For me the Wikireader is a fun device. Since it is a single function gadget I can do the required reading on it without getting distracted (unless the distraction is the cellphone or, the landline). I have two ways of using the Wikireader – either I have a specific term in mind and build up the crawl thereafter or, I just use the Random button to look up a topic (and, sometimes keep hitting it to get a topic that looks nice) and keep going back and forth between the links. Since I had the device for a while and the Wikireader folks had released an update, I decided to update it.
Curiously enough I managed to brick it during the update. The usual “no wiki found” screen came up. Before I thought of ordering an update SD card I figured why not poke around what is and try to see what I am doing wrong with the copying of the files . The software source and hardware bits are anyway available and thus a fairly productive 180 minutes were spent reading up on the internals (I can actually probably take a 15 minute session on it :)). In the middle of it all I also did a Lazyweb version of a microblog which was answered by the @wikireader handle and off we were with a new update.
To cut to the chase, what I see is that there is a serious lack of the ‘maker’ attitude in the young generation. I know it does sound like a lament and that too one of those ‘old men’s gripe’ kind of thing – but think over it. We do not teach our kids to break-apart and reassemble stuff. We do not get them to go to fairs or events where their implementation of reasonably practical solutions to everyday problems might help them curious to learn more of theory. I recall learning more about optics and associated topics once I encountered a friend not too elder to me (I was in school) who had his own telescope and used a journal regularly to note down observations. Grandly for him his parents actually went out of their way to encourage what was a ‘hobby’. I am fairly sure that the work ethics of being diligent, being disciplined, being observant and most importantly the scientific temper were being taught without being hammered into his head.
Contrast this with the current situation – with the mass popularity of Free and Open Source Software and Hardware there is an immense playground that can lead to way cool hacks and tools, tricks and wonderful creations. Do you really get to see them ? I doubt that. The cool kids in the various engineering and non-engineering colleges don’t take readily to an Arduino board or, something similar and get going with possible ideas. To one of my eternal regrets I recall pleading with two bright young men about using their interest in OpenStreetMap and GPS to come up with usable hacks. Sadly they nodded their heads with vigorous interest and most likely forgot all about it in the next 10 seconds. A couple of folks I know went ahead and purchased the OpenMoko phones. It is a rare event that I come across anyone who actually has used the platform and hardware to become more interested in the GSM and telephony stack and reached the stage of doing something.
The lack of this ‘maker’ attitude is also reflected in the technology programs that are telecast on various television channels. The team that works on them end up re-phrasing or, sometimes just putting across verbatim the easy jargon filled text of PR material. In recent times I’ve sat through them and watched them raah-raah the iPad, the iPhone, the 35 USD tablet from India or, the plethora of Android phones. In every single case there was no attempt to even talk about the technology or, provide an insight into the technological underbelly of things. Technology is built via research and the output of multiple research streams coalesce into the glitzy products that the vendors retail. As much as it is the beauty of the vendor to select the appropriate components, it is also a need to explain the concept to a larger base of the audience. Why choose A over B, why did feature X get included, how does this relate to the current state of the technology ? Do we get to see the answers ? Possibly not.
This is also primarily a factor of the way we teach/educate our kids. We don’t really help them get educate – we enable them to recite facts. How often have you heard that ? Too often. What is the alternative ? Changing the education system is a big task. How about changing the way that the fundamentals can be taught ? And such a change need not limit itself to just teaching basic science, mathematics. The maker attitude doesn’t limit itself to these subjects. All subjects have it – perhaps it is a responsibility of the parents and the teachers to impart that consciousness without attempting to be too formal about it.
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