Curmudgeons Unite!
Locked
 
|
Silicon Valley sells snake oil 'solutions'. The Democratic party fell for them https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/feb/06/democrats-iowa-lessons-apps > If the Democrats take one lesson from Iowa, it should be that simple, dependable technology is better than flimsy, new technology. That technology includes paper, an ancient technology that still works best for recording and counting votes. > > Here is a bigger lesson: it’s not about the app. Just as we fool ourselves by thinking that an app will fix things, we fool ourselves by blaming an app. All technologies are embedded in webs of human relations. We say the app failed because the systems failed – humans failed. Humans built a system too complex to handle simple tasks. We often fool ourselves into thinking that speed and convenience are paramount values. So we maximized speed over reliability, data over truth, attention over depth. > > Maybe the Iowa glitch, one caused because caucuses are poorly designed rituals and retrofitting custom software to them only widens their flaws, will show us a better way forward. There is no reason to deploy gizmos and magic spells when simple, steady, slow work can win – as always. Democracy is not for the impatient. Democracy is too important to be trusted to the “innovators”. -- ☣ uǝlƃ ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com archives back to 2003: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove
uǝʃƃ ⊥ glen
|
|
< We say the app failed because the systems failed – humans failed. Humans built a system too complex to handle simple tasks. We often fool ourselves into thinking that speed and convenience are paramount values. So we maximized speed over reliability, data over truth, attention over depth. >
It is necessary to be involved in how a thing works and have some skin in the game. Management doesn't work. Delegation doesn't work. Technology that people use but don't understand just makes people stupid. Marcus ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com archives back to 2003: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove |
|
|
the full story of ACRONYM, SHADOW, the App, the (lack of) expertise of those developing the app, the motives of those contracting for the app, the need for the app in the first place (attempt at transparency based on complaints from Sanders in 2016 when he thought he was cheated by Hillary) -- on and on, perfect poster child for the sad state of software engineering and a concept and approach for software development.
davew On Thu, Feb 6, 2020, at 6:21 PM, Marcus Daniels wrote: > < We say the app failed because the systems failed – humans failed. > Humans built a system too complex to handle simple tasks. We often fool > ourselves into thinking that speed and convenience are paramount > values. So we maximized speed over reliability, data over truth, > attention over depth. > > > It is necessary to be involved in how a thing works and have some skin > in the game. Management doesn't work. Delegation doesn't work. > Technology that people use but don't understand just makes people > stupid. > > Marcus > > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > archives back to 2003: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ > FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove > ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com archives back to 2003: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove |
|
|
In reply to this post by Marcus G. Daniels
I almost agree. But there are limits to one's understanding of any given thing. E.g. I probably understand more about the Banking App an employee of my new credit union told me to install on my Android than that employee understands. ... I rejected their suggestion and told them that I'm confused why so many people keep banking info on notoriously insecure things like smart phones. But I have to admit that there's a limit to the extent to which I understand Android phones ... and I'm almost completely ignorant of their Banking App. How secure is secure enough for me to *delegate* that trustability? If they tell me some yahoo at "VeriSign" or wherever evaluated it? If I use both a PIN and a pattern to unlock my phone? Etc.
You have to take leaps of faith at some point. When/where to do it is the question. On 2/6/20 9:21 AM, Marcus Daniels wrote: > It is necessary to be involved in how a thing works and have some skin in the game. Management doesn't work. Delegation doesn't work. Technology that people use but don't understand just makes people stupid. -- ☣ uǝlƃ ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com archives back to 2003: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove
uǝʃƃ ⊥ glen
|
|
|
I mean at some point party officials wanted or were willing to try an app. Rather than tightly describing each aspect of its behavior and carefully testing each one, they trusted someone else. As if you could insulate oneself from liability so easily. I must really getting to be a cranky old man, but back when I was a kid I used assembly language! Hardware devices did specific things and nothing else. Now kids just spew dorkage at Python and hope for the best. Gah.
On 2/6/20, 12:35 PM, "Friam on behalf of uǝlƃ ☣" <[hidden email] on behalf of [hidden email]> wrote: I almost agree. But there are limits to one's understanding of any given thing. E.g. I probably understand more about the Banking App an employee of my new credit union told me to install on my Android than that employee understands. ... I rejected their suggestion and told them that I'm confused why so many people keep banking info on notoriously insecure things like smart phones. But I have to admit that there's a limit to the extent to which I understand Android phones ... and I'm almost completely ignorant of their Banking App. How secure is secure enough for me to *delegate* that trustability? If they tell me some yahoo at "VeriSign" or wherever evaluated it? If I use both a PIN and a pattern to unlock my phone? Etc. You have to take leaps of faith at some point. When/where to do it is the question. On 2/6/20 9:21 AM, Marcus Daniels wrote: > It is necessary to be involved in how a thing works and have some skin in the game. Management doesn't work. Delegation doesn't work. Technology that people use but don't understand just makes people stupid. -- ☣ uǝlƃ ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com archives back to 2003: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com archives back to 2003: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove |
«
Return to Friam
|
1 view|%1 views
| Free forum by Nabble | Edit this page |