Re:Steve Jobs's thoughts on the Internet in 1996
by aero142 on Sunday May 30, 2010 @12:20AM
(#1389944)
It annoys me that every 40 year old thinks that the world is getting worse. I used to think it was just the less intelligent people who's minds couldn't keep up with the rate of change. But to hear Jobs say it was disheartening. Death rates from war are the lowest per capita that they have perhaps ever been. People continue to live longer lives. I think that the world allows more upward mobility now than perhaps any time I can think of. Billions of people in India and China are moving towards first world status. Unreadable amounts of information is available at a moments notice. People at the poverty line have things that the richest map 100 years ago couldn't even dream of. When was this heyday where every person was an educated scholar and only the intelligent became leaders. Every complaint like this I hear, I can find 10 examples from history where things were worse. I just don't get it. Maybe I'll understand when I'm 40. I hope I can keep my optimism.
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Re:Steve Jobs's thoughts on the Internet in 1996
by stratospark on Sunday May 30, 2010 @01:08AM
(#1390017)
The 20th century is considered the most violent century in terms of sheer number. Death rates are a weird thing to think about in per capita terms. If you look at it that way, then an individual life is worth less now than it used to be. Whether your death is a 1 millionth or 1 billionth of the population makes no difference to your family and friends.
There still 90 years left in this century. Judging by previous ones, a lot of awesome and terrible things are going to happen. Technology amplifies man's capacity for creation and destruction. Speaking as a 25 year old, I'm optimistic that life will continue to be an interesting ride.
Re:Steve Jobs's thoughts on the Internet in 1996
by reitzensteinm on Sunday May 30, 2010 @05:01AM
(#1390258)
Death rates due to war absolutely should be thought about per capita, because put another way, it's the chance that you yourself, or those you care about, or those you know will meet a violent end, assuming even distribution.
I would rather live in a society where one thousand out of a one million total population die from war compared to a society where one hundred out a thousand do.