The last third of the book chronicles the long awaited and successful completion of Eagle, Data General's new computer. The team of engineers, technicians and managers have at this point devoted themselves to the machine and the final debugging process. So many people and such complexity of design are involved that the machine is in part mysterious; it is more than the sum of its parts. There is a great deal of tension with every failure during the debugging stage because there is always a chance that there will be a fatal flaw, a "time bomb," set way back in the initial construction of the machine that will obliterate it. However, in the end the team is successful and Eagle is indeed a superior machine, the fastest of its kind to date.
One interesting reflection I had about this was that the group experienced an intense "postpartum depression" after the birth of Eagle. They eventually disbanded completely, and Tom West, the leader of the group, moved away to train engineers in Asia. As I noted in my previous blog, these people were not motivated by money or power, but rather by the sheer pleasure of building a machine, of making it work, of putting a small piece of themselves into it. Once this was accomplished they seemed to lose motivation. I think the very end of the book sheds some light on why the come down was so hard for the creators of Eagle. At Eagle's formal unveiling ceremony in NYC, the regional sales manager gives a speech to inspire his sales people. He asks, "What motivates people?" And he answers himself, "Ego and the money to buy things that they and their families want." Kidder concludes the book here, stating: "Clearly, the machine no longer belonged to its makers."
Unfortunately, I think there is a lot of truth in the salesperson's view of motivation. Technology can and is used for materialistic and egotistical purposes. It is also used as a tool of war and domination, since it is largely controlled by the rich and powerful. Of course, it can and is used in positive ways too. As I incorporate technology into my classroom I want to teach it conscientiously and encourage students to use it thoughtfully. I think they are the generation that will need to really define the ethical use of technology. How will they ensure privacy, peace and socioeconomic equality in this new technological era? How can it be used to improve the world?
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Implications for Education
I am writing this blog for a class on educational technology and I am supposed to link my reading to education. This is a bit of a stretch, since The Soul of a New Machine is an early history of computer technologies, which focuses on the engineers, who are the "soul of the machine." There is little explicit reference to how this history impacts society, children or education. However, I have made some connections.
One valuable understanding I have gleaned from the book is what characterizes and drives an engineer. I feel that as a teacher I will now be able to recognize future engineers in my own classroom and I will definitely be more prepared to empathize with and support their excitement and affinity for technology. This is an especially important lesson for me, since I myself am not particularly inclined toward the technological. I think this reading has made me more resolved to provide students with access to technology and to incorporate technology into my teaching in order to best reach those students who respond to it so strongly. Over and over again in Kidder's narrative he interviews young engineers who relate their common fascination as children (and as adults!): taking things apart and putting them back together again. These kinds of thinkers are logical, bright, focused and inventive; they want to know how things work and they want to make things work. I can now easily identify this as a "learning type." Just as some of us are visual or auditory learners, there are those who are drawn to and have a natural understanding of the mechanical and technological.
Another thing that strikes me about these engineers is their singular and tireless drive. They seem obsessively compelled to invent, tinker, and perfect. Most of them sleep very little, neglect their social lives, and they are quite competitive, both internally within their teams and of course with other companies. When asked what drives them they often mention prestige, competitiveness, a desire to control and mastermind the machine, and the sheer fun and mental challenge of it all. Interestingly, they often add that they do not do it for the money or to make the world a better place.
Most of the engineers are men, and I think this remains true even now, almost 30 years later. This point brings up many questions for me. Are men really more inclined to the technological or is it simply a case of historical precedence and women being excluded from "the boy's club?" The fact remains that men have and still do dominate this field and I imagine this has a real impact on its products, namely computers. I suspect that computers are gender biased and more "male friendly." It will be important to encourage more women to enter this field so that they can create computers that better reflect the way women think. Of course, this same point could be made for minority races and non-western cultures, who are also underrepresented in this field. Those who control and create technology have a great deal of power and so it is imperative to make this a more diverse group. As a teacher, I feel I will have some influence in this respect.
