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Ask HN: If not a bicycle for the mind then what?

by crowdhailer on 1/3/25, 10:10 PM with 11 comments

Software was supposed to be a bicycle for the mind. Instead we got something else, what is the best analogy for "the thing" software actually became?

  • by k310 on 1/3/25, 10:39 PM

    The best analogy? opium. The only "beneficiaries" are the makers.

    So be a maker of great things.

    Every one of us can make software the great tool for empowerment and creativity that it was meant to be.

    To quote early Apple employee Guy Kawasaki: "Don't kvetch; Kick Butt"

    As to what technology wants: Ask Kevin Kelley This is the earlier version of what he wrote:

    https://kk.org/thetechnium/what-technology/

    But in short (summarized with human intelligence)

    Extrapolated, technology wants what life wants:

    Increasing efficiency

    Increasing opportunity

    Increasing emergence

    Increasing complexity

    Increasing diversity

    Increasing specialization

    Increasing ubiquity

    Increasing freedom

    Increasing mutualism

    Increasing beauty

    Increasing sentience

    Increasing structure

    Increasing evolvability

  • by meltyness on 1/3/25, 10:19 PM

    Somewhere between tv and an infinite filing cabinet for bureaucracies; not to mention the holy grail of false productivity for the NYSE-conscious, an 'activity treadmill' for rosters of highly-credentialed people to seem concerned about.

  • by linguae on 1/3/25, 11:20 PM

    There’s a documentary that should be released soon named “Message Not Understood” that covers the history of personal computing, with a heavy emphasis on Xerox PARC and its contributions, and how modern computing has become less about user empowerment these days. There is a publicly-available trailer, and I’ve seen a 30-minute preview (disclaimer: I was one of the Kickstarter donors).

    https://messagenotunderstood.com/

  • by krapp on 1/4/25, 3:29 AM

    There is no broad analogy for "software" because the concept is too general.

    Obviously, there are plenty of examples of software being a "bicycle for the mind," and plenty not.

  • by purple-leafy on 1/4/25, 7:03 AM

    Make your own software, and find yourself not wanting.

  • by tacostakohashi on 1/4/25, 3:28 PM

    A hamster wheel for the mind. A tricycle with training wheels for the mind.

  • by cratermoon on 1/3/25, 10:26 PM

    Snake oil