Self-censorship is on the rise. It's probably OK if some people kept their opinions to themselves, but the problem is that certain factions don't self-censor, and it ends up that the Internet is increasing filling up with hateful filth, while other valid opinions get canceled. Sometimes this results in tragedy.
PopSci thinks that health misinformation is rampant. What do they consider "misinformation" you ask? It's people who doubt the benefit of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, of course. What irony. Total lack of self-awareness.
Some in Congress think we should emulated Europe in many ways (looking at you, Bernie). Parts of Europe are becoming very dystopian. Only those with great wealth can escape it. But for how long?I call this Providerism: the ability to ignore political-economic reality because everything is provided for you, and the underlying mechanics and costs are abstracted away. Europeans may not be consumerists, but they are hardcore providerists. Growing up, virtually every consumer good I interacted with was made in Japan or made in China, and in 18 years that never gave rise to more than 15 minutes of conversation. The goods that you want appear from far away in your local store: they are provided. And if you fall on hard times and cannot afford these goods? The state will provide the basics. If you’re 22 and don’t know what to do, the state will provide more time and will provide a master’s degree. Or two. And if there is war, the state will call NATO, and NATO will provide defense.
How fitting: the European Commission assembled around an iPad. On the back, in fine print, it will read: Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in China. There is no European iPad. There is no European computer. There is no European search engine. There are only European consumers, to whom things are quasi-magically provided, and so they regulate the providing and consumption of those things.
Europe is falling behind. It largely missed the internet and personal computing booms, and now it sits in danger of missing the coming AI boom. Today’s Europeans are not yet poor — they are still living off the prosperity created by prior generations, and that enables their passive consumption7 — but tomorrow’s Europeans may be.
Some tech writer is not happy with Apple's weather app. He doesn't realize that micro-prediction is a fairly recent development. I've been pretty satisfied with BriefSky. Not perfect, but accurate enough to make plans.