alt Hacker NewsThe optimism died a long time ago. I’m a Millennial, the 90s flew by as I was growing up, but one of my formative experiences was playing Deus Ex in 2001, after 9/11. It gave me healthy distrust of technology, governments, big corp, and what the world is going through today only reinforces this vision of the world. Of course I am nihilistic about AI: when I read about Altman and Karp, I see Bob Page. These are NOT the type of people I want to create a new world order. Yet these are exactly the people positioned to create a new world order.
I feel the older generations still believe that technology will set us free.
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Ironically libre games gave me that faith back when I saw roguelikes coming (in 2002 with Slashem, Nethack being back and Angband), libre engines, Linux distros working with AvermediaTV pirating media streams and whatnot. Corporate computing was hell, full of virii, shitty interfaces (and now even more with even more control), adware, and tons of shovelware.
But the common folk was doing amazing stuff. A 3D suite/raytracer for free? Free as in freedom math books with easy algebra teachings? Free compilers, operating systems and whatnot? You don't need to pay about $600 (or $3000 on industrial basis) for everything in Debian Sarge? Just an $20 DVD? It was like getting a damn interdimensional UFO for free when everyone was paying for expensive cars, gas and highway tolls.
> I feel the older generations still believe that technology will set us free.
I still have my original copy of High Noon on the Electronic Frontier[1] and still hold out hope that computer technology will ultimately end up on the positive side of the scale rather than the negative side, despite how our current tech leaders are racing as fast as they can toward the negative side.
1: https://www.amazon.com/High-Noon-Electronic-Frontier-Concept...