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> takes them about 1h. Automating it, is just more fun than actually doing it. Spot on. The joy of technological skill, being a programmer and engineer is th

> takes them about 1h. Automating it, is just more fun than actually doing it. Spot on. The joy of technological skill, being a programmer and engineer is that you can customise, reconfigure and shape the world in front of you. Other people see you playing and having fun, and say; "Hey, can you do that for me?" What was just scratching an itch becomes something others want to universalise. And that doesn't always work. > almost always start with a technology that solves problem thought of > in research proposals. Such proposals are often desperately scraping the barrel for ideas. Anything that combines grant-worthy buzzwords in a barely coherent way is fit for the game. > The problem however was never real. The tragedy is that the problems become real. Otherwise intelligent people see a bunch of PhDs frobicating widgets, and a bunch of wealthy investors throwing money at them. They read the self-affirming press reports on the research and the marketing hype about how Widgifrob PLC are the hottest new thing. Suddenly everyone has a widget that needs frobnicating. Low interest + easy capital + bloated academic research machine = new problems. It's a problem creation machine.

Shinmon 4y ago
Research proposals are not supposed to necessarily solve current real-life problems so there is nothing inherently wrong with that. But given the amount of startups coming out of universities, the mindset is crazily wrong. So many people coming with a technology. If it's software you can at least pivot easily but if you got some kind of hardware technology, it becomes much less simple to do that. > Low interest + easy capital + bloated academic research machine = new problems. It's a problem creation machine. Not sure if I understand you correctly, but academy seems to be more of a solution creation machine without real problem solving. Problem solving as in someone will pay to get rid of the problem because it happens frequently and costs a lot of money each time.
- nonrandomstring 4y ago
  > > It's a problem creation machine. > Not sure if I understand you correctly It is hopefully not an obtuse point but allow me to explain it with a story; Teenage girl has a beauty spot. Her parents tell her it's a princess spot. Boys think its cute. She's happy. Some mean bitches tell her it's ugly and probably skin cancer. Now it's a problem. Nothing in reality had changed of course. And that's how solutions looking for problems go about the world creating new problems. It's in their interest to.
  - Shinmon 4y ago
    Ah ok, I see. I did not understand you correctly and I fully agree with you. Thanks for clarifying.

Shinmon 4y ago

Research proposals are not supposed to necessarily solve current real-life problems so there is nothing inherently wrong with that. But given the amount of startups coming out of universities, the mindset is crazily wrong. So many people coming with a technology. If it's software you can at least pivot easily but if you got some kind of hardware technology, it becomes much less simple to do that. > Low interest + easy capital + bloated academic research machine = new problems. It's a problem creation machine. Not sure if I understand you correctly, but academy seems to be more of a solution creation machine without real problem solving. Problem solving as in someone will pay to get rid of the problem because it happens frequently and costs a lot of money each time.

nonrandomstring 4y ago
> > It's a problem creation machine. > Not sure if I understand you correctly It is hopefully not an obtuse point but allow me to explain it with a story; Teenage girl has a beauty spot. Her parents tell her it's a princess spot. Boys think its cute. She's happy. Some mean bitches tell her it's ugly and probably skin cancer. Now it's a problem. Nothing in reality had changed of course. And that's how solutions looking for problems go about the world creating new problems. It's in their interest to.
- Shinmon 4y ago
  Ah ok, I see. I did not understand you correctly and I fully agree with you. Thanks for clarifying.