I think there are more people interested in it now. I wouldn't go so far as to agree with the older folks that seem to think that "all those young kids know everything about technology", but at the same time, there are classes now devoted to introducing kids to some pretty high-tech stuff.

When I was in school -- in the East Bay -- about the most advanced tech class around was the a/v class in junior high.

I would also point out the meteoric rise in popularity of programming forums and the like.

(I am the author of the rebuttal post, in case it wasn't clear.)