Jim, you know this is hard for me to do.
What?
No, it's not a problem with your crew's performance. In fact, your numbers have been up this quarter significantly, right across the board. We couldn't be happier.
You've been one of the most useful, productive managers we've had so far in this company. No-one's doubting how efficient you've been, nor how trustworthy. The problem, Jim, is something that's really out of our hands. See, just last week, you became obsolete (http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-05/new-software-can-assemble-army-overnight-making-human-bosses-obsolete). The company's found software that can do your job better than you can, at least according to the vendor's benchmarks. It's for the sake of efficiency... I'm sure you understand.
Hey, don't get angry. This wasn't my decision; it came down from up on high. The Company needs to monitor and control it's workforce directly, while still continuing those budget cuts. We got hit real hard with the recession... everyone did. You've been a good employee, though, and we'd like to keep you on in some capacity... maybe in custodial services? No? Alright.
Well, I'm glad that's settled. Sorry it had to come to this, but progress is progress. You can be out of this office by 3:00, right? We need room for the server racks.
Nightmare fuel, ITT. :lulz:
This is gonna catch on, too. People now DEMAND that machines tell them what to do.
Dok,
Won't even listen to automated receptionists.
Quote from: Doktor Howl on May 10, 2010, 08:28:47 PM
This is gonna catch on, too. People now DEMAND that machines tell them what to do.
Dok,
Won't even listen to automated receptionists.
Damn Skippy.
A question.
When you end up serving a computer, instead of the other way around...
Who's the machine?
Quote from: Remington on May 10, 2010, 08:33:46 PM
A question.
When you're employed by a computer, carrying out its functions, and serving it instead of the other way around...
Who's the machine?
Everyone/everything involved.
If this catches on, you're going to read about me in the paper.
I just hope I can be in the room when the guy who laid me off gets replaced by a computer. :lulz:
Quote from: Doktor Howl on May 10, 2010, 08:34:42 PM
Quote from: Remington on May 10, 2010, 08:33:46 PM
A question.
When you're employed by a computer, carrying out its functions, and serving it instead of the other way around...
Who's the machine?
Everyone/everything involved.
If this catches on, you're going to read about me in the paper.
Truth be told, I don't expect it to, at least not on a large corporate scale. The software seems to be geared for hiring, managing, coordinating large swarms of
temporary contract employees. Workforce-on-demand situations, instead of long-term corporate situations involving management hierarchies.
Basically what this software does is eliminate middle management and allows top-level executive control over on-demand workforce. Actual humans are still essential to most management scenarios, as no software program has the same ability of comprehensive situational judgement that humans do.
...But then again, I'm a hopeless optimist. If the worst does happen, at least I'm ahead of the curve as the
guy who controls the computers. Network admin, baby.
We could make a movie. We could name it Terminator.
Wait........
second time in a week that i thought this short story seemed somewhat appropriate to link to:
http://marshallbrain.com/manna1.htm
Quote from: Remington on May 10, 2010, 08:41:05 PM
Truth be told, I don't expect it to, at least not on a large corporate scale. The software seems to be geared for hiring, managing, coordinating large swarms of temporary contract employees. Workforce-on-demand situations, instead of long-term corporate situations involving management hierarchies.
Um, everything is workforce-on-demand.
We have achieved "just on time delivery" for
people. :lulz:
Quote from: Remington on May 10, 2010, 08:41:05 PM
Basically what this software does is eliminate middle management and allows top-level executive control over on-demand workforce.
Am I the only one that sees the huge fucking humor potential here?
Quote from: Doktor Howl on May 10, 2010, 08:45:36 PM
Um, everything is workforce-on-demand.
We have achieved "just on time delivery" for people. :lulz:
Quote from: Doktor Howl on May 10, 2010, 08:47:28 PM
Am I the only one that sees the huge fucking humor potential here?
Yes and no, respectively :lulz:
Quote from: Remington on May 10, 2010, 08:51:42 PM
Quote from: Doktor Howl on May 10, 2010, 08:45:36 PM
Um, everything is workforce-on-demand.
We have achieved "just on time delivery" for people. :lulz:
Quote from: Doktor Howl on May 10, 2010, 08:47:28 PM
Am I the only one that sees the huge fucking humor potential here?
Yes and no, respectively :lulz:
Trevor the MBA is now going to directly supervise the machinists.
:lulz:
Quote from: Doktor Howl on May 10, 2010, 08:54:28 PM
Quote from: Remington on May 10, 2010, 08:51:42 PM
Quote from: Doktor Howl on May 10, 2010, 08:45:36 PM
Um, everything is workforce-on-demand.
We have achieved "just on time delivery" for people. :lulz:
Quote from: Doktor Howl on May 10, 2010, 08:47:28 PM
Am I the only one that sees the huge fucking humor potential here?
Yes and no, respectively :lulz:
Trevor the MBA is now going to directly supervise the machinists.
