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Eager to Burst His Own Bubble, a Techie Made Apps to Randomize His Life

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Re: Eager to Burst His Own Bubble, a Techie Made Apps to Randomize His Life

#81

Post by thegreekfish »

losteric wrote: post #76
et-al wrote: post #71

To a certain extent, this how we used to travel back in the day. You hung out in a hostel, had conversations with other travelers (instead of thumbing through Instagram), and let the randomness of other people and life, not apps, dictate your itinerary. You walk down a street, "oh hey that looks interesting", and wander down a quiet alley that leads to cute cafe, or jump in the back of a tuk-tuk headed to a waterfall…

Spot on, apps have optimized our lives... to local maxima. Apps can't guide us to peak happiness because the best is disconnected from the rest. Even when it comes to something as "simple" as music, I've never found a "favorite" band through something like Spotify. Good music, sure, but the "bar raisers" alway comes from randomness - radio, odd bar show, personal recommendation, cabbie's CD player, etc.

That's why I ditched the Spotify recommendation engine and started letting other people pick music for me: https://www.jqbx.fm

Re: Eager to Burst His Own Bubble, a Techie Made Apps to Randomize His Life

#83

Post by DanBC »

to_bpr wrote: post #79
DanBC wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You wanted to read an article about someone escaping a bubble, but closed the article the first time it challenged your bubble?

Many are becoming fatigued with the unrelenting virtue signalling that's going on these days.

> virtue signalling

A phrase only ever used by people who wish to send their own special kind of virtue signal.

Re: Eager to Burst His Own Bubble, a Techie Made Apps to Randomize His Life

#84

Post by throwaway91111 »

losteric wrote: post #76
et-al wrote: post #71

To a certain extent, this how we used to travel back in the day. You hung out in a hostel, had conversations with other travelers (instead of thumbing through Instagram), and let the randomness of other people and life, not apps, dictate your itinerary. You walk down a street, "oh hey that looks interesting", and wander down a quiet alley that leads to cute cafe, or jump in the back of a tuk-tuk headed to a waterfall…

Spot on, apps have optimized our lives... to local maxima. Apps can't guide us to peak happiness because the best is disconnected from the rest. Even when it comes to something as "simple" as music, I've never found a "favorite" band through something like Spotify. Good music, sure, but the "bar raisers" alway comes from randomness - radio, odd bar show, personal recommendation, cabbie's CD player, etc.

To be fair, you can get "true randomness" with apps (spotify particularly) too; it's just something you need to proactively do.

Re: Eager to Burst His Own Bubble, a Techie Made Apps to Randomize His Life

#85

Post by throwaway91111 »

thegreekfish wrote: post #81
losteric wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Spot on, apps have optimized our lives... to local maxima. Apps can't guide us to peak happiness because the best is disconnected from the rest. Even when it comes to something as "simple" as music, I've never found a "favorite" band through something like Spotify. Good music, sure, but the "bar raisers" alway comes from randomness - radio, odd bar show, personal recommendation, cabbie's CD player, etc.

That's why I ditched the Spotify recommendation engine and started letting other people pick music for me: https://www.jqbx.fm

This is still subject to a popularity distribution, although you may want that.

Re: Eager to Burst His Own Bubble, a Techie Made Apps to Randomize His Life

#86

Post by msla »

thegreekfish wrote: post #81
losteric wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Spot on, apps have optimized our lives... to local maxima. Apps can't guide us to peak happiness because the best is disconnected from the rest. Even when it comes to something as "simple" as music, I've never found a "favorite" band through something like Spotify. Good music, sure, but the "bar raisers" alway comes from randomness - radio, odd bar show, personal recommendation, cabbie's CD player, etc.

That's why I ditched the Spotify recommendation engine and started letting other people pick music for me: https://www.jqbx.fm

The more popular that gets, the more it will approximate Top 40 radio, pretty much by definition.

Re: Eager to Burst His Own Bubble, a Techie Made Apps to Randomize His Life

#87

Post by ambicapter »

davidcelis wrote: post #80
eljimmy wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would you feel uncomfortable if the author was a woman? It is sad that in today's society men are immediately perceived as a potential threat to a child. The fear mongering is getting ridiculous.

I made no mention of the fact that the author is a male.

You didn't answer the parent question either.

Re: Eager to Burst His Own Bubble, a Techie Made Apps to Randomize His Life

#88

Post by SolarNet »

losteric wrote: post #76
et-al wrote: post #71

To a certain extent, this how we used to travel back in the day. You hung out in a hostel, had conversations with other travelers (instead of thumbing through Instagram), and let the randomness of other people and life, not apps, dictate your itinerary. You walk down a street, "oh hey that looks interesting", and wander down a quiet alley that leads to cute cafe, or jump in the back of a tuk-tuk headed to a waterfall…

Spot on, apps have optimized our lives... to local maxima. Apps can't guide us to peak happiness because the best is disconnected from the rest. Even when it comes to something as "simple" as music, I've never found a "favorite" band through something like Spotify. Good music, sure, but the "bar raisers" alway comes from randomness - radio, odd bar show, personal recommendation, cabbie's CD player, etc.

This is why I subscribe to internet radio instead. It's cheaper and has better discovery features. For example di.fm

Re: Eager to Burst His Own Bubble, a Techie Made Apps to Randomize His Life

#89

Post by SolarNet »

user432468 wrote: post #73

NPR so diligently points out white privilege. It couldn't be that he dresses well, has good hygiene, is educated, well off, and speaks politely. It is only because he's white? In San Francisco of all places? > At first, he was nervous: What if people wouldn't let him in? But, as a kind of unassuming white guy, he actually didn't have this problem. (And Max acknowledges this privilege.)

> he dresses well, has good hygiene, is educated, well off, and speaks politely

Have you seen the videos of two people, one white, and one black, who are all those things being treated radically different by various different groups?

For example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf5TEoo-EY0

It may not only because he is white, but it is a significant part of the equation. Let alone the socioeconomic things that cause educated and well off to be things that white people have greater access to.

Re: Eager to Burst His Own Bubble, a Techie Made Apps to Randomize His Life

#90

Post by to_bpr »

DanBC wrote: post #83
to_bpr wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many are becoming fatigued with the unrelenting virtue signalling that's going on these days.

> virtue signalling A phrase only ever used by people who wish to send their own special kind of virtue signal.

calling out virtue signalling isn't really signalling in itself though, beyond an expression of disapproval obviously.
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