What Happens Next Will Amaze You • Hacker News Board

Re: What Happens Next Will Amaze You

#21

Post by pja » Wed, Sep 23, 2015, 7:44 AM UTC

barrkel wrote: post #19

I must have missed the bit where how this simpler new world will get rid of ad-clicking bots is explained.

I guess if we’re returning to a simpler age then all ads are display ads & rates are set by guesstimating website reach using old school methods: things like actually going out and surveying your target audience to see how many of them actually read the site in question.

If the new normal is “We've sold our customer’s privacy and personal data to the highest bidder and yet we’re still wasting 50% of our ad spend & have allowed a faceless Silicon Valley company to insert itself in between us and our customers.” then the old way of doing things suddenly looks quite attractive by comparison.

Re: What Happens Next Will Amaze You

#22

Post by pja » Wed, Sep 23, 2015, 7:45 AM UTC

rplnt wrote: post #14

I know HN is pedantic about original titles, but shitty ones like this are better to be edited.

In this case, the URL alone is enough to tell you that it’s probably worth reading.

Re: What Happens Next Will Amaze You

#23

Post by pascalmahe » Wed, Sep 23, 2015, 7:57 AM UTC

Thank you for this talk.

Especially the part about fighting against the tobacco industry. It really made me realize that this is a fight that can be won. I honestly thought this was a lost battle.

It will, however, be a more subtle battle as the advertising industry (Big Ads ?) cannot be linked to something as clearly detremental as lung cancer and will be quick to point out that the technology developped can help fight terrorism (a winning buzzword bingo if ther's ever been one) by identifying behavior on the internet, including so-called dangerous ones.

Re: What Happens Next Will Amaze You

#24

Post by shadowmint » Wed, Sep 23, 2015, 8:15 AM UTC

Oh really?

Damn those crazy fools wasting their millions making electric cars into a reality and trying to get to Mars.

We should just spend that money on like... I dunno. Better park benches or something. That'll solve everything.

    I'm so tired of this shit. Aren't you tired of this shit?

Yes I am.

There are systemic problems causing the issues in San Francisco; what's your solution to that problem?

    The only thing I don't want to do is to raise the white flag.

    I refuse to believe that this cramped, stifling, stalkerish vision of the 
    commercial Internet is the best we can do.

Oh, it's to use ad blocking.

I'm moved to tears.

...

Re: What Happens Next Will Amaze You

#25

Post by TorKlingberg » Wed, Sep 23, 2015, 8:16 AM UTC

pja wrote: post #22

rplnt wrote: post #14

I know HN is pedantic about original titles, but shitty ones like this are better to be edited.

In this case, the URL alone is enough to tell you that it’s probably worth reading.

I assume you are familiar with idlewords.com since before?

Re: What Happens Next Will Amaze You

#26

Post by a_bonobo » Wed, Sep 23, 2015, 8:21 AM UTC

oldmanjay wrote: post #10

I only sort of get it. What does the idea of reining in advertisers run amok have to do with accepting socialism as the one true government? The connection seems tenuous.

To quote:

>But we expect that people will trust us to reinvent their world with software even though we can't make our own city livable.

Where does it propose "socialism as the one true government"?

>I would urge you to get back in touch with this side of yourselves, climb in the longboats, and impose modern, egalitarian, Scandinavian-style social democracy on the rest of us at the point of a sword.

Re: What Happens Next Will Amaze You

#27

Post by userbinator » Wed, Sep 23, 2015, 8:28 AM UTC

renlo wrote: post #16

When websites become regulated web developers will be like the general contractors of today. Only licensed web developers will be able to legally build websites, keeping everything up to the regulatory code. There will be inspectors and red tape. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

IMHO certainly not a good thing. The Internet needs less centralisation, not more.

Re: What Happens Next Will Amaze You

#28

Post by bambax » Wed, Sep 23, 2015, 8:33 AM UTC

sandworm101 wrote: post #3

Don't tell us here on hackernews or any other geek forum. Go to a RNC or DNC event. Go convince Trump and/or Hillary that corporations and rich people should pay 1950s-style tax rates. Go sit in front of wealthy old people and suggest socialism for the benefit of the young. Go tell the afraid and well-armed that they need to spend less money being so afraid and well-armed. Make sure to bring your running shoes.

Bernie Sanders is doing exactly that, and so far it seems to be working well.

Re: What Happens Next Will Amaze You

#29

Post by hliyan » Wed, Sep 23, 2015, 8:37 AM UTC

This seemed a bit uncalled for:

"Here's Elon Musk.

In a television interview this week, Musk said: "I'm trying to do useful things." Then he outlined his plan to detonate nuclear weapons on Mars.

These people are the face of our industry."

Italics mine.

Re: What Happens Next Will Amaze You

#30

Post by colordrops » Wed, Sep 23, 2015, 8:37 AM UTC

From the article:

> In a television interview this week, Musk said: "I'm trying to do useful things." Then he outlined his plan to detonate nuclear weapons on Mars.

> These people are the face of our industry.

It's hard to take the rest of the article seriously when the author is purposely misquoting people to make them look bad. The comment in question was said on Late Night with Stephen Colbert, when asked what the fast way to heat up Mars would be, as he posited several methods to do it. He later indicated that nuclear bombs would not be the preferred method.