The reasoning Markham is using is that 'programming' (and he tries to be clear that he's using a concept not the vocation) is rapidly becoming as essential a skill as reading and basic arithmetic ability. The support for that argument is an observation that everyday appliances are being implemented in 'software' (like the phone) and that this opens them up to customization, and the customization takes the form of programming them.
A very simple and concrete example, how many people who have never been exposed to 'programming' have the additional functions of their 'universal' remote that came with their TV configured? Record shows to be watched later?
Even if the tool is as simple as going through a series of menus answering questions, the underlying mechanism is that your creating a 'program' to achieve some objective. So if your Artist never needs to use a computer to create art, they will have to figure out how to tell the microwave to convert their frozen entre' into something edible. They will be exposed to stored program sequencing and understanding the basics of that will make their life easier today, and Markham asserts will be required in the future.
Markham riffs on the jobs aspect I suspect because it has a large number of ways to see how people are displaced, but the bigger point is that the world is becoming programmable.
The reasoning Markham is using is that 'programming' (and he tries to be clear that he's using a concept not the vocation) is rapidly becoming as essential a skill as reading and basic arithmetic ability. The support for that argument is an observation that everyday appliances are being implemented in 'software' (like the phone) and that this opens them up to customization, and the customization takes the form of programming them.
A very simple and concrete example, how many people who have never been exposed to 'programming' have the additional functions of their 'universal' remote that came with their TV configured? Record shows to be watched later?
Even if the tool is as simple as going through a series of menus answering questions, the underlying mechanism is that your creating a 'program' to achieve some objective. So if your Artist never needs to use a computer to create art, they will have to figure out how to tell the microwave to convert their frozen entre' into something edible. They will be exposed to stored program sequencing and understanding the basics of that will make their life easier today, and Markham asserts will be required in the future.
Markham riffs on the jobs aspect I suspect because it has a large number of ways to see how people are displaced, but the bigger point is that the world is becoming programmable.