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  3. You're not alone: This email from Google's Gemini team is concerning

You're not alone: This email from Google's Gemini team is concerning

Technology
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  • W

    We're Not Innovating, We’re Just Forgetting Slower

    Technology technology
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    8 Aufrufe
    P
    Gotcha, thank you for the extra context so I understand your point. I'll respond to your original statement now that I understand it better: I ALSO think the author would prefer more broad technical literacy, but his core arguement seemed to be that those making things dont understand the tech they’re built upon and that unintended consequences can occur when that happens. I think the author's argument on that is also not a great one. Lets take your web app example. As you said, you can make the app, but you don't understand the memory allocation, and why? Because the high level language or framework you wrote it in does memory management and garbage collection. However, there are many, many, MANY, more layers of abstraction beside just your code and the interpreter. Do you know the webserver front to back? Do you know which ring your app or the web server is operating in inside the OS (ring 3 BTW)? Do you know how the IP stack works in the server? Do you know how the networking works that resolves names to IP addresses or routes the traffic appropriately? Do you know how the firewalls work that the traffic is going over when it leaves the server? Back on the server, do you know how the operating system makes calls to the hardware via device drivers (ring 1) or how those calls are handled by the OS kernel (ring 0)? Do you know how the system bus works on the motherboard or how the L1, L2, and L3 cache affect the operation and performance of the server overall? How about that assembly language isn't even the bottom of abstraction? Below that all of this data is merely an abstraction of binary, which is really just the presence or absence of voltage on a pit or in a bit register in ICs scattered across the system? I'll say probably not. And thats just fine! Why? Because unless your web app is going to be loaded onto a spacecraft with a 20 to 40 year life span and you'll never be able to touch it again, then having all of that extra knowledge and understanding only have slight impacts on the web app for its entire life. Once you get one or maybe two levels of abstraction down, the knowledge is a novelty not a requirement. There's also exceptions to this if you're writing software for embedded systems where you have limited system resources, but again, this is an edge case that very very few people will ever need to worry about. The people in those generally professions do have the deep understanding of those platforms they're responsible for. Focus on your web app. Make sure its solving the problem that it was written to solve. Yes, you might need to dive a bit deeper to eek out some performance, but that comes with time and experience anyway. The author talks like even the most novice people need the ultimately deep understanding through all layers of abstraction. I think that is too much of a burden, especially when it acts as a barrier to people being able to jump in and use the technology to solve problems. Perhaps the best example of the world that I think the author wants would be the 1960s Apollo program. This was a time where the pinnacle of technology was being deployed in real-time to solve world moving problems. Human kind was trying to land on the moon! The most heroic optimization of machines and procedures had to be accomplished for even a chance for this to go right. The best of the best had to know every. little. thing. about. everything. People's lives were at stake! National pride was at stake! Failure was NOT an option! All of that speaks to more of what the author wants for everyone today. However, that's trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist today. Compute power today is CHEAP!!! High level program languages and frameworks are so easy to understand that programming it is accessible to everyone with a device and a desire to use it. We're not going to the moon with this. Its the kid down the block that figured out how to use If This Then That to make a light bulb turn on when he farts into a microphone. The beauty is the accessibility. The democratization of compute. We don't need gatekeepers demanding the deepest commitment to understanding before the primitive humans are allowed to use fire. Are there going to be problems or things that don't work? Yes. Will the net benefit of cheap and readily available compute in the hands of everyone be greater than the detriments, I believe yes. It appears the author disagrees with me. /sorry for the wall of text
  • dantheclamman@lemmy.worldD

    Sinaloa cartel hacked security cameras to track and kill FBI informants, US says

    Technology technology
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    40 Aufrufe
    F
    Imagine if the US gets saved by the fucking Mexican cartels that'd be crazy. Please let it happen
  • P

    www2025

    Technology technology
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    14 Aufrufe
    Niemand hat geantwortet
  • E

    EQT’s $167.5M Settlement: What It Means for Investors—and What It Doesn’t

    Technology technology
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    1 Beiträge
    15 Aufrufe
    Niemand hat geantwortet
  • M

    Here's your first look at the rebooted Digg | TechCrunch

    Technology technology
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    59 Beiträge
    241 Aufrufe
    M
    Digg has been basically dead for 15 years.
  • P

    'We're done with Teams': German state hits uninstall on Microsoft

    Technology technology
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    841 Stimmen
    102 Beiträge
    436 Aufrufe
    F
    You’ve been patient? Bye
  • F

    New Supermaterial: As Strong As Steel And As Light As Styrofoam

    Technology technology
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    108 Aufrufe
    D
    I remember an Arthur Clarke novel where a space ship needs water from the planet below. The easiest thing is to lower cables from space and then lift some ice bergs.
  • P

    When AI-generated art enters the market, consumers win – and artists lose

    Technology technology
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    36 Aufrufe
    myopinion@lemm.eeM
    AI is robbery.