4 ms·

Not like railroads, though.

dredmorbius 3y ago
Though in the spirit of accuracy, not like cryptocurrency either. There was a nearly 20 year period, from the mid-1960s through the mid-1980s, where 8-track tapes were an option, and for much of that, the option for portable recorded music in automobiles, until displaced first by the compact cassette tape (introduced at about the same time, but lagging 8-track through the early-to-mid 1980s), and later the CDROM. The lifespan of 8-track in automobile sound systems isn't much different from that of the CDROM, roughly 1990--2010, when it was in turn supersceded by iPod and iPhone connections. Similarly, LaserDisc (not LaserDisk or Laser Disk as we've both been writing) afforded tremendously superior video and audio quality as compared with VHS or BetaMax video tape. It also had a considerable lifetime, from its introduction in 1978 through the mid-1990s, ultimately being replaced by the DVD after its introduction in 1995. Again: both formats provided useful function at the time and were not simply vehicles for fraud and crime as cryptocurrency overwhelmingly seems to be. Yes, both suffered from technical and/or market limitations, but that doesn't negate the actual utility delivered. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8-track_cartridge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8-track_cartridge> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaserDisc https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaserDisc>
- AlbertCory 3y ago
  OK. Crypto is not like railroads, and it isn't like 8-Track, either. I never had either one. I have ridden on trains, though /s
  - dredmorbius 3y ago
    I've used all the technologies listed save cryptocurrencies. Incidentally, is there any ranking, ordering, or classification of technologies you'd apply or derive from this? E.g., what unites and/or divides trains, 8-track, LaserDisc, and/or cryptocurrencies, or other technologies you'd care to add? (Something of a side interest, but you're getting close to it.)
    - AlbertCory 3y ago
      Ranking? On the basis of what? There IS the phenomenon of Survivor Bias, which I've mentioned before. "Oh, look! They're making fun of me! But they made fun of Einstein, too!" How about all the people they made fun of and who've been forgotten? The people who deserved to be made fun of?
      - dredmorbius 3y ago
        I'm leaving the basis up to you. Your responses here suggested you might have some sense, even if not especially structured. (I have my own framework, but like to see what other people come up with without prompting or suggestion.) The "they laughed at Einstein" meme really wasn't what I was looking for.
        AlbertCory 3y ago
        I think I'll pass on that exercise, but thanks. Seriously. The meme was just about Survivor Bias, which people tend to suffer from when taking examples from history.
        dredmorbius 3y ago
        Fair enough. If you're interested: <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34853768 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34853768> <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21867978 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21867978>. On survivorship: technology often functions as Wittgenstein's Ladder. Even failed branches are often critical in arriving at successful ones. Magnetic tape and LaserDisc both informed subsequent / parallel storage technologies: digital tape, spinning rust, and optical storage (CD, DVD, BluRay, etc.), as well as they hybrid magneto-optical format (somewhat dead now, but significant at the time).

Though in the spirit of accuracy, not like cryptocurrency either. There was a nearly 20 year period, from the mid-1960s through the mid-1980s, where 8-track tapes were an option, and for much of that, the option for portable recorded music in automobiles, until displaced first by the compact cassette tape (introduced at about the same time, but lagging 8-track through the early-to-mid 1980s), and later the CDROM. The lifespan of 8-track in automobile sound systems isn't much different from that of the CDROM, roughly 1990--2010, when it was in turn supersceded by iPod and iPhone connections. Similarly, LaserDisc (not LaserDisk or Laser Disk as we've both been writing) afforded tremendously superior video and audio quality as compared with VHS or BetaMax video tape. It also had a considerable lifetime, from its introduction in 1978 through the mid-1990s, ultimately being replaced by the DVD after its introduction in 1995. Again: both formats provided useful function at the time and were not simply vehicles for fraud and crime as cryptocurrency overwhelmingly seems to be. Yes, both suffered from technical and/or market limitations, but that doesn't negate the actual utility delivered. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8-track_cartridge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8-track_cartridge> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaserDisc https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaserDisc>

AlbertCory 3y ago
OK. Crypto is not like railroads, and it isn't like 8-Track, either. I never had either one. I have ridden on trains, though /s
- dredmorbius 3y ago
  I've used all the technologies listed save cryptocurrencies. Incidentally, is there any ranking, ordering, or classification of technologies you'd apply or derive from this? E.g., what unites and/or divides trains, 8-track, LaserDisc, and/or cryptocurrencies, or other technologies you'd care to add? (Something of a side interest, but you're getting close to it.)
  - AlbertCory 3y ago
    Ranking? On the basis of what? There IS the phenomenon of Survivor Bias, which I've mentioned before. "Oh, look! They're making fun of me! But they made fun of Einstein, too!" How about all the people they made fun of and who've been forgotten? The people who deserved to be made fun of?
    - dredmorbius 3y ago
      I'm leaving the basis up to you. Your responses here suggested you might have some sense, even if not especially structured. (I have my own framework, but like to see what other people come up with without prompting or suggestion.) The "they laughed at Einstein" meme really wasn't what I was looking for.
      - AlbertCory 3y ago
        I think I'll pass on that exercise, but thanks. Seriously. The meme was just about Survivor Bias, which people tend to suffer from when taking examples from history.
        dredmorbius 3y ago
        Fair enough. If you're interested: <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34853768 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34853768> <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21867978 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21867978>. On survivorship: technology often functions as Wittgenstein's Ladder. Even failed branches are often critical in arriving at successful ones. Magnetic tape and LaserDisc both informed subsequent / parallel storage technologies: digital tape, spinning rust, and optical storage (CD, DVD, BluRay, etc.), as well as they hybrid magneto-optical format (somewhat dead now, but significant at the time).