I do think that the biggest life improvement of this decade is the smartphone. To think that we have so much computing power and limitless things to do on a very small device makes this improvement the most revolutionary one.
Life Improvements Since the 1990s
141–150 of 480 posts
Re: Life Improvements Since the 1990s
#142I 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.
The political dangers are orders of magnitude worse now, plus there is climate change (a product of the same political problems). I'll take 1991, but without this future.
Also, IME, the culture has become hateful, poisonous, and based on trauma, despair, and survival rather than hope and dreams, freedom and self-actualization.
Re: Life Improvements Since the 1990s
#143Time 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.
For me: The auto spooling weed eater. The hinges hedge trimmer than means I don’t need a ladder and can just walk along with it and cut the top. And to go with the tools, decent and readily available safety equipment. Not really a tool - home automation via ESP chips to water the garden.
Re: Life Improvements Since the 1990s
#144Earlier quoted context omitted.
'91 would be better though - better salaries in a lot of jobs, and lower house prices. GPS on the phone is awesome, but I'd still prefer financial security.
>better salaries in a lot of jobs Factory jobs that is probably true in general--though you're still into the period when a lot of traditional union manufacturing jobs were leaving (or had left) the country. As an engineer/software developer, you're probably going to be paid about $40K for an entry-level position [ADDED: For the US at a "tech" company]. And there is basically no equivalent to routine FAANG SWE salari…
There are many factory jobs today and companies have a difficult time filling them. They are not the monotonous, repetitive jobs of assembly line work (that has been outsourced) but rather involve some skill that you'll be taught. But it's hard to find people to fill these roles as qualified candidates in many cases think the jobs are below them (college educated but can't find work in their field) or they simply don't want to show up every day and work.
Many people today choose lifestyle centered work (gig economy, part time roles for short term, etc) rather than work that lets them build a life. I have multiple friends that have gone this route out of high school with no college and started at the bottom and have over the years acquired more skills and knowledge and some have moved into supervisory and management roles after their companies financed some additional skills like using spreadsheets, basic management, etc.
The endless stories of people that start, work a week and get a check, don't show for 2 weeks and then come back thinking they are still employed is amazing. The jobs exist and they pay well, but not enough people want them.
Re: Life Improvements Since the 1990s
#145Earlier quoted context omitted.
>What happens to stuff that doesn't get patented? It's public. Or it's kept as a trade secret.
True. I considered clarifying, but didn't to be concise. I think publication as a reasoning for granting patents is superseded. It's mostly relevant to the history of patents, not the present. You can't be secretive about a UI, or the chemical composition of a drug.
WD40 formula is famously still secret.
Re: Life Improvements Since the 1990s
#146My kitchen is definitely antediluvian by this standard. We still have a gas stove. The induction stove after week of use has been relegated quietly to the attic by the wife, and has stayed there for years. I suspect Indian cooking doesn’t lend itself well to the use of induction stoves.
Induction stoves are good for boiling water and nothing else. And I mean boiling, not simmering. I'm going back to gas very soon and can't wait to start cooking properly again.
Re: Life Improvements Since the 1990s
#147I 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.
I'm trying to imagine being back in the late 80's living in the squat or in the animal house I lived in during the early 90's and having this guy time travel back to tell us about the future. "You mean we don't all die in a nuclear war or from AIDS or global warming?" "No, the future is much better! Riding lawn mowers are cheaper, teddy bears are much more cuddly and silky, board games have been revolutionized and yo…
It might go a little something like this: https://sfdebris.com/videos/special/timewalker2020.php
Re: Life Improvements Since the 1990s
#148Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
At any point of human history, one could convince themselves that the future is bleak. There had been pandemics and plagues, cold and hot wars, revolutions and dangerous technologies and -isms. And yet in retrospect humanity's trend has been of greater ingenuity, connectives, safety and well-being. Sure, it's possible that THIS is the high point and it'll all go down-hill from here, but that's like being a broken clo…
>Sure, it's possible that THIS is the high point and it'll all go down-hill from here, but that's like being a broken clock - if you think every thing will kill you, you will eventually be right.
It's not about present society being a global maximum, it's about present society being a local maximum. The lessons from history are often that things can and do get worse, sometimes for generations, before improving again later. It is absolutely possible (and I would argue probable) that life will get worse for a long while before improving.
Re: Life Improvements Since the 1990s
#149Earlier quoted context omitted.
>better salaries in a lot of jobs Factory jobs that is probably true in general--though you're still into the period when a lot of traditional union manufacturing jobs were leaving (or had left) the country. As an engineer/software developer, you're probably going to be paid about $40K for an entry-level position [ADDED: For the US at a "tech" company]. And there is basically no equivalent to routine FAANG SWE salari…
There are many factory jobs today and companies have a difficult time filling them. They are not the monotonous, repetitive jobs of assembly line work (that has been outsourced) but rather involve some skill that you'll be taught. But it's hard to find people to fill these roles as qualified candidates in many cases think the jobs are below them (college educated but can't find work in their field) or they simply don…
If people don't want them, then they don't pay enough (or have other issues - work safety, etc.). That's how the market works...
Re: Life Improvements Since the 1990s
#150> Car Theft is rarer, and in particular, we no longer have to worry about our car windows being smashed to steal our car radios > Remember when physically detaching your car radio to avoid leaving it in the car was considered a 100% normal thing to do? Why is it rarer, I wonder? I do recall having a detachable faceplate on my car radio. I sold that car in ~2010 or so but stopped bothering with the detaching long befo…
> Why is it rarer, I wonder?
All crime is down significantly, except murder and gun crime in the last year or two.