Interesting ideas from the NY Times
Some developments reported by the New York Times
Good
The professional amateur: high-quality amateurs are making breakthroughs all over. As professional becomes synonymous with working for a big corporation/government, those who experiment with science, technology, art and life for love rather than profit acheive more.
Lawfare: International government, whether of treaty, government, or business, may not be acheivable. Here's to independent local rule.
Soccer model of warfare: Good, only if war can be good. 250 years since the French and American war, we're still moving away from massed attacks.
Self-storage: Sleep at night or nap in the day. Not just for businessmen in cramped East Asia any more.
Debunking photoshop fakery: a computer program that analyzes digital images. How long will it be before we find a way to fool it? Probably yesterday.
Bad
Acting white myth: The Times notes correctly: white kids beat up on their smart peers, too, and we don't say it's because they're "acting black".
Narci-cinema: Making movies about yourself. I was tempted to make this "mixed", since autobiography can be very good, but narcissism is rampant and annoying and far worse in our culture.
Wal-mart sovereignty: should corporations be allowed autonomy or indirect participation in government?
Downwardly defined celebrity flaw: tabloids criticize anything that can be interpreted to look imperfect.
No opinion yet/mixed:
Keyboard evesdropping: each key makes a slightly different sound when hit; can be computer-analyzed.
TV Zapper: A remote control that sends "power" codes for 69 different kinds of TV sets.
Feral cities: the police are no longer in control; organized "crime" is the de facto government. Of course, the NY Times and those affiliated with the traditional government & police don't like it. But are the new rulers any worse?
The acceptable substitute: brand-name knockoffs are on the rise.
The employable liberal arts major: professional classes for liberal arts majors.
The benign corporate oligarchy: Shift power from temporary shareholders to execs, as in Google.
Genetic family values: One gene may control whether male voles are sexually moral or loose. Can we change human social behavior with gene therapy?
Good
The professional amateur: high-quality amateurs are making breakthroughs all over. As professional becomes synonymous with working for a big corporation/government, those who experiment with science, technology, art and life for love rather than profit acheive more.
Lawfare: International government, whether of treaty, government, or business, may not be acheivable. Here's to independent local rule.
Soccer model of warfare: Good, only if war can be good. 250 years since the French and American war, we're still moving away from massed attacks.
Self-storage: Sleep at night or nap in the day. Not just for businessmen in cramped East Asia any more.
Debunking photoshop fakery: a computer program that analyzes digital images. How long will it be before we find a way to fool it? Probably yesterday.
Bad
Acting white myth: The Times notes correctly: white kids beat up on their smart peers, too, and we don't say it's because they're "acting black".
Narci-cinema: Making movies about yourself. I was tempted to make this "mixed", since autobiography can be very good, but narcissism is rampant and annoying and far worse in our culture.
Wal-mart sovereignty: should corporations be allowed autonomy or indirect participation in government?
Downwardly defined celebrity flaw: tabloids criticize anything that can be interpreted to look imperfect.
No opinion yet/mixed:
Keyboard evesdropping: each key makes a slightly different sound when hit; can be computer-analyzed.
TV Zapper: A remote control that sends "power" codes for 69 different kinds of TV sets.
Feral cities: the police are no longer in control; organized "crime" is the de facto government. Of course, the NY Times and those affiliated with the traditional government & police don't like it. But are the new rulers any worse?
The acceptable substitute: brand-name knockoffs are on the rise.
The employable liberal arts major: professional classes for liberal arts majors.
The benign corporate oligarchy: Shift power from temporary shareholders to execs, as in Google.
Genetic family values: One gene may control whether male voles are sexually moral or loose. Can we change human social behavior with gene therapy?
posted by Derby at 23:02
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