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"The impact of technological change on culture, learning, and morality has long been the subject of intense debate, and every technological revolution brings out a fresh crop of both pessimists and pollyannas. Indeed, a familiar cycle has repeat itself throughout history whenever new modes of production (from mechanized agriculture to assembly-line production), means of transportation (water, rail, road, or air), energy production processes (steam, electric, nuclear), medical breakthroughs (vaccination, surgery, cloning), or communications techniques (telegraph, telephone, radio, television) have appeared on the scene. The cycle goes something like this. A new technology appears. Those who fear the sweeping changes brought about by this technology see a sky that is about to fall. These "techno-pessimists" predict the death of the old order (which, ironically, is often a previous generation's hotly-debated technology that others wanted slowed or stopped). Embracing this new technology, they fear, will result in the overthrow of traditions, beliefs, values, institutions, business models, and much else they hold sacred. The pollyannas, by contrast, look out at the unfolding landscape and see mostly rainbows in the air. Theirs is a rose-colored world in which the technological revolution du jour is seen as improving the general lot of mankind and bringing about a better order. If something has to give, then the old ways be damned! For such "techno-optimists," progress means some norms and institutions must adapt-perhaps even disappear-for society to continue its march forward. Our current Information Revolution is no different. It too has its share of techno-pessimists and techno-optimists. Indeed, before most of us had even heard of the Internet, people were already fighting about it-or at least debating what the rise of the Information Age meant for our culture, society, and economy."

does Kurtopia need someone to mow the lawn?

no, but we do need someone to take our throm-dib-u-lator apart though

"Part IV in a series on technological evolution. Part I was "If a Time Traveller Saw a Smartphone." Part II was "As Technology Gets Better, Will Society Get Worse?" Part III was "The Problem With Easy Technology.""

"Part IV in a series on technological evolution. Part I was "If a Time Traveller Saw a Smartphone." Part II was "As Technology Gets Better, Will Society Get Worse?" Part III was "The Problem With Easy Technology.""

" Thursday, 25 June 2015 09:04 Linux Training Staff |Exclusive Interested in starting a new career in IT? Linux is one of the hottest technologies in the market today, with tens of thousands of job openings, and salaries outpacing many other IT specialties. This presentation demonstrates the steps you should take to launch your career in Linux."

" Thursday, 25 June 2015 09:04 Linux Training Staff |Exclusive Interested in starting a new career in IT? Linux is one of the hottest technologies in the market today, with tens of thousands of job openings, and salaries outpacing many other IT specialties. This presentation demonstrates the steps you should take to launch your career in Linux."

"Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum Every day we see the emergence of new technologies. And every day we see a widening gap between progress and society's ability to cope with its consequences. Whether it is an impending shift in the nature of work as technology changes production systems, or the ethical implications of reengineering what it means to be human, the changes we see around us threaten to overwhelm us if we cannot collaborate to understand and direct them."

[...Gleick: When people say that the Internet is going to make us all geniuses, that was said about the telegraph. On the other hand, when they say the Internet is going to make us stupid, that also was said about the telegraph. I think we are always right to worry about damaging consequences of new technologies even as we are empowered by them. History suggests we should not panic nor be too sanguine about cool new gizmos. There's a delicate balance. ...]

"One of the great aspects of open source is that there's always something new to learn. Many of us like to jump right in with new software or technology and learn by trial and error. Sometimes, however, we can use a guiding hand. That hand comes in the form of a good how-to or manual."

" For the first time ever, scientists have found a way to build a quantum Fredkin gate Katherine Noyes By Katherine Noyes Follow IDG News Service | March 28, 2016 "

" For the first time ever, scientists have found a way to build a quantum Fredkin gate Katherine Noyes By Katherine Noyes Follow IDG News Service | March 28, 2016 "

Human evolution presents a puzzle. Nothing seems to explain the sudden takeoff of the last 45,000 years-the conversion of just another rare predatory ape into a planet dominator with rapidly progressing technologies. Once "progress" started to produce new tools, different ways of life and burgeoning populations, it accelerated all over the world, culminating in agriculture, cities, literacy and all the rest. Yet all the ingredients of human success-tool making, big brains, culture, fire, even language-seem to have been in place half a million years before and nothing happened. Tools were made to the same monotonous design for hundreds of thousands of years and the ecological impact of people was minimal. Then suddenly-bang!-culture exploded, starting in Africa. Why then, why there?

