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We have the potential to solve the biggest problems of today

christophmccann.com

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Re: We have the potential to solve the biggest problems of today

#91

Post by tekalon »

odonnellryan wrote: post #21

I think we need a good, solid list of the big problems. Then we need to break them down into smaller problems.

I have a plan to do this, have it kind of like a wiki with a breakdown of problems based on location (Becuase you can't solve world hunger all at once, each place has its own issues). Then have users submit possible solutions, and then open people to volunteer to implement solutions (maybe add a crowd-funding portion to it). Only issue is I'm too lazy to brush up my web development skills.

Re: We have the potential to solve the biggest problems of today

#92

Post by shiven »

atmosx wrote: post #72
pdabbadabba wrote: post #51

There's a lot that I dislike about this article, but I'll start with this: it is probably self-refuting. Someone could just have easily written: "I find it difficult to see individuals who could focus their time and effort solving [problems like energy, food, water, health, education], instead put their efforts into something like a takedown of the moral priorities of the people behind Yo on a their personal blog." A…

> [...] "energy, food, water, health, education" [...] I guess 'food' stands for 'poverty', in this list. Seriously though, does anyone believe that these problems can be solved by an 'app'?

Things more 'physical' than apps have been made and distributed in an attempt to solve a problem the wrong way, or even the wrong problem entirely. History is littered with examples of great aspirations and benign intent that either failed catastrophically or caused more harm than good, or frequently, both.

A somewhat recent example that pops into mind is this PRI story about the Soccket...

http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-04-08/impoverished-kids-love...

Re: We have the potential to solve the biggest problems of today

#93

Post by collyw »

pdabbadabba wrote: post #74
sterculiusx wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Totalitarian"? From the article: "We need to think big, see the real problems that are out there and go solve them. For my part, I hope to stick by this philosophy and play my part."

Well, right. That's why I wrote the sentence prior to what you've quoted. I'm not sure I understand quite what the article's point is. The part you quoted sounds very live-and-let-live. But then there's this: > it saddens me that some of the worlds most driven, focused, intelligent and inspiring individuals don't focus their time on solving the real problems our society faces. It may well be that Yo has the user enga…

I think the point is that smart money / people are not being given the funding they ought to be in the world, when our wonderful market driven economy prioritises crap like Yo app.

Mis-allocation of resources thanks to market forces. Though I am guessing the pro capitalist people on here won't like that and try to justify it.

Re: We have the potential to solve the biggest problems of today

#94

Post by gnaritas »

digz wrote: post #79
pdabbadabba wrote: post #51

There's a lot that I dislike about this article, but I'll start with this: it is probably self-refuting. Someone could just have easily written: "I find it difficult to see individuals who could focus their time and effort solving [problems like energy, food, water, health, education], instead put their efforts into something like a takedown of the moral priorities of the people behind Yo on a their personal blog." A…

>> And, by the way, who appointed Christoph McCann arbiter of what it good and valuable in this world? This is such an important point, and why free markets work best. If people derive value out of Yo, then terrific. If they don't, it goes away. Don't need a moral crusader to decide what is worthy.

> This is such an important point, and why free markets work best.

Free markets don't work best, popularity is not best; free markets cater to what people want, not what they need and certainly not what's best. Absolute belief in the free market is a religion, not a fact supported by history.

Market driven economies are wonderful for producing loads of crap and me too-ware and woefully inadequate for solving really hard and necessary yet not immediately profitable problems. Quite simply, market driven economies optimize the making of money, not the solving of problems in the best way.

Re: We have the potential to solve the biggest problems of today

#95

Post by gfodor »

digz wrote: post #79
pdabbadabba wrote: post #51

There's a lot that I dislike about this article, but I'll start with this: it is probably self-refuting. Someone could just have easily written: "I find it difficult to see individuals who could focus their time and effort solving [problems like energy, food, water, health, education], instead put their efforts into something like a takedown of the moral priorities of the people behind Yo on a their personal blog." A…

>> And, by the way, who appointed Christoph McCann arbiter of what it good and valuable in this world? This is such an important point, and why free markets work best. If people derive value out of Yo, then terrific. If they don't, it goes away. Don't need a moral crusader to decide what is worthy.

And yet we still have successful socialism-based projects in the US. The reality is that capitalism isn't a one-size-fits-all solution to solving all problems. We can stand outside of economic systems as moral beings and decide what ends we want to accomplish as a society, and find the best means to get to those ends.

To sacrifice the role of morals and ethics in forming societies at the altar of capitalism denies us one of the things that makes us human. If capitalism gives us "Yo's", then we may want to question why, not defer the morality of "Yo's" to capitalism and shut our brains off.

(And no, I am not making a moral statement about economic systems. I'm capitalist as fuck, but even I think if the Yo story is what it seems to be on the surface, something seems wrong.)

Re: We have the potential to solve the biggest problems of today

#96

Post by canvia »

pdabbadabba wrote: post #51

There's a lot that I dislike about this article, but I'll start with this: it is probably self-refuting. Someone could just have easily written: "I find it difficult to see individuals who could focus their time and effort solving [problems like energy, food, water, health, education], instead put their efforts into something like a takedown of the moral priorities of the people behind Yo on a their personal blog." A…

Sometimes people need to be reminded that there is a lot happening in the world outside of the sphere of influence that they exist in. As a global society we are leaving segments of our population behind and it is unnecessary and cruel. Do we really need more distractions and toys if we can't fulfill basic needs like food and water? Put yourself in the shoes of someone that experiences real needs (not wants) for a while before you judge the author's criticisms of our self indulgent society.

Re: We have the potential to solve the biggest problems of today

#97

Post by collyw »

pdabbadabba wrote: post #65
adamgravitis wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With the exception of games, the items you mention aren't distracting much engineering talent from solving the big stuff. With $1.2m, Yo can directly compete for talent that might otherwise go to graduate school or make progress in a more serious venture.

Right. It's just distracting chefs, artists, ecologists, photographers, etc. Clearly these people neither have engineering talent nor could contribute in any other way to McCann's chosen causes.

He hasn't given a chosen cause. Just says that Yo is trivial crap.

Re: We have the potential to solve the biggest problems of today

#98

Post by hagbardgroup »

Delmania wrote: post #26

"The problems facing us - energy, food, water, health, education - require big solutions and we are just starting to see some of these solutions come out of a new wave of startup businesses." You can't engineer technological solutions to social problems. You will get so far, but then you'll run into politics and religion.

Building a nuclear power plant solves a lot of energy problems. Getting a permit to build one is more challenging than assembling the engineers to do it.

Innovating on the hospital is not even legal. You don't need to ask permission to develop an app (unless you count Apple's process as permission).

Re: We have the potential to solve the biggest problems of today

#100

Post by Dewie »

> The problems facing us - energy, food, water, health, education - require big solutions and we are just starting to see some of these solutions come out of a new wave of startup businesses. For me, innovation and invention doesn't come from the top, but it comes from the bottom. It comes from disruptive startup businesses who dare to try something new, who dare to think a bit differently.

Do you know anyone who writes about these sorts of things? I.e. innovative technologies that ultimately aspires to improve the world around it a little bit (and not just in the stereotypical SC sales-pitch way ;) ), and not just the bottom line? I would like to read about stuff like that, either people who are doing it or just ideas.

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