Advertising tech and AI coding tools are applications of technology stacks that could have been used to create what you and I might agree to be "better" tools. I don't need to tell you why ad tech got created instead of something that is a net societal benefit.

At the same time, I would say that, yes, those applications do indeed expand human capabilities. The important nuance here is whose capability, and to what end.

All I am saying is that opting out of this, in whatever form that takes, hands your agency over to those who would use it to enrich themselves at the cost of others. I sincerely feel that decades of this type of capitulation is exactly how we got to where we are today.

But this post (and the many I see like it) feels like giving up. And now's not the time for empathetic people to give up.

Technology is how we expand human capability. We are well within our rights to pick and choose how we interact with that capability. But it's starting to terrify me how it seems that the worst people in the world are more than willing to wield this power, while good people opt out. Billionaires are doing a remarkable job at making their vision of the future seem inevitable. Don't fall for it.

If more people aren't willing to help us steer this capability towards a better future, then we all know how this ends.

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46508481

Points: 1

# Comments: 1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hang_the_DJ

For example, let's look at "for you page" style algorithms. When I open Reels, I see incredible musicians, mind-blowing visual art and really thoughtful insights from people all over the world. That's exactly what I wanted out of the early internet, and here it is, an ever-evolving system that connects me with all the weird and amazing things that exist out in the world.

And those people in the world who make this content now have an agent actively connecting them with their audience. Yes, I realize this is an extremely charitable interpretation of what's happening behind the scenes. But often, the content I see feels very close to what the author is describing: Someone taking the time to describe their favorite tree.

If there was ever a "good ol' internet", it's still in there. It's just had tons of freeways and high-rise buildings built up around it. The older I get, the more it seems like you just need to let your eyes adjust a bit to see it.

Edited to add: My favorite tree, right now anyway, is a pair of birch trees in a park near my home. When they leaf out and the wind blows, I sit in the grass between them and it sounds almost like I'm at a beach, which is really nice because I'm about as far from an ocean as you can be on this planet.

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44320570

Points: 2

# Comments: 0

Since I am a fundamentally unserious person, I copied in the Friends theme song lyrics into the demo and what came out was a singing voice with guitar. In another test, I added [verse] and [chorus] labels and it's singing acappella.

[1] and [2] were prompted with just the lyrics. [3] was with the verse/chorus tags. I tried other popular songs, but for whatever reason, those didn't flip the switch to have it sing.

[1] http://the816.com/x/friends-1.mp3 [2] http://the816.com/x/friends-2.mp3 [3] http://the816.com/x/friends-3.mp3

We develop a wide range of interactive installations for stadiums, hospitals, museums and corporate environments. We are seeking a full stack developer with web-stack fundamentals who is interested in expanding into Touch Designer, Unreal and other frameworks. https://dimin.com

Interested in knowing more? I'm happy to chat over email: criebschlager@dimin.com

More details and application:

https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/jobs/ViewJobDeta...

Bob Slydell : So we just went ahead and fixed the glitch.

Bill Lumbergh : Great.

Dom Portwood : So, uh, Milton has been let go?

Bob Slydell : Well, just a second there, professor. We, uh, we fixed the glitch. So he won't be receiving a paycheck anymore, so it'll just work itself out naturally.

Bob Porter : We always like to avoid confrontation, whenever possible. Problem is solved from your end.

I don't agree that high productivity is the price of leisure. If that were the case, when do we get to cash that check? We've achieved record levels of productivity, so when do we get record levels of leisure?

I'm writing this as an American workaholic. So I'm in it as much as anybody. I'm just getting old and starting to ask a lot of questions. :)

https://thisnakedmind.com/this-naked-mind/

The author does a very analytical, scientific breakdown of the physiological and psychological factors at play with alcohol. For me, it helped a ton to understand that there were very real forces at play that were compelling me to drink, it wasn't necessarily a personal failing or weakness.

Best of luck to you! I am brutally aware of how tough it can be, but I can tell you the other side is pretty great.

It's just such an inspiring story about a group of humans who absolutely poured every last drop of their souls into their work. Meow Wolf holds a really special place in my brain. I hope before I'm done I can make something 1/10th as cool as what they've created.