@aj it is interesting to compare our economic complexity index to other nations.
I imagine it could go further backwards.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/economic-complexity-by-country
@jackwilliambell I am disinclined to think of malice (the politician who championed in my country, Annika Wells, was later criticised for taking family skiing holidays) but I would have no doubts that our regulators are not very technologically literate.
As forcing people to upload identifying details random 3rd parties is just the worst - even if you were scheming.
(I also wondered whether this regulation against American Tech corporations had a political angle - news media bargaining style)
@jackwilliambell I was hoping that my government would at least have done the most minimal thing by implementing doubly-blind cryptographic agekey verification tokens. (See: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/after-discord-fiasco-age-check-tech-promises-privacy-by-running-locally-does-it-work/), as I think the harm of social media is documentable, but now I wonder how much unsaid political consequence flows from forcing the everyman to put his face into porn websites.
https://www.esafety.gov.au/industry/codes/faq-access-to-online-porn-and-other-adult-content
@aj I am more concerned about levels of dumb and dangerous that survive.
Eg. not knowing how to read, count money, drive, what recycling is, what can be put down the drain, how to vote, what superannuation is, how vaccines work, why nutrition, how to relate to the opposite sex.
Art history is very nice to have.
@gotofritz @nixCraft so, to be fair I know people who were laid off because of AI.
I recently installed Graphene OS (and am Linux user for decades), and there is something quite refreshing about having a system that isnt packed with third-party surprises, that gives you privilege of control as much as you want it, and that you can trust was actually designed in and for your interests.
Shifting baseline syndrome ( #SBS ) is what happens when we forget how vibrant the natural world used to be. Each generation grows up with a more depleted environment and calls it “normal,” simply because it’s all they’ve ever known.
Researchers warn that this shift lowers our expectations, increases our tolerance for decline, and reduces our urgency to protect what’s left.
The AI automation arms race layoff trap:
1 Competitive pressure pushes firms to automate using AI more than needed for market
2 Now jobless workers can't buy products/services, harming both labor & firm owners
3 Suggested solution by AI companies like UBI/upskilling/lower wages cannot stop the AI doom cycle
The study concludes that only a Pigouvian automation tax can fix the problem. Policy makers must address the competitive drive to automate, not just the post AI fallout afterward
Jeroen
nixCraft 🐧