Technology is destroying the world

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I follow this guy on Youtube and he put out a profound video. It made me stop and do some serious pondering. No cussing or foul language.
 
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Originally Posted By: dlundblad
Anti technology video posted on You Tube. Yes!!!

LOL!

He had to stop after 18 minutes because he was itching to check his Facebook page on his iPhone.
smile.gif
 
Only made it a few minutes, then his rambling got to me and I stopped watching. No doubt he had a good point though.
 
He is right about a lot of that. The more advanced technology gets, there are less jobs to be had for entry level work.
 
Originally Posted By: morepwr
The more advanced technology gets, there are less jobs to be had for entry level work.

Sure, but this has been going on for 100+ years. Yet, for most people, the standard of living today is much higher than it was back then, thanks to this advancement in technology.

It is true that some jobs are going away, but hopefully new jobs will be created instead. Many jobs we have today did not exist just a few decades ago. Granted, these new jobs will require more training than the more simple jobs that are going away.
 
Some interesting points.

A long time ago, my brother was extolling the virtues of a future factory where, for example, washing machines would be fully assembled by robots. My father replied "The problem is that robots don't buy washing machines".

Yes there are problems. But, looking to the past, you can't be a Luddite, that doesn't work either. Technology has always been a two-edged sword. The cars that take us places, can also kill us. Technology must be managed. There's a history, present and future in the management of technology. It is a struggle.

In my brief stay on Earth, there was a time I was sure we'd destroy ourself in a nuclear holocaust. It didn't happen, and I no longer think it will happen. Somehow we managed that problem.

A dark future? A bright future? "The Matrix"? "Star Trek"? What road will we take? Probably somewhere in between. How will we get there? I don't know, but the technology must be managed. And it will be.

I have been pondering the growing lack of jobs. Meaningful work provides value to life and is good for the spirit. Lack of jobs will lead to malaise among our youth, and I worry about that.

Identify the problem and develop a solution, that's what the engineer in me says. I don't know what the solution is. Perhaps some workers of the future will have to apply more individual creativity. Perhaps some workers of the future will be more oriented to gathering knowledge (something we humans are "geared" to do). Perhaps some workers of the future will be focused of solving the ills of the world (OK, that's the "Pollyanna" in me).

Time to put on the "thinking cap".
 
Originally Posted By: Rick in PA
Some interesting points.

A long time ago, my brother was extolling the virtues of a future factory where, for example, washing machines would be fully assembled by robots. My father replied "The problem is that robots don't buy washing machines".

Yes there are problems. But, looking to the past, you can't be a Luddite, that doesn't work either. Technology has always been a two-edged sword. The cars that take us places, can also kill us. Technology must be managed. There's a history, present and future in the management of technology. It is a struggle.

In my brief stay on Earth, there was a time I was sure we'd destroy ourself in a nuclear holocaust. It didn't happen, and I no longer think it will happen. Somehow we managed that problem.

A dark future? A bright future? "The Matrix"? "Star Trek"? What road will we take? Probably somewhere in between. How will we get there? I don't know, but the technology must be managed. And it will be.

I have been pondering the growing lack of jobs. Meaningful work provides value to life and is good for the spirit. Lack of jobs will lead to malaise among our youth, and I worry about that.

Identify the problem and develop a solution, that's what the engineer in me says. I don't know what the solution is. Perhaps some workers of the future will have to apply more individual creativity. Perhaps some workers of the future will be more oriented to gathering knowledge (something we humans are "geared" to do). Perhaps some workers of the future will be focused of solving the ills of the world (OK, that's the "Pollyanna" in me).

Time to put on the "thinking cap".



Robots don't buy the washing machines but they reduce cost by decreasing needed man hours. That makes is cheaper for you and I.. The consumers. They are also able to to function 24/7 if needed. QC is increased because there is no human error. One person could be running a line of say 5 machines.. Look at how useful one person became. Productivity is then increased. More output vs needed man hours. Less cost to company which means more money for other things like equipment and jobs.

