4 ms·

I don't think that's a problem that is solvable with technology. It's a social problem. Less social inequality and better education, taxes on unhealthy food, le

by hexhex 10y ago

I don't think that's a problem that is solvable with technology. It's a social problem. Less social inequality and better education, taxes on unhealthy food, less working hours. That would be necessary to tackle the problem. Obesity is just a symptom. I love the SV mindset: Let's not get to the reasons of something, let's just build an app and everything will be good.

ccvannorman 10y ago
My gears are turning.. an app that tells you the viability of solving a given problem using an app. It would be powered by AWS array on the back end using google's latest AI, TensorFlow, and it would also be community driven like Yelp. We'd make our profits by taking advantage of platform network advantage to connect cofounders, investors, and customers for the startups who use us and move forwards.
- traviswingo 10y ago
  Guys, I'm not sure downvoting this was the appropriate response. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this sarcasm?
  - jdietrich 10y ago
    Poe's law in action.
- CaptainSwing 10y ago
  10/10 would back this
  - RileyJames 10y ago
    Put this on indiegogo now, it fails, you win
- doingmyting 10y ago
  This would be rubbish. Where is the VR/AR?
tossaway322 10y ago
heshex says:>"I don't think that's a problem that is solvable with technology." Why not, for example, a drug that suppresses appetite? We have many already. Technology has an endless supply of solutions.
- danielvinson 10y ago
  > a drug that suppresses appetite Caffeine.
- hexhex 10y ago
  This requires that you actually want to lose weight and do something about it. Obese people often have a low socio-economic status [1]. If you are marginalized, eating may be an outlet for frustration. You won't buy special stuff to lose weight. Everyone here was surprised when Trump got elected (except Peter Thiel). "Nerd nation" [2] is a huge bubble -- the majority of our society is different. The won't buy any drugs or apps. [1] http://www.noo.org.uk/uploads/doc/vid_7929_Adult%20Socioeco%20Data%20Briefing%20October%202010.pdf http://www.noo.org.uk/uploads/doc/vid_7929_Adult%20Socioeco%... [2] http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/05/18/tomorrows-advance-man http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/05/18/tomorrows-advan...
  - cookiecaper 10y ago
    Totally incorrect. People spend billions of dollars every year trying not to be fat anymore. [0] I also contend that while more liberal places often have less obesity, it's not like the problem is non-existent there; they still have ~20-25% obesity, which is 1 in 4, which is A LOT of obese people everywhere. Don't pat yourself on the back too hard there. It's not that obese people don't care or don't know, or that they enjoy living an unhealthy lifestyle. There's a lot of complex factors that are involved, but the basic factor is this: humans are evolved to strongly prefer high calorie foods, and we've made high-calorie foods available in unprecedented quantities while also requiring less physical energy expenditure than ever before. Our bodies don't know how to deal with that. It's been thoroughly proven over the last 30 years that self-control can't be relied upon to prevent this. When you throw someone into a situation where all of their biological functions are pushing them toward acquiring a biological reward that is so abundant they have to actively avoid it, the options are very limited. That person is going to have a lot of difficulty refraining from acquiring the reward. That's true for everyone, and the issue is generally only avoided if your body has never learned the reward in the first place or if you've trained your body to forget the reward (and in both of these situations, as soon as your body learns to desire that reward, you're back at risk). We need a solution that a) constrains the supply of hyper-caloric foods, which is not practical, because again, if it's available, good luck keeping it out of peoples' hands; or b) modifies either the foods or the consumers of said food so that the excessive calories are neutralized and the same neurological rewards are obtained. [0] http://washingtonmonthly.com/2016/05/02/what-the-60-billion-weight-loss-industry-doesnt-want-you-to-know/ http://washingtonmonthly.com/2016/05/02/what-the-60-billion-...
jonas21 10y ago
While I agree that there are some underlying social and economic issues that contribute to obesity, that doesn't mean technology can't help. There are plenty of ways even simple apps can be used to improve people's awareness of what they're eating, help them make better choices, and provide incentives to eat better and get more exercise. To address a couple of the things you mentioned: Better education: It's true -- when it comes to health and nutrition, there's a lot of misinformation out there and a general lack of knowledge of even the basics. Most people are not great at determining how many calories are in a meal, whether something is good for them, or even just remembering what they've eaten on a given day. There's a huge opportunity for technology to help people figure this stuff out and learn to make better choices (full disclosure: I work on an app in this space [1]). Taxing unhealthy food: While we can't levy taxes, there are ways to provide similar incentives, for example by automatically giving people cash rebates when they purchase healthy food [2]. Can the tech industry solve obesity on its own? Maybe not. But I'd argue that trying to address what we can is a better option than throwing up our hands and saying it's a social problem. [1] https://getbitesnap.com https://getbitesnap.com [2] http://www.nutrisavings.com http://www.nutrisavings.com
- hexhex 10y ago
  > trying to address what we can is a better option than throwing up our hands and saying it's a social problem I totally agree that we shouldn't throw our hands up. However, the consequence is not to do just some stuff just because you know web development, but to think on a larger scale. It seems like a big trend of our time that no one wants to do politics. With politics I don't mean being a bureaucrat, but to express your opinions and trying to change something on a normative level. Effective Altruism, tackling injustice by consuming "fair" products, social entrepreneurship: All these things seem to be just for soothing our consciences. What we miss is to actually change something. The current political situation is the product of this individual politicising.
dang 10y ago
> I love the SV mindset: Let's not get to the reasons of something, let's just build an app and everything will be good. Please don't post uncharitable generalizations about entire groups here. It's just a rhetorical device and reliably degrades discussion. Your comment would be just fine if you'd omitted that swipe.

