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San Francisco, 7:34 AM
Sat Nov 21
26 posts in the last 24 hours
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09/07/09
"Kids...someday there will be fewer and fewer American workers and you will be paid tons of money for your work skills. And if you think this Skylab stuff is cool, heck...you'll probably be living on the moon by the year 2000." -
Mrs. Downey's 3rd Grade class, Edison Elementary School, Alameda CA.
Yeah...thanks for the tip lady. And you'll be sitting in the Caycos making 12% returns with the Madoff fund. Bon appetit!
09/06/09
The theory I made up is that the marketplace always gets excited by higher tech ways of building things, particularly because the price of common goods tends to come down. (Machines producing more stuff for less money, etc) But there is a return swing on that line, where the market also starts to see the value of older techniques. Think of clothing: for millenia hand made clothes were the only choice, and most people had a very limited number of clothing articles. As mills and sewing machines came into ready availability, more people were able to afford multiple sets of clothes. Now you can go into the darkest jungles of the world, and find locals wearing T-shirts with Michael Jordan on them. But if you want to impress the people around you with the quality of your clothes, you get something hand made, like a Bond-street suit. How something was created becomes part of its value.
Having said all of that, I can't wait until I can my hands on a 3D printer! Those things are going to shake the world of manufacturing right down to its roots, just you wait and see...
09/07/09
09/08/09
09/06/09
Multi-touching one's eyes? Heh... the Three Stooges would be happy to see their eye-poking routine becoming commonplace. :)
09/06/09
Louis Wu in Ringworld
09/06/09
Thats the real "progress" its not less jobs.
Its the switch from uncreative to creative work.
09/06/09
But why wait for a contact lens? Whats so bad about a sleak pair of glass's, or side-based retina projection.
Both infinitely easier to make with current technology, and probably a darn site cheaper.
09/06/09
09/06/09
09/06/09
The world was utterly revolutionized in the 20th century, and I for one hope and aim to contribute it to do the same in the 21st.
09/06/09
Even a hundred years ago the mere idea of that ratio would be insane.
09/06/09
09/06/09
Its proponents are presenting it with this argument: There are lots of people who already work those hours: doctors, firemen, etc. This is a way to regularize it so that something you do a couple times every week is not presented as "exceptional" (extra hours).
Of course, everybody I know who works those hours is opposed to it, because, well, what the hell, If I have to work 8 hours more after working my regular 8 hours, that is NOT normal and those second 8 hours have to be paid more than the first 8 hours, and this is going to be a covered way to pay them less.
At least in Spain, where unpaid extra hours are more the rule than the exception, most people who work in the private sector, and many that work for the State, gets the feeling that working 10 hours a day and being paid for eight is now a reality that we're taking little steps to change, and this regulation looks like a huge step in the opposite direction, because, with an unemployment rate that's expected to reach 20% in a few months, you can't exactly say "you're exploiting me, I'll go to work for another company" if they ask you to work 60 hours for the same pay than you worked more than 40 before.
09/06/09
09/06/09
"possible response: fuck you, asshole".
then again, I can do that now. :D
#@!
09/06/09
09/06/09
As the cost and speed of 3-D printing decreases and increases respectively, manufacturing will be hit pretty badly, especially in the little things. I refer of course to miniatures for use in tabletop games, collectible or otherwise.
09/05/09
09/05/09
09/06/09
09/05/09
I think if there's anything that's going to provoke massive economic changes, it's going to be that one.
09/05/09
09/05/09
09/05/09
09/07/09
09/05/09
(Please god let me be right, I'd like to be able to continue to have a line of work...)
09/06/09
Though considering our search engine that they've spent tons of man hours programming can barely handle the article in the title being off I think we're cool for now.
09/06/09
Theres distributed-human power to do it too.
Just about any vague "what was that book..." or "what was that film.." question I normaly have answered on vark.com within a few minutes.
AI is a sidestory, the real story is the hivemind human inteligent is becomeing.
09/05/09
09/05/09
There are many people who believe that human beings have some kind of magical human-sensing power, but this seems like a fairly implausible position. Human beings are already shit at figuring out what's going on.
And, in fact, the reason that New United Motors has to lay people off in the weak economy is because the UAW managed to sustain high salaries for human workers, despite the fact that robot replacements should have been driving salaries down.
Also, you really do have as much paper as you had before the invention of the computer? Like, you've still got hard copies of all of your correspondence and things? Maybe all those letters that you write, for example?
It's one thing to complain that changes aren't happening fast enough--but suggesting that technology hasn't effected change at all seems a little absurd.
09/05/09
09/05/09
09/06/09
09/06/09