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I have become convinced that the average tech writer (e.g. Wired, Linux Format, et al.) is making their readers stupider. It’s a genuine disservice. It’s like me trying to write articles on oncology or something.

Simplifications are necessary tools for teaching, but they are dangerous in the hands of someone who doesn’t have the higher level knowledge to correct the many things wrong with the simplification (which is honestly, almost everything) later on, and with readers who will never dive deeper.

The problem with people isn’t the things they don’t know, it’s the things they know that just ain’t so. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

And I can’t count the number of times I hear someone say something online that makes it exceptionally clear they read bs tech writers, and base product or personal decisions on it, to their detriment.
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The Callnote 2y ago

True that , and a deep sense of self skepticism has overcome me as well.

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nobody 2y ago

It is positive to challenge your beliefs about what you think you know.

It can be disconcerting to your family when you 180 on a topic sometimes, but I’d rather be correct, and grow than be stable on every topic.

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The Callnote 2y ago

Likewise , I’ll risk feeling like a moron if it makes better sense

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nobody 2y ago

💯

I’ve been criticized for it, and even wondered off into some pretty extreme ideologies a few times.

But I went there, learned their *actual* arguments, worked through why they might be wrong, and came out the other end.

It also means I can speak to those people in a respectful way that might open their mind to returning to something more reasonable.