Endless Doom Scroller • Hacker News Board

Re: Endless Doom Scroller

#41

Post by zxcvbn4038 » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 1:05 PM UTC

Tepix wrote: post #22

Elon Musk on avoiding daily news: “ The daily news I find to be a lot of noise. Generally newspapers seem to try to answer the question, ‘What is the worst thing that happened on the Earth today?’ ”

I think that captures it quite nicely. When you read the regular news you have to think critically - particularly now that so much traditional journalism has been replaced with thinly veiled opinion pieces.

If you know anyone who gets really depressed or anxious when reading the news there are sites like https://happynews.com/ that can really help them though it can be tough to ween people off the regular news. The constant stream of doom and gloom has an addictive quality I don’t quite comprehend.

Re: Endless Doom Scroller

#42

Post by IgorPartola » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 1:08 PM UTC

rgoulter wrote: post #14

kortex wrote: post #3

Was expecting a procedurally-generated Doom sidescroller conversion. I was nonetheless quite amused.

In case anyone hasn't seen it: Linear Doom https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM50BifVRHA It's Doom, but if it were just a single, linear hallway.

Also 2D Doom: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=puoB-ofLF98

Re: Endless Doom Scroller

#43

Post by luckylion » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 1:09 PM UTC

Barrin92 wrote: post #35

I don't really understand the 'doomer' debate, that is to say complaining about negative news when the world in fact is facing enormous negative events. It seems to me sort of like the 'three-wise-monkeys', just think happy thoughts and the world gets better or something. It seems infantile. I don't see how you can fix problems if you aren't willing to in the first place look at them, as we've seen in this pandemic t…

> I don't see how you can fix problems if you aren't willing to in the first place look at them, as we've seen in this pandemic the virus doesn't care how optimistic you are.

How can you fix problems by knowing about them? What I mean is: unless you're an expert on the problem, or willing and able to become one as soon as you've learned about it, what difference does it make whether you specifically know how bad something is?

We have institutions to work on things, do we need each individual citizen to be constantly worried about everything that goes wrong, will go wrong, can go wrong or won't go at all?

Does "knowing" about it do anything? Leave aside that you probably don't really know anything if you've read doomsday news, you're just afraid, but the facts are very light and usually styled for effect: everything is always terrible, it's constantly just one minute away from certain destruction etc.

Re: Endless Doom Scroller

#44

Post by bilbo0s » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 1:10 PM UTC

Barrin92 wrote: post #35

I don't really understand the 'doomer' debate, that is to say complaining about negative news when the world in fact is facing enormous negative events. It seems to me sort of like the 'three-wise-monkeys', just think happy thoughts and the world gets better or something. It seems infantile. I don't see how you can fix problems if you aren't willing to in the first place look at them, as we've seen in this pandemic t…

Fear won’t help, but your larger point strikes me as dead on. There’s just not a lot of ways to put a positive spin on a global pandemic. Don’t worry, be happy is fine in a movie, but if you’ve been laid off, and your unemployment is dwindling, you really need to consider worrying a little bit about getting a job.

Re: Endless Doom Scroller

#45

Post by TheUndead96 » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 1:12 PM UTC

Barrin92 wrote: post #35

I don't really understand the 'doomer' debate, that is to say complaining about negative news when the world in fact is facing enormous negative events. It seems to me sort of like the 'three-wise-monkeys', just think happy thoughts and the world gets better or something. It seems infantile. I don't see how you can fix problems if you aren't willing to in the first place look at them, as we've seen in this pandemic t…

Fully agree. This reminds me of the point Peter Thiel makes about modern life being too internally focused. The distinction between stoicism and indifference is so important. The world is starting to loose faith that we can actually make things better, and that there is such a thing as "objective good". So the only thing popular culture can offer us is to meditate on our attachment, and solute to the sun as life expectancy in the first world stops increasing (and in some places decreases). I think yoga and meditation are valuable, but there is a place for dissatisfaction in the status quo.

Re: Endless Doom Scroller

#46

Post by lucideer » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 1:12 PM UTC

luckylion wrote: post #43

Barrin92 wrote: post #35

I don't really understand the 'doomer' debate, that is to say complaining about negative news when the world in fact is facing enormous negative events. It seems to me sort of like the 'three-wise-monkeys', just think happy thoughts and the world gets better or something. It seems infantile. I don't see how you can fix problems if you aren't willing to in the first place look at them, as we've seen in this pandemic t…

> I don't see how you can fix problems if you aren't willing to in the first place look at them, as we've seen in this pandemic the virus doesn't care how optimistic you are. How can you fix problems by knowing about them? What I mean is: unless you're an expert on the problem, or willing and able to become one as soon as you've learned about it, what difference does it make whether you specifically know how bad some…

> We have institutions to work on things, do we need each individual citizen to be constantly worried about everything that goes wrong, will go wrong, can go wrong or won't go at all?

