I don't know how old the author is, but past 50 I've never felt more
enthusiastic, optimistic and excited by tech.
Things are so spectacularly f-cked-up that there's almost nowhere to
look without seeing massive opportunities for improvement.
Things will either get better, which gives me hope and many openings
to contribute, or they'll keep getting more broken, and I'll be
thoroughly entertained while I stuff my face with popcorn.
Either way, it's great to live in "interesting times".
Hi, I am the author and I am 40yo! I appreciate your comment and your optimism. I wish I had more of this, I am actively working on it. This was something I wanted to get off my chest. I also acknowledge it's a pretty cynical take, but perhaps with some parts that ring true.
It's a good piece Michael, you put time into a structure and great
supporting quotes. I hear what you say from others about that feeling
from inside tech, "Fear and Loathing" of having been to immersed in
the Hotel California too long - the brilliant Wilfred Owen line that I
can't help but hear; "Like a devil sick of sin".
One of the best essays that specifically addresses your thoughts on
the Bay Area was passed on to me here by another HN reader, it's on
the "Californian Ideology", and traces the line from counter-culture
to tech-bros [1]. Another interesting video series you might like is
Adam Curtis "All watched over..." and "Hypernormalisation". [2]. FWIW
I wrote a book [3] vaguely apropos (ping me if you want a free copy).
With regard to "getting it off you chest" - no worries with public
writing as private therapy, I think it's half of what all writers do
these days. I am finding it helps formulate ideas and aids my more
serious projects (even while being a distraction).
3 comments
[ 2.7 ms ] story [ 11.1 ms ] threadThings are so spectacularly f-cked-up that there's almost nowhere to look without seeing massive opportunities for improvement.
Things will either get better, which gives me hope and many openings to contribute, or they'll keep getting more broken, and I'll be thoroughly entertained while I stuff my face with popcorn.
Either way, it's great to live in "interesting times".
One of the best essays that specifically addresses your thoughts on the Bay Area was passed on to me here by another HN reader, it's on the "Californian Ideology", and traces the line from counter-culture to tech-bros [1]. Another interesting video series you might like is Adam Curtis "All watched over..." and "Hypernormalisation". [2]. FWIW I wrote a book [3] vaguely apropos (ping me if you want a free copy).
With regard to "getting it off you chest" - no worries with public writing as private therapy, I think it's half of what all writers do these days. I am finding it helps formulate ideas and aids my more serious projects (even while being a distraction).
[1] https://www.metamute.org/editorial/articles/californian-ideo...
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Curtis
[3] https://digitalvegan.net