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19 votes
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The deregulation of cancer - a legal analysis of trends in the US
13 votes -
Which summer 2024 anime are popular in the US compared to Japan
8 votes -
Let's talk 'underconsumption core'
31 votes -
Traditionally in the Swedish church the bride and groom walk down the aisle together – but the patriarchal handover is catching on, and now Lutherans want to stop it
24 votes -
What happened to the lovers on the run movie?
6 votes -
Icelandic supermarkets have been left in a pickle, after a viral TikTok trend saw an unprecedented surge in demand for cucumbers
7 votes -
Viral hot sauce challenges have fueled a $100 million chile pepper arms race
26 votes -
The magic of tabletop crowdfunding is dying
18 votes -
The trends and future of specialty coffee
7 votes -
Once threatened with extinction, towel animals are absolutely thriving
13 votes -
Last summer Swedish carmaker Volvo announced it would limit UK sales to more popular SUV models – change of heart sees V60 and V90 set to return
9 votes -
Fit to be dyed: The enduring appeal of tie-dye
15 votes -
Steam Business Update - Update on the Steam Platform, features, and global trends
32 votes -
Song lyrics are getting more repetitive, angrier
18 votes -
Oysters: The luxury delicacy that was once a fast-food fad
14 votes -
An opinion on current technological trends
For a while now I am personally completely dissatisfied with the direction the (mainstream)technology is taking. Almost universally the theme is simplification on end user facing side. That by...
For a while now I am personally completely dissatisfied with the direction the (mainstream)technology is taking.
Almost universally the theme is simplification on end user facing side. That by itself would not be so bad but products that go this route currently universally include loss of control of the user including things I would not have believed would be accepted just a decade or so ago. Forced telemetry(aka spying on user habits), forced updates(aka forcefully changing functionality without consent of the user), loss of information - simplification of error messages to absolute uselessness, loss of customization options or their removal to parts that are impossible to find unless you know about them already, nagware and bloatware and ads forcefully included in base os install. And that is simply the desktop/laptop environment.The mobile one is truly insane and anything other "smart" is simply closed sw and hw not regarding user agency at all.
Personally I consider the current iteration of "just works" approach flawed, problems will inevitably arise. Withholding basic information and tools simply means that the end user does not know what happened and is dependent on support for trivialities. I also consider various hmmm, oops and such error messages degrading and helping to cultivate a culture of technological helplessness.
To be honest I believe the option most people(generally) end up taking of disinterest in even the superficial basics of technology is an objectively bad one. Computing is one of the most complex and advanced technologies we have but the user facing side even in systems such as Linux or Windows 7 and older is simple to understand and use effectively with minimal effort. I do not believe most people are incapable of acquiring enough proficiency to for example install an os or take a reasonable guess at what a sane error message means or even understand the basics of using a terminal, they simply choose to not bother. But we live and will continue to live in a technological world and some universal technological literacy is needed to prevent loss of options and loss of agency of the end user. The changes introduced in mainstream sw are on a very clear trajectory that will not change by itself.
I have this vision of a future where the end user interacts solely with curated LLM systems without the least understanding of what is happening, why it is happening or who makes it happen. The blackbox nature of such systems then introducing subtle biases that were not caught in brute force patches over the systems or simply not caught, perpetuating who knows what. Unfortunately I do not think it is sufficiently unlikely by the current trends.
Up to a point I get not wanting to deal with problems with technology but instead roadblocks are introduced that are as annoying to get through with the difference that they will not stay fixed. Technology is directing massive portion of our lives, choosing to not make an effort to understand the absolute surface of it is I think not a sound decision and creates a culture where it is possible to introduce disempowering changes en masse.
So far this has been a rant honestly and perhaps I just needed to vent but I am actually interested in the thoughts of the community on this broad topic.
37 votes -
The new architecture wars
6 votes -
South Korea warns against social media trend of eating fried toothpicks
20 votes -
Sludge videos are taking over social media and people’s mind
16 votes -
Denmark set to withdraw the 1,000 kroner note, its largest denomination, from circulation by May 2025 – just 10% of payments in stores are made in cash
26 votes -
Grassy, herbal and sweet: How peas on toast is edging out avocados for brunch
19 votes -
Millions of people see staying home and cleaning as their idea of a good time
31 votes -
Sweden holds grim warning for the $4bn padel craze – conversions to warehouses and budget grocery stores after the sport's pandemic boom turned to bust
7 votes -
Where have all the girlbosses gone?
