Silicon Valley Techno-Utopianism

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I think there's something about the combination of ego inflation AND deflation that they experience -- one world telling them they are geniuses and another telling them they are losers at the same time

Interestingly enough the thesis of Amy Chua's follow-up book was that this combo was at the root of Jewish-Chinese greatness

Guayaquil (eephus!), Saturday, 24 May 2014 01:29 (nine years ago) link

on second thought that's not actually that interesting

Guayaquil (eephus!), Saturday, 24 May 2014 01:29 (nine years ago) link

i, for one, welcome our asshole-technofascist overlords.

playback in metal position (Hunt3r), Saturday, 24 May 2014 02:36 (nine years ago) link

two weeks pass...

http://recode.net/2014/03/15/marc-andreessens-latest-tweetathon-naughty-fun-leads-to-ruined-lives-in-anonymous-apps/

this ding-dong has this sweet new bulleted point twitter rant style that seems pretty indicative of the dystopian trend

a strange man (mh), Tuesday, 10 June 2014 13:57 (nine years ago) link

eleven months pass...

This may not be the right place if you:

already seen this list republished about twenty times on twitter

ultimate american sock (mh), Thursday, 14 May 2015 14:28 (eight years ago) link

is that a suggestion to add to their list?

π” π”žπ”’π”¨ (caek), Thursday, 14 May 2015 14:48 (eight years ago) link

hah, sure!

ultimate american sock (mh), Thursday, 14 May 2015 14:54 (eight years ago) link

Could you live in Startup Castle?

but this is a good place for it as well

sleeve, Thursday, 14 May 2015 14:55 (eight years ago) link

oh sorrry yeah

π” π”žπ”’π”¨ (caek), Thursday, 14 May 2015 15:16 (eight years ago) link

one month passes...

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CIxGwLRWcAAnWLt.jpg

goole, Tuesday, 30 June 2015 18:26 (eight years ago) link

haha omg

Upright Mammal (mh), Tuesday, 30 June 2015 18:34 (eight years ago) link

let's not get trolled by the SeekingArrangement dude, come on

the most painstaking, humorless people in the world (lukas), Tuesday, 30 June 2015 18:39 (eight years ago) link

one month passes...

barf

ΞΌpright mammal (mh), Tuesday, 25 August 2015 18:59 (eight years ago) link

dude needs an ascot and a pipe to really complete the full elitist WASPy asshole picture

ΞŸα½–Ο„ΞΉΟ‚, Tuesday, 25 August 2015 19:02 (eight years ago) link

one month passes...

yet *another* article about these guys:

http://www.theawl.com/2015/09/good-luck-to-human-kind

really good too

goole, Tuesday, 29 September 2015 22:29 (eight years ago) link

funny enuf this came out today too (have not read)

http://www.vox.com/2015/9/29/9411117/silicon-valley-politics-charts

goole, Tuesday, 29 September 2015 22:41 (eight years ago) link

wait what's that pancake machine tho

go hang a salami I'm a canal, adam (silby), Wednesday, 30 September 2015 01:25 (eight years ago) link

three months pass...

Somesaid Paul Graham was full of shit but I wasn't totally sure yet, but now I get it.

viborg, Tuesday, 5 January 2016 10:22 (eight years ago) link

startups are good

startups create inequality

therefore inequality is good

π” π”žπ”’π”¨ (caek), Tuesday, 5 January 2016 13:53 (eight years ago) link

'attack poverty' ok

rap is dad (it's a boy!), Tuesday, 5 January 2016 15:55 (eight years ago) link

Kinder shows you what expression is on your child's face so you don't have to look at it.

on entre O.K. on sort K.O. (man alive), Tuesday, 5 January 2016 16:08 (eight years ago) link

is there inequality where you live? shock and awe the problem with one of our poverty seeking opportunity bombs

rap is dad (it's a boy!), Tuesday, 5 January 2016 17:12 (eight years ago) link

remember when pg lived in cambridge and wrote lisp for a living

Allen (etaeoe), Tuesday, 5 January 2016 20:29 (eight years ago) link

yeah this is actually good http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/paulgraham/jmc.ps

π” π”žπ”’π”¨ (caek), Tuesday, 5 January 2016 20:40 (eight years ago) link

Not sure what thread this belongs in...

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/magazine/the-happiness-code.html?_r=0

I agree with the basic premise of self improvement methods here. But wow these people seem insufferable. All optimization of systems and practices of extreme rationality should be performed in the privacy of ones own home and not shacked up with a bunch of tech bros shoving their hands in your leftover curry.

Jeff, Tuesday, 19 January 2016 14:49 (eight years ago) link

Is Soylent involved?

