It’s a symptom not a cause.

Technology service technology, rather than technology as a tool with a purpose. What is the purpose of this feature?

This reads like the first step to "infinite scroll" AI echo chambers and next level surveillance capitalism.

On one hand this can be exciting. Following up with information from my recent deep dive would be cool.

On the other hand, I don't want to it to keep engaging with my most recent conspiracy theory/fringe deep dives.

Studied EE and went into software after college. Started out system programming and now I work on high level backend services and frontend SDKs.

I've been drown more to engines and power generation. Specifically, control systems that are able to maintain stable operation despite changing conditions.

Few pieces of software I've worked on operate as "control systems". Most have been business logic.

Lately, I've been viewing "keeping the lights on", more important that "keeping engagement up".

Maybe I'll try to get into embedded/FPGA programming. Last time I applied I got passed up due to lack of experience.

When I was renovating my kitchen, I left some notes on the wall before putting up cabinets. A little treat for the next renovator.

+1 on Ellul’s work. Though it is quite long.

A book with similar sentiment that is more approachable is Neil Postman’s Technopoly.

Gucci Mane explaining "the sauce" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0-F88c6Hrk

I have two that I keep coming back to and function as the ying and yang in my mental model.

* Industrial Society and Its Future by Ted Kaczynski. The first half I reread often because it is a short critique of technology/technique and the effect that it has on our life. Though not original, it touches on this feeling that we are enslaved to our tools. It also reminds me that "no, i'm not crazy" this world is totally absurd and the way we live makes no sense. Obviously, if you take this philosophy to its natural extreme you need to go live in the woods and suffer. Which is kind of larping.

* This is Water by David Foster Wallace. I reread this and hand out copies of this book to people all the time. For me it speaks to the part of me that knows that it is important to choose wisely what you focus your thoughts on, because if I don't the automatic monologue in my head will take over. It will start with complaining. It will continue with painting everything black. It will make me misrable and incapable of enjoying the beauty in life.

I am trying to break out of these two book being so influential because I feel like to grow I need to evolve a new understanding and have new ideas to toy with.

Anyone have recommendation?

> Pay retail prices for AWS

Is this actually the case for Twitch? How are they different from any other Amazon team using AWS?

Even if they didn't get internal discount, there's no way they pay retail as in advertised prices. At that size AWS itself would likely want bandwidth commitment for a longer period too.

Twitch rans on a separate network. Bulk traffic is not on AWS.

At that size AWS has custom contracts even with non-subsidiaries

My information is some years old, but last I heard other teams at Amazon do at least keep track of what their retail AWS costs would be.

+1 Technopoly and Amusing Ourselves to Death.

Neil Postman is great at pointing out the trade-off that new technologies introduce.

Wear sunscreen.