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"Instead of cures for cancer we got Angry Birds"

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Re: "Instead of cures for cancer we got Angry Birds"

#31

Post by praptak »

lazyjones wrote: post #6
16s wrote: post #3

I call it the Fart App Generation. Triviality rules the day. People make money selling whoopee cushions too. And if you find meaning in that, then more power to you. It's not for me though.

I fail to see the problem with that. If people prefer "bright minds" to work on cancer cures rather than on new casual games, why don't we make a $5 app to sponsor cancer research and see how well it sells? My conclusion is, that most people simply aren't bothered with cancer research until they get it (apparently in these areas, about 50% of the population do at some point in their lives).

> My conclusion is, that most people simply aren't bothered with cancer research until they get it

This is part of the problem, coupled with the "immediate reward versus distant punishment" bias. Another is the obvious tragedy of the commons here. Once the research is successful it also benefits those who chose not to contribute so fund it please while I spend my $5 on a tasty cookie.

Re: "Instead of cures for cancer we got Angry Birds"

#32

Post by 16s »

lazyjones wrote: post #6
16s wrote: post #3

I call it the Fart App Generation. Triviality rules the day. People make money selling whoopee cushions too. And if you find meaning in that, then more power to you. It's not for me though.

I fail to see the problem with that. If people prefer "bright minds" to work on cancer cures rather than on new casual games, why don't we make a $5 app to sponsor cancer research and see how well it sells? My conclusion is, that most people simply aren't bothered with cancer research until they get it (apparently in these areas, about 50% of the population do at some point in their lives).

I make no judgement as to whether it is good or bad. That's just how it is.

Re: "Instead of cures for cancer we got Angry Birds"

#33

Post by exratione »

At some point an individual has to come to terms with the fact that 99% (or some equally large percentage) of human economic activity has nothing much to do with improving the human condition, but is rather beer and circuses writ large.

You can cure a disease for the cost of a large video game development these days, and an election year of political donations in the US could be used to cure aging. Medical research in general is a sliver of the economic activity spent kicking leather balls around grassy fields.

This is the world. The only way to make it better is to do what you can to add to the sliver rather than to the circuses.

Re: "Instead of cures for cancer we got Angry Birds"

#34

Post by koralatov »

tcbawo wrote: post #7

Some ask, "Why can't these minds be contributing more to society?" I find that they often are, by being good parents, citizens, volunteers, donors. A similar vein of thought might be applied to the talent in the financial industry.

True, but just as often they're wretched parents and citizens who never volunteer or donate.

Re: "Instead of cures for cancer we got Angry Birds"

#35

Post by koralatov »

ig1 wrote: post #18
jaggederest wrote: post #5

I just wish that societally we would put more of a financial emphasis on things that deliver the most social utility. That would solve the gradient problem, and still deliver efficiency since people would have different competitive advantage. I think games are something of a poor example, since they clearly do bring happiness to people at least, but the financial industry seems to spend inordinate amounts of energy a…

Those milliseconds being shaved off forex trading are the reason that commercial and retail spreads are much tighter than they were a decade ago. When currencies were priced every second market makers had to set a spread that would protect them from market variance within that one-second period, as that time period shrunk the amount of risk dropped as did the spreads. Think about the thousands of currency transaction…

Just because you don't understand the value something provides, it doesn't mean that it doesn't provide it.

I don't think the argument is that these optimisations don't bring value; it's that they don't bring as much value to society as an effective cancer treatment, or a new technology that cheaply and cleanly purifies water, or [insert other breakthrough here].

Re: "Instead of cures for cancer we got Angry Birds"

#36

Post by sigzero »

[deleted] wrote: post #27
binarymax wrote: post #17

I've found that those who try to impose their ideals on someone else, are usually (but not always) trying to cover up and deflect their own self-doubt and insecurities. Do what you love, and to heck with whatever anyone else thinks. I used to work on predicting baseball. And before that, even worse, performance management software! Now I am lucky enough to work on "socially responsible" software, and enjoy it. But I…

[deleted]

Sometimes that "genius" doesn't translate into other areas.

Re: "Instead of cures for cancer we got Angry Birds"

#38

Post by Jimmy »

exratione wrote: post #33

At some point an individual has to come to terms with the fact that 99% (or some equally large percentage) of human economic activity has nothing much to do with improving the human condition, but is rather beer and circuses writ large. You can cure a disease for the cost of a large video game development these days, and an election year of political donations in the US could be used to cure aging. Medical research i…

On the other hand, if all of those "circuses" disappeared tomorrow - not just the sports, but the music, the art, the novels, the films, the video games, everything - you probably wouldn't like it very much.

Re: "Instead of cures for cancer we got Angry Birds"

#39

Post by theorique »

exratione wrote: post #33

At some point an individual has to come to terms with the fact that 99% (or some equally large percentage) of human economic activity has nothing much to do with improving the human condition, but is rather beer and circuses writ large. You can cure a disease for the cost of a large video game development these days, and an election year of political donations in the US could be used to cure aging. Medical research i…

People vote with their money and attention and time.
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