The Current Events Thread

[[Citation Needed]]

Something tells me the closest we'll get is just sitting or laying down and having something plug into your head to make you, basically, dream whatever you want. Like the Matrix.

[Lambeth]

Think they meant more that technology would just stop at that point. Possibly breeding too.

nah that wouldn't happen. I mean we'll always have luddites to tell the stories of humanity's collapse to their children after the fact

[adurumus]

I guess the idea is less "holodecks stop technology" and more "we'll eventually find something that fulfills our perceived needs so well, we'll stop wanting to develop more." That is, if I understand this right.

It's like if we made some sort of synthetic food that is so delicious and effortless to produce, we never want to eat anything else ever again. Farming stops happening. But that's more stopping one industry rather than fulfilling all needs.

[Exeres]

Technology doesn't just stop improving. There's always going to be people who want to keep pushing and developing, whether for philanthropy, greed, or basic curiosity.

[Syobon]

I guess the idea is less "holodecks stop technology" and more "we'll eventually find something that fulfills our perceived needs so well, we'll stop wanting to develop more."

This is not that bad of an idea, actually I've heard it argued that this is the reason why China's technology didn't advance far more in it's feudal era. They simply had everything they taught they wanted, and didn't strive for anything more except as a pastime. Most spectacular advancements of technology have been made under the pressure of war.

However, the situation with today's scientific community is far different from China's, so I think it's quite unlikely to happen. There will always be a legion of individuals interested in finding out how this world exactly works, and that research will automatically lead to new developments.

What I do think might happen is that we'll eventually reach a peak in our technological prowess, a point wherein no further progress is possible.

[D-vid]

Universal Music took down a video from youtube without having the copyrights for it again
That's apparently at least the 3rd time this happened.

[D-vid]

Apparently no one else cares that a record company is actively infringing other people's copyrights.

[DoNotDelete]

Actually I think the account holders of one of the videos they mistakenly took down did start legal action against Universal.

[Syobon]

Apparently no one else cares that a record company is actively infringing other people's copyrights.

I cared, but I already saw the news and I didn't have anything more contributing to post than "that sucks".

[Kamak]

So Obama did his Google+ debate thing today.

It was pretty interesting, but one thing stuck out at me.

I'll try to find a video, but for now, I'll just describe what happened.

When the topic moved to education, he was asked by a high school student "what's going to be done to ensure when I get out of college, there will be jobs open to me?"

His response:

"Well, kids need to learn to look ahead in the future. They need to know that they can't just party for 4 years and expect everything to work out. They have to think ahead to what happens after college. They have to plan, and get a degree that will ensure their ability to get a job when they get out of college."



In all seriousness though, I think he fails to realize that it's still a pretty big gamble to put your hopes into a degree program for 4 years and hope that the job market that caters to those skills isn't going to dry up.

When I entered college, a biochemistry degree meant work at a large number of places. When I changed my major a year and a half later, you pretty much needed to already have work experience or a master's degree to get in. Also, when I changed my major, I changed it to teaching since we were "always in need of science teachers" (also, my college is the best in the state for getting a teaching degree). Last spring, there was a hiring freeze and a lot of "downsizing" went through the entire education system in Texas because of a budget crisis. Most of the casualties were teachers who had only worked for 1-5 years (and a few old teachers that got screwed out of retirement, but that's another issue).

And it's not just me, there are many students at my college worried about whether they're going to get a job when they get out, and whether it's the right decision to go to college at all.

I think it's great that Obama is pushing people to go past high school and continue learning, but I think he needs to work to give people a little more peace of mind that there's going to be doors opened to people and opportunities.

[Kalekemo]

Kamak, that's the exact reason I'm having so many issues in college right now. I'm on my 3rd year, got all the credits I need to transfer to a non-community college, but no fucking clue which degree to pick because the job market is shit right now and I have no fucking clue where it's gonna be in a few years. I don't want all my work to be for nothing

[Chekt]

Yeah I'm freaking out because I'm close to being done, but whoops no real idea of what I can do.

[Lambeth]

Just focus on what you love?

[Madican]

The majority of the professionals of what I love have to hold down another job because the first doesn't pay enough bills.

[Lambeth]

That's so punk