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We call ourselves innovators, but most of us are really just iterators

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Re: We call ourselves innovators, but most of us are really just iterators

#111
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe. This is a tough point. The 'system' obviously sucks but I don't want to skirt personal responsibility. It's the upper-middle class straight white cisgendered male's fault if he doesn't take the time to learn about his privilege. He has the resources, but chooses to ignore it. (Note: I'm not saying the person from the article necessarily fits this description; I'm speaking more generally)

Interestingly people who are upper middle class and devote time and energy to the cause of the poor are often disparaged for that. Terms like "champagne socialist" or "bleeding heart liberal" are invoked. Perhaps it is seen as patronising to the poor because it makes the implication that the poor need the help of upper middle class white people to help them out of their problems?

Well, I would argue that during the period where there is a large disparity, that the poor need the help of those most able to provide the help (i.e. those who are already well-off). At the very least they need those they are "competing" against to ease up, otherwise the imbalance ends up locked in.

That doesn't mean "upper middle class white" necessarily, but it does disproportionately seem to affect that group (because otherwise we wouldn't be talking so much about gender, class, race, etc. privilege)

Re: We call ourselves innovators, but most of us are really just iterators

#112
That quote from Jeff Hammerbacher comes to mind: "The best minds of my generation are thinking about how to make people click ads. That sucks."

There's lots of genuine good to be done in the world outside of the US. A year or two ago I did a short presentation to students in an entrepreneur class in Monterrey, Mexico. Now Monterrey is rich even by US standards (in fact it's just across the border), but even then there's still a lot of genuine people problems to be solved by entrepreneurs in that country. Think of the problems one could solve in a poorer country like the ones in Central America or poor areas of wealthier countries in South America like Colombia, Chile, Brazil.

The example I gave the students in Mexico was the need to accept payments online in Central/South American countries. Paypal doesn't work in many of them and online bill pay is almost unheard of. Even in relatively wealthy countries like Mexico and Colombia people can spend an entire afternoon in a massive queue outside their bank to pay their cable bills in person and in cash. Internet startups can't grow because there's no easy way to accept payment online. Building an online payment/mobile infrastructure is a fundamental problem that could make a lot of lives better and pave the road for entrepreneurs in the future. It's not an easy problem and it's not really a tech problem either, but it's not impossible!

Re: We call ourselves innovators, but most of us are really just iterators

#113
post #23
post #14

I feel like the author somewhat contradicts himself when he implies the poor ghetto types will never be innovators but says the rest of us are all blinded from the "very real problems that the rest of humanity faces." If you really felt that way, wouldn't the ghetto types have a big advantage if they can get over their resource problems.

I apologize if I implied that poor people will never be innovators, that wasn't my intention. I meant to suggest that those of us who already have these skills share them with people who don't...including, I probably should have explicitly said, teaching them those skills.

what skills? what skills?

Re: We call ourselves innovators, but most of us are really just iterators

#114
post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, think it through. Poster said, "I've contributed to keeping prisoners in prison." This is in no way an inherently good thing--especially given the well-documented clusterfuck that is the judicial system in the US. Have you ever been through the wringer? I don't think that kudos for helping that system is in order, unless it was specifically something like "I wrote software to help schedule inmate times so that vi…

> "Fix the base system" would be something like "I made a simpler marketplace so that care providers (doctors) can directly bill patients, cheaply and transparently." ... while simultaneously violating the agreements they signed with insurance providers and putting themselves out of business? I don't know about you, but I want prisoners to stay in prison. To make a blanket statement like "[Contributing to keeping pri…

"I don't know about you, but I want prisoners to stay in prison."

Even those innocent of any crime?

"To make a blanket statement like "[Contributing to keeping prisoners in prison] is in no way an inherently good thing" is just madness."

His statement isn't a blanket one, for reference the one you used which I quoted above is a blanket statement. For his statement to a blanket statement it would have to be phrased something like "Contributing to keeping prisoners in prison is an evil thing to do". Which is clearly neither what he said nor meant.

Re: We call ourselves innovators, but most of us are really just iterators

#115
post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But they do. Let me explain. I grew up in a barrio , which is a latin ghetto. Junked cars in front lawns, domestic disturbances every night, shootings, drugs, all of that stuff. Every kid in there made money by pure hustle. There were no jobs available for any of us. Some kids cut hair (then went on to become barbers), others worked on cars, but most sold drugs. There were startups, but all were of the illegal variet…

Those jobs are gone these days. I grew up mostly in an upper middle class neighborhood, but for high school, we were bussed to a school in a more lower class area. There were a lot more trailer parks in the area and the auto body program at my high school was pretty popular. Just last week I was driving through that area and saw business after business with signs outside looking to hire CNC machinists, HVAC installer…

They're getting harder and harder to fill because they don't pay anything anymore.

A friend of mine quit his apprenticeship as a machinist because he can make more money doing phone tech support for a cable company.

Re: We call ourselves innovators, but most of us are really just iterators

#116
post #103
post #45

We call ourselves innovators, but most of us are really just iterators... That's a fine line. The most significant innovations are often iterations. (Google comes to mind.) Why do we do this? Because we want to get rich, of course. I disagree with "Because we want to get rich". And I definitely disagree with "of course". Real hackers do this because we just have to . It just so happens that currently it's also a grea…

Let's stop with this this 'real hacker' bullshit. There's nothing wrong with being motivated by wealth; gates was and now he's the largest charity on the planet.

To me, there is little difference between the terms "real hacker" and "real American." Both exist for one purpose: to make the elitist feel good about themselves while giving them a chance to look down on plebes.

Re: We call ourselves innovators, but most of us are really just iterators

#117
post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let's stop with this this 'real hacker' bullshit. There's nothing wrong with being motivated by wealth; gates was and now he's the largest charity on the planet.

To me, there is little difference between the terms "real hacker" and "real American." Both exist for one purpose: to make the elitist feel good about themselves while giving them a chance to look down on plebes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman

Re: We call ourselves innovators, but most of us are really just iterators

#118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, think it through. Poster said, "I've contributed to keeping prisoners in prison." This is in no way an inherently good thing--especially given the well-documented clusterfuck that is the judicial system in the US. Have you ever been through the wringer? I don't think that kudos for helping that system is in order, unless it was specifically something like "I wrote software to help schedule inmate times so that vi…

So you have no respect for programmers working in the penal system unless they're actively breaking prisoners out of jail? Please.

Nice straw man.

I think what he is saying is that smart people need to work on fixing the system, for example by making sure people do not get jailed unfairly, rather than propping it up by helping prisoners stay in prison. Personally, I would feel pretty bad if someone who gets jailed for marijuana possession is kept in jail with the use of software I created.

Re: We call ourselves innovators, but most of us are really just iterators

#119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Correction: zero tolerance for a system they've spent their entire lives within that never taught them the right way to think about their position in society.

the right way to think about their position in society. What is "the right way" for a person to think about his position in society? Is there only one correct point of view?

Good point, but teaching them that "your position in society" is a thing that should be thought about and has a huge effect on your worldview is step one.

Re: We call ourselves innovators, but most of us are really just iterators

#120
post #45

We call ourselves innovators, but most of us are really just iterators... That's a fine line. The most significant innovations are often iterations. (Google comes to mind.) Why do we do this? Because we want to get rich, of course. I disagree with "Because we want to get rich". And I definitely disagree with "of course". Real hackers do this because we just have to . It just so happens that currently it's also a grea…

Seems like you're doing what the OP was trying to inspire others to do. Congrats.
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