Newsgroups: comp.robotics
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From: rstevew@armory.com (Richard Steven Walz)
Subject: Re: Does Automation Take Jobs Away?
Organization: The Armory
Distribution: usa
Date: Sun, 24 Jul 1994 15:51:02 GMT
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In article <30n3tk$5uc@cae.cad.gatech.edu>,
Alou Macalou <mac@cad.gatech.edu> wrote:
>Two articles:
>
>1) Professor M.J.E. Cooley, "Robtics---Some Wider Implications",
>   p. 95-104, from ASPECTS OF ROBOTICS.  [Sorry, don't have publisher
>   or date].
>
>The main point as I remember it is that robots (i.e. automation) may
>take away low skilled jobs, but they require so much more
>support/maintenance jobs, like the GUI Interface Person, The Robotics
>Repair Person, The Robotic's Systems Programmer, The Robotic's Company
>Laison, etc..
>
>In a sense you can think of automation as a form of abstraction where
>the low level jobs are represented by the robot.  The robot becomes a
>new 'primitive'.  New means of combination are developed to deal with
>this new 'primitive': new jobs.  This brings the level of work to a
>higher level of complexity, challenge, and ultimatley interest.
>
>Of course, a worker might prefer to work, rather than being
>"abstracted".  The answer to that is for the worker to 'retool'
>his/her skills.  And of course that will cost the worker time and
>money...
>
>2) Shigeo Hirose, "A dispute over robots.  Robots of the future,"
>   v. 6, no. 2, p. 231-241, ADVANCED ROBOTICS, 1992.
>
>A psuedo-philisophical discussion on the future of robotics in society.
>Alou Macalou
>    ALOU MACALOU    <*>    mac@cad.gatech.edu      <*> Office: (404) 894-6184
>School of Aerospace <*> Georgia Institute of Tech. <*> Atlanta, GA 30332-0150
-----------------------------------
Damned Straight! ...cost the worker time and money (they don't have!!!)
Cold dry theory, bloody practice. This nations corp.s are about as likely
to spend money educating the lowest level of workers as a snowball has a
chance in hell!!! (USA)  Whereas in Europe, things have reorganized a bit
more socially, here it's still dog eat dog and the devil take the
hindmost!!! If you wonder why kids are shooting each other, it's because
they are trying the only method they know to get out of the shit-pile, and
that's selling illicit commodities at great risk financially and physically
as far as being shot. Gangs are all about that and not much else. They are
small corporations that do what's illegal because they have made legal
advancement impossible for the vast majority. The number of people who
make it out of poverty, which the rich white conservatives always love to
point to and honor are just the lucky few "house niggers", excuse my
"French", good African American's, but you know that's the truth!! They
had a skill that was amusing to the white rich producers and corporate
organizers of entertainments, whether on stage screen, music videos and
CD's or on the playing field. And damned few to none of those people are
EVER winding up as owner-manager-producers!!! After South Africa gets its
people together, we may be the pariah nation among racist systems of this
planet!!! And maybe the worst and last!!!
-Steve Walz   rstevew@armory.com

