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We tried to create everyday objects from a fictional world in which we somehow chose to be governed by algorithms. The scariest thing about it was that nothing

We tried to create everyday objects from a fictional world in which we somehow chose to be governed by algorithms. The scariest thing about it was that nothing we came up with doesn't already happen in some way.

phoe-krk 4y ago
If you're the author(s), this possibly could be Show HN.
- hemmert 4y ago
  Yes, I am – I'm a professor of Industrial Design, this was my class in which the students designed the objects. Should I rename it to Show HN?
glass3 4y ago
>The scariest thing about it was that nothing we came up with doesn't already happen in some way. Like the texts on the homepage, there are two ways to interpret this sentence. I don't want to imply an insult but why haven't you continued until you came up with something new? >Quickly, your brain will learn to stay focused, enabling you to be meaningfully productive without the urge to distract yourself. Why would there be a need for focused work in a world where an ai is available? If the government is just a mindless algorithm, where would be the difference to the current situation with an unaware code of law? We turn people into computers, who need stimuli to be happy, or punishment to stay focus. Once we have ai to do the computing, there is no need to train people into rigid structures. Thus the entire mood of a dystopia shouldn't be there. There will only be one in-group because nobody else is needed. However, the possible implications of that future are far more sinister.
nonrandomstring 4y ago
> The scariest thing about it was that nothing we came up with doesn't already happen in some way. That's a natural side effect of the kind of systems you are exploring. They kill creativity and innovation, which is an enemy of cybernetic control. If your students seem stuck at a pedestrian level of imagination the system is working - to protect itself from being anticipated. On the other hand, the fact you're still allowed to do this at least shows it considers you have some value yet to extract.
zieben 4y ago
This is usually the case with dystopian fiction; the stories that really resonate are the ones that express our subconscious dread at where our society’s self-appointed “leaders” are taking us. The same is true if conspiracy theories. QAnon is absurd dangerous nonsense, but upper-class human trafficking rings do exist (see: Epstein). The Great Reset is likewise absurd (the people who attend the WEF are dangerous, malevolent, and powerful, but the WEF itself has no real power) but the anxiety about it reflects our awareness of how the upper classes see us.

phoe-krk 4y ago

If you're the author(s), this possibly could be Show HN.

hemmert 4y ago
Yes, I am – I'm a professor of Industrial Design, this was my class in which the students designed the objects. Should I rename it to Show HN?

glass3 4y ago

>The scariest thing about it was that nothing we came up with doesn't already happen in some way. Like the texts on the homepage, there are two ways to interpret this sentence. I don't want to imply an insult but why haven't you continued until you came up with something new? >Quickly, your brain will learn to stay focused, enabling you to be meaningfully productive without the urge to distract yourself. Why would there be a need for focused work in a world where an ai is available? If the government is just a mindless algorithm, where would be the difference to the current situation with an unaware code of law? We turn people into computers, who need stimuli to be happy, or punishment to stay focus. Once we have ai to do the computing, there is no need to train people into rigid structures. Thus the entire mood of a dystopia shouldn't be there. There will only be one in-group because nobody else is needed. However, the possible implications of that future are far more sinister.

nonrandomstring 4y ago

> The scariest thing about it was that nothing we came up with doesn't already happen in some way. That's a natural side effect of the kind of systems you are exploring. They kill creativity and innovation, which is an enemy of cybernetic control. If your students seem stuck at a pedestrian level of imagination the system is working - to protect itself from being anticipated. On the other hand, the fact you're still allowed to do this at least shows it considers you have some value yet to extract.

zieben 4y ago

This is usually the case with dystopian fiction; the stories that really resonate are the ones that express our subconscious dread at where our society’s self-appointed “leaders” are taking us. The same is true if conspiracy theories. QAnon is absurd dangerous nonsense, but upper-class human trafficking rings do exist (see: Epstein). The Great Reset is likewise absurd (the people who attend the WEF are dangerous, malevolent, and powerful, but the WEF itself has no real power) but the anxiety about it reflects our awareness of how the upper classes see us.