I agree with you completely that (to paraphrase Homer Simpson’s line about alcohol) technology is the cause of and the solution to all our problems. In particular, I wish that my compatriots on the Left were more open to tech solutions to climate change, because that is the only thing that will save us. No one is going to want to go back to freezing in winter and heatstroke in summer. Austerity won’t work.
Speaking of dogs and wolves, I read about an amusing science experiment, where scientists put treats inside a puzzle box and compared what dogs and wolves did. The wolves used brute force and got progressively more frustrated, but they never did get the treats. The dogs, otoh, tried for like five seconds and then sat in front of the researchers looking cute. Of course the dogs got the treats. Austerity is the wolf’s non-solution for climate change—tackle a problem in the most unpleasant way possible, and then give up in frustration. Technology is the dog’s solution: use our creativity and sociability to work together to get what we want.
Your dog is adorable, btw. And you are reminding me that I have to go feed my own dog!
Glad you’re back to writing. I’ve always enjoyed your takes on technology-both the positive and the negative. I’ve never found that aspect of your work confusing-optimism tempered by realism is far more useful than pessimism enhanced by doomerism, after all. In any case, I’m looking forward to more of your perspective, and maybe this Substack can even lead us to a solution for those damn scooters.
I liked both your QR code article and your AI art one. I went right back to using QR codes, but I think your AI article shored up my then-forming opinion that AI was simply a tool that could be used for good or for bad. So, either way, thank you
I always come away from reading your posts feeling good. And it’s not like I feel good because you write things to pander or whatever. It’s the optimism!!
WW2 was worse. Do you really think that on balance, firearms are a net positive as far as the uses humans made of that particular technology?
And how do you define technology? Are cultural or behavioral socio-techniques like the dog thing also technologies? Is, thus, for example, language a technology? Is representative democracy? Capitalism? Marriage? Culture as a whole (any culture)?
Can we have something that's not about AI after those two incoming articles about AI?
Welcome back. I look forward to more about amateurs. I have trouble distinguishing how important they really are from my strong nostalgia for Walt Disney movies’ depictions of them in the 50’s-60’s. I think both have a lot to do with the emphasis on the individual rather than faceless corporate “person” as creator, though.
Also people, feel free to use this as an opportunity to talk about anything you'd like to see here!
I agree with you completely that (to paraphrase Homer Simpson’s line about alcohol) technology is the cause of and the solution to all our problems. In particular, I wish that my compatriots on the Left were more open to tech solutions to climate change, because that is the only thing that will save us. No one is going to want to go back to freezing in winter and heatstroke in summer. Austerity won’t work.
Speaking of dogs and wolves, I read about an amusing science experiment, where scientists put treats inside a puzzle box and compared what dogs and wolves did. The wolves used brute force and got progressively more frustrated, but they never did get the treats. The dogs, otoh, tried for like five seconds and then sat in front of the researchers looking cute. Of course the dogs got the treats. Austerity is the wolf’s non-solution for climate change—tackle a problem in the most unpleasant way possible, and then give up in frustration. Technology is the dog’s solution: use our creativity and sociability to work together to get what we want.
Your dog is adorable, btw. And you are reminding me that I have to go feed my own dog!
Glad you’re back to writing. I’ve always enjoyed your takes on technology-both the positive and the negative. I’ve never found that aspect of your work confusing-optimism tempered by realism is far more useful than pessimism enhanced by doomerism, after all. In any case, I’m looking forward to more of your perspective, and maybe this Substack can even lead us to a solution for those damn scooters.
I liked both your QR code article and your AI art one. I went right back to using QR codes, but I think your AI article shored up my then-forming opinion that AI was simply a tool that could be used for good or for bad. So, either way, thank you
I always come away from reading your posts feeling good. And it’s not like I feel good because you write things to pander or whatever. It’s the optimism!!
WW2 was worse. Do you really think that on balance, firearms are a net positive as far as the uses humans made of that particular technology?
And how do you define technology? Are cultural or behavioral socio-techniques like the dog thing also technologies? Is, thus, for example, language a technology? Is representative democracy? Capitalism? Marriage? Culture as a whole (any culture)?
Can we have something that's not about AI after those two incoming articles about AI?
Welcome back. I look forward to more about amateurs. I have trouble distinguishing how important they really are from my strong nostalgia for Walt Disney movies’ depictions of them in the 50’s-60’s. I think both have a lot to do with the emphasis on the individual rather than faceless corporate “person” as creator, though.