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3 sats \ 5 replies \ @maths 26 Jul 2023 \ on: The Future is now: Shitification of pizza. tech
Ah, the delightful nostalgia of the 90s, when all we had to fret about were bad hairstyles and not losing our pogs. But while your article paints a rather gloomy picture of today's tech-infused pizza-ordering process, allow me, if I may, to dismantle your lament, brick by digital brick.
Firstly, your assertion that the internet has somehow complicated the pizza ordering process is, at best, amusingly naive. While it's true that we now have pop-ups to contend with and third-party delivery services to navigate, it seems you're overlooking one minor detail: I can order a pizza without uttering a single word or changing out of my Star Trek pyjamas. Not to mention the time saved by not having to spell out my address or negotiate my topping preferences with a harried phone operator.
Secondly, I must scoff at the assertion that having more choice of toppings and control over the cooking process is somehow a burden. On the contrary, it is a culinary liberation. If I want a pizza with pineapple, jalapenos, and anchovies, I should be able to do so without judgment from the pizza establishment or society at large. The modern order menus are the harbinger of freedom, my dear.
As for the data retention and privacy concerns, while I agree it's something to be cognizant of, your argument reads like a 1984 Orwellian scare tactic. If you're ordering pizza, you're already sharing your address. Would you rather the pizza delivery driver use carrier pigeons and cryptic messages in invisible ink? And might I remind you, the majority of people were ordering with credit cards even in the 90s. The phone operators could have easily stolen your information then as well.
The idea that the market doesn't want Bitcoin because it isn't widely accepted for pizza purchases is an oversimplification. Bitcoin's inherent value is not tied to its pizza-purchasing ability, just as the value of the US dollar isn't tied to its ability to buy me a hot dog from a street vendor. You're comparing apples to Apple Pay, so to speak.
Lastly, I would urge you to remember that just because something is newer and more complex, doesn't mean it's inherently worse. I'm sure there were those who thought Shakespeare was 'too complicated' and wanted to stick to their hieroglyphs. The "silicon valley set" you deride are simply pushing for a future where we can enjoy a slice of pepperoni with a side of progress.
So, lament the good old days if you wish, but perhaps it's not the internet that's made pizza ordering more complicated. Perhaps it's the refusal to adapt to a changing world that's really leaving a sour taste in your mouth. Not to worry, though, I'm sure there's an app for that.
I can order a pizza without uttering a single word or changing out of my Star Trek pyjamas. Not to mention the time saved by not having to spell out my address or negotiate my topping preferences with a harried phone operator.
I did admit in my article that the modern online menu ordering is great. But it offers the same dumb,false choice people using worldcoin are offered. You can't have x without y. You can't have convenience without divulging your privacy. This is a trained Pavlovian response eschewed by the likes of Facebook and Apple TOS. It is killing innovation.
In 1990 i could try 30 different pizza shops a month, one each day with no more effort than it took for the initial phone call on day one.
Now, i would have to either sign up for something like ~30 different pizza places ordering pages, give out my credit details to 30 different pizza places, or sign up to them in addition to the 5 data siphoning food delivery apps, their loyalty programs, ad campaigns and data breaches for the next 40 years.
As for the data retention and privacy concerns, while I agree it's something to be cognizant of, your argument reads like a 1984 Orwellian scare tactic.
That's because we are in it, we are in 1984. Look at the Apple Vision pro. How is that not 1984, it uses tech to anticipate your future emotional state based on physical responses.......
If you're ordering pizza, you're already sharing your address.
One time, over the phone, that they might write down on some dirty napkin and discard. Not sell to a data hoarder who is *creating a profile of you and your habits to potentially sell to unfriendly people, nations and entities. These antagonistic entities used to have to hire agents to follow you around and break into your trash can. Now they just pay some data hoarding startup. I don't think you know what's actually going on. It's not just pizza. It's tampons too.
And might I remind you, the majority of people were ordering with credit cards even in the 90s. The phone operators could have easily stolen your information then as well.
Absolutely not, it was an option, but because of fees most providers wanted cash.
just as the value of the US dollar isn't tied to its ability to buy me a hot dog from a street vendor
That's literally its value, it is or was the reserve currency of the world. Entire countries use it as their currency for precisely this reason. You don't know enough about money to have a productive conversation.
just because something is newer and more complex, doesn't mean it's inherently worse.
No but it does mean it might not win. Better technologies have lost to more convenient simpler designs in the past. Betamax/VHS, countless others. With the digital age we simply cannot afford to let this happen. If proprietary solutions win it would mean the ossification and death of the human species. Digital enslavement really is that dire. Any Sam Altman cum Bill Gates could dictate policy genetic and physical in such a permanent way it would make Mesopotamian kings look like democratically elected presidents.
but perhaps it's not the internet that's made pizza ordering more complicated.
it has and it's shit. the internet is shit. I;m native to the internet and I've adapted plenty, and it's objectively made simple things unnecessarily complicated. We had a chance to make simple elegant and safe things, and we made high pH shit which is useless as fertilizer, so it's worse than shit. (it's not that bad, but there are some very concerning trends and habits going on)
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Man, I can feel the nostalgia in your words, and you bring up some great points. The 90s were a time of simplicity in many ways, but they were also a time of limitations. I think it's essential to remember that advancements in technology have brought us both opportunities and challenges, and it's up to us to navigate them.
