A woman walking her bike in Tempe AZ was struck and killed by a driverless Uber car.
Uber and others should consider the old joke about automated airplanes.
“Ladies and gentle, welcome to the world’s first completely automated flight. Although there are no pilots in the cockpit, we would like to assure you that every detail has been worked out. Please sit back and enjoy your flight, flight, flight,…”
Showing posts with label automation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label automation. Show all posts
Thursday, March 22, 2018
Wednesday, March 01, 2017
Another job automated away
About 50 years ago, I had to call or visit a stock broker to buy or sell stocks. I would place the call. A few hours later the broker would call me back with the results of the transaction. The charge could be $50 or more.
About 30 years ago online trading began. Place an order and some time later the order would be processed. The charge was about $25 regardless of the size of the order.
About 20 years ago, the time lapse was shorter and the charge was $14.99.
About 15 years ago, many trades were “instantaneous”. Place the order and it would be filled. The charges also dropped down to $9.99.
Today, I was informed that the charge would be $6.99 next week.
Consider that many of these trades are untouched by human hands. Instead of a local broker calling a New York broker who would pass the order to broker on the exchange floor, each buy-sell order goes to a set of computers which fill the orders within seconds, and with only fractions of cents difference in the offer and sale.
Now if we could only automate CEO jobs. Think of the billions that could be saved across the economy by replacing these over-paid men and women. The savings could be passed on to the people who do the real work.
About 30 years ago online trading began. Place an order and some time later the order would be processed. The charge was about $25 regardless of the size of the order.
About 20 years ago, the time lapse was shorter and the charge was $14.99.
About 15 years ago, many trades were “instantaneous”. Place the order and it would be filled. The charges also dropped down to $9.99.
Today, I was informed that the charge would be $6.99 next week.
Consider that many of these trades are untouched by human hands. Instead of a local broker calling a New York broker who would pass the order to broker on the exchange floor, each buy-sell order goes to a set of computers which fill the orders within seconds, and with only fractions of cents difference in the offer and sale.
Now if we could only automate CEO jobs. Think of the billions that could be saved across the economy by replacing these over-paid men and women. The savings could be passed on to the people who do the real work.
Sunday, January 08, 2017
More jobs that never returned
And they are not riding beneath the streets of Boston.
Film processors and film manufacturers.
Once upon a time, it was easy to get a job at Kodak in Rochester making film. Now it is hard to even find a place that sells film. The new jobs, but not many, are converting slides and photos to digital images.
Parking lot attendants
Parking meters on streets have been around for decades, but often parking lots had attendants who either parked your car or took your money when you left. At least on parking garage in Duluth is fully “automated”. You take your ticket when you enter, go to a machine to pay when you leave, and insert the ticket at the gate. Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport has more automated exit gates than attendant gates.
Longshoremen
One hundred years ago there were 40,000 longshoremen in New York Harbor. Now most of the work is done by less than 3,400 longshoremen in New Jersey operating cranes and straddle carriers. You have to read “Along New York Harbor, ‘On the Waterfront’ Endures” to get an idea how big some of these straddle carriers are. http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/06/nyregion/new-york-harbor-on-the-waterfront.html
Shoe shiners
How do you shine “athletic” shoes? It is rare to see a man wearing glossy dress shoes. If you wear glossy shoes you will either have to polish them yourself or go to a major airport. I know there is no shoe shine stand in the Duluth airport.
Movie ticket sellers, ushers, and projectionists
Once upon a time ushers found a seat for you, then they only took tickets, now there are hardly any neighborhood movie theaters. Until I was in high school, I could walk to a movie theatre. Then I had to go downtown to see a movie. Now there are only four movie theaters in Cleveland proper. Surprise, two neighborhood theaters that I had walked to still exist, but there is only one downtown theater.
Watchmakers
A well-crafted watch, even for middle-class people was a pride to wear. And if it had a problem, there were several watch repair shops in any major city. In Duluth, Google lists four watch repair shops. None are downtown and one is Batteries Plus. I think the last, and probably the others as well, offer only battery replacement. There are two downtown jewelers who sell watches and change batteries.
You can probably see ads for fine watches on sites like the New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/, but few of would consider them.
I think the reduction in watchmakers started with Timex. Just looked at my wrist: I have a Timex. $50 at a downtown jewelry store, after the buttons on my previous, more fancy Timex, became inoperative. Was there anyone to repair it for less than $50?