20 votes -
After two decades the dominance of Google Search comes into question
85 votes -
Ten open challenges/research directions in LLM research
7 votes -
A movement known as Architectural Uprising is pushing back against Scandinavian design trends – and sometimes forcing architects back to the drawing board
25 votes -
A resurgence of the permanent wave hair style for men
20 votes -
Is it time to do away with “good taste?”
8 votes -
Where did all the tween fashion go?
10 votes -
A growing share of TikTok's adult users say they regularly get news on the site, bucking the trend on other social media platforms
7 votes -
The backless boy’s suit is here to stay
8 votes -
Why do new cars look like this? (Gray and without any flake, as if formed out of dough)
14 votes -
Predict the next five years in the US
How do you see the next 5 years playing out, politically, economically, socially, militarily? In areas that hit closest to you? I feel I'm not confident in making a forecast more specific than...
How do you see the next 5 years playing out, politically, economically, socially, militarily? In areas that hit closest to you? I feel I'm not confident in making a forecast more specific than “nothing good will happen." And yet I have to make huge decisions about where to live and work.
6 votes -
The forces of authoritarianism are getting slicker and deeper, and that disturbs me
A friend shared a troubling website with me. I'm not 100% sure why I found the site so troubling, but one thing that stands out is its slick sophistication. There are two primary facets to this...
A friend shared a troubling website with me. I'm not 100% sure why I found the site so troubling, but one thing that stands out is its slick sophistication. There are two primary facets to this sophistication: the organization and the presentation. https://defeatthemandatesdc.com.
The presentation is, at very first glance, about what I would expect from a leftist or progressive group. It didn't take long for me to detect something was off, and an a quick reading of what they are after confirms it's neither leftist nor progressive. But that very first impression, which was followed by a sense of confusion as part of my subconscious detected the true message, was unique for me, I can usually detect political bias instantaneously. (This is a curse more than anything else, a symptom born from trauma, but that's another discussion.)
Regarding the organization, it seems focussed and professional. There's some real effort and intellegince both behind the design and messaging at least. If that is representative of a larger effort, that indicates significant funding and effective organization skills at play. I can't quite articulate what's differnt from previous and ongoing, similar efforts. There's something, fundamentally different here that projects real power, depth, and sophistication, and that is deeply disturbing. Efforts like whatever was behind Jan 6 seem chaotic and angry. This effort feels more collected, dispassionate, focussed, and expansive.
14 votes -
Scissor labels
6 votes -
The history of tie-dye
6 votes -
What's something you wish made a comeback?
Can be anything: art, culture, technology, society. What's something valuable that we left behind, and would be awesome to revive?
19 votes -
The next great disruption is hybrid work—thoughts from Microsoft on the future of work
9 votes -
A factsheet about single people in the USA
10 votes -
How the self-esteem craze took over America
8 votes -
Website design trends you’ll want to know about and try in 2020 and beyond
6 votes -
National trends in grade inflation, American colleges and universities
15 votes -
Knitting’s tangled history: From aristocrats to punks, the humble yarn has spun its way through centuries of social change
3 votes -
From Nelson's apple to beef wellington: How war changes the way we eat
3 votes -
CES 2020 summary: Pork, driverless cars, new wearable sensors, folding computers, integrated tech
4 votes -
Scifi trends over the decades
I've just finished The Sirens of Titan from 1959 (after seeing it recommended here, actually) and something struck me compared to more recent books. A lot of the more technical stuff is kind of...
I've just finished The Sirens of Titan from 1959 (after seeing it recommended here, actually) and something struck me compared to more recent books. A lot of the more technical stuff is kind of hand-waved away. It's not a criticism, just something that stuck out as I was reading. Is this a trend? Do readers demand more details these days? I've read a bunch of sci fi from the 60s until the present day, but I've only really gotten back into it more recently with Sirens.
Perhaps I've read too much Neal Stephenson, who has likely never hand-waved anything away! The Martian also springs to mind, but that's very deliberately focused on the details and keeping it realistic, IIRC.
Spoilers
I'm mostly thinking about the radio-controlling of the Martian army beyond "there is a little box in their pocket" and most of the atmospheric questions beyond how they breathe.
13 votes -
The empty promises of Marie Kondo and the craze for minimalism
20 votes -
The decade in fashion: These were the trendsetters in an ever-shifting parade of fashion
5 votes