"Robots Can't Feed Toddlers" - Not Yet Anyway!!

HealthCare vs. WealthCare

While most people sit and complain about who is going to pay for healthcare, the question that really should be asked is - "Why should it be so expensive?" 

Insurance companies don't care how high the bill is; it will be just another excuse to raise premiums and pay CEOs even more. Whether the country ends up with Obamacare or Trumpcare the problem is actually the cost and neither plan seems to address this issue. 

The Trump Boat

Indentured Servitude - It's Back

If you have a child or grandchild who is planning to attend college you must listen to this. If you are interested in the economic prospects of future generations (as am I) this is for you too.

Those Who Kiss a Toad Should Get Warts!

Remember this when the time comes to vote for the 

Democrats who cozied up to this bum before the last election! 

Hang 'em High - Sweet!!

Disregarding the Future of Employment

This article reflects the quality of our current leadership. Just as with climate change they refuse to acknowledge the obvious.  Evidence cited by the scientific community and even that which can be ready confirmed by simple observation is dismissed. Mr. Mnuchin, our Treasury Secretary claims that the effect of technology on employment is “50 to 100 years” away. It is not something to be reckoned with presently or in the immediate future.

Based on his statement, I must suppose that Mr. Mnuchin has never been to Home Depot or even the local supermarket. If he has how could he fail to see self-checkout “cashiers” acting under the auspice of one person rather than the six persons they have replaced? How can he not see an ATM as a machine replacing a bank teller? How can he not see the advent of self-driving vehicles replacing taxi drivers and trucker drivers? The list goes on and gets longer with every passing day.

Finally, if he really believes that automation of most all current jobs is “50 to 100 years” off, he has never heard of Moore’s Law and A.I.

It is truly unfortunate for us that we are governed by people with such little foresight and so much ignorance.

We must find leaders who will face the future and deal with it instead of just continually denying its ominous certainty. 

The original Moore's Law derives from a speech given by Gordon Moore, later a founder of Intel, in 1965, in which he observed that the number of microcomponents that could be placed in an integrated circuit (microchip) of the lowest manufacturing cost was doubling every year and that this trend would likely continue into the future. As this observation and prediction began to be frequently cited, it became known as Moore's Law. In later years, the Law was occasionally reformulated to mean that rate. The pace of change having slowed down a bit over the past few years, the definition has changed (with Gordon Moore's approval) to reflect that the doubling occurs only every 18 months.

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Preparing for the Non Existent

Gigantic debt incurred by students preparing for jobs that probably won't exist.

Even "The Donald's" great promise to bring jobs back to America

can't stop this unless he's talking about bring jobs back to American

robots!! 

A Cute Video Birthday Card Anyone Can Send for Free

A Brief White House Tour 2017

The Future of the Future

I hate to repeat myself (not really) but in light of the attached article I think it is appropriate. As you will see, all the fears of robots driving the population into the unemployment lines is clearly outlined. It certainly adds to my conjure about the future of the American work force. 

Most current discussions of retraining the unemployed and preparing the youth for new careers seems to center on developing STEM skills. Based on the attached article even these skills will likely be supplanted by robots equipped with A.I.

We have already seen cashiers replaced by self checkout robots, bank tellers replaced by ATMs, materials handlers at Amazon replaced by automatic merchandise selectors, draftsmen replaced by CAD programs, computers and the Internet substituted for teachers and the list goes on.  Based on Moore's Law the time in which complete robotization will be achieved becomes shorter and shorter (note- Moore's Law tells us that computing power doubles every 18 months and so far it seems to be correct). It appears that no one and no career or profession is or will be immune.

And what should young people be learning to ensure a place in the future workforce? How should the unemployed be retrained so that they don't wind up re-unemployed?

One might suggest that only the trades will be safe havens - but I'm not so sure. The use of nail guns and engineered lumber has allowed a smaller crew to do the same amount of work in a shorter time than  just a decade or two ago. 

Plumber's now use PVC pipe and snap on fittings again reducing the time to complete a job.

Electrical work can now easily be done by the homeowner in many cases by using remote, wireless switches and relays. The result is fewer job for electrical tradesmen. The list goes on and gets longer by the day.

The recent murders in Paris and California helped to bring all of this to mind once again. I have read just recently that one of the greatest recruiting tools used by ISIS is the offer of a job (as shitty as it is I guess they think it is better than no job) to the myriad of Middle Eastern unemployed youth. From what I've read theyoffer good pay (from oil money) and benefits besides!

Based on this observation, what can we look forward to in America when most jobs have been eliminated? 

Maybe it's time for our politicians to start addressing this issue rather than just attacking each other at their sideshow events??

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 Here my previous article on robots and employment in you are interested. Below is the article I made mention of in my opening line. 

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8/14/15

A collision between robotization and student loan debt is inevitability on course. Tens of thousands of students are now being prepared for jobs that will soon be replaced by robots and A.I.(owned by corporations and the wealthy). An even sadder part is that they are incurring trillions of dollars of debt to become eligible for the non-existent jobs of the future. (See my post  - http://teachersdontsuck.blogspot.com/2015/07/i-robots.html). 

Not only will they have the prospect of few available jobs but also the burden of huge debt which they will have no means to repay. 

How will the housing market endure? Who will buy the new "driver-less" cars? Will the middle classes' disappearing act finally be completed?

Might these be bigger problems than even terrorism for the capitalist system in the not too distant future?

