I know it's impossible. The tsunami is here, nothing is turning it back.

My point was that even if we could somehow un-ring the AI bell, the world would not collapse.

No, that was not the scenario. The scenario I presented was, what if "all of AI" went away, not just "big AI". That's why the subject line says "If all of AI went away."

And why would someone bother to go to "that website" instead of ChatGPT? They've heard of ChatGPT, but not your privacy-respecting website. They would have to first become aware of your site with its special non-cloud hosting, but they'd have to have a reason not to use ChatGPT, which no one has to install. If they don't "understand" anything, they'd just use ChatGPT, because all they have to do is go to the website.

Labor doesn't have to be different. Some people sell their time for money (paid by the hour). Some people sell their efforts by the task or item (like gig work). Some people are in it for a percentage of the profits (business owners who risk their own capital). All of these are legitimate methods of getting paid, and all are subject to supply and demand. The value of that work isn't determined by some bureaucratic third party, but by a negotiation between employee and employer, and is affected strongly by supply and demand.

This is certainly one way to be reimbursed for one's work. There are three main ways people get paid:
1. People are paid for the number of hours they work.
2. People are paid for the number of tasks they complete or widgets they build.
3. People are paid based on the profit or income from their work.

The third method is what you seem to be referencing. This is certainly legitimate, but it also comes with a risk that the profit is zero or negative.

Each of these methods requires a negotiation: the buyer (employer) agrees to pay an amount of money to the seller (the employee). They can agree on whatever method or calculation they want, any of the above. And *that* is the value of the work done.

This in no way contradicts what I said about how the value of work is determined.

If people demand a portion of the "pie" but others will do the work more cheaply by the hour, the employer is going to pick the workers who will do the work more cheaply, by the hour.

IBM has nearly 300,000 employees. A few thousand won't dent the headcount that much.

The value of work (or a product) is based on one and only one thing: the price on which a buyer and seller agree. As applied to work, the buyer is the employer, and the seller is the employee, who sells time for money. As long as the employee is willing to work for a certain wage, that is what the work is worth.

That value is determine through supply and demand. The higher the demand, or the lower the supply, or both, the higher the value of the work (or product).

As long as there are more plumbers and electricians who are willing and able to work for "lower" wages (their wages are actually not so bad), the value won't go up.

Value isn't something that is assigned, it's the output of a negotiation between buyer and seller.

You and I seem to have very different experiences with Apple equipment. I use Apple hardware of all varieties in my work with stage lighting. The OS lags Windows by years, the hardware is often flaky. It's common to have to reboot to fix problems with running software.

No, I don't agree with your Home Depot analogy. It's more like Viking appliances, which cost a ton, but need lots of repairs. Dell and HP are the Whirlpool appliances. No-nonsense, but reliable.

WASM can't do anything JavaScript can't already do. It's just a bytecoded version of JavaScript itself.

Yeah, it was a joke, so colloquial was more appropriate in this case.

Maybe you should have a doctor make the sanity assessment. That's what my wife tells me!

Sure, people have reasons for choosing Apple. I don't begrudge them that decision. What I quibble with, is the characterization of this new laptop as a "Low Cost Laptop". It's not.

And Dell laptops last way more than 18 months. I've had half a dozen of them for home and work. They last, on average, 5-7 years.

Correction: Plenty of Trump-followers disapprove of Cheney. Trump, nor his followers, are conservative. They believe in one thing: whatever Trump says. Conservativism has nothing to do with it.

Liz Cheney had a deep believe in what she was doing, investigating the January 6 riots. She deeply believed that Trump was a scourge on the Republican party and on America. It was not something she did just to please Dad. She sacrificed everything for her beliefs. I respect that in a politician. It's rare indeed.

Yep, something I agree with you about. Screens provide a valuable outlet, and input, for people who have limited ability to get outside and do things.

My father-in-law is 85 and has lost most motor control. He can't drive or even walk more than a few steps. He can't put puzzles together because his fingers won't pick up the pieces. But he can do puzzles on an iPad. I'm very happy he has something to do, despite his physical limitations.