One valuable understanding I have gleaned from the book is what characterizes and drives an engineer. I feel that as a teacher I will now be able to recognize future engineers in my own classroom and I will definitely be more prepared to empathize with and support their excitement and affinity for technology. This is an especially important lesson for me, since I myself am not particularly inclined toward the technological. I think this reading has made me more resolved to provide students with access to technology and to incorporate technology into my teaching in order to best reach those students who respond to it so strongly. Over and over again in Kidder's narrative he interviews young engineers who relate their common fascination as children (and as adults!): taking things apart and putting them back together again. These kinds of thinkers are logical, bright, focused and inventive; they want to know how things work and they want to make things work. I can now easily identify this as a "learning type." Just as some of us are visual or auditory learners, there are those who are drawn to and have a natural understanding of the mechanical and technological.
Another thing that strikes me about these engineers is their singular and tireless drive. They seem obsessively compelled to invent, tinker, and perfect. Most of them sleep very little, neglect their social lives, and they are quite competitive, both internally within their teams and of course with other companies. When asked what drives them they often mention prestige, competitiveness, a desire to control and mastermind the machine, and the sheer fun and mental challenge of it all. Interestingly, they often add that they do not do it for the money or to make the world a better place.
Most of the engineers are men, and I think this remains true even now, almost 30 years later. This point brings up many questions for me. Are men really more inclined to the technological or is it simply a case of historical precedence and women being excluded from "the boy's club?" The fact remains that men have and still do dominate this field and I imagine this has a real impact on its products, namely computers. I suspect that computers are gender biased and more "male friendly." It will be important to encourage more women to enter this field so that they can create computers that better reflect the way women think. Of course, this same point could be made for minority races and non-western cultures, who are also underrepresented in this field. Those who control and create technology have a great deal of power and so it is imperative to make this a more diverse group. As a teacher, I feel I will have some influence in this respect.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Reflections on The Soul of a New Machine
I have just finished the first third of Tracy Kidder's Pulitzer Prize winner, The Soul of a New Machine. Although I do not generally hold much interest in business and technology, Kidder's narrative is artfully crafted and extremely compelling. I have truly enjoyed learning about the early history of the computer business and the eccentric individuals who give "soul" to its products.
This first portion of the book takes place in the sixties and seventies. While IBM had immediately established "worldwide hegemony" in respect to computer sales, many smaller companies competed fiercely amongst each other for astounding profits (p.11). Kidder focuses on the realm of the minicomputer companies, which fulfilled a niche that IBM had basically ignored. In particular, he details the rise of Data General, a company with a reputation for brashness. In the world of computers, the mini computer sector is considered the most fiercely competitive and Data General stood out as the toughest of the tough. They had begun when a group of young engineers, led by Edson de Castro broke away from the leading mini company, Digital Equipment Corporation. The rivalry between these two companies and the intense competition within Data General itself creates the main tension of the narrative.
One question that Kidder ponders throughout his investigation is whether computers will ever display artificial intelligence, or the ability to think. One engineer addresses the issue by stating, "Artificial Intelligence takes you away from your own trip. What you want to do is look at the wheels of the machine and if you like them , have fun" (p. 90). Basically, and the point is illustrated throughout the book in a variety of ways, these engineers are ambitious and completely obsessed with their inventions. They do not want their machines to be able to think for themselves; on the contrary, they want their precious babies to go out into the world bearing a distinct likeness to their creators.
Kidder really captures the essence of the people who comprise "the soul" of the machines. These engineers are brilliant and totally obsessed. Mostly they are young and male; each of them is (and must be) highly competitive and willing to work tirelessly. The dark, no frills basement of Data General is full around the clock with young men glued to their screens, feverishly bent on producing the next big thing. For me, the image is ghastly; endless, stressful hours in a dark basement, eyes burning from too long in front of a screen, sound like my idea of hell. But these engineers are passionate about what they do, and it is not about the money, although the money is great. Nor does it seem to be about making the world a better place, or at least this has not been mentioned thus far in the book. What seems to drive them is a desire to challenge themselves mentally and creatively. They are amazing at what they do and they love the competition. They have a compulsion to invent technology, and at times they almost appear like addicts....red-eyed, pale, unceasing, and single-minded. One engineer relates the experience of he and his fellow undergrad engineers as they discovered programming: "We'd stay up all night and experience it. It really is like a drug, I think" (96). He goes on to describe how the "midnight programmers" become so obsessed that their grades plummeted and their girlfriends left them.
