Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus
How Growth Became the Enemy of Prosperity
by Douglas Rushkoff · first published 2016
16mentions
6recommended by
12HN commenters
2016–2020first – last mentioned
50% recommend50% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Argues that growth-at-all-costs has undermined prosperity and makes a practical case for building companies and organizations with more stability and robustness. Suits readers interested in inequality.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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…corporate law? (Answer: if 1% of the population controls most of the disposable wealth, what we call “the market” reflects what they think is useful or important, not anybody else.)" Same idea echoed in Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus by Douglas Rushkoff https://www.amazon.com/Throwing-Rocks-Google-Bus-Prosperity/...
on “As Our Jobs Are Automated, Some Say We'll Need a Guaranteed Basic Income” ↗…Independant Thinking in the Era of the Mob) and James Rikards (Currency Wars, Aftermath, etc.) to be interesting and useful. Then there is Thomas Piketty (Capital in the 21st Century), Douglas Rushkoff (Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus). Anyway, these few were enjoyably, but a warning: I have loaned books by the first two conservative authors to liberal friends and they didn’t like them, too far outside the bubble they like to live…
on “Tech giants have as much money and influence as nations” ↗Douglas Rushkoff touches on parallel themes in his new book. I haven't finished it yet but recommend it so far. "Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus: How Growth Became the Enemy of Prosperity" http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1617230170
on “Silicon Valley’s Unchecked Arrogance” ↗I like the spirit of the article, but I think that Douglas Rushkoff makes these ideas more clear in his book "Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus" in which he nails workers vs. employers issues, growth of corporations, etc. That said, I also enjoyed the article.
on “Congratulations You’ve Been Fired” ↗re: "a great time to be alive": compared to the later "enlightenment" period were serfs were separated from the results of their hard work. Douglas Rushkoff talks about this in his very nice book "Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus." The author of "The Crash of 2016" also talks about how serfs were better off during the Dark Ages.
on “Many CEOs believe technology will make people 'largely irrelevant'” ↗This problem has been weighing heavily on my mind since reading The Second Machine Age. The first thing I've read that gives me some hope for finding a solution is Rushkoff's "Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus" I highly recommend reading both books, because more perspective is needed to think abouy this than just "what machines can and cant automate"
on “The AI Threat Isn’t Skynet – It’s the End of the Middle Class” ↗Really a nice article and I especially liked the finish when he mentions Douglas Rushkoff's latest book 'Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus' that is largely a prescription for building new types of companies and organizations with more stability and robustness - similar to advice offered up in Nassim Taleb's book 'Antifragile' Edit: a short…
on “Exponential growth devours and corrupts” ↗…this year; the culture shock is surreal (not least because it's normal to those on the other side), and the street-level economic disparities are beyond Dickensian. Relevant: https://rushkoff.com/books/throwing-rocks-at-the-google-bus/
on “Google Culture War Escalates as Era of Transparency Wanes” ↗The author Douglas Rushkoff ("Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus," etc.) has a lot of good things to say about the long term dangers of relying on huge retailers like Amazon (and now apparently Google). I am making an effort to find much smaller online retailers.…
on “Buy on Google is now open and commission-free” ↗And that brings the circle back 'round to where it started (again). SIDE (but related) NOTE:Check out the book "Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus."
on “A decentralized web would give power back to the people online” ↗This is the logical development of what Douglas Rushkoff explained in his last book “Throwing Rocks At The Google Bus”. First, they protest as private companies begin to use public infrastructure. Then, they get rid of the public infrastructure. Emails replaced letters, Messenging apps replaced phones, Uber is replacing…
on “The Town of Innisfil partners with Uber for transit instead of buses” ↗> "People are lashing out justifiably," said Douglas Rushkoff, a media theorist at City University of New York and author of the book "Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus." He likened driverless cars to robotic incarnations of scabs — workers who refuse to join strikes or who take the place of those on strike. I don't see how violence or vandalism of property is ever…
on “Wielding Rocks and Knives, Arizonans Attack Self-Driving Cars” ↗I love this quote: “People are lashing out justifiably," said Douglas Rushkoff, a media theorist at City University of New York and author of the book “Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus.” He likened driverless cars to robotic incarnations of scabs — workers who refuse to join strikes or who take the place of those on strike. “There's a growing sense that the giant corporations honing…
on “Wielding Rocks and Knives, Arizonans Attack Self-Driving Cars” ↗…many people in the West do not satisfied with VC model of funding (and that doesn't mean they anti-Western, in some sense many of them are more pro-Western than "startup" people in general), see e.g. "Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus" by D. Rushkoff. Sorry for the chaotic reply, but you're raising a lot of concerns at once.
on “Russia’s Creepy, Innovative Internet [video]” ↗…why the attackers are doing what they are doing. This is the quote >“People are lashing out justifiably," said Douglas Rushkoff, a media theorist at City University of New York and author of the book “Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus.” He likened driverless cars to robotic incarnations of scabs — workers who refuse to join strikes or who take the place of those on strike. He is quite plainly saying the vandalism is justified.
on “Wielding Rocks and Knives, Arizonans Attack Self-Driving Cars” ↗