See also "No, the jobs never returned”.
Film processors and film manufacturers.
Once upon a time, it was easy to get a job at Kodak in Rochester making film. Now it is hard to even find a place that sells film. The new jobs, but not many, are converting slides and photos to digital images.
Parking lot attendants
Parking meters on streets have been around for decades, but often parking lots had attendants who either parked your car or took your money when you left. At least on parking garage in Duluth is fully “automated”. You take your ticket when you enter, go to a machine to pay when you leave, and insert the ticket at the gate. Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport has more automated exit gates than attendant gates.
Longshoremen
One hundred years ago there were 40,000 longshoremen in New York Harbor. Now most of the work is done by less than 3,400 longshoremen in New Jersey operating cranes and straddle carriers. You have to read “Along New York Harbor, ‘On the Waterfront’ Endures” to get an idea how big some of these straddle carriers are. http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/06/nyregion/new-york-harbor-on-the-waterfront.html
Shoe shiners
How do you shine “athletic” shoes? It is rare to see a man wearing glossy dress shoes. If you wear glossy shoes you will either have to polish them yourself or go to a major airport. I know there is no shoe shine stand in the Duluth airport.
Movie ticket sellers, ushers, and projectionists
Once upon a time ushers found a seat for you, then they only took tickets, now there are hardly any neighborhood movie theaters. Until I was in high school, I could walk to a movie theatre. Then I had to go downtown to see a movie. Now there are only four movie theaters in Cleveland proper. Surprise, two neighborhood theaters that I had walked to still exist, but there is only one downtown theater.
Watchmakers
A well-crafted watch, even for middle-class people was a pride to wear. And if it had a problem, there were several watch repair shops in any major city. In Duluth, Google lists four watch repair shops. None are downtown and one is Batteries Plus. I think the last, and probably the others as well, offer only battery replacement. There are two downtown jewelers who sell watches and change batteries.
You can probably see ads for fine watches on sites like the New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/, but few of would consider them.
I think the reduction in watchmakers started with Timex. Just looked at my wrist: I have a Timex. $50 at a downtown jewelry store, after the buttons on my previous, more fancy Timex, became inoperative. Was there anyone to repair it for less than $50?
See also "No, the jobs never returned”.
Tuesday, January 03, 2017
No, the jobs never returned
First, an aside. The above is a parody of “No, he never returned. He’ll ride forever beneath the streets of Boston.” I often wonder why Charlie’s wife gave him a sandwich but never another nickel to pay his fare.
Trump’s claim about getting manufacturing jobs back made me think of an old Walter Reuther/Henry Ford anecdote about robots not buying cars. For more on this story, see “How Will You Get Robots to Pay Union Dues?” “How Will You Get Robots to Buy Cars?"
Think of all the jobs that have been lost during my life time: elevator operators, typists, secretaries, gas jockeys, telephone operators (both telco and company in-house), ice men, shoe repair, and dry cleaners.
Think of all the jobs that have been made more efficient, reducing the number of people needed to do them.
Trash collectors: the trucks are bigger and semi-automated. The driver often doesn’t have to get out of the cab to dump the cans in the truck.
Mail carriers: the carrier doesn’t have to keep walking to a storage box to get another sack of mail. He or she fills the SUV with probably a whole day’s worth of mail.
Cashiers: When I was a grocery cashier years ago, I had to look for the price on every can or package to enter it in the cash register. Also, we had to get approval from the head cashier for a check. Now, the cashier takes a check without question. . Many stores also expect customers to bag their own groceries.
Billing department clerks: Many people pay online with the whole transaction untouched by human hands. The statement is posted in email, the customer submits a credit card number, and Voila! All done in a few minutes without having put a check in the mail or without having a clerk open the envelope and enter the check in a ledger.
Bank tellers: Much of our income is deposited directly to our accounts, even while the remaining tellers are asleep. If we need cash, we go to an ATM. Many of us may never set foot inside a bank. About the only reasons to go into a bank are to open an account, get a loan, and access a safe deposit box.
Stock brokers: forty years ago we had to call in our buy or sell orders and wait for the broker to get back to us with the price of the transaction. On top of that, we had to pay several dollars varying according to dollar amount of the transaction. Now we get on our computers, type in a transaction, and often have it completed within seconds, and pay a flat, known fee for each transaction, whether for a few hundred dollars or for thousand dollars.