:lulz:
OFUK
Quote from: Hawk on May 10, 2010, 08:55:06 PM
Quote from: Doktor Howl on May 10, 2010, 08:54:28 PM
Quote from: Remington on May 10, 2010, 08:51:42 PM
Quote from: Doktor Howl on May 10, 2010, 08:45:36 PM
Um, everything is workforce-on-demand.
We have achieved "just on time delivery" for people. :lulz:
Quote from: Doktor Howl on May 10, 2010, 08:47:28 PM
Am I the only one that sees the huge fucking humor potential here?
Yes and no, respectively :lulz:
Trevor the MBA is now going to directly supervise the machinists.
:lulz:
OFUK
In related news, Trevor the MBA was found this morning tied up in baling wire wearing nothing but a welding apron with "FUCK OFF" written in temperature wax on his back, and a cutting torch handle wrapped around his head.
His last recollection was telling a millwright to get him a latte.
:lulz:
Now that I think about it, this'll never go down on my old bosses.
That would require their bosses to actually see the workforce. And having somebody whose allowed to make policy decisions actually talk to a call jockey just isn't done in call centers. That might lead to the executives having a fucking clue what is going on, as opposed to making decisions based entirely on the balance sheet.
Quote from: Iptuous on May 10, 2010, 08:45:17 PM
second time in a week that i thought this short story seemed somewhat appropriate to link to:
http://marshallbrain.com/manna1.htm
:aaa:
Whoa.
Quote from: Remington on May 10, 2010, 09:20:07 PM
Quote from: Iptuous on May 10, 2010, 08:45:17 PM
second time in a week that i thought this short story seemed somewhat appropriate to link to:
http://marshallbrain.com/manna1.htm
:aaa:
Whoa.
AN ABOMINATION! KILL IT WITH FIRE!
BOY, FETCH MY PITCHFORK!
Quote from: Remington on May 10, 2010, 09:20:07 PM
Quote from: Iptuous on May 10, 2010, 08:45:17 PM
second time in a week that i thought this short story seemed somewhat appropriate to link to:
http://marshallbrain.com/manna1.htm
:aaa:
Whoa.
right?
i love that story!
it takes a turn for crazy, but the initial setup it totally possible.
in fact i'm surprised it's not here already.....
Quote from: Iptuous on May 10, 2010, 09:26:29 PM
Quote from: Remington on May 10, 2010, 09:20:07 PM
Quote from: Iptuous on May 10, 2010, 08:45:17 PM
second time in a week that i thought this short story seemed somewhat appropriate to link to:
http://marshallbrain.com/manna1.htm
:aaa:
Whoa.
right?
i love that story!
it takes a turn for crazy, but the initial setup it totally possible.
in fact i'm surprised it's not here already.....
Who says it isn't?
:?
you mean a headset system like 'Manna'?
i hadn't heard of one. i would definitely like to hear about it if there was, though...
Quote from: Iptuous on May 10, 2010, 09:26:29 PM
Quote from: Remington on May 10, 2010, 09:20:07 PM
Quote from: Iptuous on May 10, 2010, 08:45:17 PM
second time in a week that i thought this short story seemed somewhat appropriate to link to:
http://marshallbrain.com/manna1.htm
:aaa:
Whoa.
right?
i love that story!
it takes a turn for crazy, but the initial setup it totally possible.
in fact i'm surprised it's not here already.....
It's quite possibly the best thing I've read so far; because pretty much every step of the technology is completely feasible.
Quote from: Iptuous on May 10, 2010, 09:33:17 PM
:?
you mean a headset system like 'Manna'?
i hadn't heard of one. i would definitely like to hear about it if there was, though...
No, the concept in general.
I efile my taxes. No human ever looks at them.
My job relies on a spreadsheet generated somewhere in Germany, from raw data that is captured from other spreadsheets.
My insurance rates are based on an algorithm created by actuaries and run since by a computer.
Just for starters.
ah, yes.
don't forget, that we have an automatically (mis)mannaged economy, too, now! :D
Quote from: Iptuous on May 10, 2010, 09:39:12 PM
ah, yes.
don't forget, that we have an automatically (mis)mannaged economy, too, now! :D
That's not automatic. That's just the logical result of looting.
Damn. That Manna system just seriously mindfucked me through the eyesocket. It didn't even call afterwards.
Quote from: Doktor Howl on May 10, 2010, 09:40:17 PM
Quote from: Iptuous on May 10, 2010, 09:39:12 PM
ah, yes.
don't forget, that we have an automatically (mis)mannaged economy, too, now! :D
That's not automatic. That's just the logical result of looting.
they're saying 70% of all market transactions are executed by black boxes running algorithms, now. greed built the box, but it's running on autopilot, now....
it is said that the traders and bank managers don't even understand what the quants put in those things.
