3 ms·

I think broadly you're right at the moment (the mood seems to have turned very negative for no reason other than moods do that). But vertical farming has alway

I think broadly you're right at the moment (the mood seems to have turned very negative for no reason other than moods do that). But vertical farming has always been hugely oversold. It's at best a niche tech for growing tropical crops in cold/temperate climates IF we decide to just stop shipping things around. It has no current economically viable or practical use.

Ekaros 4y ago
And I have never understood if the shipping of food around is so big deal. If it is done in relatively short distances. 100km for example would already be a huge area for doing farming on the ground. Shipping not well preserving crops from other side of the world is weird. But that doesn't mean it has to come from across the road. From massive vertical building.
- LatteLazy 4y ago
  I think people prefer fun sounding solutions and are happy to pretend there is a pressing problem. It's more entertaining that accepting what we actually need is a way to allocate capital 0.1 basis points more efficiently in residential property market etc or if you want to save the environment, make internal combustion engines 0.001% more efficient.
forgetfreeman 4y ago
We've had 30 years to review the claims of SV hype mills as well as the actual real-world results of the "innovation" they tout, and almost without exception the actual results bear no relationship to the claims and are frequently socially net-negative and occasionally bordering on dystopian. The only thing mysterious about the ongoing shift in public sentiment is why it's taken this long to occur.
wolverine876 4y ago
> (the mood seems to have turned very negative for no reason other than moods do that) I strongly disagree. If you think it's incidental, you make yourself a victim. You can see the campaigns by people like Thiel to promote nationalism and the power of the wealthy, and by groups like the Federalist Society and the very large neo-reactionary movement (my term). Framing the debate and the 'mood' is the most powerful thing you can do, and many smart people know that and work hard at it. You can look up the research by people like the Heritage think tank, who develops talking points that frame the debates, and that eventually you hear people you know unwittingly repeating. Also, if you read HN you are aware of the grassroots disinformation campaigns by governments. Social media gives them much more power.

Ekaros 4y ago

And I have never understood if the shipping of food around is so big deal. If it is done in relatively short distances. 100km for example would already be a huge area for doing farming on the ground. Shipping not well preserving crops from other side of the world is weird. But that doesn't mean it has to come from across the road. From massive vertical building.

LatteLazy 4y ago
I think people prefer fun sounding solutions and are happy to pretend there is a pressing problem. It's more entertaining that accepting what we actually need is a way to allocate capital 0.1 basis points more efficiently in residential property market etc or if you want to save the environment, make internal combustion engines 0.001% more efficient.

forgetfreeman 4y ago

We've had 30 years to review the claims of SV hype mills as well as the actual real-world results of the "innovation" they tout, and almost without exception the actual results bear no relationship to the claims and are frequently socially net-negative and occasionally bordering on dystopian. The only thing mysterious about the ongoing shift in public sentiment is why it's taken this long to occur.

wolverine876 4y ago

> (the mood seems to have turned very negative for no reason other than moods do that) I strongly disagree. If you think it's incidental, you make yourself a victim. You can see the campaigns by people like Thiel to promote nationalism and the power of the wealthy, and by groups like the Federalist Society and the very large neo-reactionary movement (my term). Framing the debate and the 'mood' is the most powerful thing you can do, and many smart people know that and work hard at it. You can look up the research by people like the Heritage think tank, who develops talking points that frame the debates, and that eventually you hear people you know unwittingly repeating. Also, if you read HN you are aware of the grassroots disinformation campaigns by governments. Social media gives them much more power.