# Will Humans be Unecessary? (economics)



## Nick (Aug 15, 2014)

Definitely an interesting video. No one can predict the future but I find this fascinating.


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## ctenidae (Aug 15, 2014)

Interesting, and sobering.

I like the guy's voice, too. Well done.


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## Abubob (Aug 15, 2014)

Human's aren't necessary now!

Okay now that I've actually watched the video. I wonder that with all the automation already taking place why did the number of different types of jobs rise from 10 in the 18th century to over a 100 in the 21st. Maybe there'll be 1000 different types of jobs in the future. On the other hand, if no one is employable and no one making any money no one will have the income to even buy these things so they will have to be free. If all the labor is then is free ...


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## snoseek (Aug 15, 2014)

Base income will be discussed more in the future IMO as this becomes a reality (already is). Gonna be an ugly dialog I bet.


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## dlague (Aug 19, 2014)

Unions are not going to like this!


Sent from my iPad using AlpineZone


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## Edd (Aug 19, 2014)

The jobs will still exist to maintain these things, of course. I've spent a bunch of years in jobs just fixing things. All of this crap breaks constantly.


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## Geoff (Aug 21, 2014)

Edd said:


> The jobs will still exist to maintain these things, of course. I've spent a bunch of years in jobs just fixing things. All of this crap breaks constantly.



Nope.  Once bots are able to learn, repairing automated equipment also becomes automated.

A positive from this is that automation of medicine is the only way we're going to escape from the economic debacle we're in now where 17%+ of GDP is going to health care.   It's going to suck for the people feeding at the Medical Cartel trough but you can at least project out to a time where health care costs will start dropping.


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## Nick (Aug 21, 2014)

I wonder if at some point procreation habits change also. I mean, one of the reasonse we do so good economically (still) is because of population growth. 200M to 300M americans in what, 30 years? There are 100  Million more people in the US today than when I was born.


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## ctenidae (Aug 21, 2014)

Increased population does equate to increased consumption which looks like growth, which increases sales, which leads to profits. If populations decrease, we'll all need to consume more to maintain growth.


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## Nick (Aug 21, 2014)

I think we are all very fortunate to be living in the current economic window.


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## Geoff (Aug 21, 2014)

Nick said:


> I think we are all very fortunate to be living in the current economic window.



Yes, though the very first baby boomers born in the late-1940's had the best window as long as you didn't get drafted to fight in Vietnam.


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## Edd (Aug 21, 2014)

Nick said:


> I wonder if at some point procreation habits change also.



I'm under the impression that that's already happened. Our increasing population is due largely to immigration.


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## jack97 (Aug 22, 2014)

Nick said:


> I wonder if at some point procreation habits change also.....




Hear's something I have been hearing about and something to ponder while we are waiting for snow....
There is a high correlation of population stagnation as countries industrialized.


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## deadheadskier (Aug 23, 2014)

Geoff said:


> A positive from this is that automation of medicine is the only way we're going to escape from the economic debacle we're in now where 17%+ of GDP is going to health care.   It's going to suck for the people feeding at the Medical Cartel trough but you can at least project out to a time where health care costs will start dropping.



Hopefully none of this happens soon.  I just got an offer to join the Cartel today.


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## Edd (Aug 23, 2014)

deadheadskier said:


> Hopefully none of this happens soon. I just got an offer to join the Cartel today.



Nice work, man!  Where did you end up in the city?


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## deadheadskier (Aug 23, 2014)

Didn't get the chance to do much.  Interview started a bit late and went long.  Traffic back into town from Redmond was worse than normal according to some of the employees I spoke with because of the Seahawks game at 7.  So, I got into town, received the phone call on the offer from the VP, then had another couple calls with the guy who will be my boss and the recruiter.  After all that, all I had time for was to take a quick trip up the Needle and then grab a quick bite at some hipster dive bar around the corner from there before heading off to the airport. 

I'll be out there in a few weeks and be able to check out more of what the city has to offer.


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## xwhaler (Aug 23, 2014)

Nice work DHS!    Great news!


