Google and Facebook invest in drones

[P3nT4gR4m]

http://singularityhub.com/2014/05/08/drones-overhead-seeing-everything-always-inside-google-and-facebooks-latest-acquisitions/

Peter Diamandis gets on my tits sometimes, coming across as a wannabe messiah but he makes a lot of sense, too.

Global Connectivity: We are heading from a world of 2 billion connected to the internet (in 2010) to at least 5 billion by 2020. But this drone technology, perhaps in combination with Google's stratospheric balloons (called Project Loon) has the potential to take it to 7 billion by 2020.

This is perhaps one reason why, in April 2013, Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt made the surprising pronouncement that, "by the end of the decade (2020), everyone on Earth will be connected to the Internet." This addition of another 3 billion to 5 billion new consumers on Earth is HUGE. If these people are not your customers, then they are your customer's customers. They represent tens of trillions of dollars of new economic buying power entering the global economy. Don't ignore this. This is a huge opportunity.

[Junkenstein]

Hmm.

They represent tens of trillions of dollars of new economic buying power entering the global economy. Don't ignore this. This is a huge opportunity.

Combined, sure. I'll buy that. There's the question of what this new economic force is going to want to purchase. I'd suggest those already connected represent the lions share of the earth's consumer base. Those not connected tend to be the people who slave in factories and fields in order to make a pittance to live on. Luxury goods tend not to be a high priority.

As I see it, the real opportunities for those not connected relate to communication and organisation, not purchasing shit their neighbor made. Being able to covertly organise a trade union or being able to inform others when authorities approach.

More when brain working.

[P3nT4gR4m]

The global trend is toward the poor getting less poor. That extra cash has gotta go somewhere. Diamandis is a big-picture thinker. He's not too concerned with the way things currently are as much as where they're either headed or can be steered. In the end, he's worth a stack and his goal might not be pure altruism but he's one of a growing number of filthy rich fucks who've cottoned on to the idea that the more money the poor have, the more they can spend on the shit he's selling.

[The Johnny]

The global trend is toward the poor getting less poor...

Are you sure? I'd hope so, but it doesnt seem that way, where do you derive this from?

[P3nT4gR4m]

I'll check my sources tonight - could be some dumb new meme flying around but I've seen mentions of research.

[The Johnny]

Not trying to be a dick, but the idea resonates with the olden times meme of "progress" which got put into question by the World Wars and subsequent stuff.

[P3nT4gR4m]

Here's one And don't worry about being a dick - it takes dicks to fuck wooly thinking into touch 

[whenhellfreezes]

The global trend is toward the poor getting less poor...

Are you sure? I'd hope so, but it doesnt seem that way, where do you derive this from?

Might be an appropriate time to differentiate on relative inequality vs absolute or something. I don't know what is the good metric to even use here. For all I know being a farmer is awesome. Though probably not.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

The global trend is toward the poor getting less poor...

Are you sure? I'd hope so, but it doesnt seem that way, where do you derive this from?

It's true, but probably not in the most heartening way: http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/09/poverty-declines-as-inequality-deepens/

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Also, I didn't check to see whether that article talks about it, but almost all of the decline is due to China's emerging economic status. Poverty levels in the rest of the world have stayed about the same.

[Raz Tech]

The problem is that the current socio-economic structure doesn't allow there to not be a group of poor people.  More unfortunate is the fact that there is no simple solution to this class issue.  Communism has already proven to be flawed in many ways, and one of the few other options I can think of is the abolition of currency, which would be a lot like communism, not to mention virtually impossible in todays money-centric society.

[Raz Tech]

The global trend is toward the poor getting less poor...

Are you sure? I'd hope so, but it doesnt seem that way, where do you derive this from?

Might be an appropriate time to differentiate on relative inequality vs absolute or something. I don't know what is the good metric to even use here. For all I know being a farmer is awesome. Though probably not.

I can't speak for full blown farmers, but I grow enough vegetables to sustain my family, and raise enough chickens to never be short of eggs, and I think it's one of those things where if you enjoy it, it's  rewarding enough in itself.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

The problem is that the current socio-economic structure doesn't allow there to not be a group of poor people.  More unfortunate is the fact that there is no simple solution to this class issue.  Communism has already proven to be flawed in many ways, and one of the few other options I can think of is the abolition of currency, which would be a lot like communism, not to mention virtually impossible in todays money-centric society.

I so like you for recognizing this issue with our current socio-economic structure, which many people don't see at all or cannot recognize the magnitude of. However, I have to point out that other economic systems have figured out ways of dealing with poverty in ways that have proven to be incredibly effective, primarily those which have utilized socialism in conjunction with capitalism.

[The Johnny]

Regulation, oversight, keeping the wolves in line, solidarity, not kicking the poor... simple principles that have been applied even in Mexico some decades ago and the last ones to abandon that system have been the Euros and still happens in nordic zones, but they live in islands and keep to themselves.

I think at this point *some* people know what works and how it can be achieved (validated by history, research and economics) but since the *majority* is too busy trying to survive they either dont know what is going on, or dont care.

Idk why, but i bored myself by writing this, seems like its been said or thought a billion times and theres nothing to do about it.

[rong]

The global trend is toward the poor getting less poor. That extra cash has gotta go somewhere. Diamandis is a big-picture thinker. He's not too concerned with the way things currently are as much as where they're either headed or can be steered. In the end, he's worth a stack and his goal might not be pure altruism but he's one of a growing number of filthy rich fucks who've cottoned on to the idea that the more money the poor have, the more they can spend on the shit he's selling.

it never really occurred to me until just now that there are two classes of filthy rich fucks.  the ones who have something to sell and the ones who don't.  I think this means there's a bit of an inner conflict between the two - in that the ones who don't have anything to sell are served by keeping the poor poor while the one's who do have something to sell are served by making the poor not-so-poor. 

The second group essentially stealing from the first group - by filtering money through the poor.