
The Children of Silicon Valley - HarveyLee96
http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2014/jul/17/children-silicon-valley/
======
ChuckMcM
This piece says more about the author's problems than actual problems, but as
I've gone through life I have run across many people who are angry with me or
with with technologists in general because of choices made in their own lives
have come back to haunt them in ways they never imagined when they made those
choices.

Back in the 70's you could be forgiven for ignoring computers, they were
specialist tools that only people who were 'bad at sports' seemed to have any
use for. But in making that choice, in the 90's your kids were talking to each
other using "screens" and you always seemed out of touch with what was going
on. You finally got a "computer" in the early part of the 21st century because
you got tired of people laughing at you when you asked them to send you a
print catalog. Now you want to get something done and that computer that you
barely know how to operate doesn't work because of some sort of magical
indigestion that randomly tries to sell you ED medicine with random pop up
advertising.

Those people are really angry, they are frustrated and angry and pissed off
that nobody told them that when the nerds reshaped the tools of the world into
something they liked better, there choice to ignore nerds would leave them
badly under equipped to live in that world. There was a big push to give
people "computer literacy" which is sort of like being able to read, the
essential skill that got you buy in the 20th century, but for computers in the
21st century. A lot of people decided it was too much bother and their life
has become harder because of that choice.

What is interesting is that Alvin Toffler predicted this would happen in
"Future Shock" [1], where he talked about how change that was fast enough
could disenfranchise an entire generation or two. I don't think a lot of
people appreciated it then.

One of the effects I've observed is people with sentiments exactly like those
expressed in the original article. Anger at people who would change things and
impose a burden on those who, for what ever reason, could not accommodate that
change.

[1]
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Future_Shock](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Future_Shock)

~~~
dkarapetyan
But that's just it. Silicon Valley is no longer changing anything. I don't
know if this was ever the case but the reason I started learning about
computers and the theory of computation in general was because I saw it as a
way of empowering people and giving them a means of achieving their own goals.
This is no longer the case. I see very few companies that are using technology
with that intention or building something with that goal in mind. All I see
are ways of tricking people into clicking on ads or tricking them into doing
free work by giving them tokens, e.g. Yelp.

This isn't to say that technologists are entirely to blame but they played a
large role in disempowering an entire generation by giving them gimped tools
that were meant more for control than empowerment. Why the hell do I need to
know what "rooting" a device means if I want to fully utilize all its
capabilities. What is the point of locking down a general purpose computing
machine if not for control.

~~~
mathattack
I've heard this "there are no more big changes left." Perhaps folks in the
Valley are too close to the change to see it.

Universal mobile connectivity is huge.

Instant access to the world's information is huge.

Instant access to each other is huge.

Geolocation is huge.

Right now we're just seeing ripples on the surface, but industries are being
eaten. Modern financial services couldn't operate without this technology. You
can't compete with P&G and Walmart without this technology, because they are
masters. The propoganda behind wars now happens on Twitter.

~~~
dkarapetyan
You'll have to define what you mean by universal mobile connectivity because
it is far from universal on a global scale.

If you have internet then you might have access to the world's information or
you might not depending on which part of the world you're in, i.e. countrywide
firewalls and whatnot. Also, most of the world's information is still locked
behind journal publisher paywalls. The stuff you get from tumbler I wouldn't
call information.

Instant access to each other we've basically had since email and text
messaging and that hasn't changed. What has changed is business capitalizing
on those connections to make money, i.e. Zuckerberg repackaging the internet
as Facebook.

I don't really know why you say geolocation is huge. I like my GPS but I can
get around just fine without it. It might be huge in terms of government's
ability to spy on me though.

Maybe I'm a little too cynical but none of what you brought up changes the
fact that all the tools and services we make available to people are more a
means of oppression and control than they are as a lever that they can use to
move the world. Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, etc. are all toys for
teenagers. Google and other mega corps are information silos with secretive
operations and basically black boxes that print money.

Technology should be used to distribute power and wealth but instead it is
used more and more every day to concentrate it in fewer and fewer hands.
Financial sector you mentioned being an excellent example of such use.

------
jeffdavis
"These industries may be among the most vibrant and dynamic in the world, yet
those inside the hive are among the most tedious people in the room, endlessly
plugging into their prosthetic devices."

I gave the author the benefit of the doubt until I got here. Most of the
people that I've met that actually keep innovation progressing are quite
interesting people with deep lives, including family, hobbies, interesting
experiences, non-technical interests, community participation, etc.

I think the stereotype of "boring" comes from the focus on young developers,
who aren't necessarily boring, but haven't become interesting _yet_. It's no
surprise that a single 25 year old might not have a deep appreciation for the
subtleties of humanity. If there was as much focus on other young adults,
you'd probably find the same shallowness with different (and often less
productive) outlets.

~~~
roghummal
You're confusing the aged expatriates of technology with the people doing the
work now. They're only 45 and unemployable except for sweetheart contractor
deals within their 'network'.

It's disgusting how entitled they are. No, you don't make six figures working
part-time, ad-hoc, in a technical capacity. No, you aren't that good, you
aren't that special.

