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I think the author is describing how the smartphone became revolutionary for uses that were beyond its initial incarnation. If you look at the sentence in cont
by gregwtmtno 12y ago
I think the author is describing how the smartphone became revolutionary for uses that were beyond its initial incarnation.
If you look at the sentence in context, the preceding paragraph says it is the smartphone that "became the basis of a wide range of powerful new tech applications, from messaging to ride-sharing to payments." I think the author was trying to say that having the world respond to your "desires nearly automatically" might open similar "new tech vistas." That's how I read it anyway.
Also, please consider the new Hacker News guideline against gratuitous negativity.
- gumby 12y ago> Also, please consider the new Hacker News guideline against gratuitous negativity. I'm glad for that guideline, but I didn't read the parent comment as gratuitous negativity, but as a legitimately posed criticism. That was my read. As it happens I read the excerpted section differently when it was in context, but all that means is I disagreed with the parent's statement. FWIW
- bkurtz13 12y agoI understand the reasoning behind curating a community to promote the kind of discourse users desire, but the type of self censorship that this comment promotes unsettles me. I feel like the "negativity" that HN is so concerned about could be dealt with through down votes. The "gratuitous negativity" edict feels Orwellian, and I question its value vs unintended consequences.