Hello!
I've stumbled across an article on the internet absolutely
coincidentally, when browsing websites on http://wiby.me, and got
absolutely impressed by it. Reason being, I have been thinking about
computing myself recently, especially in the lights of everybody around
me thinking less and less about long-term usefulness in my circle...
which makes me ultimately sad.
Being a Software Engineer at wannabe-bigtech companies, I have been
noticing same pattern occurring over and over again: the more company
was in financial challenges, the bigger promises it was forced to give,
the less actual time was spent in attempts to innovate and find actually
better ways to do things. I have this exact feeling about whole
industry, to be fair: I see huge platforms being built on top of other
huge platforms that implement exactly same things, but with a different
interface, all closed-source, all behind extreme security precautions so
nobody ever sees what kind of Frankenstein's Monster is being built.
Anyways, I am getting distracted by ranting at a cloud xD Essentially
what I wanted to say is that I am extremely fascinated by ideas, as (you
might have noticed) I share them at most.
Although, I have a concern that this work will be appreciated solely by
technical peopl. As I've noticed, writers appreciated the Freewrite
computer mostly because they have extreme issues with distractions in
modern world they've been having (it is really hard to focus on writing,
when you have an infinitely scrolling website at your fingertips). Most
people don't mind having distractions, as it seems. Furthermore, after
mild observation of the world around me, it seems that some actively
/seek/ distraction. I don't know the reason, but my previous research
shows this is somewhat related to a condition called ADHD. Mostly,
because symptoms of that condition can be induced to neurotypical people
by giving more and more short-form content, which reinforces "distracted
mind"[1]. This makes distraction-based workflows more and more normal,
making any product oriented at long-term to be not as successful,
because more people will get reinforced to think that they are incapable
of being distraction-free. Programmers, usually, were less impacted by
it, because their work requires long-term focused sessions, but things
change with more people joining an industry, who are incapable of doing
one thing at a time[2].
And yet, I feel that this niche market is just opening up, and there is
space. It should be fairly easy to resolve challenges on software side,
as there are plenty of projects mentioning various interpretations of
same ideas even posted in this mailing list. I myself was conducting an
experiment on myself of using RaspberryPi 3b+ as a desktop computer
replacement for some time, and it was moderately successful, but I did
not stick long for same reasons I refer to in [1] — I simply was not
ready for that given social media was poisoning my mind.
Still, if there is any development on the project: sign me in, I would
be extremely happy to help doing some things or trying some things out,
on free time or whatever.
Sincerely yours,
Oleksandr
1: I am reffering to an idea that ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder) is a condition, with which people have struggles on
maintaining focus on a single thing for long time (a.k.a. "smaller
attention span"). As an addition, there is a claim made by HealthyGamer
in this video (https://youtu.be/HN5BoBlY0MU?si=xBoYVPHpNpFOkxac&t=2156),
that ADHD can be reinforced by shortening focus time with changing the
content type, e.g. person who is used to read long books has higher
chance of showing more capable to focus on a single thing at a time than
a person reading solely tweets. I noticed exactly the same things, when
I cut myself from social-media experience: I started to get capability
for longer focus times, and I started seeking to get more instruments
that reinforce that, which lead me to an original post mentioned in this
mailing list.
2: I am referring to more and more useless meetings being created. Here
is a recording of an ironical closing talk on PyCon PL 2023 describing
some thoughts I am having: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLKOjMOIwEw
Thanks for joining the list and for your ideas. There’s currently no
real project underway, this place is mostly there to exchange and read
what others are thinking.
Thank you for sharing and welcome!
