11 Comments
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Joey Padgett's avatar

The geothermal breakthrough is definitely inspiring. I love that we're seeing progress with these experimental methods (geothermal, fusion) while simultaneously the existing renewables get cheaper and more efficient. It's an "all hands on deck" situation...

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Mark's avatar

How long before Llama begins to be taken over by the Enshittification process?

https://www.wired.com/story/tiktok-platforms-cory-doctorow/

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Andrew Smith's avatar

META is such a roller coaster. They have the zeitgeist right now, incredibly! Threads and then Llama might well propel them back into the trillion dollar club.

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Claudine Notacat's avatar

This “good news” seems terrifically dystopian for the most part.

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Packy McCormick's avatar

Which part? South Park is definitely weird, but open source AI to compete with closed, clean energy breakthrough, slowing Alzheimer's, and a clear look at where we are in molecular manufacturing all seem pretty great to me.

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Claudine Notacat's avatar

I hear you.

Admittedly, I only skimmed this roundup. Geothermal seems like good news. Hopefully the Alzheimer’s drug is as effective as clinical trials make it out to be.

But the galloping pace of tech just depresses me, because the humans wielding the tech tend to use it in ways that are detrimental to human happiness. AI’s main function seems to be putting creative people out of a job. And who knows what disastrously wacky 2nd-order consequences will arise from molecular manufacturing.

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Jesse Evers's avatar

I understand where you're coming from – I'm often overwhelmed by the way that the brilliant advances of of the last 50 years (and maybe the next 50) have been used. It feels like talent, wealth, and resources have been horribly misallocated.

But, as someone who is prone to catastrophizing, I've learned that it only makes me less engaged with the world to assume/predict the worst. Even if the worst predictions for our future are true (which, historically, has rarely been true), what good does it do us to believe them? Thinking that there's nothing to be done is a painful way to live...and I would know.

So I feel for you – sometimes I am you – and I sincerely encourage you to try to cultivate hope, however hard it is to imagine future good outcomes. Working towards a world where resources are used in a way that benefits everyone, and where technology, community, health, and happiness can exist symbiotically is (from a purely selfish point of view) infinitely more motivating and fulfilling than predicting doom.

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Joey Padgett's avatar

Separately from agreeing with your point, this is beautifully written...

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Jesse Evers's avatar

Thanks Joey :)

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Ryan's avatar

Respectfully, this makes you the doomer, not the news

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Claudine Notacat's avatar

It’s a badge I wear with pride.

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