The Fuzzy And The Techie

The Fuzzy And The Techie

Adult nonfiction
"This book seeks to reframe the debate about the value of a
liberal arts versus a STEM education. While taking into account the
very real need for more so-called STEM majors, this book seeks to
highlight that the debate has turned on a faux opposition between STEM
education and the liberal arts. Indeed, as we evolve our technology
to make it ever more accessible and democratic, and as it becomes ever
more ubiquitous, the timely questions of the liberal arts, and their
insights into human and desires, have become essential requirements in
the development of our technological instruments."
People have been writing an obituary for a liberal arts
education for quite awhile now. It's irrelevant to study those dead
writers. We can find anything we need to know on Google. It won't
get you a good job in today's technology oriented world. Scott
Hartley, author of The Fuzzy And The Techie, begs to disagree.
Hartley believes that the future will be built on fuzzy/techie
partnerships for a number of reasons. The tools of technology are
becoming increasingly democratized, accessible to a wider range of non
techie people. And liberal arts majors possess a number of skills
that can contribute to the development of tech based services and
products. On a personal level they possess a number of thinking and
communication skills. Additionally, many study the nature of humans
and community.
"The greatest opportunities for innovation in the emerging era
are in applying technological capabilities to finding better ways to
solve human problems like social dysfunction and political corruption;
finding ways to better educate children; helping people live healthier
and happier lives by altering harmful behaviors; improving our working
conditions; discovering better ways to tackle poverty; improving
health care and making it more affordable; making our governments more
accountable, from the local level to that of global affairs; and
finding optimal ways to incorporate intelligent, nimble machines into
our work lives so that we are empowered to do more of the work that we
do best, and to let the machines do the rest. Workers with a strong
liberal arts education have a strong foundation to build on in
pursuing those goals.
If you're a higher ed professional or someone who wants to
understand how fuzzys and techies can unite to create a better world
for us all, The Fuzzie And The Techie is a must read.
On a personal note, I am instituting a new tradition for this blog,
the yearly tick talk. We're getting into the lovely weather stretch
where you're more likely to enjoy mother nature's turf. Just remember
this. Some ticks are carriers of pestilences including Lyme disease
and worse. Wear long sleeves and long pants and tuck pants legs into
socks. Ticks love bare legs. Use an insect spray like deep woods
off. When you get home throw your clothes into a dryer on high heat
and take a hot shower including a hair wash. If you have dogs or
outside cats examine their fur carefully on a regular basis. Tick
borne pathogens are a good illustration of the adage: an ounce of
prevention beats a pound of cure.
A great big shout out goes out to all the scientists who are
(hopefully) working on ways to protect people and animals from ticks
and the pestilences they pack.
jules hathaway




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