Carpenters: when I was in high school, many craft unions had clauses restricting the use of power tools. Now many carpenters have so many personal power tools that no way do they want to use hand tools when a power tool is faster and easier.
Truck drivers: I remember when auto carriers had space for four vehicles. Now many have space for six or more vehicles. I don’t remember the length of trailers in the 50s, but I do remember how trucking companies successfully lobbied for 53-foot trailers and “double bottoms” (two trailers pulled by one tractor).
Farming: equipment has gotten bigger and more efficient allowing farmers to have much larger fields. Automatic milkers. In Iceland we saw an automatic milk machine. The cows lined up to take their turn, being enticed by some food. The machine would wash the teats. put the milkers on them, and when the cow was dry, release her for the next one. Also, the floor had an automatic sweeper for all the droppings. The cows just stepped over it as it came by.
Dry Cleaners: how many of us wear suits that have be dry cleaned? Once upon a time, men always wore suits to the office, church, or restaurants. Now many wear blue jeans as a matter of course. Wearing slacks to many is being formal.
Trump’s claim about getting manufacturing jobs back made me think of an old Walter Reuther/Henry Ford anecdote about robots not buying cars. For more on this story, see “How Will You Get Robots to Pay Union Dues?” “How Will You Get Robots to Buy Cars?"
Think of all the jobs that have been lost during my life time: elevator operators, typists, secretaries, gas jockeys, telephone operators (both telco and company in-house), ice men, shoe repair, and dry cleaners.
Think of all the jobs that have been made more efficient, reducing the number of people needed to do them.
Trash collectors: the trucks are bigger and semi-automated. The driver often doesn’t have to get out of the cab to dump the cans in the truck.
Mail carriers: the carrier doesn’t have to keep walking to a storage box to get another sack of mail. He or she fills the SUV with probably a whole day’s worth of mail.
Cashiers: When I was a grocery cashier years ago, I had to look for the price on every can or package to enter it in the cash register. Also, we had to get approval from the head cashier for a check. Now, the cashier takes a check without question. . Many stores also expect customers to bag their own groceries.
Billing department clerks: Many people pay online with the whole transaction untouched by human hands. The statement is posted in email, the customer submits a credit card number, and Voila! All done in a few minutes without having put a check in the mail or without having a clerk open the envelope and enter the check in a ledger.
Bank tellers: Much of our income is deposited directly to our accounts, even while the remaining tellers are asleep. If we need cash, we go to an ATM. Many of us may never set foot inside a bank. About the only reasons to go into a bank are to open an account, get a loan, and access a safe deposit box.
Stock brokers: forty years ago we had to call in our buy or sell orders and wait for the broker to get back to us with the price of the transaction. On top of that, we had to pay several dollars varying according to dollar amount of the transaction. Now we get on our computers, type in a transaction, and often have it completed within seconds, and pay a flat, known fee for each transaction, whether for a few hundred dollars or for thousand dollars.
Carpenters: when I was in high school, many craft unions had clauses restricting the use of power tools. Now many carpenters have so many personal power tools that no way do they want to use hand tools when a power tool is faster and easier.
Truck drivers: I remember when auto carriers had space for four vehicles. Now many have space for six or more vehicles. I don’t remember the length of trailers in the 50s, but I do remember how trucking companies successfully lobbied for 53-foot trailers and “double bottoms” (two trailers pulled by one tractor).
Farming: equipment has gotten bigger and more efficient allowing farmers to have much larger fields. Automatic milkers. In Iceland we saw an automatic milk machine. The cows lined up to take their turn, being enticed by some food. The machine would wash the teats. put the milkers on them, and when the cow was dry, release her for the next one. Also, the floor had an automatic sweeper for all the droppings. The cows just stepped over it as it came by.
Dry Cleaners: how many of us wear suits that have be dry cleaned? Once upon a time, men always wore suits to the office, church, or restaurants. Now many wear blue jeans as a matter of course. Wearing slacks to many is being formal.
Monday, April 13, 2015
Laundry: how times have changed
As I folded the fourth load of laundry today of six loads, I pondered how laundry has changed over time from a energy-consuming chore to a time-consuming chore.
I put a load of similar laundry in the washer, drop bit of detergent in, twist a couple dials, flip a switch, and walk away. When the washer beeps and I am good and ready, I come down, move the laundry from one machine to another, put in a drier sheet, twist a couple of dials, and push a button. If I am so inclined, I will start another load in the washer.
