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Eager to Burst His Own Bubble, a Techie Made Apps to Randomize His Life

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Re: Eager to Burst His Own Bubble, a Techie Made Apps to Randomize His Life

#131

Post by WalterSear »

toomanybeersies wrote: post #110
losteric wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Spot on, apps have optimized our lives... to local maxima. Apps can't guide us to peak happiness because the best is disconnected from the rest. Even when it comes to something as "simple" as music, I've never found a "favorite" band through something like Spotify. Good music, sure, but the "bar raisers" alway comes from randomness - radio, odd bar show, personal recommendation, cabbie's CD player, etc.

I've found a lot of great new artists through Spotify's discover weekly.

We call it Spotify week. First week, suggestions are amazing. Second week they are great. From then on, they are terrible.

Re: Eager to Burst His Own Bubble, a Techie Made Apps to Randomize His Life

#132

Post by mod »

djtriptych wrote: post #60
burger_moon wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This part of the article really stood out as awkward placement to me. As a white guy dating a black woman, we often go to events with her friends or family where I am the only white person and it can be quite unwelcoming especially at some night clubs. This idea that if you're white you fit in anywhere has such disconnect from reality.

Relative privilege still applies here. The "only person of of my race in the room" is new for you, but ubiquitous for a huge number of POCs, especially when climbing the corporate/academic ladder.

You seem to have decided he was just out of place, but that's not what he said.

Being out of place and being unwelcome aren't the same thing.

Re: Eager to Burst His Own Bubble, a Techie Made Apps to Randomize His Life

#133

Post by galfarragem »

moneytalks wrote: post #128
et-al wrote: post #71

To a certain extent, this how we used to travel back in the day. You hung out in a hostel, had conversations with other travelers (instead of thumbing through Instagram), and let the randomness of other people and life, not apps, dictate your itinerary. You walk down a street, "oh hey that looks interesting", and wander down a quiet alley that leads to cute cafe, or jump in the back of a tuk-tuk headed to a waterfall…

The article strikes as very Anglo-centric and the worst of first world problems with a solution that is both condescending and out-of-touch. His problem was the monotony of life and a feeling of being basically too secure and too happy. With all the homeless shelters, soup kitchens and other places where people have tremendous need within a short Uber ride, it just strikes me as odd to devote so much time to building…

It's more positive to see this app as the way he found to get courage to change his life. Paradoxically he is still following rules..

Re: Eager to Burst His Own Bubble, a Techie Made Apps to Randomize His Life

#134

Post by JoshMnem »

et-al wrote: post #71

To a certain extent, this how we used to travel back in the day. You hung out in a hostel, had conversations with other travelers (instead of thumbing through Instagram), and let the randomness of other people and life, not apps, dictate your itinerary. You walk down a street, "oh hey that looks interesting", and wander down a quiet alley that leads to cute cafe, or jump in the back of a tuk-tuk headed to a waterfall…

I worked in the hostel industry for a long time. In "the old days", it was ridiculous to even travel with a cell phone. Laptops made no sense unless you had to work remotely. (I'd argue that they still don't make sense while traveling unless your work requires a laptop and you're going to work on the road.)

These days, the common areas of hostels are full of people staring at glowing screens, while hostel managers try to figure out how to get the guests to interact...

Re: Eager to Burst His Own Bubble, a Techie Made Apps to Randomize His Life

#135

Post by ryandrake »

Mz wrote: post #106

This "I'm bored with my life. I shall appify it and travel to random countries" stuff is a whole level beyond First World Problems. It is something like First World Problems of the Jet Set. Yet, this article doesn't cast him as a member of the Jet Set. Modern Life has gone to some rather weird places that were simply inconceivable until incredibly recently.

Not only "I'm bored with my life" but: "I'm bored with my life of relative luxury that 99% of the people on the planet would murder for". Sheesh!

Re: Eager to Burst His Own Bubble, a Techie Made Apps to Randomize His Life

#138

Post by maehwasu »

moneytalks wrote: post #128
et-al wrote: post #71

To a certain extent, this how we used to travel back in the day. You hung out in a hostel, had conversations with other travelers (instead of thumbing through Instagram), and let the randomness of other people and life, not apps, dictate your itinerary. You walk down a street, "oh hey that looks interesting", and wander down a quiet alley that leads to cute cafe, or jump in the back of a tuk-tuk headed to a waterfall…

The article strikes as very Anglo-centric and the worst of first world problems with a solution that is both condescending and out-of-touch. His problem was the monotony of life and a feeling of being basically too secure and too happy. With all the homeless shelters, soup kitchens and other places where people have tremendous need within a short Uber ride, it just strikes me as odd to devote so much time to building…

Life is way too short to spend in soup kitchens worrying about how much and what form of privilege you may have.

Re: Eager to Burst His Own Bubble, a Techie Made Apps to Randomize His Life

#139

Post by jackvalentine »

bartread wrote: post #91

My immediate reaction to this was, "hey, this is awesome," and actually it really is. I think it's an interesting and creative solution to a problem a lot of us share - admittedly whilst recognising that for large swathes of the world's population this would be a great problem to have. Still, there's that nagging little voice in the back of my head: part of me can't help wondering what will happen, and how people wil…

> Still, there's that nagging little voice in the back of my head: part of me can't help wondering what will happen, and how people will come to view it, if/when his apps catch on (as I suspect they will).

That was my thought too - once a critical mass of people are going to 'random' events it'll be Portlandia Over.

Re: Eager to Burst His Own Bubble, a Techie Made Apps to Randomize His Life

#140

Post by throwanem »

moneytalks wrote: post #128
et-al wrote: post #71

To a certain extent, this how we used to travel back in the day. You hung out in a hostel, had conversations with other travelers (instead of thumbing through Instagram), and let the randomness of other people and life, not apps, dictate your itinerary. You walk down a street, "oh hey that looks interesting", and wander down a quiet alley that leads to cute cafe, or jump in the back of a tuk-tuk headed to a waterfall…

The article strikes as very Anglo-centric and the worst of first world problems with a solution that is both condescending and out-of-touch. His problem was the monotony of life and a feeling of being basically too secure and too happy. With all the homeless shelters, soup kitchens and other places where people have tremendous need within a short Uber ride, it just strikes me as odd to devote so much time to building…

All the good things you're not being right now. Why? What does the contempt help, do you think? Why do you think it helps at all?
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