Opus 2017-079: Headlines: The Flippy Side

I am loving it.  There have been numerous headlines and posts about the new machine that will be flipping hamburgers, replacing someone who refused to pay attention in school.  They keep mentioning the $15 an hour minimum wage but keep in mind this is happening when it has been raised to “only” $10.  Imagine what will follow as it moves incrementally up to $15. 

I would like to think the celebrations will stop but keep in mind these are the same people who did not vote, did not register and then complained that their girl lost the election.  Reason, logic, facts, details are all lost in the demand for safe spaces and trigger warnings.  They refuse to accept that global warming is really caused by unicorn farts.

I am sure that next they will declare victory and demand a raise to $20 an hour.  Keep in mind this is in a context of robot cars, delivery drones and trucks that drive themselves.  I am even seeing this in education.  Computers are being programmed to teach.  They claim to be able to grade essays now.  I have classes full of students who complain because I don’t let them play on the chrome books like their other teachers and actually expect them to learn to write a bibliography rather than have a computer template do it for them.

I will soon retire.  It would be interesting to see if I am replaced by a computer but I don’t plan on hanging around to find out.  When you think that a machine can do it just as well, ask yourself a question:  Is the canned spaghetti sauce as good as what mom used to make?” 

Of course if your mom never made spaghetti sauce you will give the wrong answer.  One of the benefits of ignorance is that you don’t know what you are missing.

homo unius libri