Life Improvements Since the 1990s • Hacker News Board

Re: Life Improvements Since the 1990s

#201

Post by treis » Thu, Aug 12, 2021, 2:59 PM UTC

dougmwne wrote: post #163

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…

I had a moment like this recently with, of all things, a snorkeling mask. It was one of those full face masks with a big snorkel sticking out the top like a unicorn's horn that popped on the market a few years ago. It is a marvel. It took all the downsides of the old masks and ingeniously fixed them. Full mouth and nose breathing so you can breathe naturally and comfortably, an airflow pattern that pulls dry air over…

These are somewhat dangerous as the additional airspace allows CO2 to build up. I haven't seen good studies either way, but there's lots of anecdata out there of people reporting symptoms.

Re: Life Improvements Since the 1990s

#202

Post by cataphract » Thu, Aug 12, 2021, 2:59 PM UTC

JackPoach wrote: post #169

laserlight wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can tell whether I am happy or not. What do you mean when you say happiness doesn't exist?

Do you understand the concept of reification? If not, see https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/reification#:~:text=Re... . So if you feel happy (or miserable) it means just that - that you feel happy (or miserable). It doesn't mean that happiness or misery actually exist literally.

If you grant that is possible to "feel happy" (for whatever definition of "happy" you choose), then happiness can be defined the state (or the "emotion") of feeling happy. Sure, happiness is not a concrete entity (though it does have concrete/physical underpinnings in people's brains), so in this sense it doesn't "exist literally", but I don't know where you're going with that. You can still measure it and devise strategies to have people experience more of it.

Re: Life Improvements Since the 1990s

#203

Post by _bfhp » Thu, Aug 12, 2021, 3:00 PM UTC

rthomas6 wrote: post #62

The big changes, I think, are smartphones and widespread LGBT acceptance. Everything else just seems like incremental improvements to existing technology.

I'd submit two more:

An incredible amount of whistleblower leaks made it possible for citizens to know what horrible things their governments are doing. There is a real check on state power when the press has such a reach now, and you can publish (or dump) materials anywhere online even if you don't trust the press.

Frozen/convenient dietary alternatives to enslaving and killing animals are now easily available and it's no longer conventional wisdom that veganism will kill you or make you a stick figure person. Not likely considered incremental by those living beings!

Re: Life Improvements Since the 1990s

#204

Post by sdevonoes » Thu, Aug 12, 2021, 3:01 PM UTC

There are tons of live improvements from my point of view, but the few downsides that exist today make it worse in overall. The main downside I see is:

- big tech companies are becoming so powerful that they will interfere in our daily lives through tech (because tech is everywhere) and there is little we can do about it we want it or not.

You cannot escape Google/Microsoft/Facebook/whatever. You just can't (unless you go full offline, but then the tech live improvements since the 90s go away as well).

Re: Life Improvements Since the 1990s

#205

Post by seniorThrowaway » Thu, Aug 12, 2021, 3:01 PM UTC

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.

That's almost an unfair comparison. I don't know how old you are but 1991 was an incredibly optimistic time in western history with the fall of communism in Europe. Maybe a closer comparison would be 2000 vs 2019, both years right before a big global event.

Re: Life Improvements Since the 1990s

#206

Post by kristofferR » Thu, Aug 12, 2021, 3:02 PM UTC

globular-toast wrote: post #158

basseq wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My ideal range is 2 induction burners + 4 gas. Induction has a lot of the benefits of gas (e.g., instant temperature control), but gas is still superior for sautéing and continuous temperature control. Whenever I cook on gas, I miss the fast-heating of induction for things like pasta or potatoes. I also don't understand why all induction ranges have to be "high-tech" touchscreen crap. I'd love an induction stove with…

> Whenever I cook on gas, I miss the fast-heating of induction for things like pasta or potatoes. In the UK, every kitchen has a fast-boil kettle (and has done for decades now) and those still boil water faster than an induction hob.

US kettles are much slower than UK kettles though, due to the voltage difference in the power outlets.

Re: Life Improvements Since the 1990s

#207

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Aug 12, 2021, 3:02 PM UTC

blfr wrote: post #92

Clothing has become almost “too cheap to meter” and we have things pretty good now when it comes to food yet people seem to be poorly dressed and obese. Many other technological and social improvements also feel hollow to me for that reason: they're not making our lives meaningfully better.

[deleted]

Re: Life Improvements Since the 1990s

#208

Post by kristofferR » Thu, Aug 12, 2021, 3:05 PM UTC

echelon wrote: post #179

inglor_cz wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

WD40 formula is famously still secret.

Take GC/mass spec/NMR to it and find out. The tools are available. Do it to Coke/Pepsi while you're at it.

Wired did it back in 2009:

https://www.wired.com/2009/04/st-whatsinside-6/

Re: Life Improvements Since the 1990s

#209

Post by sixothree » Thu, Aug 12, 2021, 3:05 PM UTC

sdevonoes wrote: post #204

There are tons of live improvements from my point of view, but the few downsides that exist today make it worse in overall. The main downside I see is: - big tech companies are becoming so powerful that they will interfere in our daily lives through tech (because tech is everywhere) and there is little we can do about it we want it or not. You cannot escape Google/Microsoft/Facebook/whatever. You just can't (unless y…

I got Pong as a kid (specifically Telstar Marksman) and I have been 100% all in since that day. Every doubling and incremental change has been exciting to me.

The way technology today is implemented repulses me. The surveillance, gamification, addition psychology all seem so unrecognized by the public but have made me less interested.

But for me the biggest grievance is the poorly working software. So tired of it. So so tired.

Re: Life Improvements Since the 1990s

#210

Post by Fricken » Thu, Aug 12, 2021, 3:06 PM UTC

We are social animals. Other people make me happy. Other people make me miserable.

Quality of life depends far more on the integrity of a person's human relationships than these trivial material gains.

I can remain bright eyed through all kinds of horribleness if I believe my suffering is meaningful and valued.