To give an accompanying reply to the sibling commenter saying "that's why we have democracy, so we can delegate": that's why democracy in its current state works so poorly; a disengaged electorate.

The "we have institutions to work on things" line could only be uttered by someone so disconnected from reality that they actually believe those institutions can be effective without oversight.

Re: Endless Doom Scroller

#47

Post by starlig-ht » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 1:13 PM UTC

luckylion wrote: post #43

Barrin92 wrote: post #35

I don't really understand the 'doomer' debate, that is to say complaining about negative news when the world in fact is facing enormous negative events. It seems to me sort of like the 'three-wise-monkeys', just think happy thoughts and the world gets better or something. It seems infantile. I don't see how you can fix problems if you aren't willing to in the first place look at them, as we've seen in this pandemic t…

> I don't see how you can fix problems if you aren't willing to in the first place look at them, as we've seen in this pandemic the virus doesn't care how optimistic you are. How can you fix problems by knowing about them? What I mean is: unless you're an expert on the problem, or willing and able to become one as soon as you've learned about it, what difference does it make whether you specifically know how bad some…

By monitoring the performance of elected officials and institutions, we can influence future policy with our votes and our wallets

Re: Endless Doom Scroller

#48

Post by thomasahle » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 1:16 PM UTC

davedx wrote: post #25

Hey, it’s the Guardian’s front page with less photos!

Is that a meme or something? I checked the current front page, and I think it's only half bad.

> Coronavirus: UN warns of 'catastrophe' over school closures; France says second wave likely

Negative

> US Donald Trump flounders in interview over US Covid-19 death toll

Neutral

> Spain Country speculates over whereabouts of scandal-hit ex-king Juan Carlos

Neutral

> A good sign Sailors stranded on Pacific island saved by giant SOS in sand

Positive

> Climate crisis Rising temperatures will cause more deaths than all infectious diseases – study

Negative

> TikTok China hits out at US 'smash and grab' as tech row deepens China hits out at US 'smash and grab' as tech row deepens

Probably negative

> Thailand Country orders new investigation into Red Bull heir's alleged hit and run

Probably positive

> Brexit Number of UK citizens emigrating to EU has risen 30% since vote on withdrawal

Neutral

> Thailand Protesters openly criticise monarchy in Harry Potter themed rally

Probably positive

> Mexico Giant dam poised to displace indigenous people and flood graves

Negative

So four negatives and three positives.

Maybe people just focus too much on the negatives?

Re: Endless Doom Scroller

#49

Post by op00to » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 1:16 PM UTC

luckylion wrote: post #43

Barrin92 wrote: post #35

I don't really understand the 'doomer' debate, that is to say complaining about negative news when the world in fact is facing enormous negative events. It seems to me sort of like the 'three-wise-monkeys', just think happy thoughts and the world gets better or something. It seems infantile. I don't see how you can fix problems if you aren't willing to in the first place look at them, as we've seen in this pandemic t…

> I don't see how you can fix problems if you aren't willing to in the first place look at them, as we've seen in this pandemic the virus doesn't care how optimistic you are. How can you fix problems by knowing about them? What I mean is: unless you're an expert on the problem, or willing and able to become one as soon as you've learned about it, what difference does it make whether you specifically know how bad some…

No, our institutions are purposefully broken. “Knowing” about ways to reduce exposure to the virus is the difference between life and death.

Re: Endless Doom Scroller

#50

Post by EGreg » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 1:16 PM UTC

Barrin92 wrote: post #35

I don't really understand the 'doomer' debate, that is to say complaining about negative news when the world in fact is facing enormous negative events. It seems to me sort of like the 'three-wise-monkeys', just think happy thoughts and the world gets better or something. It seems infantile. I don't see how you can fix problems if you aren't willing to in the first place look at them, as we've seen in this pandemic t…

Whoever said, “the only thing we need to fear is fear itself?”

Markets become bearish because there are more bears, it is a downward spiral and a self fulfilling prophecy. Just like Black Scholes option pricing model is a self fulfilling prophecy if everyone starts using it.

As for funding startups, investors can always object. When things are going up they say they dont want to invest in a startup as they want to get the high returns in the market. When things going down they say they cant invest because they need to wait until things go back up and their positions stabilize. I have heard both things from some investors while others invested.

Arguably, the best thing to invest money in during a downturn is a startup that will spend it on internal development, which needs to get done anyway, even if no outside money is coming in, good labor is more easily coming in, and on better more reliable terms. Microsoft and Apple were both founded in a recession.