In which my synapses collapse

Or if you like, my mind boggles.  Well sometimes problems arise which are simply to huge for even a brain like mine to cope withal, you know, like the square root of -1, or what is my wife's favourite colour, that sort of thing.  Anyway, to try and be a tad more serious, there is a fairly huge problem hovering over us all.  I think we all sense it but to the sound of collapsing synapses and boggling minds we all try to avoid thinking about it. 

Alas for me, two things have occurred in the past 24 hours to force me to consider this mega-problem.  The first was yesterday when a friend told me that there were now available automatic lawn-mowers that you can programme to cut your grass, avoiding all the flower beds and paths and which, when it has completed its task, will automatically lodge itself back into its recharging site.

Then this morning I did something exceedingly rare by actually reading a column in The Telegraph by William Hague.  I should add quickly that I do not have anything against Mr. Hague but I am not an avid fan either.  Anyway, he had picked up on Mrs. May's promise to institute a range of policies that would ensure that 'the system' worked for 'ordinary people' not just the mega-rich.  However, as Mr. Hague shrewdly reminds her, and us, there is a potentially cataclysmic revolution building up and that the first signs are already visible.  The automatic lawn-mower is but one example.

Automation, in all its myriad forms, is going to effect everyone but in particular it is going to have a shattering effect on all those who earn a wage, and indeed, it has already begun.  Just this week it has been reported that the government are in consultations with Amazon to work out a system whereby goods can be delivered by drones directly to customers.  Hey, there goes 'white-van-man'!  That is but one example and there are very many more.  Where it will all lead, alas, I cannot say, not least because my synapses just boggled - big time!

 

Comments

[AussieD]

Nothing new Duffers. We already have drones aplenty. They are generally labelled bureaucrats and members of parliament.

[Whitewall]

Drones, in my part of the country and Jks as well, are a tempting target for hunters. More than one humming bird has been shot out of the sky. Problem is, no matter how you cook them, they're awful.

[A Drone]

There is nothing to worry about. We come in peace.

[Whitewall]

Careful A Drone, you might come in peace, but may end up in pieces in some locales.:)

[Cuffleyburgers]

Duffers - I see what you mean but a similar debate was had with the invention of the spinning jenny, the steam engine, and doubtless the sheel before them.

We cannot know what the displaced people will do but the economy grows richer by definition as productivity growth increases, and things kind of sort themselves out. People who add least value are affected the most, and in my view it is a moral obligation to assist people to adapt (that is to help people who help themselves), which is doubtless why the state got involved in education, and at first it probably worked very well.

Makes Merkel's idea of importing the dregs of the middle east to solve her shortage of germans willing to take menial grass cutting jobs look even more f'king stupid... but then we know that already.

The other side of the coin is that the presence of so much extra computing power and cameras etc will mean we are even more zealously over policed and spied upon than ever, at least the law-abiding among us will be, dangers that the spinning jenny and the steam engine never presented.

[Cuffleyburgers]

Sorry gents, I meant "doubtless the wheel" - worlds worst typist.

[Antisthenes]

If the world was totally labour free we would all be rather rich. Bloody bored I expect but but we could spend our very large citizens income cheque on interesting things to do I guess. Will never happen of course there will always be human input even if it is to stop AI and robots doing a skynet.

Technological change always brings the Luddite out in us but it will not be the end of jobs it never is.

[Mayfly]

I look forward to a robot cleaning the restaurant at the shop where I work at the moment, since it should be able to do that before we arrive. However, for some reason **cough money cough ** they have not forked out the money to do so, despite it potentially saving money in the future. The thinking goes like this, "Pay £500 pounds for the robot. Robot takes on the work of one cleaner. Robot goes wrong, has to be repaired/replaced. Cost of doing this is 3 x what a human worker costs. Robot gets binned".

These drones will of course be an immediate target for thieves, and will have to be either defendable or be impregnable. One will at least be entertaining, the other more likely, but I can't see the kinks being ironed out for some time. The driverless car (although an inevitable addition to tomorrow's society) is still governed by rules which do not allow the police to stop vehicles by using an automatic system - long story but they can't be implemented until this is done. This was part of the work I handled some 5 years ago and they still haven't sorted out the problem.

[Whitewall]

If AI did replace all work, we would have millions of idle people with little purpose. Too many idle males in a society make for a dangerous kindling. One spark and the resulting calamity would be off the charts.

[Loz]

No point in producing if there's no-one with any money consuming.

Helicopter money - now!