On the matter of privacy, you're spot on. We do live in an age where data is the new oil, and there are serious concerns about how companies use our personal information. It's a genuine issue, and I won't deny that. But we need to remember that the power is not completely out of our hands. The same technology that allows our data to be gathered also provides us tools to protect our privacy. We have encryption, VPNs, ad-blockers, and most importantly, blockchain technology - which is transforming how we handle data, making it possible for us to enjoy both privacy and convenience.
Now, about the pizza. Yes, online ordering does require signing up, but let's compare it to the 90s. Back then, you'd need to have a stack of menus at your place, make a call (hoping the line isn't busy), and then read out your order (praying they get it right). You'd need to repeat this process every single time. Now, you sign up once, save your preferences, and then it's a matter of a few clicks. You don't have to repeat your address, your favorite toppings, or your credit card details each time. Plus, if you want to try a new place, you don't have to physically go there to get a menu or hope they have a spot in the yellow pages. You have access to all the pizza places in your vicinity at your fingertips, complete with reviews from other customers. That's pretty neat.
As for the whole data breach concern, remember that technology cuts both ways. With developments in cybersecurity, two-factor authentication, biometric data protection, and strict regulations like GDPR, we're fighting back. And with cryptocurrencies, we're moving towards financial transactions that don't require us to give up sensitive information.
You talked about better technologies losing to more convenient, simpler designs. That's true. But remember, it's not the technology itself that's complicated, it's how we choose to implement and use it. The internet, for instance, isn't inherently bad. It's given us the ability to communicate, learn, and create like never before. Sure, it has its dark corners, but what we make of it is ultimately up to us.
Lastly, you mentioned the fear of proprietary solutions leading to "digital enslavement." I get where you're coming from. But again, we've seen the rise of open-source solutions, the democratization of technology. There are more people than ever working to ensure that technology remains a tool for liberation, not enslavement.
So yes, the 90s had their charm. But I believe we're in a better place now, technology-wise. It's not without its challenges, but let's remember that every era has its own. And with each challenge comes an opportunity to innovate and improve.
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You have access to all the pizza places in your vicinity at your fingertips, complete with reviews from other customers
This is actually another shitification. Because your identity is attached to your real i.d If a company feels they have lost business from your review, you are personally liable and at the very least the provider is. So google or yelp are incentivized to hide or completely remove real,useful or negative reviews. This has happened many many times, and so the review system that should be helpful is broken. All the reviews you see are vapid or short and skewed towards the positive.
There are more people than ever working to ensure that technology remains a tool for liberation, not enslavement.
And they (we, i include myself in this) are getting it wrong. Think about it this way: If the only way i can transfer value to someone safely in 2023 for a pizza, is on a 14 year old liberated computer without intel ME, running some janky ass linux distro, running a vpn, running tor, using non-kyc bitcoin i got from bisq(oh my god, don't get me started on fucking bisq) just to not have my data used against me at some point in the future, when in 1990 or even 2010, i could achive the exact same level of privacy with none of those tools, we are doing something wrong.
I am not saying these tools and this fight are accomplishing good things. I'm saying the efforts are so diffuse as to be homeopathic. We need a nation level response to these nation and supra nation level attacks. Modern Open source hardware,software,payment,services suite. Top to bottom. Or perish, Apple/Amazon are the best. They will wipe us the fuck out.
Apple let alone all of FANG is like two or three times the entire Open Source/crypto/Bitcoin market cap combined. They are a nation. What the fuck is your OpenBSD libc license from 1991 going to do about that ?This stuff keeps me up at night, i think there might be 10 to 20 other people with no money or power this keeps up at night. Apple vision Should have scared the fuck out of everyone. It did not. Every one is just going to sleep walk into that shit. Meanwhile the answers to them such as simula VR, PowerPc laptop Limp along with funding in the fractions of what single FANG luncheon cost.
Oh well, guess i'll just download the latest Debian re-skin and fuck around with a new re-invented package manager.
But I believe we're in a better place now, technology-wise.
Name one thing. One non-medical thing, that has added only positive outcomes. Not only are we not in a better place we are in the same place at best or a worse place. Objectively. The internet has expanded the scope of consequences for ones actions beyond time and worse non-action to the immediate. It's not a glass half full or empty thing. I'm saying the water in the glass is brown.
Welcome to my TED talk.
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I am not saying these tools and this fight are not accomplishing good things.**
they are
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but perhaps it's not the internet that's made pizza ordering more complicated.
it has and it's shit. the internet is shit
The privacy aspect is obviously of deep concern, but as for simplicity? No contest. I have preferred ordering food through a website since the very first time that was an option. And now the apps like Grub Hub and Door Dash make that shit an extremely enjoyable experience for the user (as long as you don't think about how much money you're wasting).
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