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All true, but the Eternal September for me came when I lost control of my feed to arbitrary ML algorithms attempting to maximize shareholder value whilst aliena

All true, but the Eternal September for me came when I lost control of my feed to arbitrary ML algorithms attempting to maximize shareholder value whilst alienating the fewest users. I think someone could recreate early FB on the blockchain and take a huge chunk of interesting people off of the two current awful choices. Because I do remember the time when it was fun to reconnect with people and follow their lives there.

natalyarostova 9y ago
Urbit's ambition is to achieve something that fosters that ability.
msangi 9y ago
Have a look at Patchwork, which runs over the decentralised Scuttlebot https://github.com/ssbc/patchwork https://github.com/ssbc/patchwork
stanleydrew 9y ago
on the blockchain Why? Everything else you wrote makes sense to me except for this.
- oneshot908 9y ago
  Because I doubt a corporation would stay aligned with the non-paying customer long-term. Witness GOOG. Compare and contrast with AMZN where the customer is indeed the customer.
  - fabianhjr 9y ago
    I think we can have decentralized technolgy without blockchains though.
- spookthesunset 9y ago
  > Why? Shysters gotta shyst. After all, somebody has to buy those heavy bags...
debaserab2 9y ago
> I think someone could recreate early FB on the blockchain wtf does this mean? I'm asking only because this sounds exactly as loaded and buzzwordy as "I lost control of my feed to arbitrary ML algorithms attempting to maximize shareholder value whilst alienating the fewest users" you've just gone the opposite direction with the hyperbole.
- oneshot908 9y ago
  It means move the authorization and verification of identity outside of any corporation and make the feed 100% user-controlled. Corporations end up pursuing goals frequently unaligned with the goals of their users because the users have become the product. And are you really saying in 2018 that ML is just a buzzword? Because what I see is an algorithm (whatever it is, probably some secret sauce ML goulash of topic models or clustering) picking stuff I don't want to see and burying stuff I do. Just give me the pure feed and the ability to follow/unfollow. This is apparently now hard(tm).
  - mvindahl 9y ago
    But it doesn't call for a blockchain to address. It calls for a subscription based social network. It wouldn't need to be expensive either to keep the servers running. There would be no flashy advertising displaying links that you would never click anyway and there be no sneaky algorithms trying to maximize your clicks or your attention since that would no longer contribute to the company results. Everything would be far simpler. Getting there is less simple.
- rangersanger 9y ago
  It means I would like "liking" a post of grumpy cat to use as much energy as a Toyota Carola driving from Miami to Washington DC. Luckily, actually posting grumpy cat photos causes brownouts, so there are none to like.
  - whataretensors 9y ago
    Hyperbole. Modern blockchains do not use much energy. This is an obvious great idea waiting for implementation.
fabianhjr 9y ago
There is already SSB / Patchwork that was recently feautred here in HackerNews. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16273096 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16273096 https://www.scuttlebutt.nz/ https://www.scuttlebutt.nz/
- mercer 9y ago
  and if I understand correctly, the 'log' of your activity is basically a blockchain!

natalyarostova 9y ago

Urbit's ambition is to achieve something that fosters that ability.

msangi 9y ago

Have a look at Patchwork, which runs over the decentralised Scuttlebot https://github.com/ssbc/patchwork https://github.com/ssbc/patchwork

stanleydrew 9y ago

on the blockchain Why? Everything else you wrote makes sense to me except for this.

oneshot908 9y ago
Because I doubt a corporation would stay aligned with the non-paying customer long-term. Witness GOOG. Compare and contrast with AMZN where the customer is indeed the customer.
- fabianhjr 9y ago
  I think we can have decentralized technolgy without blockchains though.
spookthesunset 9y ago
> Why? Shysters gotta shyst. After all, somebody has to buy those heavy bags...

debaserab2 9y ago

> I think someone could recreate early FB on the blockchain wtf does this mean? I'm asking only because this sounds exactly as loaded and buzzwordy as "I lost control of my feed to arbitrary ML algorithms attempting to maximize shareholder value whilst alienating the fewest users" you've just gone the opposite direction with the hyperbole.

oneshot908 9y ago
It means move the authorization and verification of identity outside of any corporation and make the feed 100% user-controlled. Corporations end up pursuing goals frequently unaligned with the goals of their users because the users have become the product. And are you really saying in 2018 that ML is just a buzzword? Because what I see is an algorithm (whatever it is, probably some secret sauce ML goulash of topic models or clustering) picking stuff I don't want to see and burying stuff I do. Just give me the pure feed and the ability to follow/unfollow. This is apparently now hard(tm).
- mvindahl 9y ago
  But it doesn't call for a blockchain to address. It calls for a subscription based social network. It wouldn't need to be expensive either to keep the servers running. There would be no flashy advertising displaying links that you would never click anyway and there be no sneaky algorithms trying to maximize your clicks or your attention since that would no longer contribute to the company results. Everything would be far simpler. Getting there is less simple.
rangersanger 9y ago
It means I would like "liking" a post of grumpy cat to use as much energy as a Toyota Carola driving from Miami to Washington DC. Luckily, actually posting grumpy cat photos causes brownouts, so there are none to like.
- whataretensors 9y ago
  Hyperbole. Modern blockchains do not use much energy. This is an obvious great idea waiting for implementation.

fabianhjr 9y ago

There is already SSB / Patchwork that was recently feautred here in HackerNews. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16273096 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16273096 https://www.scuttlebutt.nz/ https://www.scuttlebutt.nz/

mercer 9y ago
and if I understand correctly, the 'log' of your activity is basically a blockchain!