djsfantasi
- Joined Apr 11, 2010
- 9,163
Left it at the office. No, really I intended my quip about no programmers or engineers were harmed... err, "hired", to be an attempt at humor.No sense of humor?
Left it at the office. No, really I intended my quip about no programmers or engineers were harmed... err, "hired", to be an attempt at humor.No sense of humor?
I agree.It is a basic human right to work for what you are worth.
People quickly forget how our grand-parents were treated. Now they whine that their kids can't get jobs because minimum wages are too high. Crap mentality. Then in another breath they imply that slave labor is so bad. Pick one my friends - a society that accepts a minimum wage law or a society that accepts slave labor. As Prof Buxton points out, employers will split the 5% unemployed with the 5% of people making minimum wage and work them into a reverse auction - offering their services for lower and lower prices. Not a nice lifestyle. Which one are you hoping your grad kids experience?Wayneh, That's a lot of rot. Look at your labour history in the early industrial era both in UK and US. Workers were only paid at a sufferance by wealthy industrialists. CEOs would get away with not paying wages at all if they could(slave labour).
Its only after workers forced companies to pay at least reasonable wages and start to take care of safer work conditions that workers could have a better standard of living.
Your own countries labour history should show you that it wouldn't matter how good you were employers will only pay grudgingly and if forced to. Would you like to see workers forced to work 4 hrs 6 days a week for a pittance. You wouldn't do it would you. Particularly when employers grow fat on your labour.
Then you need to watch the local news. They've been mad as hell about all the solar and wind subsidies for the past 10 years and, more recently, the big switch to natural gas for power plants. They think the end is near and are looking to put someone in their crosshairs because every problem must be caused by some single person and they want to solve their problem.Ask the coal miners in W Va.
And they still think coal is going on and on.
Yep, I know. But it's a good example of a bunch of guys working in some pretty poor conditions that are going to be displaced by technology, be it solar, wind or fracking.Then you need to watch the local news. They've been mad as hell about all the solar and wind subsidies for the past 10 years and, more recently, the big switch to natural gas for power plants. They think the end is near and are looking to put someone in their crosshairs because every problem must be caused by some single person and they want to solve their problem.
That is the ultimate question! China is debating that from the socialist side right now - from a different perspective. Most homes in Norther china cities are heated with coal fired central heating systems (multi home/ community systems) that are poorly designed and cause lots of the particulate pollution/haze in the cities. The city governments are trying to convert these to natural gas while regional and national governments are trying to keep people in the coal mines employed and they are pushing to have more expensive secondary scrubbers and forced air combustion systems added to improve existing coal-fired systems.So does this lead us to the socialist model? What do we do with all these people?
There is no doubt that coal will be around a long time but it has already taken a hit and will not likely grow. Electricity use is declining overall because of energy efficiency efforts (cfl and LED bulbs and the conversion to LCD TVs in homes, cheap lighting control systems for warehouses, better AC systems, ...). But the biggest effect is natural gas - huge changes in electricity generation. Interesting to see the coal-producing state of Pennsylvania implementing widespread conversion to natural gas (the new favorite child)Coal is still to valuable to disappear. It is in the top 3 or four for energy density, and ease of use...you just get it out of the ground 99% ready to use, no refining. Still cheaper than nat. gas on a cost basis vs BTU available for electricity generation.
Nothing green and "renewable" but nuclear is that ready for prime time 24/7 deployment and dependability as fossil fuel. Still at least a decade or two until we know for sure if wind and solar can ever serve that role.
That one has been discussed here before. I'll give it a "waiting for more details" rating.If the press release from Lockheed Martin is any good we'll have small 50 MW fusion genny's online in a decade or so.
I'll keep my fingers crossed
Speaking of Westinghouse - didn't they make phones once upon a time? I wonder what happened to all those people? They may be with all the people that used to build and repair TV sets I guess. Or maybe the picture tube companies.There is no doubt that coal will be around a long time but it has already taken a hit and will not likely grow. Electricity use is declining overall because of energy efficiency efforts (cfl and LED bulbs and the conversion to LCD TVs in homes, cheap lighting control systems for warehouses, better AC systems, ...). But the biggest effect is natural gas - huge changes in electricity generation. Interesting to see the coal-producing state of Pennsylvania implementing widespread conversion to natural gas (the new favorite child)
http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=26012
Coal isn't the only one suffering. Westinghouse Nuclear Power, headquartered in Western, PA has cut staffing to the bone with weird, forced 6-day work weeks imposed on technical staff that remain - Apparently trying to minimize costs on the few projects that remain.
The most common occupation for men in the US is driving. Trucks, taxis, postage and parcel, ...Speaking of Westinghouse - didn't they make phones once upon a time? I wonder what happened to all those people? They may be with all the people that used to build and repair TV sets I guess. Or maybe the picture tube companies.
We could maybe solve this by declaring war on pick and place machines.
It's not pretty. On the upside, there should be something of a manufacturing boomlet as people switch to autonomous vehicles. But that won't last long and, on the whole, there will be far fewer autonomous vehicles operating at higher duty cycles. It's such a waste to have so much iron sitting idle in people's garages. Eliminating that waste will create productivity. But all those drivers will need to find something else to do. Maybe there will be some landscaping jobs opening up soon?The most common occupation for men in the US is driving. Trucks, taxis, postage and parcel, ...
How much research is going into driverless vehicles and drone delivery? What will this country's employment statistics look like in 10 years?
Thanks, now I have an excuse to postpone that retaining wall project.It's not pretty. On the upside, there should be something of a manufacturing boomlet as people switch to autonomous vehicles. But that won't last long and, on the whole, there will be far fewer autonomous vehicles operating at higher duty cycles. It's such a waste to have so much iron sitting idle in people's garages. Eliminating that waste will create productivity. But all those drivers will need to find something else to do. Maybe there will be some landscaping jobs opening up soon?
Yea, I have a picture of that kid at Starbucks that made your latte stacking blocks all day.Thanks, now I have an excuse to postpone that retaining wall project.