tanker

Consumers are like water seeking the path of least resistance. It takes lots of engineers to reduce the resistance. Someone pays these engineers. That money comes from the users. Users don't like to actually pay for things if there is a free alternative, so users pay indirectly with their information.

A Facebook clone wouldn't pull many users due to network effects. I think decentralization is opposed to network effects in this case.

The article mentions the somewhat current but certainly future problem of decisions being made by algorithms which "casually crush" users without any human being able to determine why it happened (and in many cases unable to fix it).

They could fix this problem by hiring more people and giving them more power to correct the system, but it will probably never be a big enough problem to affect the bottom line.

Increasing awareness of the problem and technical skill among users would probably cause users to become more autonomous and less like water. This is a long term possibility, but it strikes me as an unappealing fight. It’s like trying to convince an entire generation to take bitter medicine without any parents to assist. I’ll assume users won’t be getting better. Perhaps we just need to focus on building better ways to protect ourselves from the almighty algorithm, so there are options when the system fails. We can protect our data from online shopping sites by having nodes that process purchases for a large number of users and perhaps ship to a network of local points where pickup is by some type of PKI based system. Social networks seem like a lost cause. A return to blogs with lots of links rather than a replacement network may be the answer.

You identified a separate problem from the parent post rather than refuting it.

#1: Big corporations can push small guys out of business by tying up their products in patent disputes.

#2: Patent trolls can bleed corporations big and small while producing nothing of value.

These problems are specific to the patent industry.

Are there similar problems in other areas of the law? If so, we may be able to identify and try to solve the larger problem. If not, we just need to focus on patent reform which is an easier problem.

Your comment made me think about how Waze could direct many people on slightly sub-optimal routes to clear the main routes for some class of premium users.

I wanted it originally because Amazon didn't have a Kindle app for Linux. I could read in browser, but I thought this would be the easiest way to download and read.

I think the organic material idea is good, but not at a distant collection point. If you throw organic material away --> transport to site --> sort it --> delay --> transport to stores --> transport back to garden I think you lose the energy battle.

If you created local dump sites where trash could be sorted and composted, it could work. You also cut down on the amount (and as a result the energy) of trash that gets thrown in the dump. Obvious obstacles are the inability to get people to use the local sites, the initial costs / availability of land, and the resistance to dumps in neighborhoods.

A potential 2nd level effect would be the long term state of trash dumps. At least some dumps are eventually reclaimed. Would reducing or eliminating the organic content prevent that from happening?

True, but then they are the all-time greats for a reason.

I consider a progressive tax code to be justified by supporting the system which permits large gains.

There is also an argument about holding onto large amounts of wealth being difficult without expending some of your resources to protect it. If nothing else, taxes spread the burden of the security apparatus around. If you have more to lose, you pay more to protect it.

I think haircuts are a buyer beware situation.

I trust the average person to give safe haircuts 100/100 times.

If the hairdresser is noticeably disturbed or drugged, I'll be moving on. I can leave at any point in the process if I feel I am in danger.

Out of curiosity, I searched for haircut related deaths and they were all customers killing the hairdresser because they were upset about how they looked. Based on the actual danger, I would suggest licensing someone to receive a haircut may be the more effective method of increasing haircut safety.

I think your decisions were reasonable.

Would you consider a part time teaching job now?

If so, how many days per week and at what salary?

I disagree. I like the analogy of a magazine or newspaper publishing letters to the editor. There is a two way aspect, but clearly the editors choose what to publish.

>For the autodidact it is a time to begin choosing modules that make sense for their own career trajectory.

I think the end of his part 2 courses is a good point to pick a set of courses that will get you to your desired end state. I would also say that completing these courses would establish sufficient mathematical literacy for many purposes.

I would love to see similar guides for other subjects. Personally, I would be interested in guides for chemistry and mechanical engineering.

I think a sunset on all laws would be helpful. It would probably require a change to other parliamentary procedures or the representatives wouldn't have enough time to vote on everything. I expect the US would struggle with this more than most countries. The alternative is less government due to political gridlock. Perhaps that would result in more of these programs being managed at the state or local level.

Initially, every time a soy farmer support bill died due to a sunset time it could be a media issue. Some big bills will continue to die or be renewed amid a media frenzy; however, our capacity for sensation is limited. Many bills would die quietly. A delightful side effect could be the generation of enough actual news to keep the media busy reporting on useful topics.

A maximum word length or similar requirement sounds good; however, it might not be practical. If you prevented disparate pieces of legislation from being voted on as a single law, a limit on length might work and promote transparency.

I've been wanting to buy a Digital Paper from Sony since it came out for technical articles / textbooks.

Overall, I think the product is worth the price (around $1000 last time I checked), but I have other things to spend the money on right now. It seems to be marketed towards legal firms (possibly a source of the high price), but I don't need the collaboration software.

Author is not Scott Adams.

I double checked.