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Comment by jononor | Hacker News Reader

Now we can keep X% of the knowledge of humanity on a portable device. That should help.

A lot of human knowledge cannot be written down and has to be passed on person to person. There isn't enough bandwidth in a book to actually convey a lot of it.

Machining is one instance of this. You basically have to have somebody show you how to do some of it. Same thing with forging.

(At least in my experience)

The examples you cited can be written down and they don't have to be taught in person. You could instruct somebody to do these without being present in person. I'm sure there are reasons that's not the way it's taught primarily, but you've not convinced me it's fundamentally impossible.

The difference between the most detailed written instructions and apprenticeship / personal instruction is instant expert feedback. Skills transfer can happen much faster when the loop is closed.

Not necessarily needs to be written down. Video is also possible.

Good thing we'll have AR tutorials!

You don't need a complex example. Your first language is something that can only be taught by people who are alive. Even if there is a comprehensive textbook that teaches all languages you still have to learn your first language to read the book.

What percentage of humanity's knowledge is available to be put on a portable device? A lot is behind paywalls or other copyright encumbrance.

A great exploration of this is the 'side plot' in the videogame Subnautica.

Archivists and copyright warriors of today will be the digital heroes of tomorrow.

Unless that device breaks? What hardware that we have today will still work in 100 years?

Books you can make it happen. Phones are broke within 10. Desktops within 20.

We’re perfectly capable of building electronics that can run for many tens of years without issue… it’s just that such things don’t get built because that’s not profitable for manufacturers. If an organization like NASA puts in an order for computers or handheld devices specifically designed to not break for long stretches of time, it wouldn’t be a problem to fulfill said order.

This is why I have such little respect for billionaires who leave no long-lasting meaningful impact at all.

Gates/Musk may be the only ones who appear to desire to have a many-generational-positive impact on Humanity.

Every one else are just egos.

Unless I am not aware of some of the greater things that ilk is doing?

Bezos wants to turn space technologies into commodities with the hope it will transform (create) the industry.

What are _you_ doing to leave a long-lasting meaningful impact? Billionaires are people too, just with more money. Having money doesn't make you "just ego".

You mention billionaires and then list off new money entrepreneurs. Don’t conflate the two. There are jobless people born into billion dollar family dynasties that do absolutely nothing for humanity. They hide and live out their lives entirely for them.

The technology is not the phone. The phone is essentially the dumb terminal.

ASCII on Punched tape, easy. Standard format, readable at whatever rate you like

UTF-8 on vinyl record, with square dot pitch, readable as fast as possible.

We can send a new one over long-distance internet (to travel alongside the ship, if it's going light-speed).

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