The future

R

ray188

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Location
FL West Coast
Much is said about the changes in our work place over the years. Some bemoan the loss of the work-shop factories of the '50s. But, not only are they gone and not coming back but there is much, much more to come.

The major cause for the changes has been automation - using it one person can do the job of 5 - 10 - whatever. We have robots that can replace people - without needing healthcare, retirement, raises, etc. So, the "people" part has changed to the tech areas. Kids in school have to be pointed in realistic directions.

The main thing to consider is not what has happened but what the future holds for us.
 

ray188 said:
......The major cause for the changes has been automation - using it one person can do the job of 5 - 10 - whatever. We have robots that can replace people - without needing healthcare, retirement, raises, etc. So, the "people" part has changed to the tech areas. Kids in school have to be pointed in realistic directions.....The main thing to consider is not what has happened but what the future holds for us.
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I saw a lengthy interview with Bill Gates speaking on this topic. I've also watched interviews with other people who are in the forefront of AI and advanced engineering. They all warn of what they believe will become a huge 'displacement' of people. That is, immense numbers of people without work. There are simply fewer and fewer jobs for people without advanced skill sets. Of course, they don't know what will happen to society in general. Riots, at the least, social unrest.
Interesting, but a 'scary' topic. It's already happening, and don't know how far it will go in my lifetime. But we have an expanding population, worldwide, with decreasing resources and labor needs. At the moment, where the work is, are the trades. There are entirely too many kids getting worthless college degrees that could have high-paying jobs doing HVAC, plumbing, rmechanics for trucks/auto/airplanes, electricians, as well as skilled factory jobs. There are, in general in this country, more jobs than unemployed right now. Too many people without skill sets.
Further in the future, yes, more robotics. But, there is plenty of work out there right now if you go to trade school rather than 'formal education'.
 

retiredtraveler said:
I saw a lengthy interview with Bill Gates speaking on this topic. I've also watched interviews with other people who are in the forefront of AI and advanced engineering. They all warn of what they believe will become a huge 'displacement' of people. That is, immense numbers of people without work. There are simply fewer and fewer jobs for people without advanced skill sets. Of course, they don't know what will happen to society in general. Riots, at the least, social unrest.
Interesting, but a 'scary' topic. It's already happening, and don't know how far it will go in my lifetime. But we have an expanding population, worldwide, with decreasing resources and labor needs. At the moment, where the work is, are the trades. There are entirely too many kids getting worthless college degrees that could have high-paying jobs doing HVAC, plumbing, rmechanics for trucks/auto/airplanes, electricians, as well as skilled factory jobs. There are, in general in this country, more jobs than unemployed right now. Too many people without skill sets.
Further in the future, yes, more robotics. But, there is plenty of work out there right now if you go to trade school rather than 'formal education'.
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For sure! There are a huge number of good jobs waiting for people....for those who are willing to get their hands dirty. It seems that many of today's young think that wasting 4 years in college in a Liberal Arts program will give them a good career....yes, in flipping burgers. They need to recognize that there is more to life than spending half their day "texting" on their phones. As more and more of the jobs are taken over by automation and robotics....while our populations continue to grow unchecked, there is certainly going to be a "tipping point" which leads to some extreme social unrest and conflicts. I don't give it more than another 50 years before most of our cities become almost like war zones.
 
Don M. said:
For sure! There are a huge number of good jobs waiting for people....for those who are willing to get their hands dirty. It seems that many of today's young think that wasting 4 years in college in a Liberal Arts program will give them a good career....yes, in flipping burgers. They need to recognize that there is more to life than spending half their day "texting" on their phones. As more and more of the jobs are taken over by automation and robotics....while our populations continue to grow unchecked, there is certainly going to be a "tipping point" which leads to some extreme social unrest and conflicts. I don't give it more than another 50 years before most of our cities become almost like war zones.
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Kinda nice to be on the down slope of that

I imagine there'd be plenty of positions available in the military

Never enough canon fodder

...or maybe just robots
Still, they gotta be maintained
 
Basic income will be the new normal
Babies will be "engineered" and not everyone will be allowed to have them
Aging will be largely cured, and the average life span will be 150 or more.
 
Gary O' said:
I imagine there'd be plenty of positions available in the military
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I appears that the military....especially the Army...is having trouble getting enough recruits. The Army has even started broadcasting TV commercials in recent months, trying to interest young people into joining. Besides a fairly robust economy, and the fact that 2/3rds of our young are either not qualified, due to physical fitness, and drug use, etc., the number of young people who could qualify for military service is continuing to shrink.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/21/us/army-recruiting-shortage.html
 
"....It appears that the military....especially the Army...is having trouble getting enough recruits. The Army has even started broadcasting TV commercials in recent months, trying to interest young people into joining. Besides a fairly robust economy, and the fact that 2/3rds of our young are either not qualified, due to physical fitness, and drug use, etc., the number of young people who could qualify for military service is continuing to shrink."....

Yup. That's another issue. A whole lot of people that can't pass a drug test or too fat/out-of-shape to do much of anything. I agree with the possibility that cities will become more like war zones as the years progress. I'm in Chicago area and we already have large areas of 'no man's land' that no one wants to venture into. I know that is happening in many other large cities, and will continue to grow. I'm thinking that things will get very bad before the political will takes over and changes society in some different direction, unforseen to me now.
And, being in the states, we often forget the rest of the world. It's estimated that there are almost 70 million displaced people all over the world due to war, famine, violence, hunger, extreme poverty, climate change, etc. Basically 70 million people without jobs depending on others to house and feed them.
 
The problem of seeing the future is that we don't know what new, and unknown forces will effect it. When the telegraph was in vented in 1844, who could have imagined the invention of the cell phone, which is a descendant of the telegraph.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
The problem of seeing the future is that we don't know what new, and unknown forces will effect it. When the telegraph was in vented in 1844, who could have imagined the invention of the cell phone, which is a descendant of the telegraph.
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Yes. It's possible something new will happen and allow for a boom in jobs that need people. I'm a long-time sci-fi reader, and so much that was imagined in the older, classic sci-fi, has come to pass. Doesn't look like anything on the horizon right now. There is unlimited work, such as infrastructure that needs doing, but no money or political will.
 
I get uneasy when I think about the future. At least the future of society. I used to not be this way, but I see trends emerging that confound and sadden me.

Oddly enough, as I write this, my hubby is watching Logan's Run.
 
fmdog44 said:
All concepts of the future have always been dark yet here we are still plugging right along.
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End-is-near.png
 
[Kinda nice to be on the down slope of that

I imagine there'd be plenty of positions available in the military

Never enough canon fodder

...or maybe just robots
Still, they gotta be maintained/QUOTE]

stick where you is Gary - just stock up on ammunition and fuel!!:nodisturb:
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Even baseball is slowly converting to automation. This season, the independent Atlantic League will be testing the calling of balls and strikes via automation. There will be some override available to this system, such as when there is a wild pitch or a passed ball and a few other errs.
 

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