21–30 of 118 posts
> "As one colleague in tech explained it to me recently, for most people working on such projects, the goal is basically to provide for themselves everything that their mothers no longer do." Ha! I've used the exact same characterization. Anyway, this seems entirely predictable given a couple different considerations. 1) People are most apt to effectively solve problems for which they have some context. 2) People who…
"I’m concerned that such a focus on comfort and instant gratification will reduce us all to those characters in “Wall-E,” bound to their recliners, Big Gulps in hand, interacting with the world exclusively through their remotes." I found this quote puzzling in light of the rest of the article. The author's main argument seems to be that tech "innovators" are focused on providing frivolous solutions to imaginary probl…
Hundreds of millions of people, at least, now experience a social world whose existence and interactions are mediated by a single, rather secretive, advertising company. I'd call that both a relevant and a fundamental change.
> "As one colleague in tech explained it to me recently, for most people working on such projects, the goal is basically to provide for themselves everything that their mothers no longer do." Ha! I've used the exact same characterization. Anyway, this seems entirely predictable given a couple different considerations. 1) People are most apt to effectively solve problems for which they have some context. 2) People who…
I just said the same thing about wash.io closing down.
I fail to see how "And a new proposal to create an app designed to stop police killings." fits on the list of problems that don't need to be solved. Am I missing something?
We all understand the act of (unjustified) police killings is a bad one, but how much of a _problem_ is it? Look at the evidence.
Then look at all of the other problems that we all face, not just in the states, but worldwide. I can name a great problem that almost all of us should be focusing on: global warming. Why don't we spend our energy on a significant and catastrophic problem?
We need to prioritize. Anyone who tries to up or downplay something as a problem to you might have their own agenda, or have bought into someone else's agenda. Don't just believe me. Look for the evidence.
> "As one colleague in tech explained it to me recently, for most people working on such projects, the goal is basically to provide for themselves everything that their mothers no longer do." Ha! I've used the exact same characterization. Anyway, this seems entirely predictable given a couple different considerations. 1) People are most apt to effectively solve problems for which they have some context. 2) People who…
Washing machines, kitchen appliances and similar technological advances, freed up our at home time so much that we can put a whole nother 50% of the population through college. A whole 50% of the population that can get jobs, have careers, and do cool shit, who was stuck wiping men's proverbial bottoms until the 1950's.
Making free time free is a good thing. There's no telling what will come of it.
Think of it this way: how much time saved on menial stuff will be freed up to go solve the so called more pressing problems? If anything, the problem is that we're thinking up wasteful ways of filling this time even faster than we're freeing the time itself up.
"At one point, his interviewer asked the question that is on all our minds: “Should wise people have known better?” Of course, they should have, Buffett replied, but there’s a “natural progression” to how good new ideas go wrong. He called this progression the “three I’s.” First come the innovators, who see opportunities that others don’t. Then come the imitators, who copy what the innovators have done. And then come the idiots, whose avarice undoes the very innovations they are trying to use to get rich."
Source : https://hbr.org/2008/10/wisdom-of-warren-buffet-on-imi
Cloud computing, big data, social media, and most of tech is in a prolonged idiot phase. A new paradigm will be ushered in and the cycle will begin again. Any more detail just highlights or attempts to justify the idiocy.
A service that sends someone to fill your car with gas.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-02/gas-delive...
A service that sends a valet on a scooter to you, wherever you are, to park your car.
A service that will film anything you desire with a drone.
http://thenextweb.com/insider/2015/09/03/droners-is-a-market...
A service that will pack your suitcase — virtually.
A service that delivers a new toothbrush head to your mailbox every three months.
A service that delivers your beer right to your door.
An app that analyzes the quality of your French kissing.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ifrenchkiss-french-kissing/i...
A “smart” button and zipper that alerts you if your fly is down.
https://www.fastcodesign.com/3060268/brilliant-this-zipper-w...
An app with speaker that plays music from within a mother’s vaginal walls to her unborn baby.
https://www.babypod.net/en/babypod/
A sensor placed in your child’s diaper that sends you an alert when the diaper needs changing.
https://www.aabacosmallbusiness.com/advisor/smart-diaper-ale...
An app that lets us brew our coffee from anywhere.
A refrigerator advertised as “the Family Hub” that promises to act as a personal assistant, message board, stereo and photo album.
http://www.samsung.com/us/explore/family-hub-refrigerator/
An app to locate rentable driveways for parking.
https://www.justpark.com/rent-out-a-parking-space/
An app to locate rentable yachts.
WTF? An app to help you understand “cause and effect in your life.”
An app that guides mindful meditation.
An app that imparts wisdom.
And a new proposal to create an app designed to stop police killings.
Point taken. The most important thing in the world is love. The most cherished thing in the world is a memory of a loved one. Idea! I must make an app that helps me take pictures of loved ones, and share them with other loved ones.
> The most important thing in the world is love. If you hint at dating startups, here two texts why this is difficult: > http://old.ycombinator.com/ideas.html > http://andrewchen.co/why-investors-dont-fund-dating/
Companies promise to make money by offering valuable goods and services to customers. "Making the world a better place" is just Silicon Valley hype. Companies aren't non-profits.
I fail to see how "And a new proposal to create an app designed to stop police killings." fits on the list of problems that don't need to be solved. Am I missing something?
Responding to the point you're trying to make: How big of a problem are police killings--really? We all understand the act of (unjustified) police killings is a bad one, but how much of a _problem_ is it? Look at the evidence. Then look at all of the other problems that we all face, not just in the states, but worldwide. I can name a great problem that almost all of us should be focusing on: global warming. Why don't…
It's possible to do this without ignoring other issues.