by hexhex 10y ago

ccvannorman 10y ago

My gears are turning.. an app that tells you the viability of solving a given problem using an app. It would be powered by AWS array on the back end using google's latest AI, TensorFlow, and it would also be community driven like Yelp. We'd make our profits by taking advantage of platform network advantage to connect cofounders, investors, and customers for the startups who use us and move forwards.

traviswingo 10y ago
Guys, I'm not sure downvoting this was the appropriate response. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this sarcasm?
- jdietrich 10y ago
  Poe's law in action.
CaptainSwing 10y ago
10/10 would back this
- RileyJames 10y ago
  Put this on indiegogo now, it fails, you win
doingmyting 10y ago
This would be rubbish. Where is the VR/AR?

tossaway322 10y ago

heshex says:>"I don't think that's a problem that is solvable with technology." Why not, for example, a drug that suppresses appetite? We have many already. Technology has an endless supply of solutions.

danielvinson 10y ago
> a drug that suppresses appetite Caffeine.
hexhex 10y ago
This requires that you actually want to lose weight and do something about it. Obese people often have a low socio-economic status [1]. If you are marginalized, eating may be an outlet for frustration. You won't buy special stuff to lose weight. Everyone here was surprised when Trump got elected (except Peter Thiel). "Nerd nation" [2] is a huge bubble -- the majority of our society is different. The won't buy any drugs or apps. [1] http://www.noo.org.uk/uploads/doc/vid_7929_Adult%20Socioeco%20Data%20Briefing%20October%202010.pdf http://www.noo.org.uk/uploads/doc/vid_7929_Adult%20Socioeco%... [2] http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/05/18/tomorrows-advance-man http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/05/18/tomorrows-advan...
- cookiecaper 10y ago
  Totally incorrect. People spend billions of dollars every year trying not to be fat anymore. [0] I also contend that while more liberal places often have less obesity, it's not like the problem is non-existent there; they still have ~20-25% obesity, which is 1 in 4, which is A LOT of obese people everywhere. Don't pat yourself on the back too hard there. It's not that obese people don't care or don't know, or that they enjoy living an unhealthy lifestyle. There's a lot of complex factors that are involved, but the basic factor is this: humans are evolved to strongly prefer high calorie foods, and we've made high-calorie foods available in unprecedented quantities while also requiring less physical energy expenditure than ever before. Our bodies don't know how to deal with that. It's been thoroughly proven over the last 30 years that self-control can't be relied upon to prevent this. When you throw someone into a situation where all of their biological functions are pushing them toward acquiring a biological reward that is so abundant they have to actively avoid it, the options are very limited. That person is going to have a lot of difficulty refraining from acquiring the reward. That's true for everyone, and the issue is generally only avoided if your body has never learned the reward in the first place or if you've trained your body to forget the reward (and in both of these situations, as soon as your body learns to desire that reward, you're back at risk). We need a solution that a) constrains the supply of hyper-caloric foods, which is not practical, because again, if it's available, good luck keeping it out of peoples' hands; or b) modifies either the foods or the consumers of said food so that the excessive calories are neutralized and the same neurological rewards are obtained. [0] http://washingtonmonthly.com/2016/05/02/what-the-60-billion-weight-loss-industry-doesnt-want-you-to-know/ http://washingtonmonthly.com/2016/05/02/what-the-60-billion-...

jonas21 10y ago

While I agree that there are some underlying social and economic issues that contribute to obesity, that doesn't mean technology can't help. There are plenty of ways even simple apps can be used to improve people's awareness of what they're eating, help them make better choices, and provide incentives to eat better and get more exercise. To address a couple of the things you mentioned: Better education: It's true -- when it comes to health and nutrition, there's a lot of misinformation out there and a general lack of knowledge of even the basics. Most people are not great at determining how many calories are in a meal, whether something is good for them, or even just remembering what they've eaten on a given day. There's a huge opportunity for technology to help people figure this stuff out and learn to make better choices (full disclosure: I work on an app in this space [1]). Taxing unhealthy food: While we can't levy taxes, there are ways to provide similar incentives, for example by automatically giving people cash rebates when they purchase healthy food [2]. Can the tech industry solve obesity on its own? Maybe not. But I'd argue that trying to address what we can is a better option than throwing up our hands and saying it's a social problem. [1] https://getbitesnap.com https://getbitesnap.com [2] http://www.nutrisavings.com http://www.nutrisavings.com

hexhex 10y ago
> trying to address what we can is a better option than throwing up our hands and saying it's a social problem I totally agree that we shouldn't throw our hands up. However, the consequence is not to do just some stuff just because you know web development, but to think on a larger scale. It seems like a big trend of our time that no one wants to do politics. With politics I don't mean being a bureaucrat, but to express your opinions and trying to change something on a normative level. Effective Altruism, tackling injustice by consuming "fair" products, social entrepreneurship: All these things seem to be just for soothing our consciences. What we miss is to actually change something. The current political situation is the product of this individual politicising.

dang 10y ago

> I love the SV mindset: Let's not get to the reasons of something, let's just build an app and everything will be good. Please don't post uncharitable generalizations about entire groups here. It's just a rhetorical device and reliably degrades discussion. Your comment would be just fine if you'd omitted that swipe.