pirate wires #88 // great gas stove debate of 2023, collapse of american futura (the jetsons basically), bad art is terrorism no offense, and advice for tech bros: you need to be culturemaxxing
Can't agree more here. The nihilists have control of culture and we all suffer as a result. Are we the first generation with no real hope for the future? We lack a frontier to stimulate the imagination and sense of wonder (a major reason why I am so in favor of space exploration and development which will provide it), and until we have one we need the artists and dreamers to be inspired by a positive vision of the future, one that is pro human, not transhumanist or misanthropic
It might be odious to give a purpose to art but here is one that makes me glad to be alive: art is how we know other people really truly exist, that they’re worth knowing, and that the world can be better than you imagined on your own.
When you make something incredible that someone else can look on and know did not come from their own mind, you didn’t just make a cool thing, you reaffirmed to that person the world isn’t just some thing they imagined with limits that they set. You opened it up to affirm the existence of others and raised the limit on what is possible for humanity to achieve.
A lot of people say weird shit about solipsism and “I think therefore I am” being the only verifiable truth, but there’s also “WTF? Therefore you exist.” And I think that sometimes that surprise can make you goddamn happy to be alive.
Modern update of MLK's speech: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will be judged by the color of their skin, but not by the content of their character. I have a dream that they will one day become well paid DEI commissars and marry the white men who they claim oppress them. I have a dream that the Karens of Boston, Maskachussetts will remove a Lincoln statue and then erect a statue in my honor that looks like a turd. I have a dream today!” https://yuribezmenov.substack.com/p/how-to-give-a-speech
I agree in general, complexity for own self is not progress, simple is always better. But regarding the induction stoves, I think you might need to talk to the top chefs https://cookeryspace.com/do-professional-chefs-use-induction-cooktops/ . I am in that world as well, and still use gas for the most part but would switch in a heartbeat if pricing and staff acceptance would allow. They are more efficient, but that translates into very fast heat transfer, which make cooking more controllable and quicker. There is no open flame so theoretically you do not need an Ansul Grease Class 1 grease hood, the cook surface is in general relatively cool, safer and makes for a much more comfortable kitchen. The only cooking material that is not currently useable is aluminum, but all of the rage now is thin carbon steel fry pans, which are way more controllable on a modern induction stove than on gas. Cooking and baking are very time and temperature dependent, so have almost absolute control over temp is amazing.
Moving piece. But it was a cheap move using such nicely composited color adjusted images with lense flares for the Classical and Futura examples and a completely raw washed out cloudy day photo for 'the real world.'
Maybe what this renaissance needs is a good media campaign. That's what sold us to begin with on this not-so shiny after all vision of a future built solely to expand the empire of rapacious colonialism.
A beautiful world requires a beautiful economy - nature's economy of reciprocity, and balance. It can only be achieved through symbiosis with nature and knowledge of nature's patterns, possibilities, limits and laws.
Thanks for the great writing as ever, and for making it fun. That's the real key. :)
“Where are the tech money libraries, museums, paintings?” It’s a great question. We’ve seen ZuckBucks for elections, Gates all over WEF, Bezos with WaPo & space. Is this a preference for power over beauty? Wheres the investment in science & society? Look at Rockefeller was doing when he was in his 40s. The civic state of SF suggests a lack of imagination and courage. Good call to action in this note.
For way too long, I was under the impression that the only real way I could get involved professionally with the Silicon Valley tech scene was to learn how to code or start a tech company. Now I'm hopeful that Silicon Valley will support a larger variety of endeavors that are ultimately focused on creating a post-scarcity, abundant world.
American Futura
Can't agree more here. The nihilists have control of culture and we all suffer as a result. Are we the first generation with no real hope for the future? We lack a frontier to stimulate the imagination and sense of wonder (a major reason why I am so in favor of space exploration and development which will provide it), and until we have one we need the artists and dreamers to be inspired by a positive vision of the future, one that is pro human, not transhumanist or misanthropic
It might be odious to give a purpose to art but here is one that makes me glad to be alive: art is how we know other people really truly exist, that they’re worth knowing, and that the world can be better than you imagined on your own.
When you make something incredible that someone else can look on and know did not come from their own mind, you didn’t just make a cool thing, you reaffirmed to that person the world isn’t just some thing they imagined with limits that they set. You opened it up to affirm the existence of others and raised the limit on what is possible for humanity to achieve.
A lot of people say weird shit about solipsism and “I think therefore I am” being the only verifiable truth, but there’s also “WTF? Therefore you exist.” And I think that sometimes that surprise can make you goddamn happy to be alive.
Modern update of MLK's speech: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will be judged by the color of their skin, but not by the content of their character. I have a dream that they will one day become well paid DEI commissars and marry the white men who they claim oppress them. I have a dream that the Karens of Boston, Maskachussetts will remove a Lincoln statue and then erect a statue in my honor that looks like a turd. I have a dream today!” https://yuribezmenov.substack.com/p/how-to-give-a-speech
I agree in general, complexity for own self is not progress, simple is always better. But regarding the induction stoves, I think you might need to talk to the top chefs https://cookeryspace.com/do-professional-chefs-use-induction-cooktops/ . I am in that world as well, and still use gas for the most part but would switch in a heartbeat if pricing and staff acceptance would allow. They are more efficient, but that translates into very fast heat transfer, which make cooking more controllable and quicker. There is no open flame so theoretically you do not need an Ansul Grease Class 1 grease hood, the cook surface is in general relatively cool, safer and makes for a much more comfortable kitchen. The only cooking material that is not currently useable is aluminum, but all of the rage now is thin carbon steel fry pans, which are way more controllable on a modern induction stove than on gas. Cooking and baking are very time and temperature dependent, so have almost absolute control over temp is amazing.
Moving piece. But it was a cheap move using such nicely composited color adjusted images with lense flares for the Classical and Futura examples and a completely raw washed out cloudy day photo for 'the real world.'
Maybe what this renaissance needs is a good media campaign. That's what sold us to begin with on this not-so shiny after all vision of a future built solely to expand the empire of rapacious colonialism.
A beautiful world requires a beautiful economy - nature's economy of reciprocity, and balance. It can only be achieved through symbiosis with nature and knowledge of nature's patterns, possibilities, limits and laws.
Thanks for the great writing as ever, and for making it fun. That's the real key. :)
“Where are the tech money libraries, museums, paintings?” It’s a great question. We’ve seen ZuckBucks for elections, Gates all over WEF, Bezos with WaPo & space. Is this a preference for power over beauty? Wheres the investment in science & society? Look at Rockefeller was doing when he was in his 40s. The civic state of SF suggests a lack of imagination and courage. Good call to action in this note.
“You need to be culturemaxxing.”
So true.
I think we are on the precipice of a culture shift. The discontent is strong. And the lameness of the ancien regime is palpable.
For way too long, I was under the impression that the only real way I could get involved professionally with the Silicon Valley tech scene was to learn how to code or start a tech company. Now I'm hopeful that Silicon Valley will support a larger variety of endeavors that are ultimately focused on creating a post-scarcity, abundant world.