TroubleShooter » Innovation

Console generations do not compute?

Colin Beveridge — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 12:11:05 +0000

Here’s an interesting paradox: as the use of computers has grown, the number of youngsters wanting to study them has fallen. This is leading serious [academic and political] concern about the loss of technology skills and future capability.

I have heard much talk recently about the apparent difficulty of attracting young people to computing. Some of the UK commentators hark back to the early 1980s, the heyday of the ubiquitous micro computers, such as the BBC Micro and Clive Sinclair’s budget computers (ZX80/81 and Spectrum).

The Micro generation of the early ’80s were keen to make computers do things, their boxes had to be programmed and the kids soon picked up the skills and the principles involved.

No wonder then that our schools responded to the technology bow-wave and brought computing to the classroom. The kit was there and the kids were there.

Thirty years on, though, the DIY micro has long since given way to the games console – plug-and-play devices which need no understanding of, or technical facility with, the technology.

So we have successive ‘Console’ generations who just like playing games and are less likely to want to know about making computers do things, apart from achieving a higher score, a higher level or perhaps an even quicker cheat.

If we really want to get back to fostering computing skills from an early age, we don’t need another games console. We need a ZX80 or BBC Micro for the 21st Century

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Give the infant space

Colin Beveridge — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 10:46:03 +0000

Google+ is a new-born infant, with a rapidly growing family – anxious to play with the tot. Of course, many are recognising the potential for them and praising the initiative.

However, others who are perhaps beyond their present social-networking comfort zone are already rushing to discount the value of G+

Either way, I recognise the risk of premature evaluation and the importance of giving Google+ a chance to grow and thrive.

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Hitting the G+ spot

Colin Beveridge — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 14:27:41 +0000

I’ve not used Google+ yet but from what I have seen so far, it looks like an ideal approach for anyone (like me) interested in a properly joined-up-world of integrated Systems. Unlike some, though, I’m not even thinking about Google+ in relationship to FaceBook because FB is not a serious Systems platform.

I’m thinking more about how Google+ might play well with public networks, such as Twitter and LinkedIn, in conjunction with multiple [private] membership organisation architectures.

Chris Brogan has also been given some thought to the potential of Google+ and his list of 50 things about G+ is well worth a read.

We are all members of multiple systems and Google+ could make it easier for us to manage and grow our connectivity. I’ve got high hopes for G+ and can’t wait to get hands-on.

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Online gang culture

Colin Beveridge — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 09:01:14 +0000

Every day someone asks me to join their new online gang. They don’t call them gangs, of course. The buzz word is network. For sure some of the invitations have genuine merit. But most of them are just about gangs, set up to serve the leader’s agenda, rather than real networks of mutual interest.

Because when you look beyond the ostensible purpose of some new gangs, hunger, greed and vanity seem to be the real drivers, rather than sharing and mutuality.

Such gangs are not always easy to spot, unless you spend a little bit of time to test their substance and value, before subscribing.

How do you tell whether a group is just another gang or a really valuable network?

Here is my rough and ready checklist for evaluating gang and network integrity:

Is the gang trying to piggy-back on someone else’s brand/ credentials?
Have the group founders got genuine substance, or have they just jumped on a bandwagon, for which they have no substantive claim to a driver’s license?
How will the proposed benefits of the group/ gang fit in with what I do and the limited time I have available?
Do I really understand my own motivation for joining up: real value/ enjoyment or merely perceived personal aggrandisement?

Online gang invitations are like metropolitan buses, miss one and there will be another one along soon enough. So look very closely at the gang leader before you join up. If you like what you see, then chances are your gang membership will probably be mutually beneficial.

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