Do you agree that Technology is going too far?

[Ronald Zeeman]

I thought technology had gone too far a would have become a member of the Amish religion.

 

[Crossbreed]

Someone who feels like technology is still manageable or sustainable isn't paying attention, in my opinion.

When you cannot afford it, it is no problem at all...

 

[MildredHubble]

Something I've said a million times before:

Stop believing every little thing you read. Headlines and articles and even broadcasts arent made with the intention of informing you. They're made with the intention of profiting off of the ad revenue you bring when you engage with it. Even when they're talking about something real, they absolutely WILL screw with the details if they think it'll bring them more money. Whatever they can get away with.

Also really it's the bloody internet. I want to point out a comment I saw under that video:

"There is already an installation of Bluetooth activated nano electronics in the Covid vaccinated."

The creator of the video agreed. Just think about that for a moment. See the problem?

I think that's all I need to say.

Awesome! I just got my COVID booster! Now I would like to Bluetooth pair with my phone so I can listen to Spotify in the bath without getting my headphones wet!

Honestly though, I see similar comments on science videos I watch on YouTube. Actually ask them to explain how you can create a Bluetooth IC small enough to inject into the body and how exactly this will be powered. They get a little sketchy at that point!

I do worry about modern technology permeating into out lives in ways that allow for intrusions into our privacy. To be honest I'm a bit of a luddite and I prefer my old 8bit computers. I even take them for the occasional spin on the interwebs these days. Makes you realise just how bloated your average website has become!

 

[foliodoe]

When you cannot afford it, it is no problem at all...

I don't think I'm catching your meaning, sorry...

 

[Crossbreed]

I don't think I'm catching your meaning, sorry...

Most intrusive personal tech (like the aforementioned smart mirror) is fairly expensive and will only find its way into affluent, first-world homes (not mine).

A wise man once said,
"A wealthy man pays a ransom to save his life;

a poor man never has to worry about such threats."​

 

[Misery]

Most intrusive personal tech (like the aforementioned smart mirror) is fairly expensive and will only find its way into affluent, first-world homes (not mine).

A wise man once said,
"A wealthy man pays a ransom to save his life;

a poor man never has to worry about such threats."​

Generally, yeah.

And a problem that often goes with that is that in many cases, those with the money to blow are also exactly the people who dont really learn to use the things. "Expensive thing should work like magic" is how that thought process goes. Doesnt help that some will buy into a particular gizmo not so much because it has features they will actually use, but instead because they can tell others that they have one, while only using (often incorrectly) 10% of what the thing is able to do.

I could rant for pages about this. I really could.

To be honest I'm a bit of a luddite and I prefer my old 8bit computers. I even take them for the occasional spin on the interwebs these days. Makes you realise just how bloated your average website has become!

Same here actually.

Something I've said often on this forum is the simple line "I miss DOS, it just did what you told it"

And that sums up my thoughts on modern PCs. Well, modern operating systems, really. As much as I appreciate what this giant glowing brick next to me can do, I really do often wish I still had some of my ancient machines still around. My old Tandy 1000 (or the 2500), I cant describe how much I want one of those again. There was something special about that thing, even if I'm never 100% sure what it is.

 

[MildredHubble]

Generally, yeah.

And a problem that often goes with that is that in many cases, those with the money to blow are also exactly the people who dont really learn to use the things. "Expensive thing should work like magic" is how that thought process goes. Doesnt help that some will buy into a particular gizmo not so much because it has features they will actually use, but instead because they can tell others that they have one, while only using (often incorrectly) 10% of what the thing is able to do.

I could rant for pages about this. I really could.



Same here actually.

Something I've said often on this forum is the simple line "I miss DOS, it just did what you told it"

And that sums up my thoughts on modern PCs. Well, modern operating systems, really. As much as I appreciate what this giant glowing brick next to me can do, I really do often wish I still had some of my ancient machines still around. My old Tandy 1000 (or the 2500), I cant describe how much I want one of those again. There was something special about that thing, even if I'm never 100% sure what it is.

I just love the form factors of old machines. I really like the paradigm of wedge shaped computers integrating the computer into the keyboard. It just feels right to me.

I love original computer hardware. I just don't really get along with emulation. I like to see the computer do it's thing without the clout of a core i9 or Thread Ripper behind it. Even if the emulation is cycle accurate.

LONG LIVE THE COMMAND LINE! IT SHALL RISE AGAIN COMRADES!

 

[foliodoe]

Most intrusive personal tech (like the aforementioned smart mirror) is fairly expensive and will only find its way into affluent, first-world homes (not mine).

A wise man once said,
"A wealthy man pays a ransom to save his life;

a poor man never has to worry about such threats."​

This just seems like a separate problem to me, honestly. The poor are already being exploited by the consumer tech they're able to access. Just being on the internet, for example, means that a person is exposed to all sorts of imagery and messaging that's being wielded against them like a weapon.

 

[Crossbreed]

You can't get blood out of a turnip.

 

[foliodoe]

You can't get blood out of a turnip.

I see your point... Although, I think it's more of a numbers game for profit-motivated entities.

You can steal a little bit of a resource from several billion people who have very little to offer and it adds up to quite a bit. And then they do that dozens of times a day to everyone who's close enough to hear a speaker or see a screen.

