tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812431336777691886.post4073177035992165149..comments2024-02-29T03:57:00.088-05:00Comments on The Mermaid's Tale: Big Data and our return to 'village' lifeAnne Buchananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09212151396672651221noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812431336777691886.post-25770265154183412922013-08-23T10:07:03.048-04:002013-08-23T10:07:03.048-04:00Changes of all sorts are coming, and I think we ca...Changes of all sorts are coming, and I think we can't predict how things will go. But until we have a true national health care system, not connected to employers and with a safety net for the poor and unlucky, we will struggle along. Things will work out, clearly involving more cost to users. When or whether we can put a tournequet on greed and profit, and return medicine to a status as a profession rather than a trade, is anybody's guess.Ken Weisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02049713123559138421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812431336777691886.post-25424615739070045302013-08-23T09:49:16.341-04:002013-08-23T09:49:16.341-04:00So... if you are ill, your university medical insu...So... if you are ill, your university medical insurance won't cover you? Can I buy stock in that insurance company, sounds a good deal to me?<br /><br />This reminds me of a joke doing the rounds: the British health system treats you when you are sick but not if you are well, the American health system treats you when you are well but not if you are sick!<br /><br />Ed Holloxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812431336777691886.post-73196665969071878542013-08-16T15:46:23.871-04:002013-08-16T15:46:23.871-04:00Another large difference in your analogy is how lo...Another large difference in your analogy is how long such information is accessible. In the 'villages' you describe, everyday behavior is transiently recorded in memory only for as long as it is memorable or supplanted by another piece (which in gossip settings probably correlates with how much an action differs from the accepted social norm). <br /><br />In the modern village, all past actions can be indefinitely stored and accessed. This can strongly shift the dynamic of interpersonal relationships, commerce, or other interactions, by basing decision-making on a longer history of information which may or may not be currently relevant.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812431336777691886.post-72218329079714272572013-08-15T14:33:50.376-04:002013-08-15T14:33:50.376-04:00Yes, well the analogy we made can only go so far. ...Yes, well the analogy we made can only go so far. We have close friends who grew up in Poland at the same time as the Stasi were at their peak in Germany, and we've heard some stories from them....Ken Weisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02049713123559138421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812431336777691886.post-44876175641163361312013-08-15T11:51:34.940-04:002013-08-15T11:51:34.940-04:00Well, there is one difference. The trust level of ...Well, there is one difference. The trust level of village life does not exist in the 'global village' due to asymmetry between big and small players. For example, Goldman Sachs sees everyone's personal investment decision and uses that to make insider bets for their own gain. We do not have access to inner dealings of Goldman in this 'global village'. That kind of asymmetry typically did not exist in a rural village.<br /><br />So, the current situation is more similar to Stasi than village.<br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StasiAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com