Totally. I've learned a lot this year, but the knowledge feels shallow. I'm now mostly outcome-oriented, rather than focused on the journey.
Ask HN: Does anyone else feel like nothing matters anymore?
101–110 of 195 posts
Re: Ask HN: Does anyone else feel like nothing matters anymore?
#102Totally. I've learned a lot this year, but the knowledge feels shallow. I'm now mostly outcome-oriented, rather than focused on the journey.
That seems to be in your control to fix? I have been on this journey, but capitalism does not make it easy.
Re: Ask HN: Does anyone else feel like nothing matters anymore?
#103> Learning new CS concepts
A key reason is that so many CS concepts are already well packaged in very nice libraries or frameworks. And unfortunately many people do not have to use very advanced CS concepts. Look at the so-called top 10 algorithms or data structures for , how many of them are invented recently, and how many of them do not have an amazing library of production quality? Note this does not mean that the CS field is not advancing. It's just that we have yet to find another hyper-growth area that demands novel algorithm, except probably the AI infra - except that only very few people get to work on that area.
Re: Ask HN: Does anyone else feel like nothing matters anymore?
#104Earlier quoted context omitted.
All I ever wanted to do in this universe was fly airplanes. And I did it professionally for nearly 15 years. Then I got sick, and couldn’t do it anymore. Suddenly, all my skills were meaningless and unemployable. I got over it. But it took time. I reinvented myself - I had always liked writing code. So I pivoted to this and literally went back to grad school to study AI. I’m watching a lot of people right now flounde…
I really feel for you. One of my friends was also a pilot, licensed to fly Airbus planes. He had to quit because of COVID. I still remember seeing Thai Airways pilots and crew working as street vendors during that time. It’s become much harder to get back into the airline industry now because of the supply-demand situation. Anyway, my friend now became regular staff at local factory, doing something completely unrela…
Not covid for me, but around that time. One of the last things I did before I got sick that year was fly Covid patients out of rural areas. It was a very stressful time - especially when I was so damn tired all the time for no real apparent reason. Whatever, I'm on the mend now more or less.
I would go back tomorrow if I could, but I also recognize that chapter of my life is over, over 7000hrs is enough for one life time. But maybe I'll get lucky, and medicine will advance? I'm not holding my breath.
Reguardless, that's what I see, people grieving and being ANGRY because they aren't quite sure what to do with their newfound uselessness. I was that way for a long while. The feeling like you're not a part of it anymore, or that all that work and effort, was for nought.
But if anyone reading this is struggling with these sorts of feelings (like OP), understand that the experiences that brought you here, they are what make you who you are! They're a part of you! But they don't totally make you up. You should use your perspective to see if you can make even more crazy and creative and magnificent things than you ever could before! And most importantly, do it for you.
Society is really going to be totally overturned by this. The responses I see, the attitudes people have, a lot of it is stuff I just lived through a couple years ago. Good luck folks, you should probably go hiking more.
Re: Ask HN: Does anyone else feel like nothing matters anymore?
#105I think one aspect of this relates to extrinsic vs intrinsic motivation. I'm intrinsically motivated to work on my software projects because I want them to exist, and I enjoy exploring the problem space and working my way to a good solution. AI is great because it accelerates my abilities in this regard. If I'd had only extrinsic motivations of credit and money, I can see that AI would affect them negatively. But I'd…
> I'm intrinsically motivated to work on my software projects because I want them to exist
Isn't that extrinsic motivation? You're motivated by the desire to bring something outside of yourself into existence. The software project doesn't exist within you.
Re: Ask HN: Does anyone else feel like nothing matters anymore?
#106Earlier quoted context omitted.
All I ever wanted to do in this universe was fly airplanes. And I did it professionally for nearly 15 years. Then I got sick, and couldn’t do it anymore. Suddenly, all my skills were meaningless and unemployable. I got over it. But it took time. I reinvented myself - I had always liked writing code. So I pivoted to this and literally went back to grad school to study AI. I’m watching a lot of people right now flounde…
You're right on target. Indeed this is what it is.
But, you know, we can move past that grief, and instead use it as fuel! We'll be better for it in the long run even though we might not like it now.
Re: Ask HN: Does anyone else feel like nothing matters anymore?
#1071. why haven't we developed blood in the lab yet? 2. why haven't we developed organs in the lab yet? 3. why haven't we invented space travel yet? 4. why haven't we solved food, shelter, cover for all human beings on planet earth yet? 5. why don't we have absolute democracy and have hold politicians accountable for their inaction, exploit and abuse? (specifically using Software and AI). Where are the dashboards of all…
I don't think (5) is called "democracy", but it sounds nice. Democracy is "everyone gets a vote", which devolves into a battle of populists. There's nothing in democracy that would guarantee the kind of accountability you are describing. Besides, as soon as you introduce this kind of checking, you'll just cement the oligarchy. The winning strategy would be for a billionaire not officially in government to work their…
Some modern definitions of democracy include openness, non-corruption, freedom and liberty. Most definitions in use today probably incldue more than just "everyone gets a vote".
Re: Ask HN: Does anyone else feel like nothing matters anymore?
#108[dead]
Re: Ask HN: Does anyone else feel like nothing matters anymore?
#109Ideas and execution is basically dead, because any idiot with a keyboard and a spare hour and some api credits can build almost anything you can now.
I myself have built so much shit lately but it all feels incredibly shallow.
I used to get joy from software, now it feels like fast fashion. Even systems engineering and low level code. Fast fashion. Derivative shit, flung at the void.
Re: Ask HN: Does anyone else feel like nothing matters anymore?
#110Corollary to your complaints: Another downside that I haven't seen on anyone's AI hatelist yet is that it crowds out all other discussion. What happened to everyone talking about languages, protocols, algorithms, architecture, etc.? We can't have those conversations anymore because we're not even sure they matter now. In fact, we probably suspect they don't, hence the not bothering. Also, anything we do write will ju…
We need to start talking about real Software Engineering concepts. The stuff we will write to guide agents to build our software. We will be building architectural blueprints for software "buildings" same as Civic Engineers and Architects do for bridges and towers.
> We will be building architectural blueprints for software "buildings" same as Civic Engineers and Architects do for bridges and towers.
If only we knew how. All we seem to know formally given popular discourse is languages, frameworks, tools, protocols and algorithms.
Thinking about how to move beyond functional decomposition and structured design to enable those “blueprints” isn’t even on the agenda?