4 ms·

Lasers, satellites, really accurate rifles, decade-long life extensions, industrial meat production without a nervous system, advanced optics, cheaper / better

Lasers, satellites, really accurate rifles, decade-long life extensions, industrial meat production without a nervous system, advanced optics, cheaper / better sensors, swarm AI. In contrast Facebook is largely just a couple of web forms and some Big O problems at scale.

TheBiv 11y ago
>> In contrast Facebook is largely just a couple of web forms and some Big O problems at scale. Yes, and Steph Curry is just a guy shooting a ball in a basket.
- nmrm2 11y ago
  I don't think parent meant to say that the technology behind Facebook is trivial. Just that it's trivial when contrasted with a bunch of technologies that are at best in prototype stage. A decade-long life extension or growing meat without animals would both probably involve more "Hard Tech" style innovation than building Facebook. Other observations are IMO less pat. E.g. designing cheaper/better sensors could be either harder or significantly easier than building a Facebook. Depending on the type of sensor and the cost improvement.
- nailer 11y ago
  A lot of the FB tech circa 2010 seemed to be reinvented versions of things ex-Google FB staff used. They've done a lot of innovation since then though.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- pessimizer 11y ago
  Which is absolutely true if there were no such thing as the NBA. Being good at Donkey Kong is also difficult.
hyperbovine 11y ago
You must find it puzzling that FB is arguably the world leader in AI research right now.
- waterlesscloud 11y ago
  But it wasn't when it started. Which is the point.
- jacquesm 11y ago
  'A' leader. Not 'the' leader. Or is there something very specific that makes you say that?
- CamperBob2 11y ago
  Really? Tomorrow night, Google's DeepMind is probably going to mop the floor with a 9-dan Go professional for the third game in a row. What's Facebook doing for fun these days?
  - tim333 11y ago
    Facebook's building a Go playing AI too. They're just a bit behind.
    - CamperBob2 11y ago
      Yeah, well, just wait until my new Go AI is up and running. Those other guys had better run and hide. Real soon now.
jsprogrammer 11y ago
>In contrast Facebook is largely just a couple of web forms and some Big O problems at scale. Facebook is doing more than that. Mark recently claimed that they are working on "a world-class News Feed, and a world-class messaging product, and a world-class search product, and a world-class ad system, and invent[ing] virtual reality, and build[ing] drones".
- TheOtherHobbes 11y ago
  FB may be trying to do more than that. Based on the glaring flaws in the base product, I'm unconvinced it has the smarts to do any of those things well.
  - CaptSpify 11y ago
    Although I agree with you, if they can do it "good enough", it'll take off, and I'm scared they might
deleted 11y ago
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TheBiv 11y ago

>> In contrast Facebook is largely just a couple of web forms and some Big O problems at scale. Yes, and Steph Curry is just a guy shooting a ball in a basket.

nmrm2 11y ago
I don't think parent meant to say that the technology behind Facebook is trivial. Just that it's trivial when contrasted with a bunch of technologies that are at best in prototype stage. A decade-long life extension or growing meat without animals would both probably involve more "Hard Tech" style innovation than building Facebook. Other observations are IMO less pat. E.g. designing cheaper/better sensors could be either harder or significantly easier than building a Facebook. Depending on the type of sensor and the cost improvement.
nailer 11y ago
A lot of the FB tech circa 2010 seemed to be reinvented versions of things ex-Google FB staff used. They've done a lot of innovation since then though.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
pessimizer 11y ago
Which is absolutely true if there were no such thing as the NBA. Being good at Donkey Kong is also difficult.

hyperbovine 11y ago

You must find it puzzling that FB is arguably the world leader in AI research right now.

waterlesscloud 11y ago
But it wasn't when it started. Which is the point.
jacquesm 11y ago
'A' leader. Not 'the' leader. Or is there something very specific that makes you say that?
CamperBob2 11y ago
Really? Tomorrow night, Google's DeepMind is probably going to mop the floor with a 9-dan Go professional for the third game in a row. What's Facebook doing for fun these days?
- tim333 11y ago
  Facebook's building a Go playing AI too. They're just a bit behind.
  - CamperBob2 11y ago
    Yeah, well, just wait until my new Go AI is up and running. Those other guys had better run and hide. Real soon now.

jsprogrammer 11y ago

>In contrast Facebook is largely just a couple of web forms and some Big O problems at scale. Facebook is doing more than that. Mark recently claimed that they are working on "a world-class News Feed, and a world-class messaging product, and a world-class search product, and a world-class ad system, and invent[ing] virtual reality, and build[ing] drones".

TheOtherHobbes 11y ago
FB may be trying to do more than that. Based on the glaring flaws in the base product, I'm unconvinced it has the smarts to do any of those things well.
- CaptSpify 11y ago
  Although I agree with you, if they can do it "good enough", it'll take off, and I'm scared they might

deleted 11y ago

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