Aral BalkanMay 3, 2023

In case you’re wondering how little old Kitten performs in the tests of the Big Boys…

(And that’s from a development build of a Domain page, not a deployment build so no compression, live reload script in page, etc.)

Turns out it’s pretty easy to ace such tests when you’re not spending cycles and code doing horrible things to people in your web pages (like tracking their every move and attempting to exploit their behaviour for profit). 🤔

💕

#SmallWeb #Kitten #Domain #Lighthouse #score

Show threadChris Gioran 💔May 3, 2023

@aral The amount of human effort and power consumption that goes into generating and mining "clickstreams" is astonishing.

This accumulation of "digital exhaust" is a huge waste of human creativity and material resources that does *nothing* except serve capitalists. It's a huge industry that were it excised from society _everyone_ would benefit.

And i classify as bullshit job every single one in this racket.

Show threadAvi Rappoport (avirr)
@chrisg @aral The one place they are really valuable is making search results better — seeing what people actually do is the only way to improve.
May 3, 2023 at 10:28pmWeb
Show threadAral BalkanMay 4, 2023

@avirr @chrisg You don’t have to design a system so some corporation sees what you do, your own devices can see what you do and adapt accordingly. I’m afraid that’s just the excuse they use to justify their surveillance-based business model.

#SurveillanceCapitalism

Show threadChris Gioran 💔May 4, 2023

@aral @avirr It is a common reaction to say that progress wouldn't have occurred if these applications weren't funded by <insert capitalist venture>.

I call bullshit on that.

It implies that only capitalism fuels innovation, which is a blatantly uninformed position and useful only as post hoc justification of externalities.

"Sure, we may have caused all this harm, but look at this one problem that got solved by the tech we developed"

Yeah, how about we solved _that_ specific problem instead?

Show threadAral BalkanMay 4, 2023
@chrisg @avirr But, Chris, if we just solve problems without creating fundamentally exploitative systems, how are we going to have billionaires?
Show threadWitek KowalikMay 4, 2023
@aral
Medium rare!
@chrisg @avirr
Show threadChris Gioran 💔May 4, 2023
@frankboon @aral @avirr I approve, with a side of salad for the vegans that still want to partake in the festivities.
Show threadWitek KowalikMay 4, 2023
@chrisg
I concur.
@aral @avirr
Show threadBill DayMay 4, 2023
@avirr @frankboon @chrisg @aral There will always be externalities. That is my premise, at least. If so, who bears the cost? What effect would allocation of externalities have on innovation? Can we create a system based on a philosophy other than growth? I am not asking as an advocate for capitalism. I simply am not aware of an alternative system that has answered these questions and been successfully implemented. Where should we start?
Show threadNot a Spring OnionMay 4, 2023

@chrisg @aral @avirr

We built a system where people don't have enough time and energy to work on new things, because they have to make ends meet.

Venture capital "allows" people to have the freedom to create they should have anyway.

And they only ask for the rights to those new things in exchange. How generous...

Show threadChris Gioran 💔May 4, 2023

@wakame @aral @avirr If something useful is produced by VC funded ventures is coincidental and just useful PR, not the goal. The goal is perpetuating capital.

And i cannot stress the magnitude of the theft that is people not owning what they work on. It is sickening and one of the reasons i quit my job. I can't believe i've done all this work on a pretty big system, over a number of years, and i own _no part_ of it. None, zero.