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We need to reclaim our attention

theguardian.com

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Re: We need to reclaim our attention

#281

Post by greggman3 »

ClumsyPilot wrote: post #210
bnralt wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think many of your examples are of times we failed to counter problematic tendencies as a society, gave up, and then even worse (in this case, more addictive time consuming activities) things come along. It's basically the realization of a slippery slope, where failure to stop one problematic trend is used to justify an even worse trend. Society can survive with bad tendencies. Think about 50 years ago when America…

"it's hard to imagine the world without them" There is soviet sci-fi novel that features a distopian society where people a killed before they become frail and become a burdain, and its considered an honour. They can't imagine the world otherwise.

Sounds similar to Logan's Run

Re: We need to reclaim our attention

#282

Post by jacquesm »

radicalbyte wrote: post #280
radicalbyte wrote: post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I did the same two years ago :)

I was lifting > 160KG before COVID, I'll get back there again, it'll just take a year of training :-)

Yes, that hits the system. I was more or less back to normal then got a second round :( But this time recovery was swift, no more than a week or two, the only thing remaining is the cough.

Re: We need to reclaim our attention

#283

Post by rkk3 »

ClumsyPilot wrote: post #210
bnralt wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think many of your examples are of times we failed to counter problematic tendencies as a society, gave up, and then even worse (in this case, more addictive time consuming activities) things come along. It's basically the realization of a slippery slope, where failure to stop one problematic trend is used to justify an even worse trend. Society can survive with bad tendencies. Think about 50 years ago when America…

"it's hard to imagine the world without them" There is soviet sci-fi novel that features a distopian society where people a killed before they become frail and become a burdain, and its considered an honour. They can't imagine the world otherwise.

"Carrousel" from Logan's Run, is the western equivalent.

Re: We need to reclaim our attention

#284

Post by thegrimmest »

saiya-jin wrote: post #175
parkingrift wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How are those two examples even remotely comparable? Uninstall social media from your phone, delete your social media accounts, put your phone in a box when you get home, etc, etc, etc. These “problems” are trivially easy for an individual to solve. They are so easy to solve that I disagree with the basic premise that we even have a problem. I think we could rewrite this article from the perspective of any generation…

Well, in same vein, you can tell addict to 'just drop that needle', yet few do. Or cigarettes. Addictive behavior is, well, addictive, and few in population have the mental will to shed it off themselves once they get hooked. Tobacco clearly kills you (and people around), ruins you and make you stink like pile of old crap. We still allow it, but regulate it heavily since bad effects are out there, everywhere. TBH I d…

I'd start by questioning why you think addicts should discontinue their habits? Why do you think you know what's good for someone more than they do? If an addict says "I like my addiction, thank you very much", what gives you the right to intervene?

Re: We need to reclaim our attention

#285

Post by curun1r »

hackingthelema wrote: post #67

I often wonder what the world would be like if the Buddhist sciences of the mind (e.g. mindfulness) were taught at all levels of society, as a priority, and TFA mentions it near the end, to say it's not enough: > Meditation is a useful tool – but we actually need to stop the people who are pouring itching powder on us. We need to band together to take on the forces stealing our attention and take it back. I'd argue t…

I've done a bunch of Buddhist trainings, 10-day retreats and such and, for me at least, the saying "no plan survives contact with the enemy" seems to apply. I've yet to be able to carry what I've learned forward into a modern lifestyle. I'm able to keep some amount of discipline for around 2ish weeks following my period of isolation from the world, but I eventually find screen time and work pressures overwhelming my ability to resist. I get the feeling that meditation is an artisanal solution to an industrial problem. And teaching people to survive in a dysfunctional society rather than addressing that dysfunction directly isn't the right way to deal with it.

Re: We need to reclaim our attention

#286

Post by sabhiram »

pier25 wrote: post #250

I've been doing 100% full stack while bootstrapping my current project for the past year and a half. So basically doing absolutely everything alone. It's really exhausting and progress is extremely slow. It's not a matter of skill or knowledge as I've been doing design, front end, and general programming for 20 years. At first I thought it was because I was on my own, so the workload was tripled, but then realized a…

I spend a lot of time designing the thing I am trying to build to be spread-out vs built-on-top. This way, I have a big list of fun and interesting problems to solve, after which comes the gluing them back together for the prestige.

In reality, it never quite works out that way - but I still maintain it is a good way to start. Like many have said, it is essential to identify the path by which you multiply engineering as demanded by the needs of the thing you are building.

Many projects can keep that factor to 1, but it has to be about the love of doing it, not the outcome. The minute the outcome is more important, hire, scale and delegate!

Re: We need to reclaim our attention

#287

Post by Apocryphon »

thegrimmest wrote: post #275
andersonvom wrote: post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Everything the free market does is voluntary by definition. Every "intervention" is by definition not. In some ideal world, where both parties of an exchange hold equal bargaining power, the "free" market might be "voluntary". This is certainly not the current state of affairs, though. Being able to "choose" between a crappy option and a horrible option is anything but voluntary: "you can choose to work for me for…

Being able to choose between horrible options is exactly the definition of freedom. Believe it or not many people would choose free destitution over pampered slavery. It is exactly the ability to make this choice, at the most extreme level, that should be respected. To take an maximal example: you should be able to sell your kidneys to fuel your heroin habit, for no other reason than because no one can claim more own…

What is wrong with paternalism?

Re: We need to reclaim our attention

#288

Post by dgb23 »

woolion wrote: post #249
bnralt wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think many of your examples are of times we failed to counter problematic tendencies as a society, gave up, and then even worse (in this case, more addictive time consuming activities) things come along. It's basically the realization of a slippery slope, where failure to stop one problematic trend is used to justify an even worse trend. Society can survive with bad tendencies. Think about 50 years ago when America…

Technology does not respect biology. There is a mechanical view of man, that is similar to what hydroponics is to gardening. You look what are the required nutrients etc, and provide just that in a very sterile environment. Of course, the results are quite garbage. The fruits are tasteless, and the problems it brings (e.g. insect infestations) require a lot of pesticides. The technological vision is to solve these pr…

But all of those things increase the GDP, so they are automatically an improvement.

Re: We need to reclaim our attention

#289

Post by EGreg »

The internet has given us opportunities to connect with one another like never before. Yet, most sites we use today have barely tapped that potential. We believe in the power of well-designed tools to improve people's lives and bring about positive social change. They are characterized by five main aspects:

Time: Instead of priding ourselves on how much time people spend in our apps, we want people to get in, get out, and get results.

Utility: Help people get things done in the real world, rather than building an online persona.

Notifications: Let people control which updates they receive about things happening in their life, instead of getting them addicted to notifications like a slot machine.

Organic: In every context, pre-compute useful information and present it to the user, enabling them to do more in less steps.

Business Model: Make money by helping people accomplish useful things as a group, not just by selling advertising.

Re: We need to reclaim our attention

#290

Post by Apocryphon »

thegrimmest wrote: post #270
Apocryphon wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We’re talking about the concept of total economic freedom in general, which would inevitably lead to negative externalities of any kind, including to the physical environment, not merely interactions between people.

I'm not strictly in favour of total economic freedom and wasn't the one to bring it up. Namely I am in favour of regulating the physical commons - rights of way, air, water, etc. that we all must physically interact with. I'm against the paternalistic regulation of how free people should peacefully interact with each other, with the view to steer outcomes to some random idea of good.

What ensures the parties involved are free? Many of these issues being discussed deal with consequences experienced by one party that were never disclosed by the other. Information asymmetry makes such contracts un-free and thus the legal framework should permit nullification and redress.
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