5 ms·

So you're saying social-bonding hacks/disruptions sometimes ruin the fun. What about other situations? Will gatherings be less fun when Alexa becomes the life

by nealabq 10y ago

So you're saying social-bonding hacks/disruptions sometimes ruin the fun. What about other situations? Will gatherings be less fun when Alexa becomes the life of the party, cracking jokes and proposing toasts? Will Siri join in the dinner conversation (parent, friend or good-listener mode, with wit, personality and intelligence sliders). Will fans be turned off when self-driving cars start winning the Indy 500? How about when the Boston Dynamics Red Sox win the World Series?

pjc50 10y ago
Yes to all of those?
exergy 10y ago
> social-bonding hacks/disruptions First, honest question: is there some secret lease that needs to be signed before posting on HN that requires that every real-world phenomenon be framed using 1337 h4x0r terminology? For some reason, it really rubs me the wrong way, people trying to shoebox anything and everything into a faux-technological perspective. Also, the reason Vinyls still sell is that there is a sense of occassion about taking a record out of it's cover, carefully placing the needle on it, sitting back to focus on the music and nothing else. Same reason the physical joy of playing a piano will always have a place despite being able to get nearly the same sounds out of a computer. I'd hate to watch two self driving cars competing against each other to see which has the best code. That sounds tedious as all hell. I'm not sure about the others, but fuck yeah I categorically do NOT want an AI cracking jokes at a party. Somethings are better when they are lower tech.
- yayitswei 10y ago
  Well the site is called Hacker News.
  - grzm 10y ago
    True, though neither word in that name is used to limit topic or language.
- webkike 10y ago
  Vinyls also still exist because some people prefer analog sound. There might not be any substantive reason for this other than random bias.
  - gdilla 10y ago
    Also people who dj. In fact, the most popular digital dj interface is serato which let's you use vinyl as an interface.
    - webkike 10y ago
      Oh absolutely. My DJ friends love using vinyl it seems
  - JauntyHatAngle 10y ago
    >There might not be any substantive reason for this other than random bias Vinyls do have a characteristic compressed warmth that subjectively a lot of people enjoy. The pops and crackles that come with vinyl are pleasing to many also.
  - whowalrus 10y ago
    Another oft-cited reason is because vinyls can't have a "brick-walled" dynamic range, as it often happens with new digital music thanks to the loudness war [1]. So audiophiles tend to favor it. From the article: As explained earlier, due to the physical limitations of vinyl, there are limits as to how loud you can press a record, and because vinyl is “for audiophiles” – there is less incentive for record companies to compromise the quality of vinyl releases. As a result, many vinyl records are mastered differently to the CD release with more dynamic range and at lower volumes. [1]: http://www.soundmattersblog.com/vinyl-vs-cd-in-the-loudness-war/ http://www.soundmattersblog.com/vinyl-vs-cd-in-the-loudness-...
    - PeterisP 10y ago
      Is there any good reason why someone shouldn't simply listen to digital versions of the vinyl masters ? Lack of availability wouldn't make it impossible, in pre-internet days people ripped their CDs, and especially for vinyl that can literally wear out, it would make all sense to use a perfect recording even if you have bought the vinyls - at least so that you'd listen to that in your car instead of the CD.
- jamiepenney 10y ago
  Smart phones kinda ruined chitchat a little bit for me. Someone states a fact and I have a strong urge to pull out my phone and check it out. Takes me out of the flow of conversation, so I have to make a major effort not to do it.
