In the hard sciences and engineering, we sometimes try to induce parents to send their bright 14-year-olds for special programs that could be called “baby’s first internship.” These top-down programs may or may not inculcate some detectable level of professionalism. These programs certainly are not common enough, or effective enough. But the scientific community is aware that more high-quality personnel are needed.

Some bottom-up approaches are much less visible now than they were 15 years ago. About 15 years ago there was a fashion trend of “makerspaces,” and if those had succeeded, then we would be in a bottom-up technological renaissance. Makerspaces, of course, were heavily inspired by Linux’s “open source”/”software libre” culture. Right now, this attitude seems less visible to me than it once was. Then again, Ian Clarke has re-released a non-Hyphanet version of FreeNet so we might be due for a pendulum swing in our favor.