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If we're not at peak computer science already, we're very close to it. Stories like this almost seem like satire at this point. It will be interesting to see

If we're not at peak computer science already, we're very close to it. Stories like this almost seem like satire at this point. It will be interesting to see how the companies backing this "learn to code" push fare in the coming months with all the financial turmoil that's brewing.

totalrobe 11y ago
>If we're not at peak computer science already, we're very close to it. Is there a 'peak' reading/writing ability? Just because the majority can write doesn't mean they can pump out award winning novels. On top of that, these miners are learning to code, which is to computer science like grammar is to linguistics.
- fjdjcjjcjd 11y ago
  Peak in terms of adoption. Sure they're not experts and are only learning fundamental skills, but it's a bizarre phenomenon nonetheless. >Is there a 'peak' reading/writing ability? Arguments like this don't make any sense. Computer science is no more of an essential skill because we use computers than cellular biology is because we're all made of cells. Why aren't we all learning cellular biology? The miners should be learning about how their body works.
  - totalrobe 11y ago
    First, they are not learning comp science. The article states they are learning to code HTML/PHP/JS. Second, we do all learn biology....that's fairly standard high school and college curriculum. Third, I would argue that basic comp science knowledge is becoming essential to professional success just like communication skills are. Individuals who understand systems and communicate in functional and technical domains are in high demand.
    - cjrifjcjenjz 11y ago
      I suppose that makes sense. Also we all drive cars and use machinery, so we should all learn the principles of mechanical engineering while we're at it. And all of our lives are heavily influenced by the weather, so everyone should learn meteorology. We also all live in homes, so high schools should provide mandatory construction classes.
      - douche 11y ago
        A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. Robert A. Heinlein, Time Enough For Love
        GFK_of_xmaspast 11y ago
        Insects are some of the most successful creatures on the face of the planet.
      - totalrobe 11y ago
        If one likes to argue in circles on the internet, maybe one should look into some philosophy/logic classes?
joe_momma 11y ago
lol peak computer science? comments like this seem like satire at this point... It will be interesting to see what dumb comments try to support this theory. there are people that break things, and people that dont. I don't ever imagine seeing a world where humans don't try to advance further past any peak you can see now.
- imtringued 11y ago
  A peak you can see now is a local peak. It's not possible to predict a global peak and advance past it but we can always use alternative technologies to achieve the similar goals.
bbarn 11y ago
The thing I wonder about is less that, but the fact that if everyone near college age is being steered to "code" we'll be producing less and less actual goods to sell, and what the long term impact of that will look like.
- mhurron 11y ago
  Coding is quickly becoming a cross between 'Factory Work' and a trade skill. The result is going to be a glut of factory worker programmers out of work as things continue to move over seas. They're being steered that way because there are less actual factory jobs making things in large parts of the country, so that has already happened.
lr4444lr 11y ago
One of the points I see most overlooked in analyses of the software job market is that our opprtunities from our work product are accretive: the demand for our work grows not only as a function of the dollar demand to computerize traditional markets, but also as a function of the new markets created from more powerful and flexible software itself, especially a la carte SaaS offerings, which lower the infrastructure barrier to build new companies, and hardware platforms with friendly developer APIs that create a myriad of untapped opportunities around just what a computer is and can be. In addition, public expectations themselves for what good computer technology should consist of rise ever higher in this feedback loop, and the quality bar isn't getting simpler.

totalrobe 11y ago

>If we're not at peak computer science already, we're very close to it. Is there a 'peak' reading/writing ability? Just because the majority can write doesn't mean they can pump out award winning novels. On top of that, these miners are learning to code, which is to computer science like grammar is to linguistics.

fjdjcjjcjd 11y ago
Peak in terms of adoption. Sure they're not experts and are only learning fundamental skills, but it's a bizarre phenomenon nonetheless. >Is there a 'peak' reading/writing ability? Arguments like this don't make any sense. Computer science is no more of an essential skill because we use computers than cellular biology is because we're all made of cells. Why aren't we all learning cellular biology? The miners should be learning about how their body works.
- totalrobe 11y ago
  First, they are not learning comp science. The article states they are learning to code HTML/PHP/JS. Second, we do all learn biology....that's fairly standard high school and college curriculum. Third, I would argue that basic comp science knowledge is becoming essential to professional success just like communication skills are. Individuals who understand systems and communicate in functional and technical domains are in high demand.
  - cjrifjcjenjz 11y ago
    I suppose that makes sense. Also we all drive cars and use machinery, so we should all learn the principles of mechanical engineering while we're at it. And all of our lives are heavily influenced by the weather, so everyone should learn meteorology. We also all live in homes, so high schools should provide mandatory construction classes.
    - douche 11y ago
      A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. Robert A. Heinlein, Time Enough For Love
      - GFK_of_xmaspast 11y ago
        Insects are some of the most successful creatures on the face of the planet.
    - totalrobe 11y ago
      If one likes to argue in circles on the internet, maybe one should look into some philosophy/logic classes?

joe_momma 11y ago

lol peak computer science? comments like this seem like satire at this point... It will be interesting to see what dumb comments try to support this theory. there are people that break things, and people that dont. I don't ever imagine seeing a world where humans don't try to advance further past any peak you can see now.

imtringued 11y ago
A peak you can see now is a local peak. It's not possible to predict a global peak and advance past it but we can always use alternative technologies to achieve the similar goals.

bbarn 11y ago

The thing I wonder about is less that, but the fact that if everyone near college age is being steered to "code" we'll be producing less and less actual goods to sell, and what the long term impact of that will look like.

mhurron 11y ago
Coding is quickly becoming a cross between 'Factory Work' and a trade skill. The result is going to be a glut of factory worker programmers out of work as things continue to move over seas. They're being steered that way because there are less actual factory jobs making things in large parts of the country, so that has already happened.

lr4444lr 11y ago

One of the points I see most overlooked in analyses of the software job market is that our opprtunities from our work product are accretive: the demand for our work grows not only as a function of the dollar demand to computerize traditional markets, but also as a function of the new markets created from more powerful and flexible software itself, especially a la carte SaaS offerings, which lower the infrastructure barrier to build new companies, and hardware platforms with friendly developer APIs that create a myriad of untapped opportunities around just what a computer is and can be. In addition, public expectations themselves for what good computer technology should consist of rise ever higher in this feedback loop, and the quality bar isn't getting simpler.