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I was going to downvote you based on your first sentence. But then the rest of your comment brought you back to earth. Now that last sentence though: >>Still,
by smtddr 13y ago
I was going to downvote you based on your first sentence. But then the rest of your comment brought you back to earth.
Now that last sentence though:
>>Still, this is a reminder that we've all failed to create a better world with technology.
You cannot[1] say tech has given the world a net negative. This is all pedantic though because the bottom line is the protesters are upset and emotions have boiled over striking anyone that happens to be nearby. Right now, that's Google. Please Google and its employees, don't respond in a way that'll make this whole thing blow up more than it already has. The protesters do have a point; they're just not venting their anger in the best way possible. Their focus on Google will makes tech-people forget the bigger picture and start thing about "Why Google?" "Why this G-employee?"... and then we start down the path of crazy-town where there is no positive-outcome.
1. I do realize this is potentially debatable given the invention of stuff like the atomic-bomb. But let's not go there. As long as we haven't blown ourselves up and out of existence, tech is a net positive.
- normloman 13y agoI'm talking about silicon valley in particular. If you ask me, the privacy implications of facebook, google, et al cancel out the benefits of sharing photos with friends and more accurate search results. Not a net negative either. Just breaking even. Certainly, the world is a better place than it was in the last few decades. Technology had a role in that, but so did politics, culture, and societal trends.
- smtddr 13y agoThat's cool. I don't completely agree but at least if we're focused on SV then your point is reasonable.
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- actsasbuffoon 13y agoBefore it was known as Silicon Valley it was home to places like Bell Laboratories, Xerox PARC, the Stanford Research Institute, etc. Tech workers in SV created ethernet, optical storage, text to speech recognition, laser printing, the modern graphical user interface, and all of that was just at Xerox PARC! I'm pretty sure the transistor was invented at Bell Labs in SV. I agree that there are some privacy concerns about what's going on with social media companies, but if you think that's of equal importance to the transistor then I don't think we live in the same universe.
- nmodu 13y agoWith respect to self-driving cars, wouldn't the increased safety of our roads greatly outweigh the privacy implications? Think of all the lives that could be saved. >If you ask me, the privacy implications of facebook, google, et al cancel out the benefits of sharing photos with friends and more accurate search results. We aren't just talking about "sharing photos with friends and more accurate search results" anymore. Having had many people that I care about torn away from me due to fatal car accidents, I personally believe that the trade-off here is a no-brainer. >Still, this is a reminder that we've all failed to create a better world with technology. Self-driving cars can (and will) create a better world.