Re:Why are we still working this hard?
by order-matters on Wednesday November 11, 2026 @04:19PM
(#50458845)
the world operates a lot more like Massdrop than people think. it's just that for a lot of things they do not need to check for demand. But operationally, its still large batches of product sold at a good price while the batch lasts. this includes our own labor!
if you had to make an old car now, it would cost you way more unless you do intend to make and sell way more of them. you could make more of them now then you made then for the same inputs, but you couldnt make more of the old cars now than we make of the new cars now for those inputs. This is much more relevant to farming. they dont own the seeds because they can get much more product out of buying the new seeds than using 'old style' seeds.
but overall i like the point you bring up, and inflation and productivity are fundamentally hard to compare. we know that borrowing from the future increases the cost of money in hte future which yields inflation.
I bring up massdrop because it has helped me realize that for an individual it is best to keep an eye on what is actually being produced right now that may not have the same kind of demand in the future. A lack of demand does not necessarily mean the product isnt good, as it could mean everyone already bought what they needed and you missed the boat.
The past was able to think a lot less about it in this way because there was always large population growth happening creating demand for any good product because new people need their own copy. With that leveling off its going to pay a lot more to stay in the loop with timing buys with others, even though its not really coordinated.
if you had to make an old car now, it would cost you way more unless you do intend to make and sell way more of them. you could make more of them now then you made then for the same inputs, but you couldnt make more of the old cars now than we make of the new cars now for those inputs. This is much more relevant to farming. they dont own the seeds because they can get much more product out of buying the new seeds than using 'old style' seeds.
but overall i like the point you bring up, and inflation and productivity are fundamentally hard to compare. we know that borrowing from the future increases the cost of money in hte future which yields inflation.
I bring up massdrop because it has helped me realize that for an individual it is best to keep an eye on what is actually being produced right now that may not have the same kind of demand in the future. A lack of demand does not necessarily mean the product isnt good, as it could mean everyone already bought what they needed and you missed the boat.
The past was able to think a lot less about it in this way because there was always large population growth happening creating demand for any good product because new people need their own copy. With that leveling off its going to pay a lot more to stay in the loop with timing buys with others, even though its not really coordinated.