Let's Riff on the next Tech/Social Revolution

[C-Mag]

So am I. I don't see automation taking all the jobs for a long, long time.

If a long, long time is less than about 40 years, okay.

Come on Global Carrington Event, let's reset this bitch.

[brewster]

Or on my same rant, explain to me why my refrigerator needs an LCD screen that shows me the weather, movies, etc, (and probably runs Windows), all on the internet of course? Seems to me like one more expensive thing to fix when it breaks, just to have my refrigerator work like my $40 tablet, that I can replace easily/cheaply rather than a $400 service call.

Sure, it "looks techno whiz-bang beats cool", but does it really make any sense?

...meanwhile, what used to be a simple dumb system with a thermostat turns into an internet device, full of Windows security holes, and some hacker turns it to 80F and ruins $400 of food while I'm on vacation. It's a "smart" device, right?

The bad new is anything but a bottom end fridge has a computer in it. The good news is it's easier to change than the motherboard of a desktop. 1st time the MB of my Samsung went I paid hundreds for a service call. Next time (the fucking machine is less than a decade old) I ordered the board for $120 and did it myself after viewing Youtube's on it.

I'm all for training and education subsidization. It's truly worthy of tax payer money because it gives so much back. Obviously we can argue about how shitty education can be, but education is the key to lifting people out of their lot and moving society forward.

I agree, sort of, if you include technical training. But then why have we cut the government education aid now continually since Reagan?? This has not only driven up the cost of college but also driven trade training out of high schools.

[C-Mag]

I agree, sort of, if you include technical training. But then why have we cut the government education aid now continually since Reagan?? This has not only driven up the cost of college but also driven trade training out of high schools.

Subsidizing higher education with student loans did this to us, and we don't even talk about it in this country.
Universities are raping families and individuals of wealth across the country and it's taboo to take the Universities to task for it.

[TheReal_ND]

Not hacking your fridge into your neighbors wifi to see what's in his fridge.

It's like you're not even trying.

[brewster]

I agree, sort of, if you include technical training. But then why have we cut the government education aid now continually since Reagan?? This has not only driven up the cost of college but also driven trade training out of high schools.

Subsidizing higher education with student loans did this to us, and we don't even talk about it in this country.
Universities are raping families and individuals of wealth across the country and it's taboo to take the Universities to task for it.

There's a lot of moving parts, but first came cutting aid, tution moved up, and them came the bankster with a "great solution" of everybody going into debt which enabled the perpetually spiraling up tuition. Every time the aid was cut and tuition went up, there were the banksters dealing out debt like a corner crack hustler, and the tax cutters could claim another victory for the people.

[KerningChameleon]

Not hacking your fridge into your neighbors wifi to see what's in his fridge.

It's like you're not even trying.

Got our heating/cooling system replaced this year, and they replaced a perfectly good Honeywell manual thermostat circa 1965 with some also Honeywell touchscreen POS with wifi connection and a damn phone app. Those things are riddled with security holes and are almost never patched, and patching apparently requires physically plugging something in? WTF? Still haven't connected it to the network and don't plan to within this lifetime. I'd only consider plugging it and any other Internet of Shit device on an entirely separate router, no easy footholds into my porn stash, thanks.

Anyway, here's yet another video talking about this:



The problem isn't the tech, the problem is our economy was built on the assumption human labor would always be needed to maintain the supply chain. If that suddenly becomes false, the whole system falls apart. We need to think up a new system to accommodate the new reality, not try to prop up an old failing one because change is scary.

[TheReal_ND]

Keep your pizza safe

[doc_loliday]

@Brewster

I would absolutely include technical training. If we're talking about getting people genuine skills, I'm willing to shell out a lot of money for my fellow countrymen. Human capital is what is what gives us our edge.

Also, I don't venerate Reagan, he's not some conservative hero of mine.

And keep in mind that we already do spend a lot more on education than other countries and we are not getting what we're paying for.

@Carlos

I understand the problem. Somehow we have got to turn schools and universities back into places of education and not indoctrination camps, and increase the number of people that are actually getting skills and education. Perhaps vouchers is the way to go. I'd be willing to try just about anything.

[Speaker to Animals]

I think we are looking at it all wrong.

For a lot of things, we don't really need universities. We should consider going back to the classical model of education, with students directly seeking out specific individuals to teach them. Provide some common spaces and resources (the campus, I guess), but other than that, let at least part of higher education develop organically. This is especially true for probably the entire arts departments at every university.

Engineering, actual science, and mathematics.. not so much. But cut out all that liberal arts garbage and the university would go back to normal real fast.

And.. no.. I am not against liberal arts. I just don't think they have a place in the university in the way they have come to dominate them. These programs have become cancer. What liberal arts programs go on in a university should be so difficult that at least half the population would never be accepted. That's kind of the point of universities. Think about it for a while. Most people should not even be able to go to college.

[doc_loliday]

Liberal arts can be completely decentralized at this point, all the essential reading is free. You'd never need to leave your house.