Professor Goodfeels (kingfish), Tuesday, 19 January 2016 15:18 (eight years ago) link

Asher is a singing, freestyle rapping, former international Quidditch All-American turned software engineer.

art, Tuesday, 19 January 2016 15:26 (eight years ago) link

yea nytimes is very obsessed w/ silly lifestyles of tech bros, this is like one of a dozen pieces in the past few years

marcos, Tuesday, 19 January 2016 15:33 (eight years ago) link

This is the problem though

Last year, President Obama established a Social and Behavioral Sciences Team at the White House; based on its findings, he recently ordered federal agencies to use behavioral-economics strategies to improve participation in their programs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiz_Kids_(Department_of_Defense)

service desk hardman (El Tomboto), Wednesday, 20 January 2016 00:57 (eight years ago) link

I have some "visions of the future" type book I got at a book sale that is a publication of the RAND corporation from the 70s, I need to dig that out

ΞΌpright mammal (mh), Wednesday, 20 January 2016 01:02 (eight years ago) link

This administration has been really receptive to basically any techbro idea that isn't total political poison on its face; while that doesn't inevitably lead to SecDef Zuckerberg leading us into a war that his algorithms tell us we can win because science, it does make me increasingly uncomfortable for about a zillion other reasons and the presumptive 45th POTUS doesn't seem to have any interest in changing course

service desk hardman (El Tomboto), Wednesday, 20 January 2016 01:06 (eight years ago) link

also seriously is there nobody around to point out that this shit is Esalen All Over Again or is that just understood and accepted because it's California, dude?

service desk hardman (El Tomboto), Wednesday, 20 January 2016 01:08 (eight years ago) link

if it was a little less based in "research" it'd be scientology

that dude who has no formal training but is into the singularity is a good reference point, though

ΞΌpright mammal (mh), Wednesday, 20 January 2016 01:21 (eight years ago) link

You know what Cass Sunstein did at OIRA? He wrote a memo that said that .gov website feedback forms could get through the Paperwork Reduction Act process in 90 days or less. This was called the Fast Track process. And then delayed the hell out of a bunch of EPA regulations on ozone. Guy's a fuckin' genius.

service desk hardman (El Tomboto), Wednesday, 20 January 2016 01:52 (eight years ago) link

i was in dc for the first time a couple of weeks ago tombot and i described https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/government-digital-service to ppl there and they straight up laughed at the idea

π” π”žπ”’π”¨ (caek), Wednesday, 20 January 2016 02:04 (eight years ago) link

actually i laughed at the bit where i said government websites are now responsive by de facto regulation

i mean it's utopian and sinister to apply #product design to government but having dealt with both governments as a resident i know which i prefer

π” π”žπ”’π”¨ (caek), Wednesday, 20 January 2016 02:06 (eight years ago) link

seriously who did you tell that to? 'Cause Barack straight up hired Mikey from Google and started this shit last year and it's the new hotness all over the local version of "trade press"

https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/08/11/fact-sheet-improving-and-simplifying-digital-services

https://www.whitehouse.gov/digital/united-states-digital-service

I actually threw my resume in the ring on a recommendation from a guy who was leaving for greener pastures, they gave me a phone interview and then told me I wasn't their type about four months later

service desk hardman (El Tomboto), Wednesday, 20 January 2016 02:30 (eight years ago) link

I mean there was a 2011 executive order on customer service which was straight ripped off y'all's gov.uk initiatives and serious talk about driving down the federal web footprint to the absolute minimum necessary - they even put my team's domain on the chopping block

service desk hardman (El Tomboto), Wednesday, 20 January 2016 02:32 (eight years ago) link

I am having fun relating these tales in outdated parody blogger voice

service desk hardman (El Tomboto), Wednesday, 20 January 2016 02:33 (eight years ago) link

anyway there are actual cool kids working under the digital services banner doing neat stuff - like https://pages.18f.gov/guides/ is pretty neat for example
but on most levels it's still all covered in the static-free sheen of technocratic solutionism and of course no seasoned security asshole like me is going to trust any of it

service desk hardman (El Tomboto), Wednesday, 20 January 2016 02:45 (eight years ago) link

Sign me up for the technocratic socialism

Professor Goodfeels (kingfish), Wednesday, 20 January 2016 02:48 (eight years ago) link

it was someone from the urban institute iirc

π” π”žπ”’π”¨ (caek), Wednesday, 20 January 2016 02:52 (eight years ago) link

think tankers are all basically performative academics
I can't wait until my turn

service desk hardman (El Tomboto), Wednesday, 20 January 2016 03:01 (eight years ago) link

an uber but for shoveling snow

rap is dad (it's a boy!), Saturday, 23 January 2016 23:32 (eight years ago) link


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