Programming Linear Thinkers

A piece of software from Microsoft that I'm actually a little excited about. Their new game Kodu seems to be getting some rave reviews teaching kids to program without actually telling them it's programming. As Slate calls it (for those like me who actually remember LOGO), it's LOGO on steroids - and that's pretty cool.

As one pundit argues, the best value in the market today is engineers whose gains on productivity outstrip pay increases (TechCrunch). Despite fears that we'll be outsourcing all our programmers to India or whatever farflung place, this is like saying that we'll outsource all of our problem solving and thinking. Learning the basics of programming is learning the basics of structured problem solving - and for this reason should be considered a universal skill. For as much as pundits complain about the education system, it's obvious that because of teachers unions, change ain't coming anytime soon. It's going to be technology and solutions like this that bridge the gap.