  - jon-wood 10y ago
    Some friends and I have a standing rule that Wikipedia, IMDB, and other such resources are banned while chatting at the pub. It used to be you could get a good 30-40 minutes of good natured argument out of two people disagreeing about a fact at the pub, whereas now there'll be a disagreement, then someone will pull out Wikipedia and immediately settle the matter. What are you meant to do for the next 35 minutes?
    - grkvlt 10y ago
      Berate whoever was wrong mercilessly, of course
- megablast 10y ago
  Did you just discover a new saying or phrase?
anigbrowl 10y ago
Yes to all of those questions. If people can't imaginatively project themselves into winning circumstances, then they become despondent because their escapist fantasies (which some people take seriously enough to make into real accomplishments) are now dashed forever. This is something technologists and scientists largely don't get. People are always 'look at how many material comforts and and entertainment options you have now, are you not entertained?' Likewise scientists are often 'I spent years of my life and a small fortune learning to be expert about this obscure thing that you'll never be able to experience directly, isn't it awesome?' And people are entertained and they are awed - to an extent. But they're also sad because the more the world is codified and quantified and parceled out for ownership. there are no new countries to discover, no more large exotic fauna to find, we're constantly reminded that religion and magic are illusory and that the economics of capitalism are inevitable, so there's nothing to look forward to in life beyond being ground up in the gears of the consumerist machine. That's why there are so many movies about superheroes and rebellious people with psychic powers and so on. People need something to believe in other than the ultimately extremely boring prospect of working, raising a family, and retiring. They want 'adventure and excitement and really wild things.' This is why we now have an administration whose stated Big Idea is the construction of a giant wall* because at least that sounds like a project you could get absorbed in for its own sake, whereas preserving the earth for future generations feels nice but is never really done and so can't deliver any sense of adventure or accomplishment for more than a few people with the resources to get a PhD. It's also why countries (soo to include the US) are apprehensive of war but develop tremendous enthusiasm for it once it's declared, because it provides a massive uncertainty that offers the possibility for drastic change, heroism, betrayal, defeat, victory and so on. I don't know how to articulate this better than by saying that capitalism is boring for most people, in the same way that if you are playing Monopoly there's a point at which you realize who's going to win and all the fun goes out of the game for everyone else in direct proportion to their declining odds of success. * If you don't mind losing 2 hours on a bad movie. go watch Pacific Rim, a stupid science-fiction romp about giant robots vs giant aliens. It's stupid in the sense of not really caring about the science at all to the point o making jokes about how stupid it is - at one critical moment, someone 'solves' the problem of The System collapsing due to 3v1l h4x0rs but remembering that they have a nuclear-powered robot and exclaiming 'It's not digital! It's nuclear- it's analog!!'. The very badness of this movie makes it worth studying because the psychological symbolism is so thinly disguised. Almost all alien invasion movies are vehicles for conservative ideology, and it's not an accident that a political campaign for building a giant wall was anticipated by various movies involving the construction of giant walls.