After less than an hour, the clothes in the drier are ready for folding. After putting those clothes in a basket, I’ll repeat some of the previous steps. I’ll bring the dry clothes upstairs, fold them, and put them away.
Today I have six loads, including washing my chain saw chaps. It’s only a bit more work than going downstairs for another snack.
When we were first married, it was a slightly different story. We only had a wringer-washer. After each load was washed and rinsed in the tub, we had to put each piece of clothing through the wringer. (We was generally my wife and only occasionally me.) Then we had to hang everything on a line in the back yard or in the basement.
But even that work was a “piece of cake” compared to what many, almost always women, suffered in the nineteenth century and even now. In “Mina Drömmars Staden” (“City of my dreams”) by Wilhelm Möberg, one of the protagonists did laundry out on the ice. I vaguely remember that she died doing laundry for others; if not died, it severely impacted her health.
Imagine taking every piece of clothing, getting it wet, soaping it up, beating it on a rock or the ice, rinsing it multiple times, and then finding a place to get it dry. All on a subsistence wage, if that.
Unfortunately, there are still women all over the world that have to clean their families clothes this way.
I don’t think we should “count our blessings” as much we should appreciate that our complaints of how tough we have it are petty compared to others in other places and in other times.
I put a load of similar laundry in the washer, drop bit of detergent in, twist a couple dials, flip a switch, and walk away. When the washer beeps and I am good and ready, I come down, move the laundry from one machine to another, put in a drier sheet, twist a couple of dials, and push a button. If I am so inclined, I will start another load in the washer.
After less than an hour, the clothes in the drier are ready for folding. After putting those clothes in a basket, I’ll repeat some of the previous steps. I’ll bring the dry clothes upstairs, fold them, and put them away.
Today I have six loads, including washing my chain saw chaps. It’s only a bit more work than going downstairs for another snack.
When we were first married, it was a slightly different story. We only had a wringer-washer. After each load was washed and rinsed in the tub, we had to put each piece of clothing through the wringer. (We was generally my wife and only occasionally me.) Then we had to hang everything on a line in the back yard or in the basement.
But even that work was a “piece of cake” compared to what many, almost always women, suffered in the nineteenth century and even now. In “Mina Drömmars Staden” (“City of my dreams”) by Wilhelm Möberg, one of the protagonists did laundry out on the ice. I vaguely remember that she died doing laundry for others; if not died, it severely impacted her health.
Imagine taking every piece of clothing, getting it wet, soaping it up, beating it on a rock or the ice, rinsing it multiple times, and then finding a place to get it dry. All on a subsistence wage, if that.
Unfortunately, there are still women all over the world that have to clean their families clothes this way.
I don’t think we should “count our blessings” as much we should appreciate that our complaints of how tough we have it are petty compared to others in other places and in other times.
Friday, July 08, 2011
Stock market – humans need not apply
Yesterday afternoon I sold shares in a stock through my online broker. As soon as I clicked Submit, up popped a message that the order was filled!!!
In the past, this process has taken minutes or even hours, especially for odd lots like mine. It's all done by computers owned by the really big guys who are taking advantage of the small ups and downs of the market. The cents part of my price was .1902. The stock closed about five cents higher.
And to think that many financial articles talk about investors doing this or that to the market. Buying a stock and then selling it a few minutes later is not investing. Recently I read that the majority of stock trades are done by computers, not people.
In the past, this process has taken minutes or even hours, especially for odd lots like mine. It's all done by computers owned by the really big guys who are taking advantage of the small ups and downs of the market. The cents part of my price was .1902. The stock closed about five cents higher.
And to think that many financial articles talk about investors doing this or that to the market. Buying a stock and then selling it a few minutes later is not investing. Recently I read that the majority of stock trades are done by computers, not people.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Foreign language spell-checking?
I have been writing a bit of French and Swedish lately, using Apple's TextEdit and Microsoft's Word and Outlook. I've found that TextEdit will correct my French and that Microsoft's software corrects both.
For example, I deliberately typed "Je ne peut pass écrir français bein" and it corrected my text to "Je ne peut pas écrire français bien." In fact I had to un-correct the first phrase.
I still have to look up words and grammar, but a lot less than a few years ago.
Oops! Le spell-checker n'est pas parfait. "Je ne peux pas écrire français bien" est correcte. (2011-03-29)
For example, I deliberately typed "Je ne peut pass écrir français bein" and it corrected my text to "Je ne peut pas écrire français bien." In fact I had to un-correct the first phrase.