And they are so fucking boring. They think they put their time in and now they
go on cruise-control and still expect to still make a tidy income on the side
while they pursue their dreams of organic backyard farming or whatever. B-o-r-
i-n-g.

------
lelandbatey
The Silicon Valley "Change the World" self congratulation festival is in full
swing, yes. People losing themselves to the latest fads _is happening_ , but
it's always been happening. We just change enough to notice. It's not with
unkindness or scorn that I respond this way to the authors writing, but
instead with weary acceptance. Even as young as I am, I can feel the subtle
changes as I begin to lose contact with current fads[0]. Unfortunately, I
believe that is the path of all of us.

But, all is not lost! For in this conundrum is the thread of life itself: we
must learn to deal with what we cannot change. I'm reminded of a quote about
programming from the _Tao of Programming:_

 _A novice asked the Master:_

    
    
        "In the East, there is a great tree-structure that men call 'Corporate
        Headquarters'. It is bloated out of shape with vice presidents and
        accountants. It issues a multitude of memos, each saying 'Go Hence!' or 'Go
        Hither!' and nobody knows what is meant. Every year new names are put onto the
        branches, but all to no avail. How can such an unnatural entity exist?"
    

_The Master replied:_

    
    
        "You perceive this immense structure and are disturbed that it has no rational
        purpose. Can you not take amusement from its endless gyrations? Do you not
        enjoy the untroubled ease of programming beneath its sheltering branches? Why
        are you bothered by its uselessness?"
    

Similarly, be not bothered by change, for change always comes. _Take amusement
from [society 's] constant gyrations. Enjoy the [marvels that occasionally
arise] beneath its sheltering branches._

------
jeffdavis
"Our silicon age, which sees no glory in maintenance, but only in
transformation and disruption"

Startups see no glory in maintenance, of course, but that's almost the
definition of a startup: they have to do something new, big, and fast. I
wouldn't ascribe that to the entire "silicon age" though.

For instance, look at open source communities. A lot of people are doing a lot
of great work, some more revolutionary, but a lot of it quite incremental.
Even fairly revolutionary ideas are often more concerned with engineering
concerns like safety and robustness -- look at PostgreSQL, and the Rust
language.

------
skybrian
When people spend their time on the computer, they're turning their back to
the outside world. And to be sure, that's anti-social.

But before computers, some of us did that by reading books.

------
cafard
"The twenty-first century has only aggravated the political, moral, social,
and environmental concussions of the twentieth."

It's early days--through the mid-summer of its 14th year, the 20th was fairly
peaceful. But at this point I don't see the 21st as doing worse than the 20th.

" I have seen young teenagers who just yesterday were ebullient, verbal,
interactive, and full of personality turn into aphasic zombies within three
months of getting a smart phone or an iPad."

I known for ten years some persons, now 25 or so, who have had cell phones
since they were 15 and iPads since those came out. They have been, at every
point at which I came in contact with them, lively and articulate. I met them
when I was the dad driving around kids without licenses, so I'm not boasting
about my generation.

"Becoming a boring human being is the fate of most people who keep the tech
economy’s lights burning deep into the night."

From the point of view of an NYRB writer, perhaps. I doubt that the electrical
engineers who made it possible to wire Manhattan shone at literary cocktail
parties; yet I guess they had the decency to make more moderate piles of
money.

"The new wine is dying on the vine, and Dionysos, the telluric god of ecstasy,
is nowhere in sight."

The expression "new wine" I usually see in the New Testament "new wine in old
bottles"; how that fits in with Dionysos, I can't guess. Is Robert Pogue
Harrison a new pseudonym of Lewis Lapham's?

~~~
21echoes
Dionysos is the god of wine

------
fred_durst
Anyone who wants to look into the future of the young talent of silicon valley
needs only to look into the lives of 50+ year old professional athletes.

To the owners go the spoils, to the workers go the toils.

~~~
bdamm
I work in the Valley, I'm 35, and have put on my share of coding afterburners.

Some of the most impressive programmers I've had the honor of working with
have been substantially my senior. There are a handful who are powerfully
productive and 50+. I assume there are a handful because there are not that
many of them compared to the tikes. Agism - I'm just not seeing it!

There are no 50 year old NFL players, so I believe that your comparison is
tenuous.

------
etherael
"GET OFF MY LAWN!"

> "Becoming a boring human being is the fate of most people who keep the tech
> economy’s lights burning deep into the night."

Anyone who thinks that the president of the united states is going to say
anything controversial or interesting worth taking time away from going to the
bathroom letalone building potentially world changing software is already in
no position to imply that anyone else is a bore in any way, shape or form.

Get off _that_ lawn, you old crank.

------
doctorpangloss
> “Mae, do you realize how incredibly boring you’ve become?”

I've said the words, "I'm worried I'm becoming a boring person." This
definitely resonates with me.

------
noname123
I agree with the author's thesis that tech workers in general are over-
entitled, live sheltered lives and take themselves too seriously. However, I
have more empathy and sympathy for their plight because I'm one too, :) What
the author missed out on motivation of programmers and over-estimates the
power of tech and even buys into somewhat the illusions of tech.

