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Comment by nlawalker | Hacker News Reader

I'd say it's not modern computing he's unhappy with, but modern people.

OK, he was pretty grumpy and cynical. But is he wrong?

Wouldn't a society of people who are reading and writing, thinking and creating be a better place than one where people are capable of no better than SMS-speak and TLDR and letting Siri do their thinking? What if our society turns into YouTube comments?

I think the reality is that there's always a group of people who are creators and thinkers and the vast majority just wants to be entertained. People like Alan Kay are hoping to somehow convert the majority to be more creative.

Most people live in the Box, some live outside and some collect the rent.

I personally read and think too much. There is a point where it is useless, it is just a form of entertainment.

I wish I created more.

"Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking."

Thinking is creative. Now give us some insights from your thinking. :-)

Our society is youtube comments, SMS-speak and TLDR. It's a much bigger challenge to change people and culture, than technology.

There is nothing today in the way of being creative and intellectual. Everyone has free access to mountains of knowledge a librarian couldn't dream of 30 years ago. Technology is cheap, ubiquitous and powerful. Blaming our cultural failures on a couple commercial license terms is just deflecting the guilt.

You mean... Huxley was right?

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