Probably the issue pops up when turning the wheel doesn't have the desired effect. Without knowing more about how the car works all the user can say is "it doesn't work", and all the mechanic can say is bring it in.
Having an idea of how things are supposed to work one or two levels down can be useful when dealing with them when they don't. And knowing who to talk to, and what to say. Sure you can drive without knowing about how internal combustion works, but having an idea that gas is necessary component and when it isn't present the car won't go is also useful and could save you a headache down the road. Seems to me the more interesting question is what level of detail should we understand something like a web page or a car. We have a fairly worked out basic level of understanding needed for operating a vehicle, but even here that level of understanding is generally going down as we lock up more and more of the operational decisions in black boxes instead of requiring the human to attend to them. So the question is where do we stop this trend of not knowing, or do we just want to live in a point and click world where everything either works or no help but to go to the experts when it doesn't. --joshua On Mar 21, 2013, at 5:11 PM, Russ Abbott <russ.abb...@gmail.com> wrote: > The standard example is that most people can drive a car even though they > don't understand how internal combustion engines work -- and they would even > if the car were powered by an electric motor. I have no problem with putting > that in terms of contracts: turn the steering wheel and the car wheels turn. > One doesn't have to know how power steering works. > > > > -- Russ Abbott > _____________________________________________ > Professor, Computer Science > California State University, Los Angeles > > My paper on how the Fed can fix the economy: ssrn.com/abstract=1977688 > Google voice: 747-999-5105 > Google+: plus.google.com/114865618166480775623/ > vita: sites.google.com/site/russabbott/ > CS Wiki and the courses I teach > _____________________________________________ > > > On Thu, Mar 21, 2013 at 3:47 PM, Gillian Densmore <gil.densm...@gmail.com> > wrote: > where's the part of you beem into the google page: it instantly forms metrics > about you and presents you with "useful" adds (as aposed to to minuses) :P > > On Thu, Mar 21, 2013 at 4:00 PM, Owen Densmore <o...@backspaces.net> wrote: > On Thu, Mar 21, 2013 at 12:40 PM, Russ Abbott <russ.abb...@gmail.com> wrote: > I disagree with Jean-Baptiste Query's presentation, which implies that you > have to understand all levels of any process to understand the process > itself. If that were true we would all have to understand quantum mechanics > to understand everything. But no one understands quantum mechanics. So no one > understands anything. <snip> > > Well, the point is that for non tech folks, it is a tower of babble. > > I like the presentation because it starts with a simple idea: view a web > page, and shows the dirty little secret. > > I believe it should be the intro to a book that does what I think you might > prefer: top down, breadth first introduction to digitology. > > Or in other words: modularity, and its implementation in standard formats and > protocols. And no, modularity .. tho nice in program structure .. does not > happen without the standard formats and protocols. > > I have found it hard to explain modularity to non geek folks. Can you do it? > Most start with code, which as I say, is wrong. But most folks understand > contracts, and that leads into protocols & formats. > > I tried to explain DNS once to a very very smart guy. Registrars, Name > Servers, TLD hierarchy. His questions kept leading deeper into details, and > made it all impossible. My poor friend actually got dizzy and ended up in > tears. > > -- Owen > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com
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