While it doesn’t have as much self-reported analyses and graphs as some more iconic Gwern long-form reads, I think it roughly holds true for Millenials that grew up in the same time period. I do...
While it doesn’t have as much self-reported analyses and graphs as some more iconic Gwern long-form reads, I think it roughly holds true for Millenials that grew up in the same time period.
I do think an implicit point that isn’t necessarily highlighted (caveat: I did initial skimming rather than a deep read), is that most of these changes happened before 2010. The past 10-ish years haven’t fundamentally changed the world the same way the 90s-10s did. The past 10 years may have extended concepts realized in the original dotcom-boom, but they also displayed the enshittification that occurs when you take these concepts to a logical conclusion.
Gwern might have done a good reminder, though, that we have progressed as a society in many somewhat un-sexy ways. We take for granted the relative comfort that we live in as if it weren’t the pinnacle of civilized society. That being said, I think it’s easy to project a lot of future progress by the recent(ish) rate of change. It may be that we’re exhausting the available solutions (/low hanging fruit) that exist in our current paradigm, and so we should be due for a new paradigm shift instead of expecting more incremental change.
Fully off topic but I'm always a little amused at things like this When I have zero clue who someone is. It reminds me that my experiences aren't universal either.
Fully off topic but I'm always a little amused at things like this
iconic Gwern long-form reads
When I have zero clue who someone is. It reminds me that my experiences aren't universal either.
Meal delivery exploded post COVID but was definitely around before. Being able to do takeout cocktails or get alcohol delivered from those apps is pretty new. Curbside pickup for restaurants at...
Meal delivery exploded post COVID but was definitely around before. Being able to do takeout cocktails or get alcohol delivered from those apps is pretty new.
Curbside pickup for restaurants at least on a large scale
Curbside for dispensaries (at least in IL)
Zoom calls and virtual meetings exploded, even though they did exist before.
Also curbside for grocery stores, at least in my area it was basically unheard of. Pre covid I was working at a multinational company so Zoom was pretty standard for us already and we already had...
Also curbside for grocery stores, at least in my area it was basically unheard of.
Pre covid I was working at a multinational company so Zoom was pretty standard for us already and we already had a remote work culture.
I felt bad for the companies who didn’t ever have to do that before, honestly. For my team at that company the transition was intuitive and seamless, we didn’t miss a beat.
There was definitely food delivery pre-covid. I remember when Uber Eats was expanding and they had a $5 off deal for boba while I was in college, so we'd all get boba orders that were just above...
There was definitely food delivery pre-covid. I remember when Uber Eats was expanding and they had a $5 off deal for boba while I was in college, so we'd all get boba orders that were just above $5, and then pay like $0.20 no delivery fee and just spam the shit out of it. That was probably bad for my blood sugar at the time.
It existed, but it hadn’t really taken off yet. I see people with issues budgeting because they cant stop ordering using Doordash, and that wasn’t a thing back then.
It existed, but it hadn’t really taken off yet. I see people with issues budgeting because they cant stop ordering using Doordash, and that wasn’t a thing back then.
This is apropos. On our morning walk this morning my wife, feeling disheartened by the state of the world, asked if anything had really improved in the last 20 years. I mentioned cars and...
This is apropos. On our morning walk this morning my wife, feeling disheartened by the state of the world, asked if anything had really improved in the last 20 years. I mentioned cars and computers (though they both come with caveats these days and there's a reason I drive and work on old cars) as a couple examples.
Her cynicism was high this morning, so she wasn't exactly feeling what I was putting out, but hopefully this will help.
While it doesn’t have as much self-reported analyses and graphs as some more iconic Gwern long-form reads, I think it roughly holds true for Millenials that grew up in the same time period.
I do think an implicit point that isn’t necessarily highlighted (caveat: I did initial skimming rather than a deep read), is that most of these changes happened before 2010. The past 10-ish years haven’t fundamentally changed the world the same way the 90s-10s did. The past 10 years may have extended concepts realized in the original dotcom-boom, but they also displayed the enshittification that occurs when you take these concepts to a logical conclusion.
Gwern might have done a good reminder, though, that we have progressed as a society in many somewhat un-sexy ways. We take for granted the relative comfort that we live in as if it weren’t the pinnacle of civilized society. That being said, I think it’s easy to project a lot of future progress by the recent(ish) rate of change. It may be that we’re exhausting the available solutions (/low hanging fruit) that exist in our current paradigm, and so we should be due for a new paradigm shift instead of expecting more incremental change.
Fully off topic but I'm always a little amused at things like this
When I have zero clue who someone is. It reminds me that my experiences aren't universal either.
I really want to see a list of things like this but for post-covid.
Like for example, meal delivery wasn’t really a thing pre covid.
Meal delivery exploded post COVID but was definitely around before. Being able to do takeout cocktails or get alcohol delivered from those apps is pretty new.
Curbside pickup for restaurants at least on a large scale
Curbside for dispensaries (at least in IL)
Zoom calls and virtual meetings exploded, even though they did exist before.
Also curbside for grocery stores, at least in my area it was basically unheard of.
Pre covid I was working at a multinational company so Zoom was pretty standard for us already and we already had a remote work culture.
I felt bad for the companies who didn’t ever have to do that before, honestly. For my team at that company the transition was intuitive and seamless, we didn’t miss a beat.
We only used something like Zoom or Skype (RIP) rarely so it was much less common. But yeah a lot of stuff existed in certain niches and then went big
There was definitely food delivery pre-covid. I remember when Uber Eats was expanding and they had a $5 off deal for boba while I was in college, so we'd all get boba orders that were just above $5, and then pay like $0.20 no delivery fee and just spam the shit out of it. That was probably bad for my blood sugar at the time.
It existed, but it hadn’t really taken off yet. I see people with issues budgeting because they cant stop ordering using Doordash, and that wasn’t a thing back then.
This is apropos. On our morning walk this morning my wife, feeling disheartened by the state of the world, asked if anything had really improved in the last 20 years. I mentioned cars and computers (though they both come with caveats these days and there's a reason I drive and work on old cars) as a couple examples.
Her cynicism was high this morning, so she wasn't exactly feeling what I was putting out, but hopefully this will help.