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He delivered that speech in 1986, so this would have been based on professional experience through the 60s-70s. A time before ubiquitous electronic communicati
by pengaru 11mo ago
He delivered that speech in 1986, so this would have been based on professional experience through the 60s-70s. A time before ubiquitous electronic communications. Back then you really would have been disconnecting by keeping your office door shut and focusing on your work.
Mapping those observations to today's environment, the individual in a closed private office is more like a hermit with a mailbox but no cell/internet connection.
- thfuran 11mo agoI think that hermit now would be significantly more isolated than the closed door person, since no one else now is using physical mail for professional communication.
- pengaru 11mo agoTrue, but it doesn't change the fact that in 2025 an engineer with a closed door but ethernet and cell connectivity is still likely to be inundated with a continuous stream of notifications and other forms of electronic correspondence with his peers.
- red-iron-pine 10mo agoput another way, I'm getting exposed to hundreds of ideas and people -- and probably 40% bots -- just being on HN a researcher in 1971 could maybe get yesterday's news via newspaper, or maybe radio -- but if they're closed door they're focusing, so they hear nothing else.