Partner and I went on a crawl of some of the best food in The City that would have been prohibitive two years ago.
I wrote a prompt:
“Find me all the 4.9* or higher rated restaurants on Google Maps in New York City with at least 500 reviews.”
With a little coaxing, Claude did it.
When a new technology arrives, we — that is to say the average people and the general public — exalt how it will change work forever. Give us all so much free time.
To some degree that’s true.
It unlocks possibility.
But that possibility also unlocks possibility that destroys the original possibilty.
Induced Demand, they call it. It’s the story of why 6-line highways have no less traffic than 4-lane highways. It’s why friction really truly does prevent people from doing things but frictionlessness doesn’t lead to empty space.
The time fills. The space newly open is immediately claimed.
I now have a google maps list of every top-rated restaurant in New York City. Tomorrow, I’ll sort it by price. When hungry, I’ll be able to open up my phone and spy exactly what I want in the blink fo an eye.
I’ll find it glorious. My children will roll their eyes. Their children will laugh. And their children will wonder what the hell was food.
