Highlights from the Apple Summit
The Summit was amazing. Very very cool. Here are my two favorite moments:
- Alan Kay telling us that, essentially, our work is just “pushing bits around” which isn’t leading to any sort of deeper understanding of anything–basically a form of “distracting ourselves to death.” I believe he said we’re “looking for the keys under a streetlamp”–doing what’s easy, not what’s right.
- I called Adrian Sannier (see my earlier post about him) an ignorant slut in the Q & A to his presentation. I was, of course, joking. Which I think he and most people understood. Not everyone, I learned later.
rufusb said:
Feb 10, 09 at 9:16 amPushing bits around isn’t leading to a deeper understanding of ANYTHING? Does it have to? Please elaborate.
admin said:
Feb 10, 09 at 3:43 pmWell, he was referring specifically to assignments like “create a video response to “The Sun Also Rises.” He noted that, in America, our reading comprehension has declined and that despite technology, people seem less able to engage in “deep thinking” and less able to advance knowledge. Ours is a pop culture. The good news, he said, is that it only takes about 1% of our population to transform our world.
rufusb said:
Feb 11, 09 at 8:28 amI won’t argue with the proposition that reading comprehension skills are lacking in the USA, but I would posit that perhaps it has always been lousy…we just weren’t paying attention until recently.
Sukey said:
Feb 12, 09 at 5:27 pm“I would posit that perhaps it has always been lousy”
It has, but people have been complaining about it for years – “Why Johnny Can’t Read” came out in 1955 followed by “Why Johnny Still Can’t Read” in 1981 followed by “Why Zack Can’t Think” about ten years ago when everyone decided just to give up already to focus on “thinking” 21st Century assignments like the aforementioned “‘Create a video response to the Sun Also Rises.'”
admin said:
Feb 13, 09 at 5:40 pmWhat’s scary is that now, apparently, people need neither think NOR read. We can just watch tv and vote on stuff with our phones. Sure, a few people are thinking, reading–the precious 1% who are going to change the world. I’m just worried the level there is dropping too… am I smarter than a 5th grader?