Maddy Beard

But the reasons are intuitive in media. Power law-like distributions occur because content choices are not independent.

Prior to the internet, media was one-way. It traversed down a linear value chain: it was produced, then distributed, and then consumed. Consumers had limited feedback mechanisms, other than voting with their eyeballs or wallets or ... See more

Technics and Civilization (1936) , which offers a clear analysis in the chapter on “The Obstacle of Animism.” Mumford describes how initial designs based on human or animal models are an obstacle that needs to be overcome in developing new technologies: “the most ineffective kind of machine is the realistic mechanical imitation of a man[/woman] or ... See more

In the end, transhumanism and other techno-utopian ideas have served to advance what Lanier calls an “antihuman approach to computation,” a digital climate in which “bits are presented as if they were alive, while humans are transient fragments.” In a way we are already living the dualistic existence that Kurzweil promised. In addition to our physi

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You might also be aware that all this is delivered by means of “persuasive design”—an umbrella term for an armory of psychological techniques borrowed directly from the designers of casino slot machines, for the express purpose of encouraging compulsive behavior. One example among hundreds is the ubiquitous drag-down-to-refresh gesture, which keeps... See more

No. The reality is that grinding, even if it temporarily increases output, kills creativity and big picture thinking.