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> Medical advances are way more profound than new apps or web pages. One of the main reasons medical advances are are coming out hard and fast is because of "n

> Medical advances are way more profound than new apps or web pages. One of the main reasons medical advances are are coming out hard and fast is because of "new apps or web pages." I really don't get this anti-tech bent. These technologies and connections are what is transforming science everywhere. Personally I think saying most web apps are a waste is like saying the space program is a waste. Personally I think these cutting edge technologies that seems to have no use are taking us amazing places.

deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
ende 12y ago
I agree with you whole heartedly. I would say that what medicine and biotechnology need their own apps and web technologies. Imagine if the next Uber or Instagram clone could instead be a patient facing app that integrates personal medical, genetic, fitness and dietary data with epidemiological trends to improve patient-doctor interactions for diagnoses and treatment? Or if biotech firms adopted the same open source ethos that many tech giants have embraced to contribute to a software development ecosystem that fuels innovation in the personalized medicine space? Unfortunately bioinformatics-in-practice tends to be about 10 years behind the rest of the tech sector, and the only thing that the giants of biotech share with their tech sector counterparts is a love for IP. Still, an inflow of ambitious tech talent into the biotech and biomedical space could hack the industry open. Then again, there's also regulatory capture.
saraid216 12y ago
> Personally I think saying most web apps are a waste is like saying the space program is a waste. While I think you have a point, I think this line is taking it a step too far. If a successful space program completely failed to actually produce any side effect innovation, at the end of the day, we still go to space. If a successful web app fails to produce side effects, you have a web app. Depending on the app, this might be a good thing, but it's hard to reliably say that a web app is comparable to going to space. In my mind, the advantage of having so many smart people working on trivial applications is that the risk of failure is low. If they were developing these technologies in the medical world, the risk of failure is debilitation and death. Comparatively, a giant privacy intrusion or not being able to play League of Legends for a day is something I can, literally, live with.
- settsu 12y ago
  Are you so unhappy with your life that you have to tear others down to feels better?

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

ende 12y ago

I agree with you whole heartedly. I would say that what medicine and biotechnology need their own apps and web technologies. Imagine if the next Uber or Instagram clone could instead be a patient facing app that integrates personal medical, genetic, fitness and dietary data with epidemiological trends to improve patient-doctor interactions for diagnoses and treatment? Or if biotech firms adopted the same open source ethos that many tech giants have embraced to contribute to a software development ecosystem that fuels innovation in the personalized medicine space? Unfortunately bioinformatics-in-practice tends to be about 10 years behind the rest of the tech sector, and the only thing that the giants of biotech share with their tech sector counterparts is a love for IP. Still, an inflow of ambitious tech talent into the biotech and biomedical space could hack the industry open. Then again, there's also regulatory capture.

saraid216 12y ago

> Personally I think saying most web apps are a waste is like saying the space program is a waste. While I think you have a point, I think this line is taking it a step too far. If a successful space program completely failed to actually produce any side effect innovation, at the end of the day, we still go to space. If a successful web app fails to produce side effects, you have a web app. Depending on the app, this might be a good thing, but it's hard to reliably say that a web app is comparable to going to space. In my mind, the advantage of having so many smart people working on trivial applications is that the risk of failure is low. If they were developing these technologies in the medical world, the risk of failure is debilitation and death. Comparatively, a giant privacy intrusion or not being able to play League of Legends for a day is something I can, literally, live with.

settsu 12y ago
Are you so unhappy with your life that you have to tear others down to feels better?