[LINK] Where Are the Software Engineers of Tomorrow?

[Richard Chirgwin]

grove at zeta.org.au wrote:
> On Sun, 13 Jan 2008, Janet Hawtin wrote:
>
>> It feels like we are optimised as a culture of consumers.
>
> I think you're right.   And things like DMCA do not help. The "hacker 
> mentality" is now readily equated with terrorism.
>
> Chemistry sets are now sold so as to be practically inoccuous as 
> possible.
> Hacking a modern car engine is not the same due to use of sealed 
> electronic
> modules and most of it being "on a chip".
Rachel,

... hacking the car contravenes the DMCA in America ... and yes, the 
death of the chemistry set is saddening, And I've been hassled by 
council rangers for launching bottle rockets once. ("No, it's not going 
to damage the grass, it's powered by water."  - this was before 
restrictions BTW). Nobody wants anybody to do anything that isn't sold 
pre-purchased.
>
> Why bother building it when you can get a ready made Shenzen special
> from Bunnings or whereever?
As someone who builds when I can, I will also observe that the Shenzen 
special discourages building stuff in two ways:
1) Good timber - my personal preference is reclaimed Spotted Gum - is 
more expensive than crap ^h^h^h^h chipboard kits.
2) You can either buy crap tools or you can't afford the tools. Try 
planing hardwood with anything currently sold in Bunnings ... the last 
plane let its handle go rather than actually cut the wood.
> Everything is slowly being reduced to a commodity.   And if it doesn't 
> support some sort of "standard" then it is not allowed to be marketed
> or is strictly regulated.
I like standards of some kind. I don't like standards that exists solely 
as job-protection schemes. But I have two steel rulers that don't agree 
with each other; and it took many purchases to get a woodworker's square 
that actually had 90 degree angles.
> I see Dick Smith shops as a good example of this.   They used to be full
> of electronic bits and you put most of your things together as a hobby,
> which might later lead to a skill set that took you into a trade or 
> career.
Mercy for the survival of Jaycar! The York Street store, at least, still 
has a riot of components ...

RC
>
> Now it's a shop full of USB coffee warmers with the electronic bits
> a stub of it's former glory.
>
> The skills are now only out there in a few die hard 20 year olds who 
> are sill enough to have a crazy hobby and the rest resides in people 
> who are now over 40 and gradually retiring.
>
> Let's look at a 17 minute movie that sort of sums it up for me - who 
> can honestly say they know someone who has at least 2 of the skills
> shown, let alone the whole set:
>
> http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2008/01/make_your_own_vaccum_tube.html
>
> rachel
>