Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Build institutions, not apps

marklutter.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 73 posts

Re: Build institutions, not apps

#21

Post by gumby »

voz_ wrote: post #12
pbourke wrote: post #8

> The result is San Francisco, the most innovative city in a generation, proposing a Office of Emerging Technology to require any technology that uses public space, scooters for example, to get prior permission from the city That sounds totally reasonable, lest your city become clogged with broken-ass scooters after the n-th scooter startup goes on their "incredible journey" to the stars. Perhaps if you're going to l…

You have it backwards. The scooters are not, and have never been, a problem. The real problem is feces and needles. The real truth here is the SF gov is greedy, and rabidly anti-tech. I cannot wait until this whole place is gentrified and cleaned up. Have you lived in SF? Because this comment reads like an outsider looking in.

Perspective from 25 years in the mission: the scooters were the problem.

Re: Build institutions, not apps

#22

Post by kiwicopple »

Ididntdothis wrote: post #18
kiwicopple wrote: post #10

I once had a relationship with someone with depression. As someone who is naturally quite happy[1], the thing that suprised me most at the start of the relationship is the amount of time she spent strategising how to be happy, rather than just getting on with being happy. In her case, it's understandable because depression is completely irrational[2] But nations do have the capacity to act rationally, so when I these…

If you don’t know how to do something you can’t just get on with it. You have to strategize. I myself have a tendency towards depression and don’t really know how it is to just to be happy. Especially after failing a few times you either give up or you start strategizing how to do it. It s a crazy cycle.

I hope I made it clear in my comment that I understand this. Perhaps I shouldn't have used the analogy so that my main point wasn't lost. For those with depression, please strategize and do whatever you need to.

Re: Build institutions, not apps

#23

Post by kiwicopple »

aaron-lebo wrote: post #16
kiwicopple wrote: post #10

I once had a relationship with someone with depression. As someone who is naturally quite happy[1], the thing that suprised me most at the start of the relationship is the amount of time she spent strategising how to be happy, rather than just getting on with being happy. In her case, it's understandable because depression is completely irrational[2] But nations do have the capacity to act rationally, so when I these…

There is a book by some political scientists have the opposite starting point: Why Nations Fail. For the record, they've also got other material which I think is some of the most brilliant research we've got on why politics/societies are the way they are. Very obvious but conceptually simple, with multiple case studies of countries like your post, but (no offense) with a lot more data backing up their claims. Check i…

> Why Nations Fail

This is actually the inspiration for my blog title. And I agree, it has a lot more data and is more thorough than what I've written so it's hard to be offended by pointing that out.

> I'm sensitive to it being characterized as irrational

My bad. This is the language that she came up with as a way of describing her behaviour to me (i'm probably a bit too far on the rational side and less on the empathy side). But we definitely agree with the causes you point out - her idea of a peaceful life is escaping society altogether

Re: Build institutions, not apps

#24

Post by Ididntdothis »

kiwicopple wrote: post #22
Ididntdothis wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you don’t know how to do something you can’t just get on with it. You have to strategize. I myself have a tendency towards depression and don’t really know how it is to just to be happy. Especially after failing a few times you either give up or you start strategizing how to do it. It s a crazy cycle.

I hope I made it clear in my comment that I understand this. Perhaps I shouldn't have used the analogy so that my main point wasn't lost. For those with depression, please strategize and do whatever you need to.

Reading your comment again I see what you were trying to say. I guess having depression makes you sensitive to people saying "just go out and have fun"...

Re: Build institutions, not apps

#25

Post by kiwicopple »

Ididntdothis wrote: post #24
kiwicopple wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hope I made it clear in my comment that I understand this. Perhaps I shouldn't have used the analogy so that my main point wasn't lost. For those with depression, please strategize and do whatever you need to.

Reading your comment again I see what you were trying to say. I guess having depression makes you sensitive to people saying "just go out and have fun"...

That's... a very wholesome response. Not something you see often on anonymous forums. I hope you can find some nice, peaceful strategies to live by - good luck

Re: Build institutions, not apps

#26

Post by kindly_fo »

pochekailov wrote: post #6

Why not build apps to build institutions? Politics is quite complex and full of its own jargon. It is not simple to understand. Why not to develop apps, which will streamline a complex political process? Take zoning for example. There are new construction hearings, which only few NIMBYists attend, while pro-builders do not even know where to search for those. Say I'm a pro-builder busy with my own career. I have many…

Because problem is never on technology, problem is in the organisation or head.

Personally I think government and politics are one of the most rotten places, so try to avoid it as much as u can.

Re: Build institutions, not apps

#28

Post by tathougies »

> My day job is working on charter cities, arguably the most quintessential act of institution building. Last fall I applied and had an interview at a prestigious accelerator. I told them the Charter Cities Institute helped draft regulations for Enyimba Economic City, a new city in Nigeria with a target population of 1.5m residents.

The idea that a city can 'target' a population is laughable and absolutely terrible. Honestly, I stopped reading right there.

Re: Build institutions, not apps

#29

Post by gamblor956 »

pochekailov wrote: post #6

Why not build apps to build institutions? Politics is quite complex and full of its own jargon. It is not simple to understand. Why not to develop apps, which will streamline a complex political process? Take zoning for example. There are new construction hearings, which only few NIMBYists attend, while pro-builders do not even know where to search for those. Say I'm a pro-builder busy with my own career. I have many…

People already do that on Facebook. It's a much more effective tool than an app would be, especially since it already connects you to your like minded neighbors.

Re: Build institutions, not apps

#30

Post by appybois »

voz_ wrote: post #12
pbourke wrote: post #8

> The result is San Francisco, the most innovative city in a generation, proposing a Office of Emerging Technology to require any technology that uses public space, scooters for example, to get prior permission from the city That sounds totally reasonable, lest your city become clogged with broken-ass scooters after the n-th scooter startup goes on their "incredible journey" to the stars. Perhaps if you're going to l…

You have it backwards. The scooters are not, and have never been, a problem. The real problem is feces and needles. The real truth here is the SF gov is greedy, and rabidly anti-tech. I cannot wait until this whole place is gentrified and cleaned up. Have you lived in SF? Because this comment reads like an outsider looking in.

I heard they could present a challenge for the blind
Post reply on HN