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Things I still can't do in November 2014

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Re: Things I still can't do in November 2014

#51
Most of these seem possible and some of them are really creepy take this for example [1], first off that would be unmanagable list, allready exists (dating services, tinder, etc) and is presented in a very dodgy way.

[1] "27. Be able to see a list of all single people in LA right now and efficiently sort through this data, with two way opt-in, to find an ideal match"

Re: Things I still can't do in November 2014

#54
post #15
post #3

first world problems of somebody living in the silicon valley ? sorry but most of those things either stems from politics or lack of market development.

I found it a little bizarre too, e.g. > 11. Get a quick, binding divorce online. This makes absolutely no sense to me, in so many ways. Presumably a divorce should be a rare enough occurrence that doing it in person is not a burden?

Saudi Arabia has solved this problem - at least one Saudi Arabian man divorced his wife via text message: http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2009/04/09/70302.html

Re: Things I still can't do in November 2014

#55
post #9

All of these score 1 on one of my favorite HN comments, the Yudkowski Ambition Scale[0]. That's OK, but it's a bit disappointing for a post that clearly tries to come off as visionary. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4510702

That's hysterical! I like how the transhuman stuff starts at (6), the potential existential risks at (7), and by the time you get to (10) you're literally more ambitious than God.

Of course, there needs to be an analogous scale for controlling the outcomes of developing anything that ambitious.

And a choir that you can hire to follow you around singing the necessary Ominous Latin Chanting while you announce your ambition levels.

Re: Things I still can't do in November 2014

#56
post #28

Honestly, I find some of these points quite disturbing. And a lot of them are not a matter of technology. 13. Keep track of where everybody in my team is physically right now. I don't want to work with you, ever. 40 hours a week are for the team, sure, but during the remaining 128 you don't have any business in my life. What you propose is creepy. 25. Be able to take a course online and get graded -- and get a diplom…

Regarding 30. wasn't it recently concluded here on HN that obese people actually end up costing less to society since they tend not to survive into their 80s/90s? Not that his thought is good even if this was not true.

Re: Things I still can't do in November 2014

#57

I remain frustrated that world financial systems are unable to handle instant money transfers between institutions. There seems to me to be no good reason that I shouldn't be able to transfer money between my accounts without waiting until midnight for the funds to clear. Worse, the routine seems not to run on weekends. Why is this? Is power unavailable on Saturday night?

I always thought the obvious reason for this is that it allows the banks to hang on to your money a little bit longer. At least that's how it works where I live. The money disappears from your account immediately, so essentially you give them a ~24 hour free loan. The banks win, so they have no incentive the change it.

Re: Things I still can't do in November 2014

#58

> 30. Get a discount from the federal government for being healthy. Fat people should pay more taxes because they cost society more. This means some approved weigh in and testing centers Perpetuating the myth that unhealthy people are a financial and social burden. That's wrong because.... * MIND QUAKE: Fat people are 'on average' healthier!! * Why? Because they clutch their heart and die in an instant. 'Healthy peop…

This. Plus its fucking miserable dying slowly over the space of 20 years. I've watched it happen to so many people. Avoid work, retire early, spend everything, eat everything, do what you must do as early as you can before probability becomes your worst enemy. Edit: The people I've watched die had one regret only: Waiting until retirement to do what they wanted at which point they can't. Perfect cogs with pensions an…

The classic example is travel. Some people wait until their retirement before they travel the world, which means they can no longer do the physically demanding adventures and they have only a few years to enjoy the memories. Others travel before they start a career and family, allowing them to appreciate the memories for their whole life. Others still just find ways to travel their whole lives, and make it a part of who they are and what brings them fulfillment. It doesn't have to be travel, but I believe most people can find ways to be fulfilled their whole life instead of postponing it until retirement. I see plenty of examples in my surroundings of people who have psychologically locked themselves up in a non-fulfilling life. I can see the ways they could break out of it, but somehow they can't.

Re: Things I still can't do in November 2014

#59
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think I buy it, do you have some references? There are a lot of nonfatal chronic illneses derived from obesity, alcohol consumption and tobacco. My biggests problem with this point are not related with the veracity of his implied statement, but rather, with the slippery slope of making people pay more because of health problems (that are actually less in their control than we may believe), which is anyway hap…

http://www.adamsmith.org/blog/healthcare/fatties-and-smokers... > Ultimately, the thin and healthy group cost the most, about $417,000, from age 20 on. The cost of care for obese people was $371,000, and for smokers, about $326,000. And as Kip Viscusi has pointed out, when you add in the costs of the state pensions that those who die young don’t get, smoking and gorging save the government vast sums of money.

Thanks. Quite a surprising finding. That article links to another one from the NY times [1], with this interesting line: The researchers found that from age 20 to 56, obese people racked up the most expensive health costs. But because both the smokers and the obese people died sooner than the healthy group, it cost less to treat them in the long run.

[1]: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/05/health/05iht-obese.1.97488...

Re: Things I still can't do in November 2014

#60
post #28

Honestly, I find some of these points quite disturbing. And a lot of them are not a matter of technology. 13. Keep track of where everybody in my team is physically right now. I don't want to work with you, ever. 40 hours a week are for the team, sure, but during the remaining 128 you don't have any business in my life. What you propose is creepy. 25. Be able to take a course online and get graded -- and get a diplom…

Regarding 30. wasn't it recently concluded here on HN that obese people actually end up costing less to society since they tend not to survive into their 80s/90s? Not that his thought is good even if this was not true.

An obese person costs more per year but less per lifetime since he dies sooner. Correspondingly, an obese person should pay more each year but they will pay less over their lifetime.
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