What really struck me about these engineers is that while they are so obsessed with their immediate projects, they seem to care little about the bigger picture. The Top Dogs in the industry adhere to the "mushroom" approach with engineers, which is basically, "keep them in the dark and feed them shit." I just wonder why the engineers accept this reality. Perhaps they are so happy with their work that they don't want to rock the boat. But what is behind it all? Besides money, what are the goals of technological corporations? Their power is impressive, so it seems natural to wonder what exactly they will do with it, either intentionally or unintentionally. Perhaps this will be more thoroughly addressed as Kidder delves further into the "soul" of the machine.
This first portion of the book takes place in the sixties and seventies. While IBM had immediately established "worldwide hegemony" in respect to computer sales, many smaller companies competed fiercely amongst each other for astounding profits (p.11). Kidder focuses on the realm of the minicomputer companies, which fulfilled a niche that IBM had basically ignored. In particular, he details the rise of Data General, a company with a reputation for brashness. In the world of computers, the mini computer sector is considered the most fiercely competitive and Data General stood out as the toughest of the tough. They had begun when a group of young engineers, led by Edson de Castro broke away from the leading mini company, Digital Equipment Corporation. The rivalry between these two companies and the intense competition within Data General itself creates the main tension of the narrative.
One question that Kidder ponders throughout his investigation is whether computers will ever display artificial intelligence, or the ability to think. One engineer addresses the issue by stating, "Artificial Intelligence takes you away from your own trip. What you want to do is look at the wheels of the machine and if you like them , have fun" (p. 90). Basically, and the point is illustrated throughout the book in a variety of ways, these engineers are ambitious and completely obsessed with their inventions. They do not want their machines to be able to think for themselves; on the contrary, they want their precious babies to go out into the world bearing a distinct likeness to their creators.
Kidder really captures the essence of the people who comprise "the soul" of the machines. These engineers are brilliant and totally obsessed. Mostly they are young and male; each of them is (and must be) highly competitive and willing to work tirelessly. The dark, no frills basement of Data General is full around the clock with young men glued to their screens, feverishly bent on producing the next big thing. For me, the image is ghastly; endless, stressful hours in a dark basement, eyes burning from too long in front of a screen, sound like my idea of hell. But these engineers are passionate about what they do, and it is not about the money, although the money is great. Nor does it seem to be about making the world a better place, or at least this has not been mentioned thus far in the book. What seems to drive them is a desire to challenge themselves mentally and creatively. They are amazing at what they do and they love the competition. They have a compulsion to invent technology, and at times they almost appear like addicts....red-eyed, pale, unceasing, and single-minded. One engineer relates the experience of he and his fellow undergrad engineers as they discovered programming: "We'd stay up all night and experience it. It really is like a drug, I think" (96). He goes on to describe how the "midnight programmers" become so obsessed that their grades plummeted and their girlfriends left them.
What really struck me about these engineers is that while they are so obsessed with their immediate projects, they seem to care little about the bigger picture. The Top Dogs in the industry adhere to the "mushroom" approach with engineers, which is basically, "keep them in the dark and feed them shit." I just wonder why the engineers accept this reality. Perhaps they are so happy with their work that they don't want to rock the boat. But what is behind it all? Besides money, what are the goals of technological corporations? Their power is impressive, so it seems natural to wonder what exactly they will do with it, either intentionally or unintentionally. Perhaps this will be more thoroughly addressed as Kidder delves further into the "soul" of the machine.
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