Terminalcoffee discussion
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Feeling Nostalgic? The archives
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automation and the future of work...(bathing line is drawn in the sand - on which side do you stand?)
They are developing robots that will 1) build the automated devices, and 2) fix them.
I know some people who refuse to use Self-Checkout at the grocery store because they see it as stealing jobs from the checkers.I'm not so picky, I guess, because if I just have a couple of things, and the regular lines are long, I make a beeline for them.
I'm in IT, and I used to think that my days were numbered and that everything would be automated at some point. This may still happen one day, but not for another 20-30 years at least. It seems like that there are still so many older folks in the workforce who didn't grow up around computers and totally freak out and get inarticulate at the most benign error message and need someone to stand behind them and watch while they reboot. So I think my job is still fairly safe.As you mentioned RA I can see that at some point it will become more and more rare to be rang up by a human cashier in retail and fast food environments. Both of these industries suffer from the unfortunate attitude that their employees are liabilities instead of assets, and one can see that pay, benefits, and even employee training have taken a turn towards "sucks" in recent years. The only reason that this hasn't happened sooner are the people that I mentioned above who freak out about computers. A few years ago our local Kmart installed four of those self service checkouts but then removed them because they were so massively unpopular. I kind of like them, but at the same time it worries me as far as what jobs will be available to folks without a HS or college degree with no specialized skills. At least we still have a vibrant manufacturing sector...oh wait, nevermind.
automation is the only way we can compete in the global market and at the same time it is doing away with all the tasks that used to be performed by people. i hope there is never a machine that scoops ice cream into a cone
At least we still have a vibrant manufacturing sector...oh wait, nevermind.Past tense called for here.
I ditched the past tense in favor of sarcasm.:)
Mod
Anyone who has ever shopped at a Menards will recognize how awkward their set-up is. The cashier stands with his/her back to you, making personal interactions kind of weird. I don't like that store.I remember when I first started using the automated check-outs. I would talk back to them because it always seemed the machines were harassing me to do things. Please place the item in the bag. Please insert cash in the slot. Please take your items.
I AM already! Give me s freaking second to do it!
embarrassing to purchase? like 2 gallons of Wesson oil, 25' of plastic sheeting, red leather chaps and a Barry White CD?
Mod
Wait...I'm supposed to be embarrassed to buy beer, ice cream, and pizza? Damn.
Those are some judgmental people at the checkout lanes. I hate you, checkout bitches. Don't look at me! I just want my pizza, beer, and ice cream! And maybe pop tarts.
i don't think that is what sally was originally talking about. she said embarrassing to buy, not embarrassed to be buying
Hey, when I'm buying stuff I always check out the other people in line and judge them for how they're dressed, how they smell, and the crap they're buying to eat.
not me. i am looking at the Enquirer cover of Lisa Marie and her alien children or Oprah's secret midget lover
Mod
Sure thing. Some people go out in public smelling very badly, you know.
Mod
I think many people in Colorado have, ahem, interesting views on bathing. When I visit my brother he tries to tell me that I shouldn't shower everyday, then he tells me to rub crystals on myself instead of deodorant.I'm not kidding.
[sally just sallies around her embarrassing purchasing:]
Mod
Chris tried Tom's of Maine, and it gave him a rash. And wasn't particularly effective, either. So he was smelly and scratchy. Really not was he was hoping for in a deodorant...
So how often should you shower?
Higher elevation gives you a better perspective, huh? Or maybe it's the lower oxygen in the air?
her in IN we bath and/or shower OR gets hosed down at least 3x per day cause we flat out stink AND we believe natural resources will last at least the duration of our pathetic lives
Mod
Well, there no sense in showering if you're not going to change underwear.
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Monthly? You're kidding, right?
plus we live in swine country so all is relative
Mod
No, man, I have to shower every day. I can't wake without a shower. And I'd feel gross all day. Maybe if I wasn't working I could pull it off.
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I might read some Lawrence. As much as I think Kate Hudson is cute, this movie is scary bad.
Mod
I love baths. I get lots of reading done that way.
i love the name Jackie "the Librarian". i want a cooler name on here
It's to distinguish me from all those other Jackies on GoodReads.
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So...what do you think? What gigs will end up automated? What will never be automated? What are the pros and cons of automation and the removal of the "human factor" from interactions? What will be people do for work if jobs continue to be automated?