Fascinating discussion on the latest The Talk Show with @gruber@mastodon.social and @danielpunkass about AI. What does it mean for humanity when more tasks can be automated and fewer people need traditional jobs? As a developer, a lot of my time isn’t coding but thinking how something should work.
@manton @gruber @danielpunkass I confess one of my favorite parts was discussing super cheap hotels around Moscone. I think I stayed for…$50 off Union Square in a slightly squalid but also perfectly nice place. One year, paid ~$60/night for an eighth floor room at the Mosser…when the elevator was being rebuilt and they were offering a sensational discount. Hell, I only needed to climb it once or twice per day. Built character.
@glennf @manton @gruber @danielpunkass I have stayed at the Mosser several times. it's a favorite of mine for conferences at the Moscone. I have also stayed at one hotel that had an old-fashioned manually operated cage elevator, like something from the Edwardian era. I've had some eclectic hotel experiences in SF.
@mitchw @manton @gruber @danielpunkass I'm sorry there's no event that gets me to SF anymore, but I think the equivalent room night is like $300 now, if not $500!
I think the same can be said of most artisanal occupations, crafting the final product is only a small part of the total time spent on putting the product in the hands of customers.
Ideation will remain part of the process as long as the end product is meant for humans. You (should) make what people need, not what they want, otherwise we'd be still riding in horse-drawn carriages instead of automobiles. So having sound ideas is key.
@glennf @manton @gruber @danielpunkass Same here for being sorry there's no events getting me to SF anymore. In 2018 or so I rediscovered my love of the city when I got the heck out of the Moscone/Union Square area.
@gruber I honesty liked the shared bathroom back when I was younger—felt a little like an upscale hostel, so close, so cheap. The lobby was very nice. I hung out there with people a reasonable amount.
@glennf @gruber There is, or was, an old-fashioned hardware store I think right next door to the Mosser? One day when I was there for a conference they were having a dirt-cheap sale on Timbuk2 bags. I picked up a small one for $30--such a deal!--and it's still one of my go-to everyday bags. Then I bought a bigger Timbuk2 bag that has literally been to Africa and back with me.
@manton I’d say if you spend lots of time thinking, then you are doing your job.
Not weighing the consequences of your actions ends up with Jurassic Park …
@gruber @mitchw @glennf @manton @danielpunkass My first WWDC was on a student ticket when I was in grad school, on leave from Adobe. I stayed at the Mosser for the bargain. I was hanging with a bunch of other nerds in the lobby, installing the new OS on laptops and sipping on handmade white Russians. In strolled a fancy fellow who saw all our Macs and inserted himself into the group. He went on to explain that he was filming a porno upstairs, he loved Macs and used them for all his production! 😳
