2009 will be the year of major operating system releases.  On the Linux front, Ubuntu 9.04 was just released earlier this week.  Microsoft is due to release the next version of Windows (Windows 7) sometime soon, most likely May.  Snow Leopard, Apple's next version of MacOS X, is due out sometime in the summer.  What does all this mean?  I guess it depends on who you ask, and where they stand.  The passion that some people have (myself included) for their operating system of choice borders on religion.  I have previously ranted and raved on various issues I have with Microsoft, and most of my problems with them come down to many bad decisions...and especially their decision to keep Steve Ballmer.  

For IS511 I had to read Neil Postman's speech entitled, Five Things We Need to Know About Technological Change.
And then we were asked the question: The author states that "We need to proceed with our eyes wide open so that we may use technology rather than be used by it." What does he mean?

Well, it's a generalization (like his entire article) that technology will control us, and that it only benefits the few, while hindering the many. I want to be clear that I don't necessary think his five points are completely irrelevant; just that the way his presents them is completely full of it, and NOTHING IS BACKED UP WITH FACTS! Let's go over his 5 points...