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Life Improvements Since the 1990s

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Re: Life Improvements Since the 1990s

#101

Post by aaron695 »

gbrown wrote: post #52
aaron695 wrote: post #19

Time between 1990 to now is not linear. The web kicked off in the late 90's, picked up the 2000's but not real fast, and now is really flying and one assumes it will continue to accelerate. Power tools are amazing. And that's the internet pushing them. I can see reviews with each new advancement anywhere in the world. They can see R&D around the world. Each company has to keep up and so do the counterfeiters. I'll or…

What major power tool innovations have happened since 1990? Battery tech is the only big one I can think of.

Brushless Motors

Power Tool KickBack Control (and just safety, were dB warnings big in the 90's? Ergonomic's are improving)

Drill bit/blades/disk composition/tech.

The fact I can (almost) throw out tools that you'd never have seen in a garage in the 90's.

And if we are not children and can talk about such things, they can look good. (Although the 90's tools are now retro and also have an aesthetic)

Track down a power tools catalogue from the 90's

Like computers, every thing was invented before the 80's. But now it's usable and accessible.

And yes, the 80% is probably batteries and cost. But there's a lot in the 20% too.

Going off topic but putting a clear window on stick vacuum cleaners literally gamified vacuuming. What that means for asthma for instance we will see over the years.

Battery adapter's (ie. Milwaukee to Makita) went from 3d printed on ebay to injected moulded over a short period.

The female market has been increasing since the 90/00's and is continuing to increase.

Re: Life Improvements Since the 1990s

#102

Post by buescher »

gbrown wrote: post #52
aaron695 wrote: post #19

Time between 1990 to now is not linear. The web kicked off in the late 90's, picked up the 2000's but not real fast, and now is really flying and one assumes it will continue to accelerate. Power tools are amazing. And that's the internet pushing them. I can see reviews with each new advancement anywhere in the world. They can see R&D around the world. Each company has to keep up and so do the counterfeiters. I'll or…

What major power tool innovations have happened since 1990? Battery tech is the only big one I can think of.

The big refinement other than going to lithium batteries is the adoption of brushless DC motor technology.

Re: Life Improvements Since the 1990s

#103

Post by dalbasal »

rthomas6 wrote: post #68

But are people happier and more fulfilled? Are they more able to have a meaning-filled life surrounded by people with whom they have close and lasting relationships? What should we be measuring when we measure improvement?

"Happier and more fulfilled" is a good question to ask about a person, but I think it gets too squishy in regards to people. Too abstract.

If you're going to broaden person to people, I think it's best to narrow to "happier and more fulfilled" in regards to something. Marriage/personal economics/profession/social life/spiritual life/etc.

Re: Life Improvements Since the 1990s

#105

Post by marricks »

tarr11 wrote: post #95
rthomas6 wrote: post #68

But are people happier and more fulfilled? Are they more able to have a meaning-filled life surrounded by people with whom they have close and lasting relationships? What should we be measuring when we measure improvement?

At the most basic level, life expectancy has increased everywhere [0] and so quality of life has increased for a large number of people who would otherwise be dead. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_expectancy

Life expectancy has already lowered quite a bit from the pandemic we can't put a lid on, and when (if) that settles down cataclysmic climate change will continue its work. Sorry but the future seems quite bleak.

Re: Life Improvements Since the 1990s

#106

Post by [deleted] »

light_hue_1 wrote: post #72
nivenkos wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Indeed, now white men are discriminated against in a lot of Tech companies under the guise of fighting "white privilege" and promoting diversity (note this does not include class or background) - meanwhile class differences (inheritance, home ownership, etc.) are more important than ever.

> Indeed, now white men are discriminated against in a lot of Tech companies under the guise of fighting "white privilege" and promoting diversity Tech is 2% black, but white people are being discriminated against? You mean by being promoted, having huge salaries, and getting all of jobs? oh my! The historically disadvantaged white american community should really organize together. Maybe under a white flag. I know.…

[deleted]

Re: Life Improvements Since the 1990s

#107

Post by MontyCarloHall »

throwaway0a5e wrote: post #20

I think he kind of missed the elephant that is modern communication technology has reduced the marginal cost of skilled services enabling pretty much every object designed in an office and manufactured in a factory to benefit from a broader array of engineering and design professionals and methodologies. The average product and service that the average actor in the economy interacts with is designed and optimized to…

The downside to broadening the talent pool for design/manufacturing is that it means workers now have to be among the best in the world to get business and thus earn a good living. It no longer suffices to be the best in a local region.

If each local region needs its own widget factory, then to become a top widgetsmith you only have to compete with the local widgetsmith talent pool. Just as there can be many high school star athletes across the world, there can be many top widgetsmiths within their local widget factories across the world, even if each is likely mediocre relative to the global pool of widgetsmiths.

Now the widget market has globalized. To become a top widgetsmith, you now need to be the best in the world. There is no room for locally optimal widgetsmiths when the market can globally optimize, just as there’s no room for most star high school athletes at the NBA.

The upside is that the entire world gets much better widgets. The downside is that you can only make a good living as a widgetsmith if you’re the absolute best in the world. Local markets lead to redundancy, which is globally inefficient but locally optimal.

Re: Life Improvements Since the 1990s

#108

Post by minikites »

Filligree wrote: post #78
minikites wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>(barring regulation that forces compromises to product efficacy) Can you really not think of any benefits of regulation to correct for pervasive market failures?

Of course there are benefits. It’s still true that it compromises the main goal of the glue—compromise is the point .

That's not the typical framing I see, it's usually "government regulations strangling private sector innovation" with the implication that there are no benefits.

Re: Life Improvements Since the 1990s

#109

Post by wolverine876 »

> Fresh Guacamole can be easily bought due to pressure pasteurization

Where do I find this? I tried this spring and summer but couldn't find guacamole that doesn't spoil within a day or two, especially after being opened, which is too soon to be practical.

Re: Life Improvements Since the 1990s

#110

Post by alexshendi »

Clubber wrote: post #48
iambateman wrote: post #14

I often ask people: “if you could be 20-years old in 1991 or 2021, which would you pick?” An incredible number of people pick ‘91. Some people even ask to go back to the seventies. This article explains why I would much rather be young now rather than before.

1991. Less Orwellian. Back then, 1984 was a warning, not an instruction manual.

Today, 1984 feels like an Utopia.
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