Re:Domain Knowledge or a Lack Thereof
by potatolicious on Friday February 22, 2013 @10:06AM
(#5264492)
I think you two are coming two extreme ends of the spectrum. He's coming from the "clueless one-dimensional engineers" end of the scale, and you're coming from the "we are digital gods" end.
The truth lies somewhere down the middle, though I think you're a bit more extreme on your end of the scale than he is.
It's hard to take your views seriously when you describe your kind as "technopriests", and claim that people understanding nothing but computers "understand more about today's world than most people out there". This is a laughable claim.
I'm sorry, I can't get over this. Technopriest? This is the real world, not Snow Crash.
> "Many things are going to disappear and be replaced by 0's and 1's."
Yes, and they are being replaced by 0's and 1's in specific spaces where those doing the replacing must understand non-computer things about the space. Want to automate the entire traffic control system (LA just finished doing this)? Sorry, you have to know a great deal about transportation.
Want to automate food production? Sorry, you must know a great deal about both manufacturing and food. You can know all you want about computers, but unless you know these other topics you're useless. Well, you could be coding to a spec from someone who actually has a broad base of knowledge - a cog in the machine at that point.
The future belongs to people who have a deep understanding of computers and [insert relevant field]. Those who understand just computers have only a future pounding keyboards and not making decisions.
You know what, you're right - there will be "technopriests" in the future - but they will be the ones with a broad base of knowledge on top of technological mastery. They will not be the ones who understand tech and nothing else - those will be the digital equivalent of janitors.
Though they might fancy themselves technopriests while the world passes them by.
The truth lies somewhere down the middle, though I think you're a bit more extreme on your end of the scale than he is.
It's hard to take your views seriously when you describe your kind as "technopriests", and claim that people understanding nothing but computers "understand more about today's world than most people out there". This is a laughable claim.
I'm sorry, I can't get over this. Technopriest? This is the real world, not Snow Crash.
> "Many things are going to disappear and be replaced by 0's and 1's."
Yes, and they are being replaced by 0's and 1's in specific spaces where those doing the replacing must understand non-computer things about the space. Want to automate the entire traffic control system (LA just finished doing this)? Sorry, you have to know a great deal about transportation.
Want to automate food production? Sorry, you must know a great deal about both manufacturing and food. You can know all you want about computers, but unless you know these other topics you're useless. Well, you could be coding to a spec from someone who actually has a broad base of knowledge - a cog in the machine at that point.
The future belongs to people who have a deep understanding of computers and [insert relevant field]. Those who understand just computers have only a future pounding keyboards and not making decisions.
You know what, you're right - there will be "technopriests" in the future - but they will be the ones with a broad base of knowledge on top of technological mastery. They will not be the ones who understand tech and nothing else - those will be the digital equivalent of janitors.
Though they might fancy themselves technopriests while the world passes them by.