[agumonkey]

it's funny how I don't share the appreciation

they're all very mild and are not a clear improvement over previous ways, amazon is full of confusing product reviews and false advertising (they did mutualize ~free home deliveries though), youtube is also loaded with bs, the good content is not that much better than a book the rare time it can claim it is (and I'd argue most of the time it's universities uploading videos they had already made before)

I did love google maps but a bit less since they've made it a store locator more than a map.

[literalAardvark]

I attribute this to a hazy memory of "previous ways". Either that or you're in some very well supplied area.

I remember not being able to get books, I remember walking for hours in the weather just to find a library that had what I needed, or a shop that sold some flange for the kitchen sink or a crappy 800mAh rechargeable battery for my Walkman despite 1200mAh existing.

I remember trying to figure out where the heck we are/going using rotted out of date map books.

I remember submitting CVs on foot until my legs stopped working.

I remember knowing 0 people I could nerd out with about hacking. I suppose the bright side was that hacking wasn't illegal yet.

And while I'm at it I also remember when MIT OCW came out. It was awesome, but it still sucked. YouTube is a marvel in comparison.

Has Coursera done it better since? Sure. But there's room for more than one player.

All of these digital tools have been dramatic quality of life improvements.