Correction: I presuppose there'll always be a GUI for the cases where the average Joe has a show-stopping problem frequent enough to warrant someone else to bui

Correction: I presuppose there'll always be a GUI for the cases where the average Joe has a show-stopping problem frequent enough to warrant someone else to build a GUI solution. Literacy is needed because (a) people need it on a daily-basis at least and (b) it's a meta-skill since it's impractical for people to learn other subjects without it. Contrast literacy with programming. I don't expect that programming will be as frequent or spontaneous except in a future where either (a) brain emulations exist or (b) citizens interface with reality exclusively through emacs. Nor do I consider programming a meta-skill in the sense that refusing to learn it will impede you from accessing every other area of human knowledge. (But I'm glad you're enjoying L.A.)