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> But technologists used to work on big problems. Not First World problems, but whole world problems -- sending humans to the moon, ending poverty, ending disea

by jwoah12 14y ago

> But technologists used to work on big problems. Not First World problems, but whole world problems -- sending humans to the moon, ending poverty, ending disease I see this sentiment a lot these days, and I can't help but wonder if this is a case of looking into the past through rose-tinted glasses. Just like how people always talk about the "good ole' days" while selectively forgetting about everything that was wrong during that time. Could this all be selection bias? Decades ago, the barrier to entry to become a technologist and start a tech company was a lot higher. Writing software was harder, more expensive, and fewer people were trained to do it. Therefore those people had to be especially passionate and skilled at the craft. I think this subset of technologists still exists and is probably even larger than it was "back then," but since there are so many more developers out there today, they make up a smaller percentage.

pjscott 14y ago
Of course it's just selection bias. People remember the big, exciting things, like going to the moon, or eradicating polio, or multiplying crop yields several times over. They don't remember the boring, everyday stuff. It would be surprising if this didn't cause selection bias. And so, inevitably, we get articles which bemoan how we've fallen, compared to a past that never existed.
npsimons 14y ago
The article might be more of a personal ponderance than anything, even though the author calls out others. Yes, everything that was wrong back then is being ignored, so that we can focus on a simple fact: most of us are probably not living up to our potential. So it's easier to get into business or write code these days? That's even more reason why we shouldn't be squandering our opportunities! Look at what you do for a living and ask yourself: is it meaningful? Will it truly matter after you're dead and gone? Is it helping to make the world a better place? At a bare minimum, does it make you happy?

by jwoah12 14y ago

pjscott 14y ago

Of course it's just selection bias. People remember the big, exciting things, like going to the moon, or eradicating polio, or multiplying crop yields several times over. They don't remember the boring, everyday stuff. It would be surprising if this didn't cause selection bias. And so, inevitably, we get articles which bemoan how we've fallen, compared to a past that never existed.

npsimons 14y ago

The article might be more of a personal ponderance than anything, even though the author calls out others. Yes, everything that was wrong back then is being ignored, so that we can focus on a simple fact: most of us are probably not living up to our potential. So it's easier to get into business or write code these days? That's even more reason why we shouldn't be squandering our opportunities! Look at what you do for a living and ask yourself: is it meaningful? Will it truly matter after you're dead and gone? Is it helping to make the world a better place? At a bare minimum, does it make you happy?