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## AdironRider (Aug 23, 2014)

Im pretty sure this is an argument that comes about with any advance in technology. Jobs get replaced. Saddle makers and blacksmiths all died off with the advent of the automobile, but just as many new jobs opened. 

Who do you think will service, repair, maintain, design, implement, and operate all these robots? Other robots? 

Unlike the chicken or the egg, there is an impetus here, and that impetus is a human.


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## skiNEwhere (Aug 23, 2014)

It's not a 1:1 ratio of jobs getting replaced. Companies care about the bottom line. If they can spend 1 million on a robot that will save them paying 2 million on salaried employees, they'll do it. Yes, there will be employees that need to fix those robots, but corporations wouldn't be spending money on these machines in the first place if they wouldn't generate an ROI


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## ScottySkis (Aug 23, 2014)

I hope not.


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## snoseek (Aug 23, 2014)

deadheadskier said:


> Didn't get the chance to do much.  Interview started a bit late and went long.  Traffic back into town from Redmond was worse than normal according to some of the employees I spoke with because of the Seahawks game at 7.  So, I got into town, received the phone call on the offer from the VP, then had another couple calls with the guy who will be my boss and the recruiter.  After all that, all I had time for was to take a quick trip up the Needle and then grab a quick bite at some hipster dive bar around the corner from there before heading off to the airport.
> 
> I'll be out there in a few weeks and be able to check out more of what the city has to offer.



Congrats dude. Does this mean you may end up in the PNW? If so that would be kinda cool...I think that area has a lot to offer.


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## deadheadskier (Aug 23, 2014)

snoseek said:


> Congrats dude. Does this mean you may end up in the PNW? If so that would be kinda cool...I think that area has a lot to offer.



Nope.  Home based position like my last sales gig slinging sausage.  I'll be home a couple of days a week and on the road managing the MA, VT, NH, ME territory for the company.

Have to say though, in the short time I was in Seattle I REALLY liked the area.  I hope there's a fair amount of travel in my future to the company HQ where I can extend my stay and check out the area.  Always wanted to hit Crystal Mountain and Baker.


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## Edd (Aug 24, 2014)

WA is such a big state with so much cool stuff. The islands, the Olympic Peninsula, the Cascades, legitimate wine country, good skiing, Vancouver with Whistler beyond. The place is ridiculous.


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## deadheadskier (Aug 24, 2014)

What struck me from the air and 12 hours on the ground was how green it was and the amount of water; both salt and fresh water.  Prior to my interview I took a drive along the shores of Sammamish Lake, which was just down the street from the company HQ.  Completely overdeveloped lake in regards to housing, even more jam packed than Lake Winni here in NH, but still stunning.  

My western US exposure is limited to several visits to Colorado and California once and though both places were beautiful, the lack of water and the predominantly brown landscape never really wowed me in the same sense as what I saw in just a short time in Washington.  Granted, I was there on a perfect weather day.  75, sunny, very few clouds.  Maybe I wouldn't have been so wowed had it been rainy and dismal like you read it often is in Seattle.

damn clean city too; much more so than Boston from what I saw


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## Geoff (Aug 26, 2014)

My sister has lived in Vancouver since 1986.   Sure, they have 300 overcast days but most days, it just spits a little so you're not out in a downpour.   The weather at sea level is downright mild.   It's rarely much below freezing in the winter and it's rarely above 80F in midsummer.   They typically get a couple of months of perfect bluebird weather in the summer.   My sister also has a place on Galiano Island in the rain shadow of Vancouver Island.   It's much more sunny there and you typically get 5 or 6 months of pretty good weather.

I put out feelers to move to Seattle when I was unemployed 6 or 7 years ago.   I knew a few people at Clearwire (mostly owned by Sprint) and interviewed for a job there.   I didn't get an offer and, in retrospect, I'm glad because that company has seen huge turmoil and I'm not sure I would have had steady employment.   I like Vancouver way better than Seattle but it's kind of out of the question moving to Canada when you're tied into the US Social Security and IRA/401-K retirement system once you get beyond your mid-30's.   You wouldn't get much of a pension from either the US or Canada.


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