The most feckless have turned their working toes up, and soon even rocket scientists will be out of a job.

The most important societal quality of mankind will cease to be production, but rather it will be consumption.

We need a "salary for life" for everyone, and to keep the state away from production and choosing our consumption. Leave it to us, so we tune up the capitalist machine, the neural-network production system, with our daily, weekly, monthly, yearly consumption choices.

Here's the "Big 8" necessity per annum salary - "without which harm will come to you" ...

Food £2000
Clothing £500
Shelter £5000
Health £2000
Education £2000
Energy £500
Information £500
Transport £2500
BIG 8 TOTAL £15000

... Plus fun money ...

"Big 8" £15000
Fun money £5000
TOTAL SALARY FOR LIFE £20000

Now disband the public sector and privatize, charitize, mutualize, and not-for-profitize the whole damn lot into 9 free markets: The "Big 8" plus fun.

End of history. Start of fun.

SoD

[Timbo]

One good EMP over Western Europe and the USA and we'll be back to tilling the land with a couple of oxen.

[Loz]

"If the world was totally labour free we would all be rather rich. Bloody bored I expect but but we could spend our very large citizens income cheque on interesting things to do I guess."

Anti, the gaffer has sat on his butt without doing a stroke of work for the last 15 years. Never once did I hear him say he was bored, rather he often says he doesn't seem to have enough time to keep the blog stuffed with gobber-fodder for us lot!

He's the country-bumpkin chav out-rider for the rest of us, bless his cotton socks.

SoD

[JK]

Right Timbo or, just a simple Carrington or maybe an errant asteroid whatnot.

What's that David? Oh right,

http://www.history.com/news/a-perfect-solar-superstorm-the-1859-carrington-event

We needn't worry overly as Mayfly above avers and I'd only add that (Now Honey-Pie should you trail me again to here - it was decades ago I Promise!) anyway ... some decades ago in a universe far Far away, an old (and ugly HP) girlfriend announced she was retiring me and there weren't "a damn thing [I] could do about it."

But then her new friend Dildo depleted its batteries.

[David Duff]

Right, SoD, that's it, I'm leaving you ALL of my overdrafts in my Will!

[Timbo]

David, that's the only way you can guarantee SoD will remember you. At least once a month, when the payments come due.

[JK]

Lemme just add long as I'm here anyway.

That very nearly forgotten episode back before electrical meant more mechanical than electronical ... she of whom was referred was a damn sight ungainly too.

Not even close to The Bedroom Ballerina the good Lord Hisself dropped from Heaven last August into the back of my pickup. I been bles't ever since!

[Cuffleyburgers]

JK - you certainly seem to have an exciting life (as far as one can tell)

[David Duff]

JK, I'm thinking of enrolling Bletchley Park to help me decipher your missives. I think I understand "Bedroom Ballerina" and I would pay good money to see your 'pas de deux', er, wait a minute, now I think about it, perhaps not!

[Bob]

Oh, wonder!
How many goodly machines are there here!
How beauteous those free from drudgery are!
O brave new world,
That has such people in it!

[David Duff]

Top marks, Bob, we'll keep you on!

[JK]

I think Cuffers it's more to do with Arkansas' waters than me personally. I can for instance, still do groups of tens and handle trivial decimals. Barney for the other instance is far more challenging to be around than me. He's down to five fingers one thumb and half an ear.

[TheBigHenry]

Once again, my Pacific time zone has allowed you lot to preempt my best wisecracks. I am just left with, "I thought a lawn mower was a peasant wielding a scythe?"

[Andra]

Henry, I've been advising David (at no charge) for many years to get a sheep.
As I understand it his portion of lawn is approximately 7 ft. x 5 ft. A very small sheep would do quite nicely.

[TheBigHenry]

That's a great idea, Andra; much better than employing a peasant. When grass cutting season is over, you get a couple/three nice woolen sweaters and lamb chops until springtime.

[David Duff]

Now look here you lot, personally I do not have a lawn, I had the good sense to turn it into a patio at the first opportunity. However, I then allowed myself to be talked into mowing the grass in part of the churchyard next door. This momentous effort was regularly rewarded by always having sunny days when I was BBQ-ing and always finding the last parking space outside the supermarket. The Good Lord always rewardeth those who labour in his vineyards, so to speak. Unfortunately my bloody-bloody arthritis put a stop to my good deeds which is why, I suspect, that it hasn't stopped raining for six months and I nearly ran out of petrol trying to park at Sainsbury's the other day!