4 ms·

Two things stand out: 1. I really miss the days when I was optimistic about the internet. Though to be clear, 1999 was not peak internet optimism and this was

Two things stand out: 1. I really miss the days when I was optimistic about the internet. Though to be clear, 1999 was not peak internet optimism and this was more of a reaction to us already seeing signs of corporate takeover. 2. If we're being real, a lot of this is seriously pretentious bullshit.

jrm4 3y ago
But you NEED the stuff we call "pretentious bullshit" to be a useful "Overton Window" endpoint. This is precisely why I'm so pro e.g. Richard Stallman/GPL et al. Not because I actually do all that shit, but because I recognize how useful an absolute weirdo at that endpoint is.
- BLKNSLVR 3y ago
  Without those at each far end, the centre would be shifted closer to the other. An incomplete theory of mine is around problems of using behavioural patterns to identify potential criminals. Not all deviant behaviour is criminal, but identifying deviance and somehow cutting it off or minimising it, just means that the next inner level of the bell curve of that deviancy becomes the next target. Eg. Everyone who's killed an animal larger than a mouse put on a watch list for sociopathy. Ok, so once that's done, we need yet another level to score some cheap political points. Ok, how about kids who have amputated their siblings dolls, yeah, they're fucking nutters... It's an incomplete theory because it fails the slippery slope logical fallacy, potentially fatally. But behaviour patterns are already used to predict where crime will occur based on where it has previously occurred. This feels like an ever tightening loop that acts to increasingly justify itself whilst trapped in an echo chamber of our very own unintentional design.
  - jrm4 3y ago
    I have no idea what you are even trying to say here because the underlying idea is so far from mine. Also -- uh, black enslaver? hope I'm reading that wrong
    - BLKNSLVR 3y ago
      You're only the second person who's read it as that. Black and Silver. I considered deleting the comment altogether as it did ramble.
      - jrm4 3y ago
        Haha, fair. Either way -- I def meant "Overton Window" not in the precise political sense, but as a metaphor you could use in software. As in, "Proprietary Software, no sharing ever like Microsoft used to be (and kinda still is)" on one end, and "Stallman and the GPLv3" at the other.
- santoshalper 3y ago
  I'd need to think about that more, but I upvoted your idea because it is interesting and potentially useful.
BLKNSLVR 3y ago
I don't like the assumptions I'm making here, but I still think it's worth saying to you and anyone who agrees with "the internet isn't what it used to be": Don't let your idea of the internet be what your habits are limiting you to experiencing. Create something that's your flavour of weird or interesting and put it out there. Link to it when conversation strays somewhere that it may be appropriate. Search for weirdness in the flood of what has come be to normal. It's like music. I listen to a local, community, subscription funded radio station because they don't play what most radio stations are paid to play. They play what the weirdly artistic hosts like, and they play predominantly local country (Australia) and local state (South Australia) music. There's a whole lotta bad music out there, and I've heard more than my fair share, but my word, there are diamonds in the rough. You just have to keep sifting. Most people don't have the motivation or energy. Most people are ... "Happy", I guess... listening to the same old manufactured bullshit on insanity inducing high rotation. Fuck man, music is life and most people choose to be zombies. I don't browse the weird web, but I know it's there if I looked hard enough. I seemingly am more "affected" by music than the average person, and so I do have the motivation and will to endure the sift. It's not for everyone. In fact, it seems to be for quite the small percentage.
- 082349872349872 3y ago
  For those who do wish to browse the weird web, https://search.marginalia.nu https://search.marginalia.nu is helpful
prepend 3y ago
I feel like 1999 was peak internet optimism. The crash happened in April 2000, so 99/ winter 2000 was the peak. After that everything was crashing and then consolidating into Amazon, google, eBay, and then Apple.

jrm4 3y ago

But you NEED the stuff we call "pretentious bullshit" to be a useful "Overton Window" endpoint. This is precisely why I'm so pro e.g. Richard Stallman/GPL et al. Not because I actually do all that shit, but because I recognize how useful an absolute weirdo at that endpoint is.

BLKNSLVR 3y ago
Without those at each far end, the centre would be shifted closer to the other. An incomplete theory of mine is around problems of using behavioural patterns to identify potential criminals. Not all deviant behaviour is criminal, but identifying deviance and somehow cutting it off or minimising it, just means that the next inner level of the bell curve of that deviancy becomes the next target. Eg. Everyone who's killed an animal larger than a mouse put on a watch list for sociopathy. Ok, so once that's done, we need yet another level to score some cheap political points. Ok, how about kids who have amputated their siblings dolls, yeah, they're fucking nutters... It's an incomplete theory because it fails the slippery slope logical fallacy, potentially fatally. But behaviour patterns are already used to predict where crime will occur based on where it has previously occurred. This feels like an ever tightening loop that acts to increasingly justify itself whilst trapped in an echo chamber of our very own unintentional design.
- jrm4 3y ago
  I have no idea what you are even trying to say here because the underlying idea is so far from mine. Also -- uh, black enslaver? hope I'm reading that wrong
  - BLKNSLVR 3y ago
    You're only the second person who's read it as that. Black and Silver. I considered deleting the comment altogether as it did ramble.
    - jrm4 3y ago
      Haha, fair. Either way -- I def meant "Overton Window" not in the precise political sense, but as a metaphor you could use in software. As in, "Proprietary Software, no sharing ever like Microsoft used to be (and kinda still is)" on one end, and "Stallman and the GPLv3" at the other.
santoshalper 3y ago
I'd need to think about that more, but I upvoted your idea because it is interesting and potentially useful.

BLKNSLVR 3y ago

I don't like the assumptions I'm making here, but I still think it's worth saying to you and anyone who agrees with "the internet isn't what it used to be": Don't let your idea of the internet be what your habits are limiting you to experiencing. Create something that's your flavour of weird or interesting and put it out there. Link to it when conversation strays somewhere that it may be appropriate. Search for weirdness in the flood of what has come be to normal. It's like music. I listen to a local, community, subscription funded radio station because they don't play what most radio stations are paid to play. They play what the weirdly artistic hosts like, and they play predominantly local country (Australia) and local state (South Australia) music. There's a whole lotta bad music out there, and I've heard more than my fair share, but my word, there are diamonds in the rough. You just have to keep sifting. Most people don't have the motivation or energy. Most people are ... "Happy", I guess... listening to the same old manufactured bullshit on insanity inducing high rotation. Fuck man, music is life and most people choose to be zombies. I don't browse the weird web, but I know it's there if I looked hard enough. I seemingly am more "affected" by music than the average person, and so I do have the motivation and will to endure the sift. It's not for everyone. In fact, it seems to be for quite the small percentage.

082349872349872 3y ago
For those who do wish to browse the weird web, https://search.marginalia.nu https://search.marginalia.nu is helpful

prepend 3y ago

I feel like 1999 was peak internet optimism. The crash happened in April 2000, so 99/ winter 2000 was the peak. After that everything was crashing and then consolidating into Amazon, google, eBay, and then Apple.