I still have to look up words and grammar, but a lot less than a few years ago.
Oops! Le spell-checker n'est pas parfait. "Je ne peux pas écrire français bien" est correcte. (2011-03-29)
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
If you really want to create jobs…
The President claims the stimulus created x jobs. Republicans claim tax cuts will create y jobs. Developers claim waiving the zoning rules for their mega-projects will create z jobs.
They all miss the point. Many jobs are gone forever because of productivity gains, automation, and changing product and service mix. A stimulus is not going to reverse productivity gains. Tax cuts may only decrease jobs because of investment in productivity. Mega-projects may create jobs for a year or two, but then there will have to be another controversial mega-project to hire those laid off after the previous mega-project.
If you want to create jobs in the short term, here's what you'll have to do. And few will be happy about it.
Take out all self-service machines. More bank teller jobs will be needed without ATMs. More pump-jockey jobs will be needed without self-serve pumps. More elevator operators will be needed without automatic elevators. Take out all drink and food dispensing machines. Replace them with staffed snack bars. Cut off direct dial calls. Operators will be needed to place calls outside the immediate area. Ban email and online payment. Mail carriers have delivered letters, bills, and payments successfully for decades.
We will all lose a lot of convenience and pay more for goods and services. But, what the hey! We won't have to pay the taxes for unemployment benefits.
But if we keep the taxes the same, maybe we can use the savings to create even more jobs. Let's run all bus routes ten minutes apart from five in the morning until one the next morning, seven days a week. That will save us the costs of a car. Let's give 24-hour service on pothole repair. That should also save us a lot on auto repair. Let's increase traffic enforcement. The increase in enforcement will save us on insurance, generate some funds to pay for the enforcement, and save on health costs with reduced road rage.
I think only two systemic changes are going to bring about real job growth – free quality health care and free quality education from pre-school to university.
Our health care expectations give a double whammy to job creation. First, employees expect health care insurance and employers need to provide health care insurance to attract employees. This increased cost reduces employers willingness to hire. Second, people who want to quit their jobs and start a new business are reluctant to do so because they will lose their health care insurance. It would be interesting to see what percentage of entrepreneurs have a spouse with a job with health care insurance. And if an entrepreneur needs employees…
Many jobs are going begging because there are not enough qualified people to fill them. These jobs often require education well beyond high school. But the rising costs of college education discourage many from even considering college. Ironically, those who think tax cuts will create jobs don't consider that tax cuts reduce the future number of job creators.
A quality education from pre-school through university can produce creative people who will create a dynamic economy in the future. Creative people are not created through standardized tests; they are created by active stimulation of their imaginations. This means they have to have teachers who can personally interact frequently with each student; they have to access to books, labs, and workshops to gain and try a wide variety of ideas. Those who have difficulties may need social workers who have the time and resources to understand and ameliorate those difficulties. Laying off teachers and others is only eating our seed corn.
Until we have a majority of politicians who fully understand that lack of these two basic needs is standing in the way of job creation, we are going to have one half-baked solution after another offered up, sometimes from the so-called liberals and sometimes from the so-called conservatives.
Until we can break out of the habit of having to vote for one or the other "major" party, we are going to be stuck with polarized politics. We need some leaders with the courage to take us in a new direction. We aren't going to get those leaders until they feel they have a good chance of being elected under a new banner.
They all miss the point. Many jobs are gone forever because of productivity gains, automation, and changing product and service mix. A stimulus is not going to reverse productivity gains. Tax cuts may only decrease jobs because of investment in productivity. Mega-projects may create jobs for a year or two, but then there will have to be another controversial mega-project to hire those laid off after the previous mega-project.
If you want to create jobs in the short term, here's what you'll have to do. And few will be happy about it.
Take out all self-service machines. More bank teller jobs will be needed without ATMs. More pump-jockey jobs will be needed without self-serve pumps. More elevator operators will be needed without automatic elevators. Take out all drink and food dispensing machines. Replace them with staffed snack bars. Cut off direct dial calls. Operators will be needed to place calls outside the immediate area. Ban email and online payment. Mail carriers have delivered letters, bills, and payments successfully for decades.
We will all lose a lot of convenience and pay more for goods and services. But, what the hey! We won't have to pay the taxes for unemployment benefits.
