2017's shittiest technology trends, news blurts, and stupidities

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/01/02/2018-has-work-cut-out.html

6 Likes

“We were promised flying cars; instead we got suicidal robots,” said one office worker, whose photos of the keeled-over robot went viral on the Web.

The future is now!

3 Likes

I’ve been very disappointed in this “future” we’re all living in… none of the good parts of the future and many of the bad parts.

6 Likes

Last year we put Facebook on this list for propagating fake news.

Fbook has been up to that since inception.

I don’t think I understand the arguments against DIY gene therapy.

I see some YouTube comments expressing a concern that he will cause unknown mutations to spread into the human genome, but that seems shaky to me.

Is it simply because this is not FDA approved?

Are we worried about his personal health, or the health of others who are inspired to follow suit?

I know nothing about this technology, so I guess there is something to be concerned about and I am simply ignorant of it. Can somebody fill me in?

1 Like

Where’s my f-ing jetpack?!

2 Likes

“We thought 2000 was gonna be like ‘The Jetsons’ – It ain’t even ‘The Jeffersons.’” - Chris Rock

8 Likes

Well, maybe the gene therapy muscle guy probably, very likely gave himself eXtreme cancer but I think that’s his prerogative.
It’s his body, to do with as he pleases.

1 Like

I’d rather say, the good parts were overshadowed by the bad parts.

1 Like

Mark Arm asked the same question: https://youtu.be/G4duzpBTSF4

I think largely the health of others who are inspired to follow suit. This is a place where people ought to know that they lack the expertise to try it, but people are quite amazing at not knowing what they don’t know. The idea that someone will cook up a useful gene therapy in their kitchen is pretty far fetched. They idea that they will cook up something toxic is not so far fetched.

I think it’s a fairly minor worry. People post videos of themselves hoverboarding around the guard rail on the top of skyscrapers. That’s a very, very stupid thing that will kill some people who try to emulate it.

I think it’s on the list more because of how colossally stupid it seems more than because of how dangerous it is. Pretty good chance he injected himself with the equivalent of nothing.

Obligatory.
2f08b5c7d0e26d0f6ad6ffabb408b3359f50b4f6_hq

5 Likes

maybe I’m being too pessimistic, but I’m struggling to find the good parts, honestly.

“We were promised flying cars; instead we got suicidal robots,” said one office worker, whose photos of the keeled-over robot went viral on the Web. Knightscope called the accidental drowning “an isolated event.”

Many robots who commit suicide do so because of the taboo against talking about robot mental health problems.

5 Likes

Speaking of Juicero fiasco isn’t one of the people involved now selling Bay Area techbros “raw” water for ridiculous amounts of money? I swear the tech world is riddled with pseudoscientific kooks. It’s like being at a UFO convention but set to Apple prices.

5 Likes

Doing DIY(or any) genetic engineering has two features that typical self-experimentation lacks: if your method of gene transfer is effective enough for your purposes it may not have the decency to stop there(the techniques involving viruses certainly benefit from their zeal for horizontal gene transfer; but also require nonsloppy technique); and any germline modifications will indeed potentially propagate unless you are careful not to. Untested DIY genetic engineering is hardly the most abusive flavor of parenting; but that isn’t an endorsement.

1 Like

This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.