6 ms·
> We need to figure out how to live in a World After Capital in which the only scarcity is our attention. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about this issue. I b
by cko 9y ago
> We need to figure out how to live in a World After Capital in which the only scarcity is our attention.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about this issue. I believe that at the end of the day attention is the only finite resource. Sure, you can say time, but that’s more relative. For example - waiting in line at the supermarket seems like a waste of time, but if mind’s attention is uplifted / benevolent / doing something productive (whatever your values are) then it is a net gain.
Meanwhile I spend so much of my day watching YouTube and reading HN in a distracted and mindless manner.
Perhaps being Buddhist years ago shaped this perspective.
- wnkrshm 9y agoOne could also be cynical about it and say that a human is reduced to a pure consumer, since productive mental work will be automated as well with a few exceptions. So there is nothing of value to contribute in the line at the supermarket, except for watching/listening to something and feeding the recommendation engine.
- nradov 9y agoHigh quality land will always be a finite resource. They aren't making any more of it.
- cko 9y agoAs a real estate investor, this is kind of true. Though for now there’s a lot of undeveloped land, if you venture beyond cities. And we could always build vertically. And some kind of Elysium-like thing. Some of it will have to be farmland, of course.
- nradov 9y agoMost of that undeveloped land is undeveloped for a reason. The high quality locations (climate, natural resources, waterways) are already developed. All else being equal, the majority of people prefer to have some space and privacy rather than being crammed into dense vertical developments.
- jandrese 9y agoNot until we start building orbital colonies at least.