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Comment The suit is a disguise (Score 1) 75

That's why you always see politicians, CEOs and such wearing suits. Nobody would take them seriously without those.
(There are very few politicians that look normal even by its country's standards, without the suit they usually look chubby, weak, unkept, and at times downright ugly. No one would trust them like that.)

Comment Re:I hope so, can't wait. (Score 1) 246

I am a pastry chef. The whole draw is being handmade, fresh stuff. Robots already entered my field, and a long time ago!. And turns out there is demand for both humans and robots in this industry.
It's Christmas season now, and there's work coming off my ears, trust me on this one. The demand is actually increasing since the last few years (m-my legs...ouch).

Food is quite a sentimental matter for most people, and a chef that takes his work seriously can make his/her employer rich, or at least a good source of income. It's a win-win situation.
And technology is one of my hobbies, including robotics (although it's quite an expensive hobby, so it's done sparsely), and technology aids in my job, a lot.

Anyway...

My post sounds quite anti-humanity, but there are jobs that are better suited for something without emotions or an agenda. Robots aren't Skynet, they are tools, and they do help us. I could get a few automatons in my workplace. Hell, I think you can even consider the large stand mixers a form of robot. They are programmed to do a single task for a given time with a given power, with degrees of extra automation depending on model and brand. And that sure makes my work easier.

That stand mixer will never wake up pissed off and go "my boss is a dick I just don't care today", or get an emotional breakdown in the middle of a large service. That stuff happens in my field of work, and not just in reality shows. A work rush can get people pissed even when they are the nicest persons ever. The stand mixer doesn't have fights with its significant other and come out stressed to work, or are up to their necks in mortgage to the point of self-destruction.

I mean, I love fantasy robots. A lot. But I know what a real robot is. And it's a tool. Some look like people, some don't. They are still tools. And it's awesome we made them, it really is.

At some point I might be dying and unable to clean my own ass. And instead of subjecting a human being, or even someone of my own flesh and blood, to do that unsavory task of keeping my ass clean, a robot might do it, and it won't care about how pathetic I look, or how gross the situation is. It won't be content, it won't be sad, it'll just make that ass sparkle as much as it can. And it will be ready to do it anytime until it just breaks off.
And even so, I'll probably be thankful towards that unfeeling piece of ass-wiping metal. Because we humans are weird like that.
It can be a thing in 50 years, and there are prototypes for aiding the elderly now. They look as scary as a baby kitten, and it's going to get better.
I'd rather have a silly-looking neon-colored robot with a goofy empty smile devoid of emotion that my own son or daughter carrying my dying self around. I don't want that for them.

And the solution is something that is possible, we have that capability. But people keeps going on and on about how we'll all lose our jobs or they will become sentient and destroy humanity, and that fear will hamper progress at some point. This is not a movie, and we humans hate change, but our power is that we adapt sooner or later, no matter how bad things go.

Comment Re:Those games were cool in context (Score 1) 227

Ever tried Jaki Crush? It's the "japanese folklore" equivalent of Devil's Crush (whereas Devil's Crush is the medieval equivalent of Alien Crush). As far as I know it only came out in the SNES (JP), but it's a pretty solid pinball game by the same team.

It's funny, I love those games and never heard anyone else mention them, but for some reason it's the second time, today, that I hear someone praising Devil's Crush. Feels good when a good game is recognized.

Comment Re:Are they fatter? (Score 1) 304

That's a joke and I get it, but damn, those lists can take years and years. I once waited so much for a small operation in the..uh, private parts, and the problem ended fixing itself (painfully) because I waited like 3 years.
Also 4 years to find out I had developed lactose intolerance out of nowhere. Medics were adamant on trying to pin it on diabetes, but I never gave positive, and every visit to the specialist took a whole year in-between.
And 2 more years to find out why my hands hurted like fuck, turned out it was hederitary rheumatism and carpal tunnel coming in and out whenever they felt like it.
And another 4 years having them diagnose depression when what I had was narcolepsy. ...it might be a joke, but you should be +5 insightful there...

Comment Re:Long-term costs (Score 1) 294

Note that I also said that his post was *unmistakably* true if in terms of requiring that knowledge for a job. Also read the disclaimer at the very top of the post. But sure, I'll play along.

I also "lost" time learning advanced algebra and maths and music theory. That I don't need for anything, but look at me in the eye and tell me it's not interesting.

Anyway, geez, not everyone in slashdot has a computer-related job. I am a pastry chef, and my time is worth a lot...inside my workplace. I can't demand money for resting or sharing time with others because I want to, in my free time.

Anyway, the point is, I earn enough to live comfortably and keep my family running, and I am an artist at heart (which is good for my profession), there are lots of time consuming things that I do that you might find pointless, but they provide entertainment, practice, enjoyment and idea outlets (and you meet people and even get fans). I don't consider my "time not earning money" to be lost time at all.
The only time I consider lost is when I pass out, because of my narcolepsy, and that makes me lose free time. Now that's a real loss of time, honestly.

Comment Re:Long-term costs (Score 2) 294

No bad feelings or anything, but your post is kinda funny (in a good way).
Just to be a bit of a dick and to play devil's advocate (in good fun, please don't take it personally).

Worked counterexample, myself and Linux.

Amount spent on licenses: Zero.

Amount spent on training: Zero.

I am the kind of guy that likes to tinker around, so I got to know Linux's guts pretty fast and without training wheels (the amount of times I hit the proverbial road were staggering, I am not gonna lie, but it was all controlled systems a backup away from restoring function). Then again it took me about a year of tinkering around to master the intricacies, if you were needing it for a job, or to obtain a certificate again for a job, then yeah, your post is doubtlessly and unmistakably true.

Comment Re:Long-term costs (Score 1) 294

To get a government job in Spain, all you need to do is pass an exam and get lucky. Your experience on the field doesn't even matter. They also drop you directly into the job, with some more experienced coworker giving you the basic gist of things and where things are stored and such, and that's pretty much it.
Sure, America has a lot of things to deserve bashing, but I don't think that specific thing is worse than here in Spain for example. Here government workers are the type of guys that can nail an exam, but aren't able to do the job, thus our infrastructure is pretty rotten thanks to sheer incompetence.

Comment Re:People are bad (Score 1) 487

Still, those cars that caught fire were involved in messy accidents. This is an honest question now, can accidents be correlated to mileage, or is it a purely random factor that just happens?
I don't know, I don't even have a car, and most likely won't be able to even afford a Tesla, but so much news about 3 cars that would have been totaled regardless of manufacturer, with the drivers surviving without a scratch, it...I don't know, sounds like too early and too little to make a scandal out of it. If someone had died inside, then sure, but they sounded pretty safe and sound, all of them.

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