Aardvark Daily

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Our changing world

The world is changing faster than it ever has before.

AI has come out of nowhere and now threatens to put a huge number of people on the dole queue over the next few years.

Russia has proven that it is no longer the superpower it once was, having its nose well and truly bloodied by Ukraine in the "special military operation" that was scheduled to take no more than a week or two.

Climate change is really revving up and Kiwis are expecting yet another weekend of mayhem as a tropical cyclone strafes the North Island.

And, most worrying of all, the internet is being gated at every turn.

We have age-gating being rolled out by many Western "democracies" accompanied by the mantra "won't someone think of the children". The more cynical (or could that be "more intelligent") amongst us recognise that this is far less about protecting children from the potential harms of social media and more about forcing internet users to hand over their identities to governments and "big tech".

If that wasn't enough, the USA has recently decided that its citizens will no longer be allowed to buy new routers and modems from non-US companies.

This time it's not about protecting the children but all about "national security", apparently. Yes, that's the other universal excuse for introducing restrictions and controls that would otherwise be totally unacceptable to any thinking person.

In reality, this is more about trying to protect US industry from foreign competition (as is the ban on foreign-made drones). The crazy thing is that, as far as I am aware, there simply aren't any domesticaly manufactured alternatives to the cheap and cheerful routers being made in China -- so that's going to be a huge problem.

As drone users in the USA are now discovering, you *can* buy US-made drones but they cost many times more than the Chinese equivalent and even once you've paid that hefty premium, the product you get is not even close to the performance of those evil Sino craft.

I suspect that shortly, US consumers will find that the cost of their next router is astronomical when compared to the ones they're using right now.

Of course this will simply add to the price pressures that have already pushed DRAM, SSDs and even hard drives through the roof.

Look after the computer gear you are using right now, you may not be able to afford to replace it if it fails.

In fact, computers are just one example of how prices have skyrocketed in the past six months or so. The Iran war will further propel prices sykward as the freight component of every single item that makes its way into your hands goes up my many percent.

Let's not forget about food -- even the food that's grown right here in NZ.

As well as soaring diesel prices that affect transport, tractors and all manner of other machinery used in food production, we're already seeing huge increases in the price of the fertilizers that are so essential in modern farming.

All of this on its own paints a dark picture of the future... and then when you factor in that some folk will find their jobs lost to AI, the image becomes even more dystopian.

On the up-side...

Actually, I'm having trouble finding an upside to be honest.

However, I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities coming along for those who are smart enough to spot them and hard-working enough to exploit them. That's what I plan to do.

Of course that'll have to wait until my right leg is more than simply a weakened, numbed appendage that sees me walking in tight circles rather than straight lines.

You have to laugh and remain optimistic because the alternative doesn't bear thinking about.

Carpe Diem folks!

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