills of experts
- we will all take responsibility for information for
ourselves?
- do you come to college to become an expert--certainly
graduate school
- the standards for experts get higher as information is
more available and as there is more competition and you need more to
prove that you know what you are talking about
- in college you learn to learn
- how much is expertise going to be replaced by computers
and robots?
Step back
what are the common themes of what is going on with robots and the
internet
- convenience: we use technology to make our lives easier
- we have no idea where it is going--the interesting
technological changes aren't predictable
- curiousity--technology goes in somewhat random
directions
- on the other hand our world view values efficiency
(though sometimes technological momentum keeps us from going there),
but we can reject that
- in our system convenience is usually more important
than efficiency
- people are polarized for or against the technology
- forcing us to redefine common practice (eg. copyright)
- what happens depends in part on how much people complain
where technology goes depends on people, not just what is
most efficient