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<rant> The computer was a great invention. The Internet also is a big enabler. But the latest computers and phones are hardly innovative: Compared to what you

by andor 13y ago

<rant> The computer was a great invention. The Internet also is a big enabler. But the latest computers and phones are hardly innovative: Compared to what you got 5 years ago, they might be smaller and have better power efficiency. But on the grand scale, how does that matter? If you see the latest Macbooks being introduced, you probably want to get one. It's very shiny and the Retina screen will allow you to experience computing in a great way. People try to become happy by spending money for experiences. Tourism, iPhones, hipster coffee shops. They don't do it because it's the universal recipe for happiness and living your life, but because it's what capitalist societies expect you to do. Most "innovation" and "disruption" only leads to zero-sum money shifts inside this system. If you think that a retina screen is innovative, i think you need to get some perspective. The same goes for cars. The Germans (where I come from) think that they're innovative because we have a few luxury car makers here. Cars in general are great, they provide mobility and that's useful. But how are the new cars better than what was available 30 years ago? They're not even more fuel efficient. Bill Gates seems to have got it when he stopped working full-time at Microsoft. All over the world people are using their software, but if we were using OS/2 and Lotus instead of Windows and Office nothing would change. It went very well for him and his company, but nothing they ever did was as important for humankind as what Bill Gates is doing now: giving life to millions by completely eliminating malaria and polio from the planet and supporting AIDS and TB research with huge sums. </rant>

downandout 13y ago
If you see the latest Macbooks being introduced, you probably want to get one. It's very shiny and the Retina screen will allow you to experience computing in a great way. I do not want to get a Macbook. They are vastly overpriced and underpowered. If I ran a movie studio, I might buy a Mac Pro. But that's about it. Cars in general are great, they provide mobility and that's useful. But how are the new cars better than what was available 30 years ago? They're not even more fuel efficient. Look at traffic fatality numbers over the last 30 years, and tell me that we haven't made innovations that haven't impacted lives. How many kids have parents that were able to raise them because they didn't die in a traffic accident that they would have died in before?
beachstartup 13y ago
> Compared to what you got 5 years ago, they might be smaller and have better power efficiency. But on the grand scale, how does that matter? This is insane, wrong, and dishonest. How old are you? I'm 30 and during my adult life (the past decade, basically) we've gone from phones that were essentially unreliable walkie-talkies with shitty battery life to ultra fast portable computers with 10 megabit internet connections and 4 or 5 different onboard technologies (gps, camera, etc). WTF are you talking about sir. Do we live on the same planet?
- andor 13y ago
  Smartphones and tablets are the new TVs. Of course, hardware is much faster than 10 years ago, but what is it used for? What is the impact of smartphones on humanity? They have changed communication and entertainment patterns quite a lot, and not in a good way I'd argue. Communication is now cheaper and faster than ever, which means that many people don't think for themselves before they tweet or write an email. Also, many people prefer not to think at all and use their phones to distract themselves by consuming a constant stream of meaningless stuff. By the way, the mobile phones that I had 10 years ago (Sony Ericsson, Siemens) were quite reliable and had good battery life.

by andor 13y ago

downandout 13y ago

If you see the latest Macbooks being introduced, you probably want to get one. It's very shiny and the Retina screen will allow you to experience computing in a great way. I do not want to get a Macbook. They are vastly overpriced and underpowered. If I ran a movie studio, I might buy a Mac Pro. But that's about it. Cars in general are great, they provide mobility and that's useful. But how are the new cars better than what was available 30 years ago? They're not even more fuel efficient. Look at traffic fatality numbers over the last 30 years, and tell me that we haven't made innovations that haven't impacted lives. How many kids have parents that were able to raise them because they didn't die in a traffic accident that they would have died in before?

beachstartup 13y ago

> Compared to what you got 5 years ago, they might be smaller and have better power efficiency. But on the grand scale, how does that matter? This is insane, wrong, and dishonest. How old are you? I'm 30 and during my adult life (the past decade, basically) we've gone from phones that were essentially unreliable walkie-talkies with shitty battery life to ultra fast portable computers with 10 megabit internet connections and 4 or 5 different onboard technologies (gps, camera, etc). WTF are you talking about sir. Do we live on the same planet?

andor 13y ago
Smartphones and tablets are the new TVs. Of course, hardware is much faster than 10 years ago, but what is it used for? What is the impact of smartphones on humanity? They have changed communication and entertainment patterns quite a lot, and not in a good way I'd argue. Communication is now cheaper and faster than ever, which means that many people don't think for themselves before they tweet or write an email. Also, many people prefer not to think at all and use their phones to distract themselves by consuming a constant stream of meaningless stuff. By the way, the mobile phones that I had 10 years ago (Sony Ericsson, Siemens) were quite reliable and had good battery life.