On 23/10/20 09:07, Alex Cleac wrote:
>Hello!>>I've stumbled across an article on the internet absolutely>coincidentally, when browsing websites on http://wiby.me, and got>absolutely impressed by it. Reason being, I have been thinking about>computing myself recently, especially in the lights of everybody around>me thinking less and less about long-term usefulness in my circle...>which makes me ultimately sad.>>Being a Software Engineer at wannabe-bigtech companies, I have been>noticing same pattern occurring over and over again: the more company>was in financial challenges, the bigger promises it was forced to give,>the less actual time was spent in attempts to innovate and find actually>better ways to do things. I have this exact feeling about whole>industry, to be fair: I see huge platforms being built on top of other>huge platforms that implement exactly same things, but with a different>interface, all closed-source, all behind extreme security precautions so>nobody ever sees what kind of Frankenstein's Monster is being built.>>Anyways, I am getting distracted by ranting at a cloud xD Essentially>what I wanted to say is that I am extremely fascinated by ideas, as (you>might have noticed) I share them at most.>>Although, I have a concern that this work will be appreciated solely by>technical peopl. As I've noticed, writers appreciated the Freewrite>computer mostly because they have extreme issues with distractions in>modern world they've been having (it is really hard to focus on writing,>when you have an infinitely scrolling website at your fingertips). Most>people don't mind having distractions, as it seems. Furthermore, after>mild observation of the world around me, it seems that some actively>/seek/ distraction. I don't know the reason, but my previous research>shows this is somewhat related to a condition called ADHD. Mostly,>because symptoms of that condition can be induced to neurotypical people>by giving more and more short-form content, which reinforces "distracted>mind"[1]. This makes distraction-based workflows more and more normal,>making any product oriented at long-term to be not as successful,>because more people will get reinforced to think that they are incapable>of being distraction-free. Programmers, usually, were less impacted by>it, because their work requires long-term focused sessions, but things>change with more people joining an industry, who are incapable of doing>one thing at a time[2].>>And yet, I feel that this niche market is just opening up, and there is>space. It should be fairly easy to resolve challenges on software side,>as there are plenty of projects mentioning various interpretations of>same ideas even posted in this mailing list. I myself was conducting an>experiment on myself of using RaspberryPi 3b+ as a desktop computer>replacement for some time, and it was moderately successful, but I did>not stick long for same reasons I refer to in [1] — I simply was not>ready for that given social media was poisoning my mind.>>Still, if there is any development on the project: sign me in, I would>be extremely happy to help doing some things or trying some things out,>on free time or whatever.>>Sincerely yours,>Oleksandr>>>1: I am reffering to an idea that ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity>Disorder) is a condition, with which people have struggles on>maintaining focus on a single thing for long time (a.k.a. "smaller>attention span"). As an addition, there is a claim made by HealthyGamer>in this video (https://youtu.be/HN5BoBlY0MU?si=xBoYVPHpNpFOkxac&t=2156),>that ADHD can be reinforced by shortening focus time with changing the>content type, e.g. person who is used to read long books has higher>chance of showing more capable to focus on a single thing at a time than>a person reading solely tweets. I noticed exactly the same things, when>I cut myself from social-media experience: I started to get capability>for longer focus times, and I started seeking to get more instruments>that reinforce that, which lead me to an original post mentioned in this>mailing list.>>2: I am referring to more and more useless meetings being created. Here>is a recording of an ironical closing talk on PyCon PL 2023 describing>some thoughts I am having: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLKOjMOIwEw>>
--
Ploum - Lionel Dricot
Blog: https://www.ploum.net
Livres: https://ploum.net/livres.html
On Fri, 20 Oct 2023, Alex Cleac wrote:
> it seems that some actively /seek/ distraction. I don't know the reason
There is a research shown that many people nowdays, they were so lack
either of mediation or imagination (or both); that when they had to sit
still for just 15 minutes, they couldn't bear the internal silence,
and had to find something to do-- absolutely anything,
including electric-shocking themselves if nothing else was being available:
https://www.science.org/content/article/people-would-rather-be-electrically-shocked-left-alone-their-thoughts
In my view, that's a result of people being exposed
to attention-engineered addictive technologies, like social-control media,
mobile games, and other service-tied mobile software "apps" for too long;
that they have become eternally-craving for stimuli.
(Some other people would call these programs/(dis)services "fentanylware",
as their effects on the brain are like drugs [1])
Of course, I have opted out from all these horrible things long ago;
I don't participate in what's so-called social (control) network,
and I don't even carry a smartphone nowadays.
Regards,
~xwindows
[1] For drug-like effects of these things presented in (not-)satire
infomercial-style, see Cracked's "Honest Ads" series video
"If Mobile Games Were Honest":
Invidious: https://yewtu.be/watch?v=l8ayD71cXYs
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8ayD71cXYs
"Just download this digital heroin onto your chosen magical screen,
and play with it..."
That clip is old already, and since the topic was casual game,
it not even covering the half of evils of such kind of engineering
when used in social-control network, as a reinforcement part
of closed feedback loop of surveillance->control worldview manipulation;
but you get an idea.