Heck the machines will need maintained. There's another new job.
 
Originally Posted By: dlundblad
They are also able to to function 24/7 if needed. QC is increased because there is less chance of random human error.


Edited as I work with machines. Machines are "error-proof" only in as far as the people programming them make them to be. I spend a few hours a week taking machine cut parts to be welded up because "error-proof" doesn't take into account the complexity of making errors.
 
The way I see it: robots need a lot of people to design so they can build the washing machine. Self check out counters in stores help reduce labor overhead, but that means reduced prices and people will also then find something else to waste their money on. In the worst case, when people have nothing better to do, they buy bigger houses and drive up property prices.

So I do not see how technology affecting much other than those "greedy investors".
 
It depends on which type of technology we're talking about. From my point of view, medical technology is moving at a snail's pace.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: morepwr
The more advanced technology gets, there are less jobs to be had for entry level work.

Sure, but this has been going on for 100+ years. Yet, for most people, the standard of living today is much higher than it was back then, thanks to this advancement in technology.

It is true that some jobs are going away, but hopefully new jobs will be created instead. Many jobs we have today did not exist just a few decades ago. Granted, these new jobs will require more training than the more simple jobs that are going away.


Yes, very true. There should always be a reasonable fear of where technology will take us; or where we will allow those with the technology to take us.

Leads to some very big questions. NYC big push and demonstrations for $15/hr min wage. Not the smartest protest IMHO. McDonalds is looking at tech that replaces the human altogether with robotics. Lets face it, a large pool of fast food chain employee's do not have much in the way of employable skill sets.

How many non-workers can a society support before it implodes? Much of the area here is saturated with Heroin and pills. It's a major economic strain and a lot of these users are plain ol dumb as a post. No verbal skills, no common sense, etc... It's scary how many are out there.
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
It depends on which type of technology we're talking about. From my point of view, medical technology is moving at a snail's pace.


There you go. The medical field. An area that's open to improvement and advances. Perhaps more jobs will come from this area.

Funny you mention this. Last night at a holiday family dinner I met a cousin I hadn't seen in a while. He was out of work for a couple of months but had just started work as a technician at a company that produces medical imaging equipment. It looks like a stable position, I wished him luck.

Originally Posted By: vq35de_touring
Its only natural that humans want to be better, faster, stronger. Technology just happens to be the most promising vehicle to get there. Greed is the bigger killer.


Another area where work needs to be done. Efficiency. In order to achieve "better, faster, stronger" we will need greater efficiency. 50+ years ago, the computer was a huge, sluggish beast that consumed gobs of power. Now? Well, we all know where we are now on that front. Powering our (hopefully more efficient) lifestyle? New power sources that will need to be built and maintained. I suspect many jobs of the future will come from these areas.

A common thread to the future is the "intelligent worker". Folks come in all sorts. Looking back at the last century, humanity entered it with little technical ability, through the century, particularly that cauldron of WWII, all sorts of folks developed strong technical abilities. I've seen the development of "intelligent workers" at the humble little factory where I work. In the past decades they have dealt, and dealt well, with more sophisticated equipment and processes. It's been good to be part of this process. And good to see jobs maintained in our little community. Education is the key.

Greed, yes that's a bad one. It can lead to malaise for the "have nots". We learned a lesson in kindergarten, it was called "sharing". It still applies. Not that I want the "haves" to simply give to the "have nots". But they must provide opportunity for the "have nots" or we all end up living in an intolerable world.
 
As a society it would ultimately benefit us to find meaningful work for the slobs and dregs.

Picking up litter? Painting spray paint murals?

It would never get funded. Even as their care is presently funded albeit from a different trough.
 
The Great Depression had the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) an interesting and innovative program. My father participated in that. Many of their works still stand today. It can be done.

I like the Irony meter, it's pegged.
 
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