"Men asleep are fellow-workers in what takes place in the world"
(Heraclitus Fragment 75B (Diels-Kranz) )

This is just a short comment on the book

Program or be Programmed

TEN COMMANDS FOR A DIGITAL AGE

Douglas Rushkoff

A quote from the book, which is probably central:

"The real question is, do we direct technology, or do we let ourselves be directed by it and those who have mastered it?"

I would argue that all use of a computer can be said to be "programming" at some level. Even the designers of the microchip are "programmed" by the physical constraints of the material they are working on. From there on, to the level of bits, assembly language, higher level languages, up to word processors and internet browsers, everybody has to rely on some code submitted by somebody else. Therefore, there is no real distinction between a programmer and a non-programmer, the real distinction is between those who use a computer and those who do not.

That is where Heraclitus and his vision of the cosmos might fit in. A more thorough review might be posted here when (if) I get to read the whole book