What They're Good For

Computers are good for a lot of things.

During World War II computers were great: they helped the allies make encryption algorithms that bent, twisted, squeezed and stretched secret messages so that the hapless Germans and Japs with their Enigma machines and what-not couldn't figure out what was going on.

That was cool.

Computers are also good at bookkeeping. Everyone hates bookkeeping (except bookkeepers) and even bookkeepers would shudder at the thought of having to manage hundreds of millions of paper records.

Computers are good at that too.

Charlatans are good at fooling you into thinking they're doing wonders when they're not. They're like little kids boasting 'I've got a secret!' - and making you pay to find out what it is.

But charlatans are actually worse than that: they never tell you the secrets; they never let on that it's always something you already know, or could know, and they never let on how easy it really is.

Charlatans have a good chance of making money if and only if people insist on being suckers - and lame. Unfortunately there would seem to be a lot of suckers - really lame ones - around.

And charlatans don't mind if they damage (or destroy) your system doing what you could have done a lot better on your own with just a little bit of instruction.

Some charlatans only want fame; most want your money. Many are very good at getting it.

Your computer is already plenty good: that's why the charlatans are able to pull off such astounding tricks.

What would it be like if these people, instead of tricking you, published documentation that helped you understand the system you already have? So that you could do all this yourself? That would be almost humanitarian, wouldn't it?

It wouldn't be charlatan.

There are some things computers are good for; there are other things charlatans do better.