Live data from Hacker News

Ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt: US 'dropped the ball' on innovation

bbc.com

101–110 of 562 posts

Re: Ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt: US 'dropped the ball' on innovation

#101
post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't it an effect of a feeling caused by governments using experts in a way letting (too often and a too large part of) the public think that they, at worst, are all (gov & experts alike) pushing their own short-termed and only self-beneficial agendas or, at best, nearly always devise some "Grand Plan" which then appears to cost much more than budgeted, gives less than promised and has unwanted unexpected side-effec…

It's a self fulfilling prophecy that's been ongoing since the 80s. An entire political party's ideology is based on the idea that government doesn't work and when in power they set out to prove it by making government dysfunctional by defunding agencies and confusing their mandates. That same party politicized clean air regulations, climate change, and wearing masks . This has crippled expertise because if one side c…

yeah man, Republicans have ruined education and urban government

Re: Ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt: US 'dropped the ball' on innovation

#102
post #9

If you follow the article around you realize this isn't about money invested but simply based on how many scientific articles are being published [0] and not dollars invested even though they toss in one Chinese based companies number. Personally I do not find article count a good number to base the claim on. Percentage of GPD might not be a good reference either but then again I am not 100% sure a dollar for dollar…

Basically all trend "reporting" is some Goodhart's law nonsense like this.

Re: Ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt: US 'dropped the ball' on innovation

#103
post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Give me a break. “Kids these days” have their eyes wide open. Just a few decades ago you used to have access to an affordable college education with good jobs on graduation. With a modest level of saving you’d have enough for the deposit on a house within a few years. None of that is true now. It’s drilled into high school kids that they must take on a punishingly expensive college education or they’ll never amount t…

> “Kids these days” have their eyes wide open. Just a few decades ago you used to have access to an affordable college education with good jobs on graduation. With a modest level of saving you’d have enough for the deposit on a house within a few years. Except if those kids would get degrees in the right areas (like the thread is complaining they aren't), they would absolutely be able to get excellent jobs upon gradu…

Further, GP notes

> "they must take on a punishingly expensive college education or they’ll never amount to anything."

Except that high school graduates have the option to do 2 years of community college (~5k) and 2 years at a state school (~13k). Generally possible to most while living at home for no additional rent. CS jobs are in high supply and 100k+ out of college. The college cost would be paid off in a year.

Then there's the fact that many positions are not requiring a college education at all.

Re: Ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt: US 'dropped the ball' on innovation

#105
post #19

> "America does not have enough people with those skills." Seriously, I feel the US has a big education problem, with part of it being cultural I think. Seems being educated, knowledgeable, having expertise, learning about science and technology, medicine and law, just isn't valued anymore, in fact it's almost being denigrated and shamed. What I see instead is people pushing for anti-intellectualism and valuing the "…

[deleted]

Re: Ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt: US 'dropped the ball' on innovation

#106
post #78
post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe that's true, but that is not what he is saying: "In the race for publishing papers China has now caught up."

Most of those papers are just applications of already existent ideas to different problems.

Also tiny incremental advances that are barely worth publishing, assuming they are even replicable. It seems they pay their faculty based on publication quantity.

Re: Ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt: US 'dropped the ball' on innovation

#107
post #19

> "America does not have enough people with those skills." Seriously, I feel the US has a big education problem, with part of it being cultural I think. Seems being educated, knowledgeable, having expertise, learning about science and technology, medicine and law, just isn't valued anymore, in fact it's almost being denigrated and shamed. What I see instead is people pushing for anti-intellectualism and valuing the "…

> Seriously, I feel the US has a big education problem, with part of it being cultural I think. Seems being educated, knowledgeable, having expertise, learning about science and technology, medicine and law, just isn't valued anymore, in fact it's almost being denigrated and shamed.

> What I see instead is people pushing for anti-intellectualism and valuing the "college dropouts".

It's because outside of a few exceptions(tech in particular), you would earn more money being a businessman than being employed, academic or professional.

People always say that we should value teachers, nurses, etc. But it's all just lip service.

Money and salary are what society uses to indicate how much they truly value you.

Re: Ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt: US 'dropped the ball' on innovation

#108
post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't it an effect of a feeling caused by governments using experts in a way letting (too often and a too large part of) the public think that they, at worst, are all (gov & experts alike) pushing their own short-termed and only self-beneficial agendas or, at best, nearly always devise some "Grand Plan" which then appears to cost much more than budgeted, gives less than promised and has unwanted unexpected side-effec…

It's a self fulfilling prophecy that's been ongoing since the 80s. An entire political party's ideology is based on the idea that government doesn't work and when in power they set out to prove it by making government dysfunctional by defunding agencies and confusing their mandates. That same party politicized clean air regulations, climate change, and wearing masks . This has crippled expertise because if one side c…

The cities and States with the worst public education systems and the highest crime rates have been run by one party, the Democrats, for 50+ years. Some 100+!

They can and have continued to raise taxes and subsequently squander any money they collect. Any attempt to break that stranglehold, such as changing teachers union hiring practices or allowing for charter schools, is met with total resistance.

You’re right that government is the problem, but get it right which party is responsible.

Re: Ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt: US 'dropped the ball' on innovation

#109
post #19

> "America does not have enough people with those skills." Seriously, I feel the US has a big education problem, with part of it being cultural I think. Seems being educated, knowledgeable, having expertise, learning about science and technology, medicine and law, just isn't valued anymore, in fact it's almost being denigrated and shamed. What I see instead is people pushing for anti-intellectualism and valuing the "…

China’s funding for science and research to reach 2.5 per cent of GDP in 2019: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/2189427/chin... A documentary by WIRED UK done in 2016 explains many cultural and legal reasons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGJ5cZnoodY China has hardware industries that work similar to how open source software works. An article on effects of expiring patents on 3D printing (2013): http…

The optimism or lack thereof is mainly due to news and social media. Climate change, wars, criminality, cops shooting people of color, economic inequality etc. I've lived in a communist country and all the official news was boring propaganda in the lines of "our beloved leader went to to visit his omologue, where they deliberated about world peace". Then I saw a Gulf News newspaper from the UAE: only positive news, obviously propaganda. I'm not saying we shouldn't discuss these issues but western news has an overy negative tone, it keeps parroting the same issues and competes for our attention. Social media is even worse than news. My so keeps scrolling at insta posts and voices discontent about certain travel influencers going on vacation all the time while she has to work overtime and take a pay cut.
Post reply on HN