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The tech monoculture is finally breaking

jasonwillems.com

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Re: The tech monoculture is finally breaking

#141

Post by RGamma »

californical wrote: post #95
Aurornis wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You cannot buy a dedicated MP3 player today with the software polish and quality of life that an iPod had in the early 2000s I could see how many people would assume this, but it’s actually false. There’s actually a big selection of dedicated audio players that do the job very well now. The battery life and audio quality are extremely good because there’s a niche market for them with a lot of competition. If you th…

I looked pretty hard - I specifically don’t want an android OS called an mp3 player. I want a dedicated media player that has physical button controls (not touch screen), is very snappy, has a good UI, and has a purpose-built OS specific to only playing songs and podcasts, and maybe movies, which I can sync with my computer (maybe with rsync or whatever else). No apps. The only option that I could find was an iPod cl…

Have you looked at Rockbox?

Re: The tech monoculture is finally breaking

#142

Post by at1as »

boelboel wrote: post #108
angrydev wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pure nostalgia and nothing more

I don't even think it's some sort of nostalgia for many. It's some sort of lifestyle they envision themselves of having by buying certain products, these older products are just more 'unique' nowadays.

I think the distraction problem is more fundamental than that. Especially for children growing up now with a very capable smartphone who will experience genuine anxiety being separated from it.

Nostalgia is perhaps a catalyst, but I'm convinced there is something more there.

Re: The tech monoculture is finally breaking

#143

Post by aforwardslash »

Fervicus wrote: post #59

Call me a pessimist, but I don't agree with this blog post at all. The author's views seems a bit biased and narrow based on their social circle perhaps. > VR is no longer experimental Till it has practical everyday uses and is at least semi affordable, I would categorize it as experimental still > Meta shipped a wearable that normal people actually use, thanks to a clever Ray-Ban partnership (and associated equity s…

> I don't know a single person who actually owns a Meta wearable device or a 3D printer

I whish I could say the same :p I just bought another 3d printer and have no place to put it - I have another 3 active printers in my home office. And yes, I keep telling myself its for "work reasons", but its mostly for hobby stuff.

Re: The tech monoculture is finally breaking

#144

Post by bloomingeek »

californical wrote: post #95
Aurornis wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You cannot buy a dedicated MP3 player today with the software polish and quality of life that an iPod had in the early 2000s I could see how many people would assume this, but it’s actually false. There’s actually a big selection of dedicated audio players that do the job very well now. The battery life and audio quality are extremely good because there’s a niche market for them with a lot of competition. If you th…

I looked pretty hard - I specifically don’t want an android OS called an mp3 player. I want a dedicated media player that has physical button controls (not touch screen), is very snappy, has a good UI, and has a purpose-built OS specific to only playing songs and podcasts, and maybe movies, which I can sync with my computer (maybe with rsync or whatever else). No apps. The only option that I could find was an iPod cl…

Not sure if this would fit the bill for you, but I really like it:

96GB Mp3 Player with Bluetooth 5.0 - Aiworth Portable Digital Lossless Music MP3 MP4 Player for Kids with FM Radio HD Speaker for Sports Running Super Light Metal Shell Touch Buttons (Actual Amazon description)

The "touch screen" is only for moving around the menu. The menu is easy to remember. Sound quality is really good and it takes a mini SD card. Right now, $40.

Re: The tech monoculture is finally breaking

#145

Post by niobe »

This article taught me nothing except first-world tech consumerism is out of control. Why is that interesting? Because I think it's part of why the tech bros consistently over-estimate the relvance, pace and world-changing potential of technology like LLMs. If you're drowning in tech consumerism, you see it all around and think it's _really_ important. But this is living in a silicon bubble. 90% of the planet just doesn't care, is not even aware of these "toys" and wouldn't see them as relevant to a normal life if they did, and is extremely innovative about getting their actual needs met with far more basic tools and materials available. And they would be largely right. Technology does change the world eventually, but the latest pair of smart goggles or a slightly better camera on your personal surveillance device does not.

Re: The tech monoculture is finally breaking

#146

Post by rambambram »

Onavo wrote: post #97
sylens wrote: post #29

I think the author is correct to a point but I don't believe the examples they've chosen provide the best support for their case. Gen Z buying iPods and people buying N64 games again is not evidence of the monoculture breaking apart - it's a retreat into the past for the enlightened few because their needs are not being met by modern goods and services. You cannot buy a dedicated MP3 player today with the software po…

Well, there's SV's favorite minimalist hardware (along with the overpriced woop band): https://bemighty.com/

That's an MP3-player, right? It looks like they go overboard to call this an offline Spotify device, instead of what it is. Or am I missing something?

Re: The tech monoculture is finally breaking

#147

Post by Fervicus »

at1as wrote: post #114
Fervicus wrote: post #59

Call me a pessimist, but I don't agree with this blog post at all. The author's views seems a bit biased and narrow based on their social circle perhaps. > VR is no longer experimental Till it has practical everyday uses and is at least semi affordable, I would categorize it as experimental still > Meta shipped a wearable that normal people actually use, thanks to a clever Ray-Ban partnership (and associated equity s…

> Till it has practical everyday uses and is at least semi affordable, I would categorize it as experimental still I have a Meta Quest 2 from half a decade ago. It's old, but still feels like a mature gaming device (though relegated to more of an occasional fitness device for me). Sure, it's failed to be anything more (commercial, education, media), but perhaps it's not fated to be for simple entertainment, in which…

> I think the Ray Ban partnership is consistent with their shift away from the metaverse. The grandiose visions are put on ice, while they shift towards a fashion-accessory with a camera and audio.

So that people can film me at all times against my choice? So that people are interacting with their devices (with some ads popping up on them eventually, most likely) rather than connecting with me on a personal level, even though we seem to be in a loneliness epidemic? And how is this breaking the tech monoculture exactly? Same 4-5 corporations owning everything and creating walled gardens?

> Never been a better time to give Linux a try. The days of fighting with audio drivers for 3 days after the install are largely in the past

You and I might be using Linux and Firefox (can't even feel proud of using that anymore with the way things are going), sure. But I look around me and I don't see the tech monoculture breaking. I see the opposite. I see technofeudalism. Sure, some of us nerds might be rebelling and holding the line, but I only see things getting worse outside of this bubble.

Re: The tech monoculture is finally breaking

#148

Post by Retric »

Aurornis wrote: post #139
californical wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I looked pretty hard - I specifically don’t want an android OS called an mp3 player. I want a dedicated media player that has physical button controls (not touch screen), is very snappy, has a good UI, and has a purpose-built OS specific to only playing songs and podcasts, and maybe movies, which I can sync with my computer (maybe with rsync or whatever else). No apps. The only option that I could find was an iPod cl…

> I looked pretty hard - I specifically don’t want an android OS called an mp3 player. I want a dedicated media player that has physical button controls (not touch screen), is very snappy, has a good UI, and has a purpose-built OS There are a lot of DAPs in this style. They're just not popular because the Android-based units are perfectly fine and don't feel like Android phones with an MP3 player app installed. Most…

They likely want to use the device without looking at it, thus the requirement is physical buttons not a specific OS.

It’s the same issue with touch screens in cars. Anything that’s a touchscreen simply fails a core MP3 player requirement for many people.

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