by nealabq 10y ago

pjc50 10y ago

Yes to all of those?

exergy 10y ago

> social-bonding hacks/disruptions First, honest question: is there some secret lease that needs to be signed before posting on HN that requires that every real-world phenomenon be framed using 1337 h4x0r terminology? For some reason, it really rubs me the wrong way, people trying to shoebox anything and everything into a faux-technological perspective. Also, the reason Vinyls still sell is that there is a sense of occassion about taking a record out of it's cover, carefully placing the needle on it, sitting back to focus on the music and nothing else. Same reason the physical joy of playing a piano will always have a place despite being able to get nearly the same sounds out of a computer. I'd hate to watch two self driving cars competing against each other to see which has the best code. That sounds tedious as all hell. I'm not sure about the others, but fuck yeah I categorically do NOT want an AI cracking jokes at a party. Somethings are better when they are lower tech.

yayitswei 10y ago
Well the site is called Hacker News.
- grzm 10y ago
  True, though neither word in that name is used to limit topic or language.
webkike 10y ago
Vinyls also still exist because some people prefer analog sound. There might not be any substantive reason for this other than random bias.
- gdilla 10y ago
  Also people who dj. In fact, the most popular digital dj interface is serato which let's you use vinyl as an interface.
  - webkike 10y ago
    Oh absolutely. My DJ friends love using vinyl it seems
- JauntyHatAngle 10y ago
  >There might not be any substantive reason for this other than random bias Vinyls do have a characteristic compressed warmth that subjectively a lot of people enjoy. The pops and crackles that come with vinyl are pleasing to many also.
- whowalrus 10y ago
  Another oft-cited reason is because vinyls can't have a "brick-walled" dynamic range, as it often happens with new digital music thanks to the loudness war [1]. So audiophiles tend to favor it. From the article: As explained earlier, due to the physical limitations of vinyl, there are limits as to how loud you can press a record, and because vinyl is “for audiophiles” – there is less incentive for record companies to compromise the quality of vinyl releases. As a result, many vinyl records are mastered differently to the CD release with more dynamic range and at lower volumes. [1]: http://www.soundmattersblog.com/vinyl-vs-cd-in-the-loudness-war/ http://www.soundmattersblog.com/vinyl-vs-cd-in-the-loudness-...
  - PeterisP 10y ago
    Is there any good reason why someone shouldn't simply listen to digital versions of the vinyl masters ? Lack of availability wouldn't make it impossible, in pre-internet days people ripped their CDs, and especially for vinyl that can literally wear out, it would make all sense to use a perfect recording even if you have bought the vinyls - at least so that you'd listen to that in your car instead of the CD.
jamiepenney 10y ago
Smart phones kinda ruined chitchat a little bit for me. Someone states a fact and I have a strong urge to pull out my phone and check it out. Takes me out of the flow of conversation, so I have to make a major effort not to do it.
- jon-wood 10y ago
  Some friends and I have a standing rule that Wikipedia, IMDB, and other such resources are banned while chatting at the pub. It used to be you could get a good 30-40 minutes of good natured argument out of two people disagreeing about a fact at the pub, whereas now there'll be a disagreement, then someone will pull out Wikipedia and immediately settle the matter. What are you meant to do for the next 35 minutes?
  - grkvlt 10y ago
    Berate whoever was wrong mercilessly, of course
megablast 10y ago
Did you just discover a new saying or phrase?

anigbrowl 10y ago

Yes to all of those questions. If people can't imaginatively project themselves into winning circumstances, then they become despondent because their escapist fantasies (which some people take seriously enough to make into real accomplishments) are now dashed forever. This is something technologists and scientists largely don't get. People are always 'look at how many material comforts and and entertainment options you have now, are you not entertained?' Likewise scientists are often 'I spent years of my life and a small fortune learning to be expert about this obscure thing that you'll never be able to experience directly, isn't it awesome?' And people are entertained and they are awed - to an extent. But they're also sad because the more the world is codified and quantified and parceled out for ownership. there are no new countries to discover, no more large exotic fauna to find, we're constantly reminded that religion and magic are illusory and that the economics of capitalism are inevitable, so there's nothing to look forward to in life beyond being ground up in the gears of the consumerist machine. That's why there are so many movies about superheroes and rebellious people with psychic powers and so on. People need something to believe in other than the ultimately extremely boring prospect of working, raising a family, and retiring. They want 'adventure and excitement and really wild things.' This is why we now have an administration whose stated Big Idea is the construction of a giant wall* because at least that sounds like a project you could get absorbed in for its own sake, whereas preserving the earth for future generations feels nice but is never really done and so can't deliver any sense of adventure or accomplishment for more than a few people with the resources to get a PhD. It's also why countries (soo to include the US) are apprehensive of war but develop tremendous enthusiasm for it once it's declared, because it provides a massive uncertainty that offers the possibility for drastic change, heroism, betrayal, defeat, victory and so on. I don't know how to articulate this better than by saying that capitalism is boring for most people, in the same way that if you are playing Monopoly there's a point at which you realize who's going to win and all the fun goes out of the game for everyone else in direct proportion to their declining odds of success. * If you don't mind losing 2 hours on a bad movie. go watch Pacific Rim, a stupid science-fiction romp about giant robots vs giant aliens. It's stupid in the sense of not really caring about the science at all to the point o making jokes about how stupid it is - at one critical moment, someone 'solves' the problem of The System collapsing due to 3v1l h4x0rs but remembering that they have a nuclear-powered robot and exclaiming 'It's not digital! It's nuclear- it's analog!!'. The very badness of this movie makes it worth studying because the psychological symbolism is so thinly disguised. Almost all alien invasion movies are vehicles for conservative ideology, and it's not an accident that a political campaign for building a giant wall was anticipated by various movies involving the construction of giant walls.