The readings for Tuesday, January 19 are:
See also: The Word "Hacker", Great Hackers
The Capitol of Meritocracy is Silicon Valley, Not Wall Street
Silicon Valley Isn't a Meritocracy. And It's Dangerous to Hero-Worship Entrepreneurs
No Death, No Taxes: The libertarian futurism of a Silicon Valley billionaire.
Warning: As with all New Yorker articles, it's long (but interesting!).
Sean Parker: Philanthropy for Hackers
Use your favorite search engine to find the article for a non-paywalled version.
How the Gates Foundation Reflects the Good and the Bad of "Hacker Philanthropy"
Please write a response to one of the following questions:
From the readings and from your experience, what exactly is a hacker? That is, what are the key characteristics of the hacker archetype? Do you identify with these attributes? That is, would you consider yourself a hacker? What is your reaction to this characterization?
From the readings and from your experience, what is the ethos of the computing industry? That is, what are its core beliefs or guiding principles? How does the computing industry manifest these ideals? Is it successful in maintaining its principles? Discuss whether or not these principles match your own.
Of the free following computing luminaries, who is the most moral or ethical: Richard Stallman, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, or Mark Zuckerberg? Who is the least? Discuss your reasoning and provide support for your arguments.
What if we changed the question to who has had the most positive effect on the world rather than who was the most ethical or moral. Does that change your assessment of any of the persons? Explain.
Does the computing industry have an obligation to address social and political issues such as income inequality? How well suited is it to meet such challenges? How does the ethos of the computing industry influence its take on "fixing" social, economic, and political problems? Can tech save the world?
Note, you are only required to response to one question prompt. Each response should be between 500 - 1000 words. Each post will be graded in terms of:
Does the post adequately address the prompt?
Does the post utilize the readings and other sources to support the writing?
Does the post exhibit thoughtfulness and creative expression?
Does the post utilize proper grammar and style?
Of course, you may choose to response to multiple prompts if your interested. You may also choose to respond to posts from other students (in a separate follow-up post).
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding the course, please provide your feedback at the end of your response.