When I was a student in London in 1998, I took an interesting sociology course titled Political Processes and Social Change. In his opening lecture, the course convener asked us a seemingly simple question: Is social change driven by contingencies or by the actions of human agents? Ah, yes, the old Agency vs. Contingency debate. Theorists who focus on the former tend to argue that individual actors such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Albert Einstein move history. In contrast, proponents of the latter theory argue that contingencies—such as pandemics and major fluctuations in the international markets—drive change.

What do you think, particularly in terms of the path on which the embedded community is traveling? Will the historians and social scientists of the future argue that it was the work of a handful of individual agents—particular designers, researchers, programmers, and corporations—that drove technological change, or will they write that various contingencies—such as macroeconomic changes in the technology sector—had the most impact?

Considering such questions will help you figure out where you fit in the puzzle. Do you believe a handful of engineers will develop the devices that will change the technological landscape, or do you think that exogenous social and economic forces will be main factors? Are you waiting for the next Bill Gates or market crash to determine your access to new technologies and your ability to design new systems?

Perhaps you should consider a completely different theory. The way we see it here at Circuit Cellar, the collective spirit and effort of the design community will lead the way. No matter which technologies, personalities, and socioeconomic variables (whether positive or negative) enter the formula for progress, the design community will remain steadfast in its determination to move forward and come up with novel ideas. If a young engineer develops a groundbreaking technology, the community will use it to its advantage. If the market should crash and hardware, software, and financial resources suddenly become scarce, the members of the community will work together to figure out ways around the problems. Sure, the speed at which the community will develop new technologies will change every year, but it’s unlikely that any one person or event will derail the train. Are you on board?

 It’s exciting to see that many of you are now working harder than ever to develop your ideas and present them to your peers. Moreover, we’re glad that you are actively addressing the social and environmental issues that are facing us in the 21st century. For instance, Abigail Krich, an enthusiastic designer who recently graduated from Cornell University’s graduate program in electrical engineering, describes how she built a self-powered solar data logger (p. 12). She uses the system to measure solar insolation levels. This project proves that all of you can design effective systems that better the environment and society at large.

Columnist Jeff Bachiochi tackles another timely issue: alternative power sources (p. 56). He provides you with some tips on leveraging the power of “green” energy. Now is a great time to start thinking about the ways in which you can make your designs more environment-friendly and power efficient.

One last note: We’re happy to announce the return of George Martin’s Lessons From the Trenches column. This month, he begins a new series of articles about C language (p. 60). His articles will appear every other month.