Esme Povirk @madewokherd@computerfairi.es
Joined Aug 2018
But, like. Dudes, the web sucks so much now that we want to spend our working life writing software that'll just render a fucking article without distractions.
We've been wanting to make a "browser" that doesn't render HTML/JS/CSS from the server and instead converts the content to a non-executable format (like markdown but probably not actually markdown) that it then displays in a consistent way.
This is the nuclear option for the constant distractions that are common now.
We're not doing that because we're pretty sure it would be a full-time job we wouldn't get paid for, and we'd have to abandon all the existing projects we maintain.
In an ADHD-normative world, every object would come with at least 2 bits of external memory.
Esme Povirk
boosted
I keep seeing the "cars replaced horses" thing related to "AI."
People keep comparing "AI" to cars (positively) without thinking about the fact that cars were forced on people (AAA bought up and destroyed tram lines, there were massive protests, etc), and are the primary driver of climate change that is currently on track to make complex human society impossible. Meanwhile, cities that weren't destroyed for cars, or that have reversed most of the damage, are some of the most desirable places to live.
Maybe we could take the car analogy as a warning. Maybe it could be a reminder to think about how forcing technology on people against their will can reshape society in a profoundly negative way.
The answer for cities has been to right-size transit. Eliminate cars wherever possible, maintain emergency vehicles and mobility aids, and find more efficient alternatives (bikes, trams, metros, and trains) where possible. I feel as though we can extrapolate from the metaphor.
We do not have to repeat the mistake of reshaping society around a single, oversimplified, solution in order to benefit a tiny minority. Perhaps we can actually choose the right technologies based on use cases, rather than hype or dogma.
Cars didn't replace horses. Cars replaced walkable cities, tram lines and mass transit, and children playing in the streets.
"Cars replaced horses" to the benefit of a small group of elite men, at tremendous cost to literally everyone else. When people say, "AI is the new 'cars replacing horses'" they are saying something very specific about their privilege and intentions.
Just because we are incomprehensible and strange doesn't mean we should be feared.
Support your local eldritch horror.
Joined Aug 2018
