Well, maybe the young woman crossing the street while staring at her
smartphone is trying to earn her Darwin Award. She does represent
the market Apple and other smartphone purveyors are targeting: young,
hip, earning decent money, and not concerned yet about saving for
retirement. She's in a highly desirable demographic. Most of us, by
definition, aren't.
This brings up another issue. I remember, years ago, when a
programmer was asked what a company should do to attract good--even
brilliant--workers. The answer was, "Have good Szechuan food." The
implication was that computer whizzes were not interested in money,
working conditions, hours, politics, or unions; those departments
would take care of themselves; and besides, all that political and
economic stuff was boring. I don't know if this stereotype was true;
but it was certainly common.
Maybe it's time for programmers to get concerned about politics and
economics--even, dare I say it, unions. (It won't be easy, but they
probably won't send the Pinkertons with shotguns against you, the way
they did to workers in the coal fields.)
--Constance
Steve
PS: I just thought of this. Who are the "bulk of us?" I just saw an
example of it in a TV ad last night for Verizon. Among other images
in the ad was one of a young woman crossing an urban street on foot
that was crowded with traffic, and she was staring down at her mobile
device the whole way, not paying the slightest bit of attention to
anything going on around her.
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