Post ASIbCA4kkMPsTD9FWS by Firesphere@cloudisland.nz
(DIR) More posts by Firesphere@cloudisland.nz
(DIR) Post #ASIPFhooY5w8XacI3E by mjg59@nondeterministic.computer
2023-02-03T07:46:18Z
2 likes, 4 repeats
Had an interesting conversation last night about how we're basically failing to teach kids that things are hackable. @pluralistic has obviously written about this with YA vibes, but I worry that it's not obvious that fiction set in the future applies to the real world right now. How do we ensure that people understand that, with enough effort, any electronic device you can lay your hands on can probably be bent to your will?
(DIR) Post #ASISHM0QuzwxKdWqMi by zleap@qoto.org
2023-02-03T08:23:15Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@mjg59 @pluralistic You probably want to set up your own clubs where people can get together and just build with components, build addons to raspberry pis, experiment with arduino etc. There is a repair cafe type movement too, so link up with them.We are going to try and do the latter at the STEM group I run, partly as we were also given a huge stack of components so they could benefit from access to those too.Schools don't always have the funds or expertise to teach stuff that is way beyond the curriculum, aiming at adults is usually better, parents can bring their kids of course, unless you want to also be looking after kids as well as doing your own projects.
(DIR) Post #ASIU0RI2Dfo6hlp91c by doop@octodon.social
2023-02-03T08:41:26Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@mjg59 @pluralistic one of the main reasons I’m very pro pico-8/tic-80 is that there are some great games and *they can all be taken apart*: you can show a kid how to open up and change the player sprite to be their favourite toy, or give you ten lives instead of five, or print “fart fart fart” when you lose. I’ve not found anything else as good for removing the mystique and showing you that it’s all just someone’s code underneath, that you can understand if you want to.
(DIR) Post #ASIXHiWJi6iIvgR0WO by four0four@ioc.exchange
2023-02-03T09:18:08Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@pluralistic @mjg59 I think about this a lot, in particular around the drive to make things that hide how they break, or do so in opaque ways. Lots of ~origin stories~ center around stuff breaking, or otherwise rough edges. The danger of making things look like magic is that someone will treat it as such.
(DIR) Post #ASIacwkOJG1oztpfCy by xahteiwi@mastodon.social
2023-02-03T09:55:33Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@mjg59 Good point; reminds me of when I made a drone take off using the Python console on my laptop and my kid (12ish at the time of memory serves) genuinely looked at me like I was a real life magic wizard.I still haven't found a way to explain to him just how easy that was and that anyone including him could do it; I don't like that I haven't.Sorry to only be able to offer agreement, rather than an answer...
(DIR) Post #ASIakfnpC2O8lG7fYu by amcasari@hachyderm.io
2023-02-03T09:56:20Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@mjg59 @pluralistic Just one point of reference: we have carefully spent time with our kids to show through experience that things can be changed, repaired, and updated. We'll take apart toys to fix a wire. We taught them how to change batteries at an early age. They are still an early age, so hardware is more accessible due to attention spans. We are slowly extending this into software: opening browser tools to change pages, building a rocket launch box from scratch with buzzers.
(DIR) Post #ASIasPWNbvdqa9eW0m by vivia@toot.cat
2023-02-03T09:57:35Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@mjg59 @pluralistic Basically, how did we learn that things are hackable, and why are we not doing the same to our kids?In my case, I was watching my dad fix my stuff, and it was enough to make me carry around screwdrivers at age 15-16. Well, it's arguably much harder to repair electronics nowadays, but we can also choose repairable things whenever we can.
(DIR) Post #ASIbCA4kkMPsTD9FWS by Firesphere@cloudisland.nz
2023-02-03T10:01:46Z
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@mjg59 @pluralistic By showing it?Hey kid, did you know you can crack this open and see what's inside?*smash on concrete*Although there are of course less destructive ways to do this. Here, have a screwdriver set and try it!
(DIR) Post #ASIcLgMo9rSpBDhHG4 by msgbi@mastodon.social
2023-02-03T10:14:52Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@mjg59 @pluralistic @charles_ex app
(DIR) Post #ASInHiU5RVWw5IPfwO by aj@mast.ajacks.net
2023-02-03T12:16:54Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@mjg59 @pluralistic I was heartened to hear from a colleague that his kids are able to learn coding at school (and are 😀) at quite a young age, but I don't think I've seem much in the way of electronics taught to school children, at least here in the UK.Is this the electronics equivalent of the app-ification of software? That a generation is growing up viewing all these devices, physical and virtual, as black boxes.
(DIR) Post #ASJ0q73Ptj4lXJfbrE by Moon@shitposter.club
2023-02-03T14:50:27.919093Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@mjg59 @pluralistic this may be way downstream of young people not even being able to use the documented functions of normal machines that aren't phones
(DIR) Post #ASJ0vHhtiZay1X4SNk by lain@lain.com
2023-02-03T14:47:51.491355Z
3 likes, 0 repeats
@mjg59 @pluralistic have you seen kids play minecraft?
(DIR) Post #ASJ97bVAkLfiWZVJ44 by kevingranade@tech.lgbt
2023-02-03T16:22:05Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@mjg59 @pluralistic and very importantly, that given acess other people can fo that to your stuff too.
(DIR) Post #ASQZSNMkSLVPg8qfzs by ollibaba@chaos.social
2023-02-07T06:19:59Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@mjg59 @pluralistic Here's a start: https://ohai.social/@TarkabarkaHolgy/109819266524062091