So although I don’t agree with Chakravala’s last statement I do want to make mention of this topic you’ve touched on oheil…
We have outcasts. We are all “early” adopters in the eyes of industry of a new technology. This draws in people who are driven by a seemingly crazy force to make something. Whether it’s new, the best, the fastest, doesn’t matter, etc. As Julia grows this will die out to facilitate a better corporate interest (sorry its a historical projection). If you honestly think there’s an interest in having people promote ideas contrary to whats beneficial for the corporate stakes involved here you will be met with a harsh reality in one shape or form maybe later then sooner(if you align with the powers that be) but historically sooner rather then later. Julia will become a name sake for a few areas and the rest of the people will be … less adored/mentioned/listened too/etc?
But I’ve seen what Chakravala has gone through(as an observer we don’t talk). I’ve seen it happen in a few fields, maybe all fields, I’ve done research/collaborations in (not to me). It brings up a seriously tough topic with surprisingly easy solutions… I’ll try to address this as generally as possible. The rest of this message is intended to be sobering and absolutely not specific to any single person.
There are people doing genuinely amazing things, that lack credentials(not ivy league, no illustrious post docs, not the ‘chief master scientist’ at a fortune 500, doesn’t have 7 figures in their rainy day fund), that don’t have mentors, that don’t have businesses and allies to back them or fight off the parasitic accompaniments in our world-wide culture. This can really drive someone with ‘idealistic’ interests into challenging places.
Where they may choose battles most people wouldn’t, lash out in ways those of us on the ‘inside’ of something don’t understand. The psychology is interesting (why on earth would someone fight inclusion efforts unless they felt the deck was stacked against them and others should experience this as well - food for thought)… But ultimately, it makes them easy targets for serious hardship… People can and will taken advantage of them, egg them on to make them look foolish in public, gas light them, underpaint achievements, you name it… For what? For being driven by whats in their blood and testing their metal to contribute net good to society in a way they know they can.
I think the only solution is better mentorship, helping hands, opportunities for growth/respect, high fives for jobs well done, and finding ways to integrate everyone we can into a micro-society more fit for them. Over-all kindness, and awareness means a lot.
The telemetry “issues” are small numbers to the grand scheme, but they are an artifact of the bigger picture in my opinion. Many see this new thing(julia) as a chance to change the culture/powers that be(you see this in all early adopter communities), to become something closer to a philosophical ideal. Why? Because we all want a fairer world, a more honest one, a more advanced society, etc. Not just scifi stuff, but the real bleeding heart stuff. Ultimately, I hate to say this, it would be highly unreasonable to expect anything other then minorly incremental improvements. It’s just hard, I mean, we all have our dreams like these crushed over time.
People are people, learning to live with this, color in the lines more often then not, is definitely a bitter pill to swallow. Trust me - it’s not the message I’d want to send, but, it’s a message of survival in a world that doesn’t have a vested interest in “thriving”. That utopia stuff isn’t going to be a part of this, its bad for business. Julia has businesses tied directly too it. People with those kinds of interests will be playing that game(and climb their way up via the usual methods), the others will just be having fun like they would otherwise - not caring about it.
The screwdriver example is probably a reliable source for endless discussions.
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