Even less encouraging is that I have heard few it any politicians addressing the likelihood of these probable circumstances and how they should be addressed?

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The Consequences of Technology in Education and Elsewhere

I recently wrote an article (June 2015) http://teachersdontsuck.blogspot.com/2015/07/i-robots.html about the rise of robots. Here are some of the things which I mentioned.

"Another question becomes – what happens once robots assume an overwhelming presence in the American job market?"

"Not so fast (with your applause) – the people who will be working less and enjoying all the extra leisure time (unemployment) will not own the robots – they will be owned by wealthy corporations and individuals and I don’t believe they will be inclined to share the rewards the robots provide with the society at large."

"So now the robotic age will have another startling, back door effect on education. If only a very few jobs will be left by robotization what kind of jobs will they be and what skills can be taught to allow people to obtain those remaining jobs?"

The other night I viewed a piece on NJN News which provides an example validating my observations about the ever increasing rise of technology and the threats it carries. Here is that clip.

Video Note:
An interesting point about the influence of technology on the automobile repair business is, that starting way back in the 80s, manufacturers began  producing vehicles which required specialized tools for repairing each model. The result was the independent shop owner had to buy a myriad to tools to stay in business.Many were driven out of business by these increased costs. But that was not the end of car manufacturers attempts to eliminate their competitors.
With the advent of computer run vehicles, manufacturers no longer have to develop and produce manufactured parts needing special tools. Now, all they need do is write a few lines software code to box out independent competition for good!

There's Gold In Them There (Charter) Schools !

I had a conversation with a friend the other day about the "non profit" status of professional sports leagues such as the NFL, NBA and MLB and their accumulation of tax free monies which then pay gigantic salaries to the head honchos . Eventually, the conversation became one about charter schools and their "non profit" status. I was quick to mention that I won't be surprised if the same might be true in the case of charter schools as it is in pro sports. Thus I went to the Internet and found two eye opening articles which validated my suspicions.

  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alan-singer/charter-school-executive-profit_b_5093883.html

  https://greatschoolwars.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/eic-oct_11.pdf

Here are some excerpts from those articles:

Has the Tyranny Ended? We Can Only Hope!

Prez Meets Putz? You Pick Which is Which!

The Christie Mills Retirement Village

Allegiance To the People or the King?

Gov. Chris Christie has used his veto power more aggressively than any other New Jersey governor, rejecting more than 350 bills in five years in Trenton. His vetoes—from mundane bills related to fiscal matters to more controversial measures such as gun control—have never been overridden.  Lawmakers failed in all 48 attempts to override him with Republican sponsors of the bills and many of those who originally voted for the bills refusing to override his vetoes!
We must assume that the bills were considered to be in the best interests of the citizens of New Jersey by those who authorized them originally. Otherwise why would they have voted for them (many in overwhelming numbers) in the first place?
Then suddenly, when His Majesty vetoes them they are longer deemed beneficial to the citizenry? How could this be possible in all 48 override attempts?
It is seems that the majority of the Republicans in Trenton are not really interested in serving the people of the State but instead are solely absorbed with serving the interests of the king in the Governor's Office and his political ambitions. What has made the "lawmakers" in Trenton so meek, groveling and genuflecting and willing to serve the interests of one man over those of the people? 
Is it because our governor king has become New Jersey's spell casting Rasputin or the file hoarding J. Edgar? 
I can think of no other possibilities, can you?

The Pot and the Kettle

I just read the letter sent to the staff  by Rutgers President Richard Barchi regarding the RU football coach's (Kyle Flood) fine and suspension over an NCAA infraction. Here are some excerpts from that letter with the words that stood out underlined.
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"Over the past three years, we have taken significant steps in establishing a strong compliance and oversight culture and organization on campus, including the creation of the Office of Enterprise Risk Management, Ethics and Compliance in 2013 that reports directly to me and to the Audit Committee of the Board of Governors."

"we have an obligation to provide outstanding educational opportunities, to ensure high quality and productive research, to serve the local, national and world communities, and to do so with integrity"

"to strengthen our programs in Ethics and Privacy.  Earlier this summer, that office recruited new expert leadership in each of these areas as well as a new Director of Ethics who brings to the University in-depth experience with the New Jersey State Ethics Commission"
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Seeing the words "ethics" and "integrity" coming from Mr. Barchi in any context reminds me of something I wrote back in July of 2013. It also reminded me of the "the pot calling the kettle black" cliché.

Now, I certainly don't think Flood was right in doing what he did and he should be punished but then again should someone with Barchi's baggage be writing "Holier than thou" proclamations  about it? 

Saturday, July 20, 2013

I Have a "Conflict in Understanding" !

When I was elected to the BOE, I was required to give up a little part time job videoing the high school football games (which I had done for twenty years prior) because it was considered a "conflict of interest" and an "ethics violation"?
The "conflict of interest" was not $317,000. It amounted to about $800 per year !

Trick (by "The Governor") and Treat (for his Buds)

The following two statements jump out at me. "the State Election Law Enforcement Commission, which by law, must include two Democrats and two Republications" and "Christie recently nominated a new member to the election commission but selected another Republican... The commission still has only one Democrat".
Essentially, what this means based on the judge's opinion, is the commission will be castrated hence forth by "The Governor's" appointment of a Republican. It can proceed against no elected officials suspected of illegal or unethical actions because it can never have a "quorum".
Beautiful for Governor Porkchop and his buds.
I guess I have to give him credit. He is a master of trickery and deceit.