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Steven Myers
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 10 June 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 5619
Posted: 28 May 2017 at 1:15pm | IP Logged | 1  

I encounter memes and videos about how the past was more risky, yet people still survived that era. Some is just fun, like climbing trees and Jarts. However, some seems to go to far to me. "I survived lead paint"?? Really? You think kids today are wimpy for not being exposed to lead? "I survived no seat belts"? Well... you were lucky, others weren't. Safer cars are a reason we have considerably fewer road deaths than back then.

I know most of this nostalgia stuff is fun, but shouldn't we be proud of the advances in safety we've developed over the years?
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John Byrne

Grumpy Old Guy

Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 132129
Posted: 28 May 2017 at 3:08pm | IP Logged | 2  

I am a sufficiently gloomy gus that "see how many more people are alive" invariably prompts me to think of exponential population growth and the problem of feeding them.
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Steven Myers
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 10 June 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 5619
Posted: 28 May 2017 at 7:01pm | IP Logged | 3  

Yes, but it has also led to most people having fewer children. As I tell youngsters--my parents' generation didn't have car seats for their kids. But they had bigger families back then, and if they lost one or two kids they would just have more.
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John Byrne

Grumpy Old Guy

Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 132129
Posted: 28 May 2017 at 7:57pm | IP Logged | 4  

Yes, but it has also led to most people having fewer children. As I tell youngsters--my parents' generation didn't have car seats for their kids. But they had bigger families back then, and if they lost one or two kids they would just have more.

••

That sounds like a false equivalency.

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Steven Myers
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 10 June 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 5619
Posted: 28 May 2017 at 8:56pm | IP Logged | 5  

That sounds like a false equivalency.

-------

It's just supposed to be a joke. Hence the false equivalency.
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Ron Grant
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 18 December 2016
Location: Canada
Posts: 238
Posted: 28 May 2017 at 9:20pm | IP Logged | 6  

Steven those memes irk me too and being the youngest of 8 makes me wonder  if 3 or 4 of us were just in case.



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Eric Sofer
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 31 January 2014
Location: United States
Posts: 4789
Posted: 29 May 2017 at 6:55am | IP Logged | 7  

My mom followed a similar process. She tells people that she had three kids... one of each. Love my mom!

I think that every generation has always worked to make things safer for their offspring, and hoped that would continue - with the possible exception of the current generation, who seem a bit blind to the future.

No change occurs without some effect, and increased population is no different. But changes will come, either manufactured or natural, to address this. Although I'm no expert, I believe there is the "yeast knee curve" that shows that - among yeast at least - when population rises above a certain point, something will occur to bring it back down to sustainable levels. (Although I don't think yeast smoke too much, or get killed in wars...)

Of course, as humans, we are far more developed than yeast; we can eventually determine a way to support larger, safer, populations. Or something will occur - an "act of God" if you will - that will change things.

I'm a glass half full kind of guy. I'm hoping we can renew and reinvigorate Earth for our needs*, and yes, start spreading to other worlds - EVENTUALLY. So if we can survive until society is a little more mature, a little smarter, we might make it.

*George Carlin was right. Earth is fine. Earth isn't in any danger. It's them little bitty things running around its skin that might screw things up. In which case, another couple eras will pass, and Earth will try again.


Edited by Eric Sofer on 29 May 2017 at 6:57am
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Marc Foxx
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 5570
Posted: 29 May 2017 at 11:21pm | IP Logged | 8  

There was an article I saw recently that proposed that
the advent of self-driving cars will reduce or eliminate
traffic accidents or fatalities, which is great, however
traffic accidents are one of the major sources of organs
for transplantation, so there will be fewer
organs available...
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