[terramauthe]

This reminds me of a Douglas Adams quote - although he was talking about technology, it seems appropriate here also :)

“I've come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies: 1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works. 2. Anything that's invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it. 3. Anything invented after you're thirty-five is against the natural order of things.”

― Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt

[reginold]

Related to this, I wonder how the average age of HN readership has changed over time.

My guess is it has shifted towards an older audience continually since the beginning. To that end what new things are "against the order of things" today.

[citrin_ru]

I definitely see a change in me with age - when I was young I assumed everything newer is better by default and even disregarded evidence that newer is worse. Change for the sake of change was fun for me even if it was a regression at the end. I've tried as much of new software/technologies as I could and it helped me to become a professional but I would not trust a younger self to make business decisions - I would waste too much money on playing with new stuff.

I still open to new things I just more critical and skeptical - I want some evidence that the change will be positive.

> My guess is it has shifted towards an older audience continually since the beginning. To that end what new things are "against the order of things" today.

May be it has shifted but it seems to me NH audience on average still younger than me and more excited about new stuff.

[DoingIsLearning]

I am not sure the age has shifted that much with new users, but I do think that the breath of experts has changed. It shifted from technical ICs and startup entrepreneurs to basically anyone interested in new ideas and good discussion.

There are downsides but personally I think it is pretty cool to read the expert opinion of people completely outside my body of knowledge, Farmers, Neurologists, Chemical Engineers, etc.

[jareklupinski]

An engineer _very_ well over 35 taught me about server-less / Lambdas.

An engineer in their 20's keeps trying to get me to learn Lisp.

I think they meant the age you feel, not the amount of times the earth spun about the sun while you were around :)

[ngold]

At 42 I'm still pretty hip to the fun of change.

[falcolas]

Said using lingo older than yourself.

[prox]

Douglas Adams has these gems of humor that comes from observing people. I think it’s not far from what does happen on some level.

[OwlsParlay]

This does feel like my opinion on NFTs / Cryptocoins.

[BLKNSLVR]

Extend the idea of NFTs to actual registered ownership of a thing you care about, like the title of your house, or your rental agreement, rather than a fucking pixelated jpg a child would be ashamed of, and it might look like something a bit more representative of a worthwhile future.

[diab0lic]

What happens when the chain devotes from reality? Let’s take the house title. I stop paying but refuse to sign a transaction giving up ownership. I get a divorce and destroy the key out of spite. I sell the house but have lost the key, can I never transact with my property again?

The chain will drift from reality, in an uncorrectable way, reducing its usefulness over time.

[pjc50]

> the title of your house

This is the ultimate example of where you want a centralised database run by the state. Preferably properly "cadastral", so you can drop a coordinate pin anywhere and look up the owner.

[monsieurgaufre]

The house of cards you are standing on doesn't seem to pass the "is it worth something to people who don't already have skin in the game?" contrary to the title of a house. Beanie babies aren't worth much now.

[rchaud]

To their credit, Beanie Babies holders were always upfront about their desire to make money. There was none of this fig leaf reasoning about how BBs are really a harbinger of a new paradigm of asset securitization.

[corobo]

If you lose your wallet key do you have to move out?

[micromacrofoot]

but why? I already have the title to my house

[BLKNSLVR]

All other examples of things being done electronically that were done physically go here.

[Raidion]

I think this isn't quite as implementable as they say it is. If someone breaks into a house, steals the crypto phrase from a little old lady, and moves a house into his name/address, should he really own it?

If a Blockchain contract needs to be ratified by an external entity, is the Blockchain really worth it over a database owned by that external entity?

[Jensson]

Property ownership is already recorded electronically.

[micromacrofoot]

I have my title electronically. I see literally zero benefit to involving the blockchain, but there seem to be quite a few downsides.

[rvense]

I've actually turned on a number of things invented before I was 35. Including a lot of what my career is in.