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I'll save you the trouble of reading, whatever this is. Here you go: >But what is the psychological impact of a bespoke Internet, tailored to you, and one wher

I'll save you the trouble of reading, whatever this is. Here you go: >But what is the psychological impact of a bespoke Internet, tailored to you, and one where it is increasingly difficult to outrun yourself? “Bespoke” sounds luxuriously considerate, but it also entails a kind of revelation. It comes from the older word bespeak, which refers to an indication or a piece of evidence. Sewn into the bespoke is the fabric of external judgments. In the tailor’s series of sartorial calculations and decisions, the wearer is shaped, a silhouette is cast. Imagine seriously writing word salads and calling them articles. It's too disjointed with no coherent thesis to it, and just meanders for what is (i imagine) an attempt to fulfil a wordcount quota.

WaxProlix 4y ago
It's asking what we will make of ourselves when the determining factor of Identity - the returned gaze of the Other - is 'just' an AI. Hegelian dialectic and such aside, it's an interesting question and I for one found the article more or less readable, if a bit on the self indulgent side (as these types of essays tend to be).
- _mhr_ 4y ago
  What do you consider to be the difference between identity and Identity? Or other and Other?
  - WaxProlix 4y ago
    capitalization?
  - klodolph 4y ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitonym https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitonym > A particular example of where capitonyms are prominent is in terminology relating to philosophy, [...]. Capitalized words are often used to differentiate a philosophical concept from how the concept is referred to in everyday life, [...] In other words, capitalizing "Identity" or "Other" just means that the word has a specific meaning in this particular text, and the dictionary definition may be unreliable. "The Other" is often capitalized. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Other_(philosophy) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Other_(philosophy) I'll also just note that, for the tech-minded folks, some of these philosophical concepts have surprising relevance to applications in machine learning & AI, especially these days. Epistemology was a purely philosophical topic until machine learning researchers stumbled around trying to reinvent it.
AndrewKemendo 4y ago
Can you clarify what is confusing about the quote that you reference above? It seems pretty well formed and makes it's point succinctly and with a reasonable metaphor.
- Aperocky 4y ago
  > succinctly Really? I can think of plain english way to describe (if I understood it correctly) the sentiment in less words and far less cognitive load. Personally I feel repelled towards this in the same way as code golf, except it's also long, so perhaps worse.
  - mcphage 4y ago
    > I can think of plain english way to describe (if I understood it correctly) the sentiment in less words I don't think the goal of any serious writing is to do it in as few words as possible. Instead, the goal is to write it with the right number of words. Taking a complicated idea and distilling it down to concrete bullet points loses all of the subtleties of the meaning, destroys the pace, and any of the poetry as well. What you're left with is something like https://norvig.com/Gettysburg/sld001.htm https://norvig.com/Gettysburg/sld001.htm
    - thfuran 4y ago
      >I don't think the goal of any serious writing is to do it in as few words as possible. Even if that's true, it's irrelevant. They were responding to the claim that ithis particular piece was written succinctly, which it manifestly was not.
    - teddyh 4y ago
      As short as possible, but no shorter.
  - widjit 4y ago
    clearly this article is not meant for you
  - 4y ago
musha68k 4y ago
Definitively subjective. IMO the metaphor was apt in bringing their point across. Got me thinking about other tangents like general systems interplay, conway’s law etc. This kind of etymological philosophizing just might not be your cup of tea but not everyone is like that.
aaroninsf 4y ago
TLDR different people absorb and engage with information in different ways. What is "word salad" for you, is a lyrical and motivated translation into humanist terms for the non-technical but well-educated reader with a different background, reading style, and perhaps, agenda. The lyrical essay is a form of writing and argumentation with hundreds of years of literary history. It's not meant to be a man page. For people rooted in this type of argumentation, fully-examined metaphor is what animates ideas and frames them in terms they can reason with.
nelox 4y ago
dang 4y ago
"Please don't post shallow dismissals, especially of other people's work. A good critical comment teaches us something." https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

WaxProlix 4y ago

It's asking what we will make of ourselves when the determining factor of Identity - the returned gaze of the Other - is 'just' an AI. Hegelian dialectic and such aside, it's an interesting question and I for one found the article more or less readable, if a bit on the self indulgent side (as these types of essays tend to be).

_mhr_ 4y ago
What do you consider to be the difference between identity and Identity? Or other and Other?
- WaxProlix 4y ago
  capitalization?
- klodolph 4y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitonym https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitonym > A particular example of where capitonyms are prominent is in terminology relating to philosophy, [...]. Capitalized words are often used to differentiate a philosophical concept from how the concept is referred to in everyday life, [...] In other words, capitalizing "Identity" or "Other" just means that the word has a specific meaning in this particular text, and the dictionary definition may be unreliable. "The Other" is often capitalized. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Other_(philosophy) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Other_(philosophy) I'll also just note that, for the tech-minded folks, some of these philosophical concepts have surprising relevance to applications in machine learning & AI, especially these days. Epistemology was a purely philosophical topic until machine learning researchers stumbled around trying to reinvent it.

AndrewKemendo 4y ago

Can you clarify what is confusing about the quote that you reference above? It seems pretty well formed and makes it's point succinctly and with a reasonable metaphor.

Aperocky 4y ago
> succinctly Really? I can think of plain english way to describe (if I understood it correctly) the sentiment in less words and far less cognitive load. Personally I feel repelled towards this in the same way as code golf, except it's also long, so perhaps worse.
- mcphage 4y ago
  > I can think of plain english way to describe (if I understood it correctly) the sentiment in less words I don't think the goal of any serious writing is to do it in as few words as possible. Instead, the goal is to write it with the right number of words. Taking a complicated idea and distilling it down to concrete bullet points loses all of the subtleties of the meaning, destroys the pace, and any of the poetry as well. What you're left with is something like https://norvig.com/Gettysburg/sld001.htm https://norvig.com/Gettysburg/sld001.htm
  - thfuran 4y ago
    >I don't think the goal of any serious writing is to do it in as few words as possible. Even if that's true, it's irrelevant. They were responding to the claim that ithis particular piece was written succinctly, which it manifestly was not.
  - teddyh 4y ago
    As short as possible, but no shorter.
- widjit 4y ago
  clearly this article is not meant for you
- 4y ago

musha68k 4y ago

Definitively subjective. IMO the metaphor was apt in bringing their point across. Got me thinking about other tangents like general systems interplay, conway’s law etc. This kind of etymological philosophizing just might not be your cup of tea but not everyone is like that.

aaroninsf 4y ago

TLDR different people absorb and engage with information in different ways. What is "word salad" for you, is a lyrical and motivated translation into humanist terms for the non-technical but well-educated reader with a different background, reading style, and perhaps, agenda. The lyrical essay is a form of writing and argumentation with hundreds of years of literary history. It's not meant to be a man page. For people rooted in this type of argumentation, fully-examined metaphor is what animates ideas and frames them in terms they can reason with.

nelox 4y ago

dang 4y ago

"Please don't post shallow dismissals, especially of other people's work. A good critical comment teaches us something." https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html