feeds | grep links > GitHub Blocked in China, Bootcamp Turns a Lawyer into a Hacker, Increasing Tech Industry’s Civic Engagement, and More

• Jacquard looms: Videos demonstrating early computer programs, Boing Boing
• GitHub Blocked in China, thenextweb.com via Slashdot
• New Digital Archive Resurrects Classic Dungeons & Dragons Adventures, GeekDad at Wired.com
• Programming Bootcamp Turns Lawyer Into Hacker
  Wired has the story of a single lawyer attending a boot camp to become a programmer, from there successfully landing a development gig. I was hoping this would be a follow on from the law focused hackathon I saw last year but really is more about re-tooling. Still, it is topical given the sustained and even renewed interest in what Edd Dumbill at O’Reilly calls democratized programming. Well, sort of, since the end goal isn’t a lawyer who hacks but a hacker who formerly was a lawyer. Still, as an extreme case, it demonstrates that other models of literacy should be possible.
• How Java dumps useless add-ons and toolbars on PC users
  Jon Brodkin at Ars Technica has further evidence of how far Java has fallen since Oracle took on its stewardship as part of the Sun acquisition. I am deeply ambivalent as I am well quit of most forms of Java both as a function of my 2nd career in technology policy and my more recent transition to full time management. On the other hand, programming Java was my bread and butter for nearly two decades.
• As Obama heads back to office, a battle rages over the tech that got him reelected, The Verge via Slashdot
• Making the Tech Industry a Force for Good in NYC
  Food for thought, from Anil Dash, that resonates with some things I have been pondering for a talk this Spring, about a more direct and inclusive intersection between civics and hacking. Anil is focusing specifically on NYC, as an outgrowth of his involvement with that city’s massive tech meetup. I am interest in both more general and personal scale models and discussions around overcoming the traditional barriers to getting hackers to engage politically.

Share