Yeah, like this trend won't accelerate like crazy or anything.
Will people be capable of doing anything about it anymore? We've done everything we can to make ourselves dependent on everything but our minds and bodiesBy the time it does, our economy is likely to have other, bigger, problems to deal with.
Interesting. An Engineer who is anti automation. Funny how we should be for efficiency up until the point where a person might lose a job. We totally need to get rid of all modern inventions, and go back to the stone age. Imagine all the people who would be employed if we had to build shit by hand.
Man the inspiration consumerism creates. It honestly looks more fun to just be a bee in a hiveThey are, just not in America so much,
because Americans want cheap, unless it's their pay, benefits, or working environment, then they cry it's never enough especially when their neighbor Mr&Mrs Jones show up with something new and shiny.
They are, just not in America so much,
because Americans want cheap, unless it's their pay, benefits, or working environment, then they cry it's never enough especially when their neighbor Mr&Mrs Jones show up with something new and shiny.
That's true, and those are valid points. You don't need a robot for that though, just a kiosk.The problem is when you go during peak hours and you simply need direction to something in the store... You can only staff a reasonable amount of employees for that portion of the shift so a bot or two would help take care of the low brain power stuff... telling people what aisle number they need to look in or escorting them to the aisle and section of inventory based on RFID or something. I don't need a Lowes human for that. I need a Lowes human that has knowledge about a piece or part... And I'd like to have more access to them when I need it... Which means if the bot can prevent them from taking 5 minutes to escort a customer to the hardware aisle, I might get my question asked sooner.
That's true, but again, a $5,000 kiosk does it better than a $50,000 robot.It all depends what how they'd use the robots. Having a knowledgeable person there at lowes adds great value for me as a customer. You don't need to have a knowledgeable person there for all customer needs though, if I just need to know where to find something, a machine will do perfectly well. As long as when I need someone with more knowledge it's easy to find one, I'll be happy.
Two in Chattanooga, one in Cleveland, one in Fort Oglethorpe, one in Crossville, one in Dayton. Can't say I've had a bad experience in any of them, although admittedly 9 times out of 10 I don't need any help. Kinda got it memorized.Uh, which Lowe's do you go to? Mine, the only helpful, somewhat knowledgeable employee is the guy in the plumbing department. Any other area, I'm lucky to find someone, and forget about the flooring department, that guy is straight up rude.
As another engineer (well, technically an electrical designer as I don't have a PE) I'm all in favor of automation in principle. However - automation on top of outsourcing, increased legal immigration, unrestrained illegal immigration, and high unemployment is very worrisome. I'd much prefer to see automation as a response to low unemployment (i.e. difficult to find qualified workers) than as a response to increased employment costs. This is because automation is another factor that devalues labor. Granted, it also increases productivity which is nice for everyone, but income/wealth disparity is also a legitimate concern.Interesting. An Engineer who is anti automation. Funny how we should be for efficiency up until the point where a person might lose a job. We totally need to get rid of all modern inventions, and go back to the stone age. Imagine all the people who would be employed if we had to build shit by hand.
We've had this argument before. No, it simply isn't always the goal. You should know better.
So now Lowes has to hire people to support these robots. People most certainly making more than the cashier or floor sales associate the robot may have replaced. Don't see how it leading to less people working or less money in the economy for that matter.
As another engineer (well, technically an electrical designer as I don't have a PE) I'm all in favor of automation in principle. However - automation on top of outsourcing, increased legal immigration, unrestrained illegal immigration, and high unemployment is very worrisome. I'd much prefer to see automation as a response to low unemployment (i.e. difficult to find qualified workers) than as a response to increased employment costs. This is because automation is another factor that devalues labor. Granted, it also increases productivity which is nice for everyone, but income/wealth disparity is also a legitimate concern.
Used to be people were apprehended and returned at the border; now they are simply taken to town and given a date to show up for their deportation hearing. That isn't restraint, that's a ride to town and some bonus toilet paper. The illegal who recently killed the cops was reported as having twice been deported. That isn't restraint, that's pretending for the dumb masses.So..."unrestrained illegal immigration"...
Come now, you cant say unrestrained, when we spend a lot of money and time restraining. Perhaps not a optimal situation, but very very very very far from unrestrained.
Next is high unemployment. 5.9% is not huge. That means of the people looking, only 5.9% dont have a job. Weed out those who are holding out for a job, and that rate goes lower. I'm assuming that by unemployment, you are including voluntary and involuntary, so I will comment to that.
If people are able to not work and are choosing not to work, and are not starving to death, then its very likely they are wealthy enough to not work. I by no means am saying they are rich, but if a person feels that they would rather get by than work, then it means they have enough wealth to get by.
Innovation devalues labor. The assembly line in a way devalued labor too. Doing things more efficiently means less can do more. So what happens when people start leveling off wants, you get less supply. Anti consumerism will have this effect. As people want less, less needs to be done. As less is done, there are fewer jobs. So if population keeps growing, and jobs do not what else can happen?
So..."unrestrained illegal immigration"...
Come now, you cant say unrestrained, when we spend a lot of money and time restraining. Perhaps not a optimal situation, but very very very very far from unrestrained.
Looking the other way for and even encouraging businesses to hire illegal labor forces (let alone punish them for it in any great measure) isn't exactly restraint either.Used to be people were apprehended and returned at the border; now they are simply taken to town and given a date to show up for their deportation hearing. That isn't restraint, that's a ride to town and some bonus toilet paper. The illegal who recently killed the cops was reported as having twice been deported. That isn't restraint, that's pretending for the dumb masses.
ICE conducted a total of 368,644 removals.
Yep. I know one business (major chair factory) in my home town that shifted its production force from well-paid citizens (often $20+/hour, paid by piece) to mostly illegals earning $10/hour. And in Dalton, the carpet industry had largely adopted that model thirty years ago.Looking the other way for and even encouraging businesses to hire illegal labor forces (let alone punish them for it in any great measure) isn't exactly restraint either.
Not if you just mail them a self-deportal letter.
I can hire one more expensive service tech to support multiple stores, then having multiple low wage workers at various stores.
I think you might have missed something. If cell phones were assembled here in the US, the cost would be so high, that almost nobody would have them unless they were rich. The images you posted, were of jobs that literally could not be done in the US, and for good reason. Why would any American want to work for 12hrs and make 1-2/hr?
If people really want those Foxcon jobs, all you have to do is reduce the minimum wage.
You could, but if this is supposed to replace everyone, then one guy isn't going to be enough.
One per store. The chances of multiple units being out of commission at the same time is unlikely. Let's say the store must be staffed with like 15 robots at a time. And, they buy something like 17 and one service tech. That would be plenty. The operating cost of staffing workers for the entire amount of hours the store is open, can't be that much. And, if they are more helpful than the standard minimum wage worker at Lowe's, I'll take it.
Removal stats are being padded by those being apprehended at the border.
Only 130K were actually deported of those that were actually here illegally from within the interior.
600K actually came over. that means that 250K slipped through or allowed to stay even though they are illegal.
Even if the minimum wage was below what a Foxconn worker made these jobs still wouldn't be coming back. The biggest costs that these companies avoid by offshoring are government regulatory ones, infact by most reports the marginal cost of manufacturing in China + shipping to the United States is less than 10% below cost of manufacturing in the US.