You've been downvoted, but I couldn't agree with you more!
Here in the UK, I've recently driven a few thousand miles on longer, road trip-style holidays. That has meant more time in service stations than I'm used to, and I'm shocked (but actually not surprised) at the low bar for everything... food, drink, hygiene; all at exorbitant prices. That's before we get to the bits that really indulge our chimp-brains like the fruit machines and "special, limited edition, collaboration-with-contemporary-film milkshake/slushy/burger" that are just complete marketing exercises.
I was left wondering why people accept this? Am I just a snob, or are people legitimately fine with this? One argument is that we're all struggling — financially, emotionally, existentially — and just trying to survive and get through the day. Who cares if this coffee is £7, loaded with sugar and fat to contribute to our systemic illnesses and contains only the barest minimum of lowest-quality coffee? _"It's a hit, and it gets me through."_
And I think this answers a lot! There's a line from the last Bond film, where the evil villain utters something like "people want oblivion, they want no choices and then to die when they're not looking". It's extreme (he's a Bond-baddie after all), but I don't think it's inaccurate. We're so accustomed to everything being a bit shit that we've collectively checked out and accept it. It explains why so much that would have once been unthinkable socially/politically/morally is now just "fine". AI replacing us in the workplace but also in our hobbies is just the next in a long line of insults.
Perhaps we need to put the French in charge for a while? Nothing a good revolution couldn't fix, and at least we'll be manning the barricades with a good coffee in hand...
I trialed Claude for a sorely needed redesign on my website. I was quite impressed with the results, but decided to hang fire on deploying it. Cue my surprise when I just found the same design applied to a coffee shop!
The similarities are beyond coincidence, to the point I'll be scrapping Claude's version of the redesign.
When I set up my local AI server I tried different harnesses and one prompt was to build a site for a consultancy in my domain. Not long after an actual agency I know had a website redesign and it was the exact same thing I got from my local model and the Hermes agent with the web design skill.
Here in the UK, I've recently driven a few thousand miles on longer, road trip-style holidays. That has meant more time in service stations than I'm used to, and I'm shocked (but actually not surprised) at the low bar for everything... food, drink, hygiene; all at exorbitant prices. That's before we get to the bits that really indulge our chimp-brains like the fruit machines and "special, limited edition, collaboration-with-contemporary-film milkshake/slushy/burger" that are just complete marketing exercises.
I was left wondering why people accept this? Am I just a snob, or are people legitimately fine with this? One argument is that we're all struggling — financially, emotionally, existentially — and just trying to survive and get through the day. Who cares if this coffee is £7, loaded with sugar and fat to contribute to our systemic illnesses and contains only the barest minimum of lowest-quality coffee? _"It's a hit, and it gets me through."_
And I think this answers a lot! There's a line from the last Bond film, where the evil villain utters something like "people want oblivion, they want no choices and then to die when they're not looking". It's extreme (he's a Bond-baddie after all), but I don't think it's inaccurate. We're so accustomed to everything being a bit shit that we've collectively checked out and accept it. It explains why so much that would have once been unthinkable socially/politically/morally is now just "fine". AI replacing us in the workplace but also in our hobbies is just the next in a long line of insults.
Perhaps we need to put the French in charge for a while? Nothing a good revolution couldn't fix, and at least we'll be manning the barricades with a good coffee in hand...