4 ms·

That's what William Gibson was saying in the early 80s about 2020.

systemvoltage 6y ago
To be honest, 80’s were the prime time. Things went downhill from then. Sure there is progress in medicine and productivity and what not. Just the general state of the world today is worse off than if we were to go back to 80’s with some hindsight on how to run the next 40 years.
- alphabettsy 6y ago
  This is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve read in a couple weeks. The world is better by nearly any measure than it was 40 years ago.
  - giantg2 6y ago
    Suicide rates are generally higher now, signaling a general dissatisfaction and hopelessness in life. Sure living standard is higher (but with more inequality), most fields are more advanced now, but what's the true purpose if people feel more depressed and inclined to kill themselves?
    - alphabettsy 6y ago
      That’s an important metric for sure, but should we ignore the massive decreases in infant mortality or deaths from hunger, disease, or war? How did you determine it was generally higher because it appears to be lower in much of Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa?
    - ConcreteGidget 6y ago
      This is a pretty first world-centric perspective. There are slightly higher rates of dissatisfaction and hopelessness but quality of life is drastically improving in the second and third world. More efficient production results in better and more stuff even if the stuff isn't distributed perfectly.
  - andy_ppp 6y ago
    I just keep thinking how terrifying the pandemic would be without the Internet for information, entertainment and connection with friends. We are insanely lucky and we do not take time to appreciate it.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- pshc 6y ago
  #shitHNsays
  - systemvoltage 6y ago
    Lol, glad I could entertain. Take it with a grain of salt and lighten up all.
- TameAntelope 6y ago
  For white, affluent, straight Americans, the 80s were probably just fine. For a large number of people who aren't those things, the 80s were hell, though. The "general state of the world today" is likely to be much better for billions of people than it was in the 80s, however. It's worth keeping that perspective in mind, IMO. Edit: I've linked one slide deck I think will describe what I'm talking about a bit, but there are certainly more and better sources for this kind of information. Maybe we can share some sources here as a way to better educate ourselves on this topic? https://slides.ourworldindata.org/hunger-and-food-provision/#/title-slide https://slides.ourworldindata.org/hunger-and-food-provision/...
  - systemvoltage 6y ago
    I see what you’re saying. I’m noticing general trends towards authoritarianism, corruption of public discourse, death of journalism, polarization of politics, rise of conspiracy theories, climate is worse, etc. If you’re an average Chinese citizen, your life has probably improved dramatically. The auto mechanic down the street is struggling though since newer cars are basically unrepairable.
    - TameAntelope 6y ago
      Totally fair, I just don't want to forget how much we've raised the floor in the last 40 years -- from 44% of all humanity in "absolute poverty" to 9.6% is a huge accomplishment.
    - alphabettsy 6y ago
      There are certainly some concerning trends, but you believe things were better in general during the Cold War before the fall of the Soviet Union? When substantially more people globally lived in poverty? When the US was just coming off the civil rights movements of the 60-70s? When AIDS was rampant, but there was no treatment? When global warming was happening, but it wasn’t widely known or acknowledged? The majority of brand new cars that the average American is buying is still an ICE-powered automobile that’s nearly as serviceable as the old ones, sometimes requiring more advanced diagnostics tools, but far safer and more reliable.
dnautics 6y ago
Funny story, what is Fortune 1? Still not a tech company (not for long).

To be honest, 80’s were the prime time. Things went downhill from then. Sure there is progress in medicine and productivity and what not. Just the general state of the world today is worse off than if we were to go back to 80’s with some hindsight on how to run the next 40 years.

alphabettsy 6y ago
This is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve read in a couple weeks. The world is better by nearly any measure than it was 40 years ago.
- giantg2 6y ago
  Suicide rates are generally higher now, signaling a general dissatisfaction and hopelessness in life. Sure living standard is higher (but with more inequality), most fields are more advanced now, but what's the true purpose if people feel more depressed and inclined to kill themselves?
  - alphabettsy 6y ago
    That’s an important metric for sure, but should we ignore the massive decreases in infant mortality or deaths from hunger, disease, or war? How did you determine it was generally higher because it appears to be lower in much of Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa?
  - ConcreteGidget 6y ago
    This is a pretty first world-centric perspective. There are slightly higher rates of dissatisfaction and hopelessness but quality of life is drastically improving in the second and third world. More efficient production results in better and more stuff even if the stuff isn't distributed perfectly.
- andy_ppp 6y ago
  I just keep thinking how terrifying the pandemic would be without the Internet for information, entertainment and connection with friends. We are insanely lucky and we do not take time to appreciate it.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
pshc 6y ago
#shitHNsays
- systemvoltage 6y ago
  Lol, glad I could entertain. Take it with a grain of salt and lighten up all.
TameAntelope 6y ago
For white, affluent, straight Americans, the 80s were probably just fine. For a large number of people who aren't those things, the 80s were hell, though. The "general state of the world today" is likely to be much better for billions of people than it was in the 80s, however. It's worth keeping that perspective in mind, IMO. Edit: I've linked one slide deck I think will describe what I'm talking about a bit, but there are certainly more and better sources for this kind of information. Maybe we can share some sources here as a way to better educate ourselves on this topic? https://slides.ourworldindata.org/hunger-and-food-provision/#/title-slide https://slides.ourworldindata.org/hunger-and-food-provision/...
- systemvoltage 6y ago
  I see what you’re saying. I’m noticing general trends towards authoritarianism, corruption of public discourse, death of journalism, polarization of politics, rise of conspiracy theories, climate is worse, etc. If you’re an average Chinese citizen, your life has probably improved dramatically. The auto mechanic down the street is struggling though since newer cars are basically unrepairable.
  - TameAntelope 6y ago
    Totally fair, I just don't want to forget how much we've raised the floor in the last 40 years -- from 44% of all humanity in "absolute poverty" to 9.6% is a huge accomplishment.
  - alphabettsy 6y ago
    There are certainly some concerning trends, but you believe things were better in general during the Cold War before the fall of the Soviet Union? When substantially more people globally lived in poverty? When the US was just coming off the civil rights movements of the 60-70s? When AIDS was rampant, but there was no treatment? When global warming was happening, but it wasn’t widely known or acknowledged? The majority of brand new cars that the average American is buying is still an ICE-powered automobile that’s nearly as serviceable as the old ones, sometimes requiring more advanced diagnostics tools, but far safer and more reliable.

dnautics 6y ago

Funny story, what is Fortune 1? Still not a tech company (not for long).