meta ruminations on the next big thing

[Adam L. Beberg]

On Sun, 11 Nov 2001, Tom wrote:

> The web was useless? Broadband was useless?

Yup, Mom had no use for them. The point of technology is to help PEOPLE,
remember that? Back in your idealistic days? Now the focus is almost
completely on how technology can help companies layoff more people.

By those parameters, yes, the web was useless, broadband was useless, etc.

Any technology that doesn't help in the long run my mom and grandpa is
useless.

> Ive been on the wire since the late 70's and by fuck it was good and
> usefull every freaking step of the way and it still is regardless the mass
> media.

I yearn for the good old days when everyone online had a 3-digit IQ too, but
those days are long gone. Now encountering a 3-digit requires a major quest.

The only useful thing I can see that came out of the last 5 years was
email and real-time email (IM) for the masses, thats all REAL people get
online for. Real people have BFs and GFs and bars to goto so only need so
much porn. Things like cheaper airfares have far more to do with booting the
travel agents then the net.

I'm still looking for a useful next big thing. Maybe there isn't one that
doesnt come with an unemployment cost. Most of the ideas I'm working on
should unemploy a shitload of people. That's OK, maybe the only big thing
left is that people wont have to work. But in that case our social structure
is gonna need radical surgery and soon.

- Adam L. "Duncan" Beberg
  http://www.iit.edu/~beberg/
  beberg@mithral.com