The Most Valuable Commodity in the World is Friction
 The most valuable commodity in the world is friction by timdaub.eth12379 🥝 • 1y • 0 views • 0 clicks | |
AI summary of the linked articleThe author argues that friction, the effort needed to move through systems, is being removed from digital life, dumped onto strained physical infrastructure and workers, and turned into a luxury in curated spaces. The argument ties AI companions, cognitive offloading in college, and failing air traffic systems into one pattern. Meta's Mark Zuckerberg is cited saying the average American has fewer than three friends and that people want something like 15, while the text says Meta's AI is meant to supplement relationships. The text reports that the Newark outage traced to a multiplexer box scheduled for replacement that was never installed, and that the FAA's equipment fails about 700 times weekly. | |
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 in my opinion this article has a bit of a too dark look on frictionlessness. personally the liberation from the physical is a positive experience and that is why i love hanging out online and digital art. the frictionless internet offers benefits like democratized access to information and enhanced global connectivity, but yes, it also introduces challenges such as mental health issues, misinformation, and privacy risks. the liberation from physical constraints is a double-edged sword, providing significant advantages but also requiring careful management to mitigate its darker consequences. i think this is where blockchains provide a counterbalance by introducing necessary friction. blockchains introduce time and friction into digital systems through mechanisms like block creation times and transaction fees, which enhance security and decentralization. these features counterbalance the frictionless internet by providing accountability, reducing centralization, and ensuring security, albeit at the cost of speed and convenience. on the direct user level signing and executing with your wallet introduces almost physical friction. try with a ledger. try with your mobile lol. interestingly current developments in wallet design are aimed at reducing friction in the hope to onboard more normies. the question is, should web3 experience really become as frictionless like web2? maybe we are loosing something essential blockchains introduce? anyway convenience convenience convenience ;)  I also had an AI homework machine, and it was my friend, who always submitted on time his homework and shared it with anyone else who wanted to submit. In the beginning, I used it only a few times, because when you study computer science, there is a lot of understanding, which can really only happen when you spend time with the problem or to learn the notation, etc. So, there were times when I would use my „AI homework machine“ too much. And usually, I even knew before we wrote the test, that these were very dangerous times, because every time I would automate too much of doing the homework myself, then I would fall through the test. | |
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