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> avg. age ~70 Why is that a problem? It's certainly possible that the judge was an avid home computer enthusiast in the 1980s and knows about tech. Old age d

> avg. age ~70 Why is that a problem? It's certainly possible that the judge was an avid home computer enthusiast in the 1980s and knows about tech. Old age doesn't automatically mean technological incompetence anymore.

pdabbadabba 12y ago
Yes, and remember that each justice has an office full of clerks who will typically be in their late 20s and early 30s advising them.
- woofyman 12y ago
  <sarcasm> Very handy to have if they have to tweet or something </sarcasm>
- stonogo 12y ago
  The problem is the reprehensible ageism inherent in claiming older people are not capable of understanding technology. The same ageism you are implicitly supporting by "reassuring" us that young people (hence, magically tech-savvy people) will have input.
  - pdabbadabba 12y ago
    A bit shrill, I think. I don't think it's ageist to acknowledge that a lot of technologies didn't exist when older people were born and, thus, they are less likely to be familiar with them. That doesn't make them dumb, it's just an accident of history. And certainly I think that a good lawyer (and amici) should be able to explain anything the justices need to know -- the justices, whatever else you may think about them, are very intelligent people and surely capable of understanding just about anything, given sufficient time, regardless of their age. (Though this time caveat is a significant consideration. Overcoming that restriction is largely what clerks are for.) None of this is inconsistent, though, with it's being beneficial that there are additional very smart younger people, who may be more likely to be familiar with newer technologies just in case their perspective becomes relevant.
woofyman 12y ago
Nor does youth guarantee technical competence. As a 55 year old developer, I'm particularly sensitive to this kind of blatant ageism.
- shangxiao 12y ago
  I thought developers over the age of 35 were taken out the back and shot, how did you escape?? Just curious as I turn 35 in a couple of years... Edit: to the person who downvoted this, it's a joke in case you didn't notice
  - woofyman 12y ago
    Good question. Luck and hard work mostly.
orangecat 12y ago
Old age doesn't automatically mean technological incompetence anymore. For example, Judge Alsup was born in 1945 and demonstrated a perfect understanding of the issues in his ruling. As I recall he even taught himself Java programming during the trial.

pdabbadabba 12y ago

Yes, and remember that each justice has an office full of clerks who will typically be in their late 20s and early 30s advising them.

woofyman 12y ago
<sarcasm> Very handy to have if they have to tweet or something </sarcasm>
stonogo 12y ago
The problem is the reprehensible ageism inherent in claiming older people are not capable of understanding technology. The same ageism you are implicitly supporting by "reassuring" us that young people (hence, magically tech-savvy people) will have input.
- pdabbadabba 12y ago
  A bit shrill, I think. I don't think it's ageist to acknowledge that a lot of technologies didn't exist when older people were born and, thus, they are less likely to be familiar with them. That doesn't make them dumb, it's just an accident of history. And certainly I think that a good lawyer (and amici) should be able to explain anything the justices need to know -- the justices, whatever else you may think about them, are very intelligent people and surely capable of understanding just about anything, given sufficient time, regardless of their age. (Though this time caveat is a significant consideration. Overcoming that restriction is largely what clerks are for.) None of this is inconsistent, though, with it's being beneficial that there are additional very smart younger people, who may be more likely to be familiar with newer technologies just in case their perspective becomes relevant.

woofyman 12y ago

Nor does youth guarantee technical competence. As a 55 year old developer, I'm particularly sensitive to this kind of blatant ageism.

shangxiao 12y ago
I thought developers over the age of 35 were taken out the back and shot, how did you escape?? Just curious as I turn 35 in a couple of years... Edit: to the person who downvoted this, it's a joke in case you didn't notice
- woofyman 12y ago
  Good question. Luck and hard work mostly.

orangecat 12y ago

Old age doesn't automatically mean technological incompetence anymore. For example, Judge Alsup was born in 1945 and demonstrated a perfect understanding of the issues in his ruling. As I recall he even taught himself Java programming during the trial.