But if we keep the taxes the same, maybe we can use the savings to create even more jobs. Let's run all bus routes ten minutes apart from five in the morning until one the next morning, seven days a week. That will save us the costs of a car. Let's give 24-hour service on pothole repair. That should also save us a lot on auto repair. Let's increase traffic enforcement. The increase in enforcement will save us on insurance, generate some funds to pay for the enforcement, and save on health costs with reduced road rage.
I think only two systemic changes are going to bring about real job growth – free quality health care and free quality education from pre-school to university.
Our health care expectations give a double whammy to job creation. First, employees expect health care insurance and employers need to provide health care insurance to attract employees. This increased cost reduces employers willingness to hire. Second, people who want to quit their jobs and start a new business are reluctant to do so because they will lose their health care insurance. It would be interesting to see what percentage of entrepreneurs have a spouse with a job with health care insurance. And if an entrepreneur needs employees…
Many jobs are going begging because there are not enough qualified people to fill them. These jobs often require education well beyond high school. But the rising costs of college education discourage many from even considering college. Ironically, those who think tax cuts will create jobs don't consider that tax cuts reduce the future number of job creators.
A quality education from pre-school through university can produce creative people who will create a dynamic economy in the future. Creative people are not created through standardized tests; they are created by active stimulation of their imaginations. This means they have to have teachers who can personally interact frequently with each student; they have to access to books, labs, and workshops to gain and try a wide variety of ideas. Those who have difficulties may need social workers who have the time and resources to understand and ameliorate those difficulties. Laying off teachers and others is only eating our seed corn.
Until we have a majority of politicians who fully understand that lack of these two basic needs is standing in the way of job creation, we are going to have one half-baked solution after another offered up, sometimes from the so-called liberals and sometimes from the so-called conservatives.
Until we can break out of the habit of having to vote for one or the other "major" party, we are going to be stuck with polarized politics. We need some leaders with the courage to take us in a new direction. We aren't going to get those leaders until they feel they have a good chance of being elected under a new banner.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Netflix busts Blockbuster, or the Changing Economy
As part of my notion that we don't have a weak economy but a changing economy, I've been thinking about a blog entry about how Netflix is reducing the need for video stores and their employees. Today the Star Tribune had a story about Blockbuster – "Shares of Blockbuster tumble after warning it may need to file for bankruptcy protection". The article states that one of the causes is competition from Netflix. "The company has had to close about 1,300 stores and wants to shut down hundreds more." Shutting stores means letting employees go. Think of all the other video stores in the same predicament. Think of all the other businesses whose reason to be has changed.
All the employees let go by video stores won't be able to get jobs at Netflix or at any other similar service. Think of the idealized Netflix operation. A customer signs up online and is accepted or rejected automatically. A customer places an order online. The computer orders a robot in the warehouse to fetch the DVD, put it in an envelope, print the shipping address on the envelope, and place it in a bin to go to the Post Office. Now humans get involved with a postal employee picking up the bins and driving them to a sorting center. The sorting center is mostly automated and the sorted packages are delivered in another truck or series of trucks. A mail carrier picks up the packages at the destination post office and delivers them to the customers.
Even the postal workers will be cut out of this system. As internet bandwidth gets larger and more people have faster computers, the customers will order movies to be sent directly to their computers ("streaming").
This scenario is being replicated across industry after industry. People not needed. And guess who demands this: people who want lots of goods for the least money and hassle.
I'll stop here and get off my soapbox about the trends too many of us aren't considering.
All the employees let go by video stores won't be able to get jobs at Netflix or at any other similar service. Think of the idealized Netflix operation. A customer signs up online and is accepted or rejected automatically. A customer places an order online. The computer orders a robot in the warehouse to fetch the DVD, put it in an envelope, print the shipping address on the envelope, and place it in a bin to go to the Post Office. Now humans get involved with a postal employee picking up the bins and driving them to a sorting center. The sorting center is mostly automated and the sorted packages are delivered in another truck or series of trucks. A mail carrier picks up the packages at the destination post office and delivers them to the customers.
Even the postal workers will be cut out of this system. As internet bandwidth gets larger and more people have faster computers, the customers will order movies to be sent directly to their computers ("streaming").
This scenario is being replicated across industry after industry. People not needed. And guess who demands this: people who want lots of goods for the least money and hassle.
I'll stop here and get off my soapbox about the trends too many of us aren't considering.
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