Automation and the future of work.

[luka]

In this sense, think of us as moving from the citizen’s army to a roboticized, and finally robot, military -- to a military that is a foreign legion in the most basic sense. In other words, we are moving toward an ever greater outsourcing of war to things that cannot protest, cannot vote with their feet (or wings), and for whom there is no “home front” or even a home at all. In a sense, we are, as we have been since 1973, heading for a form of war without anyone, citizen or otherwise, in the picture -- except those on the ground, enemy and civilian alike, who will die as usual.

http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/1755...r_corporation/

[sufi]

a stupid idea masquerading as a brilliant idea
https://www.theguardian.com/technolo...ylum-legal-aid

parking tickets was clever, cos that is a case where legal aid is not cost-effective,
but asylum is another matter, people face detention, deportation or worse if their asylum or asylum support application is botched

furthermore I tweeted the guy who made it and he blocked me

[sadmanbarty]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DJ31YsbVYAA4IeB.jpg

https://www.wsj.com/articles/workers...pse-1504631505

[sufi]

"all uber need to do (to get re-licensed) is to clean up their act" some clever-ass person on twitface

is that even possible?

uber claim automation is responsible for their cheapness, but actually it's just sharp employment practices. #techwashing

[john eden]

Everything is possible, but in this instance it will depend on how badly cleaning up their act reduces their profits.

[sufi]

impressive backlash building about how unlike black cabs uber actually pick up black passengers...

[john eden]

impressive backlash building about how unlike black cabs uber actually pick up black passengers...

and sexually assault them

[Corpsey]

Was going to start a thread about Uber - the ease, convenience and economy of services like Uber and Amazon, which many people (like me) now take for granted, despite being vaguely aware that some shady shit is going down behind the scenes to make it all possible.

[Leo]

and sexually assault them

even once is too often. just curious, does that happen with any frequency in london? there have been isolated incidents here in the states but when weighed against the total number of rides provided, it's a very tiny sliver of a percent.

[firefinga]

Was going to start a thread about Uber - the ease, convenience and economy of services like Uber and Amazon, which many people (like me) now take for granted, despite being vaguely aware that some shady shit is going down behind the scenes to make it all possible.

You can add AirBnB and pretty much any bank to the shitlist. Clever to let the actual costumers do lots of administrative work and call it all "convenience"

[Leo]

You can add AirBnB and pretty much any bank to the shitlist. Clever to let the actual costumers do lots of administrative work and call it all "convenience"

i don't think they deserve to be on a shitlist, though. for example, i much prefer banking via ATM or online from home than having to somehow get to a bank between 9:00 am-3:30 pm, stand in line and then have to deal with a slow, grumpy bank teller. also, isn't it much better to be able to research and book a place to stay online in minutes as opposed to wasting time making an appointment at a travel agent and having them book the (always more expensive) room?

yes, i agree it sucks that amazon kills small brick-and-mortar retail stores, but lots of tech firms have disrupted and improved industries that were historically overpriced, non-competitive and not customer friendly.

[firefinga]

i don't think they deserve to be on a shitlist, though. for example, i much prefer banking via ATM or online from home than having to somehow get to a bank between 9:00 am-3:30 pm, stand in line and then have to deal with a slow, grumpy bank teller. also, isn't it much better to be able to research and book a place to stay online in minutes as opposed to wasting time making an appointment at a travel agent and having them book the (always more expensive) room?

yes, i agree it sucks that amazon kills small brick-and-mortar retail stores, but lots of tech firms have disrupted and improved industries that were historically overpriced, non-competitive and not customer friendly.

There are pros and cons of course, and if it's an "improvement" to have a new monopoly (which amazon pretty much is) is debatable (I don't think it's great but that's what the oh-so-praised digital economy is: winner takes it all, you have a monopoly within a very short time). I haven't dealt with a bank clerk face 2 face for a decade now, yet I pay more and more friggin fees just to have a darn bank account (which has always been way in the plus) despite the promises of "internet banking cutting costs".

Well, I am a grumpy soon-to-be middle aged man who suspects the evil capitalist cunts ripping off people behind the shiny happy walls of "progress" and "disruption". That's just how I roll ....

[Leo]

plenty of evil capitalist cunts at all those old disrupted companies too, probably worse ones in many cases. maybe the driver isn't so much the technology part as it is the capitalism part.

[firefinga]

maybe the driver isn't so much the technology part as it is the capitalism part.

The driver is the lazyness of people. If you haven't your services optimized for smartphone usage, you'll go down soon (or are already history). Lazyness, of course, is just another word for dependence.

[droid]

i don't think they deserve to be on a shitlist, though. for example, i much prefer banking via ATM or online from home than having to somehow get to a bank between 9:00 am-3:30 pm, stand in line and then have to deal with a slow, grumpy bank teller. also, isn't it much better to be able to research and book a place to stay online in minutes as opposed to wasting time making an appointment at a travel agent and having them book the (always more expensive) room?

yes, i agree it sucks that amazon kills small brick-and-mortar retail stores, but lots of tech firms have disrupted and improved industries that were historically overpriced, non-competitive and not customer friendly.

Fuck no. Air BnB are a disaster. Apart from the usual lack of regulation, accountability etc, they are devastating housing markets in cities all over the world.