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I remember when reasonably smart cellphones first came out. You could hook them up over USB and change things like ringtones or backgrounds. It was fun. Then m

I remember when reasonably smart cellphones first came out. You could hook them up over USB and change things like ringtones or backgrounds. It was fun. Then manufacturers and cell phone companies started realizing the money train they were on. They made billions by selling this same crap to people who didn't know how or have the time to customize their own phone. As it turns out, billions of dollars tends to get people's attention. Now those same companies are locking down PC boots, taking out headphone jacks, and all sorts of other things to "help" us have better computers. Each of them will involve trying to keep those cash cows lying around, maybe grow the herd a bit. My point is this: smart people caught on to this bullshit. Facebook, Patreon, and the other fan/audience aggregation systems are doing the same thing, just with a different platform. I'm not sure, but I think the folks are catching on faster this time around. We're going to end up with an internet where the tech elite use services that actually facilitate their lives while the rest of the world use various subscription and "helper" services that try to extract as much money as possible from them at every turn.

Can_Not 8y ago
We're leaving capitalism to enter into a new type of society. Rentierism. Everything is already owned. It's like feudalism, but you can have as many feudal lords as you want to live under--as a service.
- rchaud 8y ago
  Should coincide with a new technological paradigm in on-demand labour contracting. They should give it a catchy name, like VaaS: Vassal as a Service.
  - DanielBMarkham 8y ago
    You know, renting out by the hour the right for services to give you free stuff and vie for your attention span might actually work. E-gads we live in a weird world
0xcde4c3db 8y ago
> As it turns out, billions of dollars tends to get people's attention. As Sir Tony Hoare lamented: > At first I hoped that such a technically unsound project would collapse but I soon realized it was doomed to success. Almost anything in software can be implmented, sold, and even used given enough determination. There is nothing a mere scientist can say that will stand against the flood of a hundred million dollars. I get the feeling that a lot of modern products are boondoggles on the merits but "doomed to success" because FAANG et. al. put them on a pedestal and the media is all too happy to go along with corporate marketing narratives if it grabs eyeballs (see e.g. the ridiculous amount of hype around foldable phones, which are sort of neat but hardly a revolutionary advance).
- HeadsUpHigh 8y ago
  >(see e.g. the ridiculous amount of hype around foldable phones, which are sort of neat but hardly a revolutionary advance). Yea what's going on with that nonsense? I can't wait until consumer electronics turn into appliances and all this tech messianism finally dies off. It's not like the newer stuff really is better anymore. People are just looking for their next hit in tech products.

Can_Not 8y ago

We're leaving capitalism to enter into a new type of society. Rentierism. Everything is already owned. It's like feudalism, but you can have as many feudal lords as you want to live under--as a service.

rchaud 8y ago
Should coincide with a new technological paradigm in on-demand labour contracting. They should give it a catchy name, like VaaS: Vassal as a Service.
- DanielBMarkham 8y ago
  You know, renting out by the hour the right for services to give you free stuff and vie for your attention span might actually work. E-gads we live in a weird world

0xcde4c3db 8y ago

> As it turns out, billions of dollars tends to get people's attention. As Sir Tony Hoare lamented: > At first I hoped that such a technically unsound project would collapse but I soon realized it was doomed to success. Almost anything in software can be implmented, sold, and even used given enough determination. There is nothing a mere scientist can say that will stand against the flood of a hundred million dollars. I get the feeling that a lot of modern products are boondoggles on the merits but "doomed to success" because FAANG et. al. put them on a pedestal and the media is all too happy to go along with corporate marketing narratives if it grabs eyeballs (see e.g. the ridiculous amount of hype around foldable phones, which are sort of neat but hardly a revolutionary advance).

HeadsUpHigh 8y ago
>(see e.g. the ridiculous amount of hype around foldable phones, which are sort of neat but hardly a revolutionary advance). Yea what's going on with that nonsense? I can't wait until consumer electronics turn into appliances and all this tech messianism finally dies off. It's not like the newer stuff really is better anymore. People are just looking for their next hit in tech products.