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The diminishing returns of productivity culture (2021)

annehelen.substack.com

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Re: The diminishing returns of productivity culture (2021)

#121

Post by ProZsolt »

samatman wrote: post #108
burntoutfire wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Macbooks are the worst, they don't even HDD led, or even "switched on" led!. Quite often, I can't tell if it's on already and coming back from sleep, or do I need to press "Power" button again. What a frustrating design.

I'm not sure I understand this complaint in detail? If a Macbook is asleep, it will just wake up, you'll see the keyboard light, there is no need to press the power button. If there is a need to press the power button it is because the machine is off. Don't worry, it will make a distinctive and iconic sound once it is not off and display, you guessed it, a white apple logo on the screen. What circumstances lead to yo…

My private laptop is fine, but my corporate laptop with a lot of bloatware sometimes takes a few seconds to wake up. From hibernation sometimes it takes 10+ seconds from hitting the space button to see the something is happening.

Re: The diminishing returns of productivity culture (2021)

#122

Post by somewhereoutth »

jseban wrote: post #94
somewhereoutth wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> utopia Or 'Europe' as we call it.

Sure, moving to Europe sounds like a pretty reasonable approach if you want to have more socialism, as opposed to revolting against computers. Europe is not less efficient and they are not against computers, it's just a different type of redistribution politics, technology is entirely neutral in these matters. The problem is that the size of both your home and your paycheck will be cut in half, it's always a tradeoff…

It's not so much about more socialism, it's more that the US is wrestling with problems we've completely forgotten about (e.g. decent food).

There are plenty of big homes, and big paychecks in Europe - but, as they say, 'so poor that all they have is money!'

Re: The diminishing returns of productivity culture (2021)

#123

Post by ChrisMarshallNY »

j7ake wrote: post #44

Diminishing returns on productivity is obvious (eg working 80 hours a week outputs productivity somewhere between 1 to 2 times the productivity of 40 hours a week). However, rewards for work is also highly nonlinear, and usually rank based. For example, Usain Bolt is not twice as fast as the second fastest runner but Bolt is rewarded many multiples more than the second fastest runner. What is rational is to think of…

This is absolutely true, which is why people at the tip of the spear are always well-rewarded, but also incredibly stressed.

Not everyone can deal with stress, and even those that "successfully" deal with it, often break down, earlier in life than others (Look for old pro football players, or old pro wrestlers, for instance).

Congratulations! You're rich!

Which is good, because you'll need good nursing care, in your sixties.

It's not something that can be applied in generalities. Individual variance is key, until we get to a "Gattaga-style" society, where everyone is "tuned" for maximum performance.

This was something that I was thinking about, the other day, in a different context (long story).

I can't in good conscience, tell anyone that they "shouldn't go for the brass ring," but the chances are pretty high that they may not make it, and punish themselves for the rest of their lives, as a "failure," or, maybe even worse, get it, and end up regretting it.

In my case, I was forced into a situation where I had to eat humble pie, and accept a lower-echelon lifestyle, yet I'm deliriously happy. When I finally accepted the terrain, instead of gazing longingly at the map, things suddenly "clicked."

The key is acceptance, discipline, and moderation, for me.

Re: The diminishing returns of productivity culture (2021)

#124

Post by burntoutfire »

samatman wrote: post #108
burntoutfire wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Macbooks are the worst, they don't even HDD led, or even "switched on" led!. Quite often, I can't tell if it's on already and coming back from sleep, or do I need to press "Power" button again. What a frustrating design.

I'm not sure I understand this complaint in detail? If a Macbook is asleep, it will just wake up, you'll see the keyboard light, there is no need to press the power button. If there is a need to press the power button it is because the machine is off. Don't worry, it will make a distinctive and iconic sound once it is not off and display, you guessed it, a white apple logo on the screen. What circumstances lead to yo…

The machine can wake up for many seconds (I'm running Windows 10 on my Macboo Pro). During that time, there's no communication on the state of the machine at at all (the keyboard doesn't light up for me). Is it still asleep? During wake up? Or maybe powered off completely for some reason? If it's powered off, then I should press the "Power" button... But what if it isn't? - will pressing it kill the wake up process? Who knows! So much frustration caused by removing a single LED.

Re: The diminishing returns of productivity culture (2021)

#125

Post by beepbooptheory »

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #123
j7ake wrote: post #44

Diminishing returns on productivity is obvious (eg working 80 hours a week outputs productivity somewhere between 1 to 2 times the productivity of 40 hours a week). However, rewards for work is also highly nonlinear, and usually rank based. For example, Usain Bolt is not twice as fast as the second fastest runner but Bolt is rewarded many multiples more than the second fastest runner. What is rational is to think of…

This is absolutely true, which is why people at the tip of the spear are always well-rewarded, but also incredibly stressed. Not everyone can deal with stress, and even those that "successfully" deal with it, often break down, earlier in life than others (Look for old pro football players, or old pro wrestlers, for instance). Congratulations! You're rich! Which is good, because you'll need good nursing care, in your…

I for one very much hope we don't get to a Gattaca-style society! That movie doesn't leave me with a particularly positive view of such a system, but maybe that's just me.

