I decided to log-in and repost my answer as non-AC:

In both cases (digital economy/Internet and robotization) the net result is increased productivity and a smaller workforce. It is true that some new jobs are created, but they are fewer than the ones replaced.

The only solution, really, is some sort of socialist system, with higher taxes for the high-earners so that everyone has a fair share of the increased productivity. And with bigger strides in robotization, this will be mandatory, or else we'll have revolts and heads will literally roll, which would be unpleasant.

Many? More like... all of them! As a scientist, I am fucking sick of copyrights. Maybe they're useful for some (but certainly not all) artists, but for scientists they are nothing but a way for big media (and Elsevier, Nature Publishing etc. are big media) to wrestle control of the scientist's work away from the scientist him/herself.

I have a wife and a kid.

I have nothing theoreticians, and I certainly know my theories and put together meaningful hypotheses - but I work a lot on experimental research and, of course, experimental corroboration of the hypotheses I mentioned. I don't even do models, almost at all. I am first and foremost a well-educated and skilled experimentalist.

I am facing the dilemma of whether to go (back) to the industry, where I was working before starting my PhD, or continue in academia as a researcher. On one had you have the job security and better salary offered in industry. On the other hand you have the thrill of scientific work and fewer (albeit not 0) corporate psychopaths.

I decided on Friday that I'll go for academia. My health is failing, I think I have 10 to 15 years if I'm lucky, and life is too precious to waste it on doing something I don't like all that much, just because of money.

Your reply oozes with negativity.

It's pronounced yol-lah. "Jolla" means dinghy in Finnish.

Different strokes for different folks: as a non-american (and non-Brit) myself, I absolutely loved Catcher in the Rye when I first read it (which was in Croatian), and became instant fan of J. D. Salinger. After I graduated, I moved to a Nordic country and with more disposable income, bought all his published works in English - and devoured them!

*Different strokes for different folks, dude.*

The Arduino community is huge and extremely productive/creative.

Google? You mean the Open Handset Alliance - it's a consortium that has oversight on Android. Oh and that grip is so tight that everyone can do whatever they want with it. Any company or individual can modify and customize Android for their needs and don't have to pay Google or OHA a dime. In fact, companies are going quite wild with Android, which now appears on all sorts of devices and customizations.

I don't know or understand all the negativity regarding doing a postdoc or a PhD - I personally am having a blast doing my PhD! I do research in materials science, and while the money is not spectacular, I enjoy myself immensely. And you know, at the end of the day that's really what matters. Maybe the ones who complain are doing postdocs in economics, political or social sciences, humanities... or some other subject that to me does indeed sound boring... I don't know. I can only say that for me it has been rewarding and I would be more than happy to recommend it to anyone with a passion for what they study. I must mention that I have no study debt - in Finland higher education is free for all, so we don't worry about paying back tuition fees and such. Life is good :)

Lame.

Holy shit - that is terrible customer support! I don't usually comment on tech support anecdotes, but this one is so high up on the scale, I couldn't resist.

Nonsense. How can one, with little income, have little to lose? If the fine is proportionate to his or her income, then he/she has just as much to lose - if not more - than the person with larger income. More, because to one who makes near to minimum wage, that little income is spent on essentials - food, clothes, transportation. A person with, say, two orders of magnitude larger net income, will have much more disposable money (after the essential needs have been covered).

This is not entirely true, and it shouldn't be true, either: at least here in Finland, fines for traffic violations are proportional to the offender's income. And I believe this is a very good system, because otherwise, those with lots of money would flaunt the rules, since for them the fines are a pittance. See, for instance, Steve Jobs, parking in the disabled's spot and more than happy to pay the fines.