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But that's just it. Silicon Valley is no longer changing anything. I don't know if this was ever the case but the reason I started learning about computers and

But that's just it. Silicon Valley is no longer changing anything. I don't know if this was ever the case but the reason I started learning about computers and the theory of computation in general was because I saw it as a way of empowering people and giving them a means of achieving their own goals. This is no longer the case. I see very few companies that are using technology with that intention or building something with that goal in mind. All I see are ways of tricking people into clicking on ads or tricking them into doing free work by giving them tokens, e.g. Yelp. This isn't to say that technologists are entirely to blame but they played a large role in disempowering an entire generation by giving them gimped tools that were meant more for control than empowerment. Why the hell do I need to know what "rooting" a device means if I want to fully utilize all its capabilities. What is the point of locking down a general purpose computing machine if not for control.

optimusclimb 12y ago
If you think things haven't been changing enough, or aren't still changing, you aren't paying attention.
mathattack 12y ago
I've heard this "there are no more big changes left." Perhaps folks in the Valley are too close to the change to see it. Universal mobile connectivity is huge. Instant access to the world's information is huge. Instant access to each other is huge. Geolocation is huge. Right now we're just seeing ripples on the surface, but industries are being eaten. Modern financial services couldn't operate without this technology. You can't compete with P&G and Walmart without this technology, because they are masters. The propoganda behind wars now happens on Twitter.
- dkarapetyan 12y ago
  You'll have to define what you mean by universal mobile connectivity because it is far from universal on a global scale. If you have internet then you might have access to the world's information or you might not depending on which part of the world you're in, i.e. countrywide firewalls and whatnot. Also, most of the world's information is still locked behind journal publisher paywalls. The stuff you get from tumbler I wouldn't call information. Instant access to each other we've basically had since email and text messaging and that hasn't changed. What has changed is business capitalizing on those connections to make money, i.e. Zuckerberg repackaging the internet as Facebook. I don't really know why you say geolocation is huge. I like my GPS but I can get around just fine without it. It might be huge in terms of government's ability to spy on me though. Maybe I'm a little too cynical but none of what you brought up changes the fact that all the tools and services we make available to people are more a means of oppression and control than they are as a lever that they can use to move the world. Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, etc. are all toys for teenagers. Google and other mega corps are information silos with secretive operations and basically black boxes that print money. Technology should be used to distribute power and wealth but instead it is used more and more every day to concentrate it in fewer and fewer hands. Financial sector you mentioned being an excellent example of such use.
snowwrestler 12y ago
I think you are too close to the politics of the tech industry to understand how technology continues to empower people. Social media platforms are new tools for communication. Populations in nations like Libya, Syria, Brazil, Egypt, etc. are using these tools to organize politically and socially. The tools give them powers of reach and speed that previously were only available to major media outlets like TV or radio station operators (who might be state-controlled anyway). Even in the U.S., the tools of digital communication are directly resulting in a growing diversity of political organizations, of which the Tea Party is currently the most prominent example. At the personal level, I can use Yelp to find all the restaurants that are near me physically right now. Trivial? Maybe, but it empowers the individual to make a personal decision. Developing a similar data set even 10 years ago would have take a lot of manual work. One does not have to built technology to be empowered by it. But even building technology is way easier than it was even 10 years ago. Powerful languages, development environments, libraries, operating systems, etc. are available to anyone for free. Anyone can lease a full Linux server for $5/month.

optimusclimb 12y ago

If you think things haven't been changing enough, or aren't still changing, you aren't paying attention.

mathattack 12y ago

I've heard this "there are no more big changes left." Perhaps folks in the Valley are too close to the change to see it. Universal mobile connectivity is huge. Instant access to the world's information is huge. Instant access to each other is huge. Geolocation is huge. Right now we're just seeing ripples on the surface, but industries are being eaten. Modern financial services couldn't operate without this technology. You can't compete with P&G and Walmart without this technology, because they are masters. The propoganda behind wars now happens on Twitter.

dkarapetyan 12y ago
You'll have to define what you mean by universal mobile connectivity because it is far from universal on a global scale. If you have internet then you might have access to the world's information or you might not depending on which part of the world you're in, i.e. countrywide firewalls and whatnot. Also, most of the world's information is still locked behind journal publisher paywalls. The stuff you get from tumbler I wouldn't call information. Instant access to each other we've basically had since email and text messaging and that hasn't changed. What has changed is business capitalizing on those connections to make money, i.e. Zuckerberg repackaging the internet as Facebook. I don't really know why you say geolocation is huge. I like my GPS but I can get around just fine without it. It might be huge in terms of government's ability to spy on me though. Maybe I'm a little too cynical but none of what you brought up changes the fact that all the tools and services we make available to people are more a means of oppression and control than they are as a lever that they can use to move the world. Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, etc. are all toys for teenagers. Google and other mega corps are information silos with secretive operations and basically black boxes that print money. Technology should be used to distribute power and wealth but instead it is used more and more every day to concentrate it in fewer and fewer hands. Financial sector you mentioned being an excellent example of such use.

snowwrestler 12y ago

I think you are too close to the politics of the tech industry to understand how technology continues to empower people. Social media platforms are new tools for communication. Populations in nations like Libya, Syria, Brazil, Egypt, etc. are using these tools to organize politically and socially. The tools give them powers of reach and speed that previously were only available to major media outlets like TV or radio station operators (who might be state-controlled anyway). Even in the U.S., the tools of digital communication are directly resulting in a growing diversity of political organizations, of which the Tea Party is currently the most prominent example. At the personal level, I can use Yelp to find all the restaurants that are near me physically right now. Trivial? Maybe, but it empowers the individual to make a personal decision. Developing a similar data set even 10 years ago would have take a lot of manual work. One does not have to built technology to be empowered by it. But even building technology is way easier than it was even 10 years ago. Powerful languages, development environments, libraries, operating systems, etc. are available to anyone for free. Anyone can lease a full Linux server for $5/month.