> Our silicon age, which sees no glory in maintenance, but only in
> transformation and disruption...

Six years ago, there was a book thread on HN where the top comment was "The
Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand - the rationale being that the book's recommender
was inspired by the novel's protagonist Howard Roark, an architect who battled
the will's of a tycoon (symbol for MBA), second-rate architects (symbol for
non-startup programmers) and an unwieldy female love interest (symbol for
social resistance against anything revolutionary to preserve status quo power
& prestige) to carry out his individual vision of architecture from drafting
papers to concrete. Speaking for myself, it influenced me greatly then, to be
a man who endured pain and sacrifice to manifest his individual creative
vision.

Like Howard Roark, there is a dark side however not to yield - almost a fear
for the world not to acknowledge properly his genius or perhaps the other way
around, for himself to miss out on the world (“I’m making more of a difference
than anybody in government could possibly make,”). A thought that consumes him
that he's willing to bomb his building because of the "corruption of the world
that stained it". His general ass-holeness at every other character whom he
sees either as intellectually inferior (MBA), spiritually inferior (mediocre
architect who have settled), or sexually submissive (his female love
interest). In the end, Roark prevails and I reveled in the world that Ayn Rand
has constructed to highlight the stubbornness, the creative genius, and the
triumph of the will.

> People who work in Silicon Valley tend to love ["Silicon Valley"] precisely
> because its over-the-top portrayals of the most infantile and socially
> dysfunctional aspects of the tech start-up culture are eerily on the mark.

Six years later, as a code monkey, I read a book about Japan, "Dance Dance
Dance" by Haruki Murakami - whose early 90's Tokyo of excess parallels the
surrealness of Silicon Valley. The male protagonist is a disaffected Japanese
advertising executive in his late 20's who have lost faith not so much in his
work as much as embraced the absurdity of the capitalist service economy, "My
peak? Would I even have one? I hardly had had anything you could call a life.
A few ripples. some rises and falls. But that's it. Almost nothing. Nothing
born of nothing. I'd loved and been loved, but I had nothing to show. It was a
singularly plain, featureless landscape.I felt like I was in a video game. A
surrogate Pacman, crunching blindly through a labyrinth of dotted lines. The
only certainty was my death".

The protagonist is lonely and depressed and every day, he goes to a museum to
look at the dry whale penis specimen just to relax himself. I'm reminded of
the Silicon Graphics dino skeleton at Google. That a mediocre man who is
powerless either associates himself with a shrine of manhood or is so awe-
struck by another animal's oversized phallus that it takes him momentarily to
the realm of absurdity, away from his usual daily pissing contests of
"succeeding in life" to just take a moment to appreciate the moment of dry
whale penis.

Howard Roark is represented here too as an male peripheral celebrity character
who is also depressed because he is too good-looking to be always casted as "a
handsome doctor or teacher" romantic lead in Japanese romantic comedies,
resigned to play his role (and obligated to file expense reports for "personal
entertainments" because of "tax compliance" reasons).

> The new wine is dying on the vine, and Dionysos, the telluric god of
> ecstasy, is nowhere in sight. It is unlikely that the next big digital
> innovation will lure him back.

I agree with the author's assertion that tech of today is actually quite
plebian, an illusion and temporary sinecure for our modern anxieties. However,
I don't think what he implies as the solution to indulge in our "Dionysian"
souls, to go back to traditional public discourse of civic's, arts and
humanities before permeation of Internet is viable either - as art imitates
life, so does tech caters to it to the tyranny of A/B testing. We've created
it in our image not some tech-Gods sitting in their LCD-glowing caves.

That the whole tech worship is no different than traditional athlete,
celebrity or NYTimes Book Review worship. IMO, we are all so insecure to focus
on which our surrogate hero's are better than the other we forget appreciating
the ordinary people around us and reveling in our own mediocrity.

------
jeffdavis
"those who would change the world were viewed with suspicion and dread"

There's a difference though: some ways of changing the world are much safer
than other ways. Traditionally, it's been politicians who want to change the
world, because they were the only ones with enough power to do so -- and
people were rightly afraid (and still should be).

But technologists pose a significantly lower risk. Sure, there are exceptions,
like the Manhattan Project. But for the most part, technology is opt-in, and
people opt-in because it helps them more than it hurts them.

------
21echoes
Generally an interesting article, but I can't help but wonder why, of all the
things to dislike about Silicon Valley, you would dislike that "changing the
world" is so overused so as to be cliché. Most every region and industry has
plenty of clichés; I can't really think of a _better_ one than trying to
change the world.

------
jamesaguilar
"Kids these days."

------
danbmil99
TL; DR: Get off my lawn

------
detrol2k
If you cut yourself with a knife the fault is on you for not using it
properly, not on the knife.

------
keithba
An unfortunate and misguided sentiment, especially considering how
technological change has literally improved and changed the world. The current
top story on HN
([http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2014/07/21/140721fa_fact_...](http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2014/07/21/140721fa_fact_mnookin?currentPage=all))
being but one minor example.