Re: The diminishing returns of productivity culture (2021)

#126

Post by beepbooptheory »

caffeine wrote: post #91
dav_Oz wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't there a sweet spot though? As Elon, by virtue of his massive wealth now, is depriving an ungodly amount of people of financial resources and opportunities. I mean on that scale I venture to say it's like a Usain Bolt sucking up nearly all the sponsoring for 100m sprinting so there are very few left to even challenge him in a professional sense which makes him even more "valuable". [Of course in this analogy (ac…

> As Elon, by virtue of his massive wealth now, is depriving an ungodly amount of people of financial resources and opportunities. That doesn’t make any sense at all. His wealth isn’t made up of financial resources and opportunities that other people could have used - his wealth is the price that other people would be willing to pay him to own shares in the companies he created. I think it’s a common misconception ou…

Investors choose to put there money in profitable businesses. Where do you think profit comes from? Elon isn't responsible for the profit, he is just in the position to claim it, sell it off. You don't have to be a communist to think this, its just how things work.

Re: The diminishing returns of productivity culture (2021)

#127

Post by mrow84 »

caffeine wrote: post #91
dav_Oz wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't there a sweet spot though? As Elon, by virtue of his massive wealth now, is depriving an ungodly amount of people of financial resources and opportunities. I mean on that scale I venture to say it's like a Usain Bolt sucking up nearly all the sponsoring for 100m sprinting so there are very few left to even challenge him in a professional sense which makes him even more "valuable". [Of course in this analogy (ac…

> As Elon, by virtue of his massive wealth now, is depriving an ungodly amount of people of financial resources and opportunities. That doesn’t make any sense at all. His wealth isn’t made up of financial resources and opportunities that other people could have used - his wealth is the price that other people would be willing to pay him to own shares in the companies he created. I think it’s a common misconception ou…

Even if you believe that:

1. the wealth of such people corresponds solely to an increase in the pool of available wealth (as opposed to just redistribution from other people), and

2. that increase is solely attributable to them,

it remains true that the distribution of the wealth pool is an arbitrary social choice. Billionaires being billionaires deprives other people of resources, by definition.

Re: The diminishing returns of productivity culture (2021)

#128

Post by hn_version_0023 »

jerojero wrote: post #3
pm90 wrote: post #2

I don’t find anything wrong with being addicted to getting things done if the productivity gains are shared amongst the labor force. Specifically, increase in productivity can be used to eg shorten the workweek even further and demand protections against work encroachment on personal life. I see that this is happening with some companies embracing 4 day workweeks, others adopting remote from anywhere etc. We need to…

I don't think they ever thought they could "get away with it forever", it's more like: we have an opportunity to make a lot of money now before people get sick of it and legislation is pushed. That's how big businesses operate, they will always push the line because it is most profitable in the short term. The long term for them is made up of ups and downs on an upwards curve, they push the line (up) get pushed down…

Greediness is a flaw. Acquiring more than you need or deserve is at the root of what’s wrong with this world, our societies, etc.

Greed is a vice: it’s depraved and immoral. If you’re religious, it’s a venial sin! If greed becomes too commonplace in a persons life, it could even become a mortal sin.

My point is this: greed is a flaw, and not a small one. To frame it otherwise speaks to exactly the type of corruption we’ve become numb to.

Re: The diminishing returns of productivity culture (2021)

#129

Post by dopidopHN »

burntoutfire wrote: post #80
noduerme wrote: post #46

Funny. I just had this conversation about ennui, probably not an original one, with a colleague who told me she wrote a thesis on ennui in college: Why did George Jetson go to work every day? Was it just to have a reason get away from his family? Wasn't the goal of that society that no one had to work, and everyone could be creative and leisureful all the time? Did George want to buy a newer robot? Was he cheating on…

> What's going to happen to everyone when there's a universal basic income and nothing to do but doomscroll... are they really going to become artists? Why not just consume media all the time? That's what most of unemployed people are doing at the moment, they aren't creating art. Besides doomscrolling, there's infinite amount of tv series and video games to consume very cheaply. In a world of abundance, more expensi…

Why the focus on art?

Raising your kids, growing, cooking and preserving healthy food, helping your parents, your neighbors and your community. Taking hike, exercise. Clean your house, prepare it for summer/winter. Maintain it.

All those things take time and energy. I outsource most of it and I would actually prefer to do it myself.

And that just what I can think of from the top of my head.

Re: The diminishing returns of productivity culture (2021)

#130

Post by dopidopHN »

noduerme wrote: post #67
dymk wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like the Culture series take on post scarcity societies. Sure, the super AI ship could build and maintain and plan everything, but what’s the point in that if all the humans are bored to tears?

Orson Scott Card had that whole "Ships of Earth" cycle where the ancients built an AI in the sky that could distract people every time they thought of developing certain technologies. So people went around trading camels and building empires but anytime they thought about nuclear power, for instance, they just suddenly lost their train of thought. I guess one way to guarantee a certain degree of personal value in hum…

I remember that book, and thinking that the Mormon ideology was flaring up more on this one.
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