this article relates robotics to job losses . . .

[OneBlueSky]

and has some rather drastic predictions about the future . . . for example:

"Companies like Wal-mart, K-Mart, Target, Home Depot, Lowes, BJ's, Sam's Club, Toys R Us, Sears, J.C. Penny's, Barnes and Noble, Borders, Best Buy, Circuit City, Office Max, Staples, Office Depot, Kroger's, Winn-Dixie, Pet Depot, etc. will all switch to robots at approximately the same time. They will dump 10 million or so workers onto the unemployment rolls at approximately the same time. Other industries like fast food, construction, transportation, warehousing, etc. will be automating as well, dumping millions more. The unemployment rate during this period of time could be remarkable.

"Even if you assume that the economy reconfigures rapidly and creates new jobs for all of these displaced workers, it will not do so instantaneously. There will be a year or more of turmoil for each employee as the economy invents the job and the employee retrains to fill it.

"More likely, the economy will not be able to absorb all of these displaced workers. The economy has been creating millions and millions of low-paying, no-benefits, service-sector jobs for the last 40 years. These jobs are perfect for robotic replacement. There is no reason to expect that the economy will suddenly figure out a way to create high-paying, exciting, fulfilling jobs for these tens of millions of people displaced by robots. If the economy could do that, it would be doing it now."

the article also has some interesting ideas about how to cope with the coming job displacements . . . one involves just giving everyone $25,000 to create a stable pool of consumers . . . the money would come from a variety of sources such as corporate fines and a national lottery . . . even selling ad space on currency . . . pretty interesting stuff, though I don't know how practical this guy's suggestions really are . . . a good read nevertheless . . .

http://www.marshallbrain.com/robotic-freedom.htm

[Maple]

1. It will certainly happen

only slower, and not all at the same time.

[InkAddict]

2. Waffling government

officials will flip-flop and tell Disaster Teams to use the chem/bio weapons to create victims - they'll be well-trained in the varieties/methods of deployment - GOEBEL'S ANGELS IN MERCY ARE BEING DECEIVED INTO STUDYING UP NOW!

[kodi]

3. we're years behind japan at this, what's japan's unemployment rate doing?

nt

[Lydia Leftcoast]

4. Stuck at the highest postwar levels ever

But they went for robotics only in manufacturing plants, not in service jobs. I haven't heard much about robotics there lately. I think that the recession is making companies think twice about investing in robots.