"Over the past 15 years, the World Wide Web has created remarkable new business models reshaping our economy. As the Web has undermined old media and software companies, it has demonstrated the enormous power of a new model, often referred to as Web 2.0. "

"With the presidential election season upon us, I'm often asked whether the U.S. government efforts to encourage use of open source software (OSS) will continue when a new administration comes into office in January."

"Fedora 25 arrived on November 22, 2016, as reported right here on Softpedia, and it ships with lots of modern GNU/Linux technologies and the latest open source software releases."

"Search company launches new opt-in ad service for non-Google sites and tools that show how it tracks your internet activity "

[The Linux Professional Institute (LPI) is proud to announce an innovative "first-of-its-kind" program for the academic sector, youth and others new to the world of Linux and Open Source technology. Created in partnership with a community of teachers,trainers and experts world-wide. The "Linux Essentials" program prepares the next generation to acquire the advanced skills needed to fill increasing shortages of workers in today's mixed IT environments. It supports government and educational authorities bringing Linux and Open Source to the classroom at much younger ages. Supporting learning and fun through skills competitions like World Skills and Euroskills. Supporting international collaboration and the development of teacher-tested educational initiatives for the classroom. ...]

"Bitcoin has taken quite a beating for its libertarian design biases, price volatility due to speculation, and the questionable practices of some currency-exchange firms. But whatever the real or perceived flaws of Bitcoin, relatively little attention has been paid to its "engine," known as "distributed ledger" or "blockchain" technology. Move beyond the superficial public discussions about Bitcoin, and you'll discover a software breakthrough that could be of enormous importance to the future of commoning on open network platforms."

"The Linux community, and the technology world in general, were shocked by the news of Ian's Murdock tragic death a couple of weeks ago - and rightfully so. Ian's legacy and vision as the founder of the Debian project not only influenced many others who went on to start their own distributions, but also were the means to create a rock-solid operating system that many individuals and businesses of all sizes have used for more than 20 years."

"Aug 26, 2009 By Doc Searls Tristan Louis gives weight to new term that I like a lot: fauxpen. Faux in French means "false" or "fake". So fauxpen means fake open. There has always been a lot of that going around, but since the world of tech inevitably contains more of everything, there's more fauxpen stuff than ever. In his post Tristan issues a fresh warning about some of what he calls "a venus flytrap of technology". His definitions:"

"Increasingly, as open source technology becomes more pervasive, tech and DevOps workers are choosing to or being asked to build out and oversee their own open source projects. From Google, to Netflix to Facebook, companies are also releasing their open source creations to the community."

"Disruptions By NICK BILTON MARCH 16, 2016 Share This Page Photo Credit Ellen Weinstein For a glimpse of what teenagers are into these days, all you have to do is visit Abbot Kinney Boulevard in the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles. On weekend nights, the half-mile shopping drag is packed with style-conscious kids who traipse past coffee shops, ice cream parlors and boutiques, often while taking selfies."

"In a morning keynote presentation at LinuxCon, Michael Miller (Vice President of Global Alliances, Marketing and Product Management for SUSE), described himself as just a guy who likes technology. He's also a guy who reads Scientific American and who thought that by 2015 we would all be flying jet packs to work."

"While Bitcoin has received the lion's share of attention since its conception, recently the Blockchain - the distributed public database used to record Bitcoin transactions - has just begun entering the spotlight for enabling some important capabilities outside of Bitcoin."

"While Bitcoin has received the lion's share of attention since its conception, recently the Blockchain - the distributed public database used to record Bitcoin transactions - has just begun entering the spotlight for enabling some important capabilities outside of Bitcoin."