Can tha' keep a Secret?

Here's a good blog to refer to, concerning the forthcoming 200th anniversary of the Luddite uprisings:

http://northernvoicesmag.blogspot.com/2010/04/can-tha-keep-secret.html

Computers hate me personally...

I used to work with a young lady who really used to believe that... she came to that conclusion when faced with what, in her mind, was overwhelming evidence that there was an intelligence inside that little grey box determined to make her life a misery. And then I heard at the weekend about those folks who believe that your IPod can actually sense your moods! Apparently there are some who put their players on 'random shuffle', believing that the next track to be played would be the one they needed to listen to right then.

Does technology really have those capabilities? Or is it our love of tech, born out of many years of science fiction that seems to instill almost human emotions to our tech? Some writers seem to think so; see one opinion here.

As for me, I just want my tech to work the way I want it to. Is that too much to ask for?

The Balloonist

A man in a hot air balloon, realising he was lost, reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended further and shouted to the lady "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

The woman below replied, "You're in a hot air balloon, hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You're between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude."

You must be in IT," said the balloonist.

"Actually I am," replied the woman, "How did you know?"

"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you have told me is technically correct but I've no idea what to make of your information and the fact is I'm still lost. Frankly,you've not been much help at all. If anything, you've delayed my trip.."

The woman below responded, "You must be in Management."

"I am," replied the balloonist, "but how did you know?"

"Well," said the woman, "you don't know where you are or where you're going. You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise, which you've no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault..."

JESSE BROWN: The Luddite

Looking forward to a Luddite New Year

I've been blogging on this subject for about six months now and feel it's probably right to end 2009 with a little bit of a recap...

You see, I think that technology gets the blame for too many of life's problems nowadays. Most of the tech I have at home is there to enhance my lifestyle. I can't say I have anything too modern (the budget simply doesn't run to the latest gadgets), however the fact that I embrace some tech means that I don't conform to the traditional modern view of a Luddite. Most of the tech I have seems to work well.

The tech in modern workplaces is also quite visible, however more often than not it's there to increase production, not to enhance either the skills of the worker or of their working experience. Technology is pushed to its limits and beyond, often patched together to perform functions never previously considered, and used well beyond its useful life. I see today's society becoming increasingly uncaring, with many entrepreneurs keen to replace their workforce with technology where they can... As evidence, I see that today's society now boasts:

• ATMs where we used to have bank tellers;


• scanners at many supermarket checkouts where there used to be a member of staff;


• electronic trading, where you can order an item on the internet and have it delivered to you with no direct human interaction ever made, either by direct contact or phone;


• When you do ring, you get a host of computer automated responses and then a queue for up to 30 minutes before you get to speak to a person.
  

I grant you, there are still businesses that survive by relying on human interaction with customers, but their staff are often under increasing pressure to perform more effectively to compete. After all, internet trading is available 24/7 - however, staff can only work 40 hours or so a week. High Street retailers are therefore under pressure to open seven days a week, even for 24 hours a day, to compete. Shift working is therefore a necessity - however there's only so much consumer money available, particularly in these days. Workplace stress is said to be the fastest growing cause of staff sickness in the 21st Century. One in five people said that they found their work either very stressful or extremely stressful. (source: ACAS ) Managers are as much under pressure as their workers, and seek to survive by streamlining their businesses, reducing their workforce, automating more. We are slowly removing people from the workplace - where will it end?

I don't pretend to have the answers but feel that this is essentially the same issue that Ned Ludd and his fellow protesters were fighting for all those years ago. Surely quality of life needs to be considered? I'll leave you with another recent article which I hope will give you some food for thought in 2010...

http://comics.newsm8.com/think-about-back-to-home-business

The Luddite Fallacy

When you start delving into the history of Luddism (as I have been doing), then you come across differences of opinion in economic circles on the influence that mechanisation may have on the economy. The argument is known as the so-called "Luddite Fallacy." Economists argue that technological progress will never lead to massive, long-term unemployment.

The reasoning goes more or less like this:

1. Labour-saving technology is introduced into the workplace, and some workers lose their jobs, however production also becomes more efficient.

2. More efficiency leads to lower prices for the goods and services produced, leaving consumers with more money to spend on other things.

3. Increased spending produces increased demand across nearly all industries--and that means more jobs.

4. Displaced workers then are rehired.

Apparently, that's what happened when agriculture was mechanised: food prices fell as efficiency increased, and consumers spent their extra money elsewhere, producing jobs in the manufacturing and service sectors.

The problem is - is this scenario (for that's all it is) robust enough to apply in all situations? I'm not convinced - and there are others who share my view.

Robots Want Your Job

The more I hear about where future technology is leading us, the less I see the bright future painted to us when I was growing up; a future where technology was our friend, and was designed to ease our burdens. There would still be a place for man, in charge of the technology, while we humans lived more fulfilling lives.

How wrong we were. The main benefits are felt by the entrepreneurs. As the following article explains:

http://www.fool.co.uk/news/investing/investing-strategy/2009/10/28/robots-want-your-job.aspx

Now do you see why I'm gaining some sympathy with the Luddites?

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