Every once in a while I hear about a survey where it is asked who you would like to have with you in case of a major catastrophe. Overwhelmingly the answer is an engineer. I wouldn't disagree.
*-- Russ Abbott* *_____________________________________________* *** Professor, Computer Science* * California State University, Los Angeles* * My paper on how the Fed can fix the economy: ssrn.com/abstract=1977688* * Google voice: 747-*999-5105 Google+: plus.google.com/114865618166480775623/ * vita: *sites.google.com/site/russabbott/ CS Wiki <http://cs.calstatela.edu/wiki/> and the courses I teach *_____________________________________________* On Thu, Mar 21, 2013 at 4:42 PM, Parks, Raymond <[email protected]> wrote: > Well, if the subject is computer security instead of web-pages then a > point and drool, Idiocracy, world will keep me in employment. > > On the other hand, point and drool policy makers tend to annoy me with > their stupid policies. > > Ray Parks > Consilient Heuristician/IDART Program Manager > V: 505-844-4024 M: 505-238-9359 P: 505-951-6084 > NIPR: [email protected] > SIPR: [email protected] (send NIPR reminder) > JWICS: [email protected] (send NIPR reminder) > > > > On Mar 21, 2013, at 5:25 PM, Joshua Thorp wrote: > > Probably the issue pops up when turning the wheel doesn't have the desired > effect. Without knowing more about how the car works all the user can say > is "it doesn't work", and all the mechanic can say is bring it in. > > Having an idea of how things are supposed to work one or two levels down > can be useful when dealing with them when they don't. And knowing who to > talk to, and what to say. Sure you can drive without knowing about how > internal combustion works, but having an idea that gas is necessary > component and when it isn't present the car won't go is also useful and > could save you a headache down the road. > > Seems to me the more interesting question is what level of detail should > we understand something like a web page or a car. We have a fairly worked > out basic level of understanding needed for operating a vehicle, but even > here that level of understanding is generally going down as we lock up more > and more of the operational decisions in black boxes instead of requiring > the human to attend to them. > > So the question is where do we stop this trend of not knowing, or do we > just want to live in a point and click world where everything either works > or no help but to go to the experts when it doesn't. > > --joshua > > > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com >
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