Most technologists believe the future of the planet lies in technology. The Internet overcomes injustice, renewable energy defeats global climate change, democracy wins over anarchy, and computers equal higher standards of living around the globe. The future of humanity depends on successful deployment of technology. But the future of technology is government regulation—NOT unbridled technology. Continue reading The Future of Tech is Regulation
Category Archives: Technology
Why Can’t Programmers Be More Like Ants? Or a Lesson in Stigmergy
In the good old days before the Internet vanquished time and distance, software developer teams were autocratic organizations Continue reading Why Can’t Programmers Be More Like Ants? Or a Lesson in Stigmergy
Why We Don’t Know Know-How
A recent, popular Internet video of Destin Sandlin riding a bike with reverse steering led me to reflect on our tendency to equate knowledge with things that computers do. If we could formulate a “science of learning,” we would be able to design algorithms that help people learn faster and much more reliably. As Destin struggles to understand why he cannot ride the bike, he reveals how our common sense is blind to embodied knowledge. Continue reading Why We Don’t Know Know-How
The Facebook Method of Dealing With Complexity
Computer systems used to be weak, so we had to make their world simple and standardized. They now can handle almost endless complexity—but we still need to understand how to make the world simple, so we don’t risk burdening the majority of users with the needless complexity of the few. Continue reading The Facebook Method of Dealing With Complexity