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Why isn’t new technology making us more productive?

nytimes.com

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Re: Why isn’t new technology making us more productive?

#341

Post by jart »

lotsofpulp wrote: post #305
rr808 wrote: post #291

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Even the cheapest house built to code will be noticeably better than one from 1980s. The quality of materials, technology of materials, wiring, plumbing, flooring, insulation, etc will all be better. This is definitely not true. Old houses have solid lumber, new ones are lightweight softwoods. Copper pipes replaced with plastic. Maybe Marble kitchens are nicer? More energy efficient is likely. Certainly 30 somethin…

What utility does the solid lumber provide over the lightweight softwoods? What utility does the copper provide over plastic? For lightweight softwood, I can at least think of the utility that it will be cheaper. And for plastic over copper plumbing, same thing, it will cost less, but it will also be more resistant to corrosion and easier to repair.

It serves the utility of not being able to hear people breathe on the other side of the home. Speaking as someone who grew up in old New England colonial houses, I'd say that if anyone wants to understand why Californians build so many tech products without privacy, one needn't look any further than the lack of privacy to which they grew accustomed in their homes.

Re: Why isn’t new technology making us more productive?

#342

Post by quickthrower2 »

metadat wrote: post #259
nanomonkey wrote: post #252

Speak for yourself. I feel like I have riches of new tech at my disposal. Currently have 10 gbs fiber internet for $45/month, in one second I can download the contents of my first hard drive. My laptop has 64gb of ram and 8tb of ssd. I don't even know what to do with that much compute as I mostly use Emacs and Firefox for everything. Meetings are completely online, so I no longer need to travel to visit other offices…

If you have the means, it's nice. Where is this mythical $45/mo. 10gbps fiber connect?

I get 0.05gbps, for $45/mo.

Re: Why isn’t new technology making us more productive?

#343

Post by [deleted] »

RachelF wrote: post #331
nwienert wrote: post #271

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I upgraded from a 95 4Runner to a 22 Outlander and it’s like a spaceship on wheels in comparison. Literally every piece of the car is in a different class and the tech is insane that just didn’t exist then, I mean it basically drives itself. It’s dramatically safer, more efficient, comfier, faster, quieter. I no longer hate long drives, they’re quite nice. The speakers are amazing and the road noise is basically gone…

Your 22 Outlander won't last as long as your 1995 car. There's just too much tech in it that will go wrong, or be unsupported in 10 years. No one will know how to fix it. We are adding complexity where we should not be, but then cars are designed to be sold, not to be used for more than 3 years.

[deleted]

Re: Why isn’t new technology making us more productive?

#344

Post by watercooler_guy »

machinerychorus wrote: post #321
bovermyer wrote: post #258

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But humans are still limited. Until we accelerate our evolution, we'll be stuck at the speed of glaciers in terms of our potential.

Memetics is much more potent than genetics. We're about to achieve much more than people could 2000 years ago, not because humans have genetically evolved to be that much smarter, but because we have memetically evolved much more sophisticated social structures. Genetics is still important, and augmenting individual intelligence should still be pursued, but memetics is in the driver seat now.

Could you expand on what you mean by this? What kind of new social structures are enabling progress in this way?

Re: Why isn’t new technology making us more productive?

#345

Post by quickthrower2 »

Barrin92 wrote: post #122

Because new technology is as Thiel often quips limited to the world of bits rather than the world of atoms. Paul Krugman once asked, if you go into an average house right now and you take out all the screens, could you tell that you're not in the 80s? Gordon in the Rise and Fall of American Growth gives a similar example, what if you went into a time capsule between say 1890 and 1950 compared to 1960 and 2010? In one…

How do I tell I am not in the 80's. I just requested a repeat prescription in 30 seconds, requested a pizza in 60 seconds, purchased some stock in 60 seconds, paid a trades-person in 30 seconds. I can buy stuff at any shop (99.9%) around here without my wallet. I haven't spoken to someone at a bank branch for years. I don't have something ... I can order it online and get it the next day. I can have access to courses that are 10 times better than $2000 week long in-person courses of the 90s, for free or little money. Where does it end...?

If we are measuring by using dollars, well that's silly. We could have $100TN or whatever of tokens in circulation and be living like wild animals or colonizing the solar system.

Re: Why isn’t new technology making us more productive?

#346

Post by [deleted] »

Quinner wrote: post #151
Barrin92 wrote: post #122

Because new technology is as Thiel often quips limited to the world of bits rather than the world of atoms. Paul Krugman once asked, if you go into an average house right now and you take out all the screens, could you tell that you're not in the 80s? Gordon in the Rise and Fall of American Growth gives a similar example, what if you went into a time capsule between say 1890 and 1950 compared to 1960 and 2010? In one…

30 years ago in order to navigate somewhere you had to ask someone for directions and write down notes. If you missed a turn, god help you. We fundamentally move through the world vastly differently thanks to digital maps. Many people (and in a few years, the majority) are doing so in cars that use electric motors instead of internal combustion engines. One way to tell whether you're in an 80s house would be to look…

[deleted]

Re: Why isn’t new technology making us more productive?

#347

Post by 1123581321 »

RachelF wrote: post #331
nwienert wrote: post #271

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I upgraded from a 95 4Runner to a 22 Outlander and it’s like a spaceship on wheels in comparison. Literally every piece of the car is in a different class and the tech is insane that just didn’t exist then, I mean it basically drives itself. It’s dramatically safer, more efficient, comfier, faster, quieter. I no longer hate long drives, they’re quite nice. The speakers are amazing and the road noise is basically gone…

Your 22 Outlander won't last as long as your 1995 car. There's just too much tech in it that will go wrong, or be unsupported in 10 years. No one will know how to fix it. We are adding complexity where we should not be, but then cars are designed to be sold, not to be used for more than 3 years.

Completely wrong, in aggregate. Vehicle longevity and reliability have significantly increased over that time period. However, when an unproven new car is compared to an old car that has already survived for a long time, it’s possible you may be right.

Re: Why isn’t new technology making us more productive?

#348

Post by dilyevsky »

danans wrote: post #335
dilyevsky wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Paul Krugman once asked, if you go into an average house right now and you take out all the screens, could you tell that you're not in the 80s? It’s clear to me krugman never held a hammer in his life bc that is just laughable statement

Obviously he was referring to the existence of conveniences of the homes (dishwashers, laundry machines), not how they were built or the finishings. There have been very few big changes in how homes are built since that time. A little more insulation, and they've gotten even bigger, but they are otherwise pretty static.

How is that obvious? Appliances are much better too btw but yeah if you ignore everything that changed then not much has

Re: Why isn’t new technology making us more productive?

#349

Post by root_axis »

Barrin92 wrote: post #122

Because new technology is as Thiel often quips limited to the world of bits rather than the world of atoms. Paul Krugman once asked, if you go into an average house right now and you take out all the screens, could you tell that you're not in the 80s? Gordon in the Rise and Fall of American Growth gives a similar example, what if you went into a time capsule between say 1890 and 1950 compared to 1960 and 2010? In one…

Why would I "take out all the screens"? Imagine if I walked into the average house and took out all the screws... why? That thought experiment speciously suggests that "the screens" are merely inert panes of glass rather than a core component of modern innovation. "Screens" function as an interface for many types of devices, they're not simply interchangeable because they have one.
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