Technology is used to amplify messages and empower agendas that were already doing damage to the poor. Advertising is a great example of this. There's more at stake than just money.

 

[Aspergers_Aspie]

Even in the autism centre drop in where I attend. Some people point blank refuse to be on even Facebook, it's good in that it lets service users keep track of important events, but I understand about apps and won't do them

 

[Aspergers_Aspie]

 

[Ken]

Technology has been my life, my profession. I do not believe "technology" is what "goes too far", it's what people do with it. This goes way back to some very early technology. For example; guns. They can be used for good, but has also been used to kill a massive amount of people for very bad, horrific reasons.

There is, however, "new" technologies that I think are quite beneficial. Just one for example; The 'life-changing' electric suit

 

[maycontainthunder]

 

[Judge]

Technology has been my life, my profession. I do not believe "technology" is what "goes too far", it's what people do with it. This goes way back to some very early technology. For example; guns. They can be used for good, but has also been used to kill a massive amount of people for very bad, horrific reasons.

There is, however, "new" technologies that I think are quite beneficial. Just one for example; The 'life-changing' electric suit

Point taken. Sadly for technology to be absolutely beneficial as well as benevolent, you must first withdraw humanity from the equation. Otherwise odds are that most technologies will inevitably be in whole or in part associated with the lawful or unlawful taking of a human life. - From Thomas Edison to William Kemmler.

Something clearly a Swedish scientist and inventor named Alfred Nobel pondered for some time. The man who invented dynamite- and who later established the Nobel Peace Prize for scientific achievement.

 

[Aspergers_Aspie]

Worn on you could say forehead, smart ring on on palm of hand, or maybe smart patch or maybe chip inserted. Maybe mark of beast Bible book of revelation esc

 

[Aspergers_Aspie]

CCTV tricky one, but definitely clones and video calls Alexa in bathroom and bedroom. George owellian ESC to say the least

 

[Ken]

Lately, I have been thinking about this question from a different angle. From observation of people and society in general, I think technology became too far as soon as it surpassed the general public’s understanding of how it works.

Many years ago, the mechanisms of technologies were easily understood by the user. A plow, a shovel, a wagon, etc. As technology progressed, mechanism’s complexity began to surpass the understanding of the user. Many farmers suffered consequences of not understanding how their new steam powered tractor worked. It was common for farmers to yell, “whoa” to the tractor; as they had always done with their horses, but the tractor just kept going – plowing through fences or whatever was in the way.

As technology progresses, the general public’s understanding of how it works regresses. The issue with this is that current, modern technology has become more in control of the people instead of the other way around. With sadness, I witness people’s lives contained within their cell phone. I don’t think they realize it, but they are glued to that rectangular screen almost incessantly. And, panic ensues if it ever becomes misplaced. As if their life was misplaced. And this is only possible because they have no idea how it all works. Not their life containing cell phone, not their car, not their microwave oven or washing machine, or much of anything. Children are born into a world where everything magically takes care of and services them. That is their normal. It has become the way of the world. A given.

Since nothing is known about how things work, false claims are easily made – and believed. Sense of logic is declining. Snake oil is sold to an eager population expecting cures. Loyal beliefs remain strong even without a cure. Snake oil is now more prominent than ever before, and rapidly escalating, just with different names. It is now infused in the mainstream and accepted as a given.

I find it sad that there are really great, innovative, practical and beneficial technologies that have been developed (and being developed), but since the public has no clue how anything works, they can’t distinguish between what’s beneficial and what’s detrimental. It’s all marketed as beneficial. One of my pet peeve technologies is what I call a solution in search of a problem. That is when marketing convinces people they have a problem that their product fixes. In our lifetimes, this is nothing new. It has been building for centuries.

I have read some prominent scholars predict that it will all crash at some point. It is simple mathematics. Everything on this sealed snow-globe planet we live on has limits and ceilings. There is a finite quantity of resources and they will eventually run out. The atmosphere of our snow-globe is a percentage of oxygen, nitrogen, some other gasses plus a growing percentage of pollution from our consumption. Obviously, we can’t continue to consume forever. I fear that will be a very gruesome, horrific future.

While a horrific future seems inevitable, I don’t believe it is a given. As per my view that society is too detached from technology, then it seem logical that the fix would be for society to decide to become educated in how things work. I do not believe that is “too much” to ask. All the engineers that has designed our technologies are normal people. They are not geniuses. They are just people that chose that career path. I am confident that anyone can learn it. What would need to change however, is that we should all seek learning; not training. Training is mostly mindless memorizing a pre-established method or style. You can be trained to do things you know nothing about, which is the very issue we have today. Learning is more about reality. A college curriculum is a pre-established, edited, formatted and categorized teaching (training). In reality; a form of marketing.

If our population decided to freely (not limited by curriculum) learn how things work, then they would not be fooled by false claims and misleading technologies. We would all know how to sustain our little sealed snow-globe, loose the greed, stop over consumption and live in educated harmony. We could move from believing to knowing.

 

[Aspergers_Aspie]

Such a big name in artificial intelligence to quit, this person knows what they are talking about, please take notice Link

 

[Kisa the tea]

Some things yes. some things no. it depends on the use and the humans goal.