Quote from: Iptuous on May 10, 2010, 09:45:29 PM
Quote from: Doktor Howl on May 10, 2010, 09:40:17 PM
Quote from: Iptuous on May 10, 2010, 09:39:12 PM
ah, yes.
don't forget, that we have an automatically (mis)mannaged economy, too, now! :D
That's not automatic. That's just the logical result of looting.
they're saying 70% of all market transactions are executed by black boxes running algorithms, now. greed built the box, but it's running on autopilot, now....
it is said that the traders and bank managers don't even understand what the quants put in those things.
Sure, but the recent shenanigans were plotted by people. A computer didn't install Edward Liddy at AIG.
Quote from: Iptuous on May 10, 2010, 08:45:17 PM
second time in a week that i thought this short story seemed somewhat appropriate to link to:
http://marshallbrain.com/manna1.htm
While I am not a transhumanist, let me just say that I would love to live in a society where I had the complete freedom to study and create with no worries about all of the other stuff. That would be the perfect society for a scientist, right there.
Quote from: Kai on May 10, 2010, 09:57:31 PM
Quote from: Iptuous on May 10, 2010, 08:45:17 PM
second time in a week that i thought this short story seemed somewhat appropriate to link to:
http://marshallbrain.com/manna1.htm
While I am not a transhumanist, let me just say that I would love to live in a society where I had the complete freedom to study and create with no worries about all of the other stuff. That would be the perfect society for a scientist, right there.
Sucks to be the guy wearing the headphones, though.
Robots were supposed to do the shitwork, and humans the planning...Not the other way around.
NOT MY FUTURE. :crankey:
The Manna system seems very very plausible to me. There's already some work using human visual processing to assist a computer.
The computer picks out possible face matches with a high degree of inaccuracy, then shows them to the person, the person looks at the pictures for about a third of a second, at which point eye motion will tell the computer if that person thinks the two pics are of the same people.
Then if they are the same people, the computer calls security or cops as appropriate.
Just one of the many toys brought to you by the war on terror. Though I don't know if they ever installed it.
Quote from: Requia ☣ on May 10, 2010, 09:59:29 PM
The Manna system seems very very plausible to me. There's already some work using human visual processing to assist a computer.
The computer picks out possible face matches with a high degree of inaccuracy, then shows them to the person, the person looks at the pictures for about a third of a second, at which point eye motion will tell the computer if that person thinks the two pics are of the same people.
Then if they are the same people, the computer calls security or cops as appropriate.
Just one of the many toys brought to you by the war on terror. Though I don't know if they ever installed it.
Nick Nolte better hope Gary Busey doesn't commit any crimes.
Quote from: Doktor Howl on May 10, 2010, 09:59:10 PM
Quote from: Kai on May 10, 2010, 09:57:31 PM
Quote from: Iptuous on May 10, 2010, 08:45:17 PM
second time in a week that i thought this short story seemed somewhat appropriate to link to:
http://marshallbrain.com/manna1.htm
While I am not a transhumanist, let me just say that I would love to live in a society where I had the complete freedom to study and create with no worries about all of the other stuff. That would be the perfect society for a scientist, right there.
Sucks to be the guy wearing the headphones, though.
Robots were supposed to do the shitwork, and humans the planning...Not the other way around.
NOT MY FUTURE. :crankey:
Which is the basis of the Australia system.
Quote from: Remington on May 10, 2010, 10:49:56 PM
Quote from: Doktor Howl on May 10, 2010, 09:59:10 PM
Quote from: Kai on May 10, 2010, 09:57:31 PM
Quote from: Iptuous on May 10, 2010, 08:45:17 PM
second time in a week that i thought this short story seemed somewhat appropriate to link to:
http://marshallbrain.com/manna1.htm
While I am not a transhumanist, let me just say that I would love to live in a society where I had the complete freedom to study and create with no worries about all of the other stuff. That would be the perfect society for a scientist, right there.
Sucks to be the guy wearing the headphones, though.
Robots were supposed to do the shitwork, and humans the planning...Not the other way around.
NOT MY FUTURE. :crankey:
Which is the basis of the Australia system.
What, shove all the humans onto leaky boats and send them to a giant desert?
No, communism, but with robots.
Quote from: Doktor Howl on May 10, 2010, 10:50:43 PM
Quote from: Remington on May 10, 2010, 10:49:56 PM
Quote from: Doktor Howl on May 10, 2010, 09:59:10 PM
Quote from: Kai on May 10, 2010, 09:57:31 PM
Quote from: Iptuous on May 10, 2010, 08:45:17 PM
second time in a week that i thought this short story seemed somewhat appropriate to link to:
http://marshallbrain.com/manna1.htm
While I am not a transhumanist, let me just say that I would love to live in a society where I had the complete freedom to study and create with no worries about all of the other stuff. That would be the perfect society for a scientist, right there.
Sucks to be the guy wearing the headphones, though.
Robots were supposed to do the shitwork, and humans the planning...Not the other way around.
NOT MY FUTURE. :crankey:
Which is the basis of the Australia system.
What, shove all the humans onto leaky boats and send them to a giant desert?
Nah, it's part of the story Iptous linked to.
Basically, most if not all of the businesses in the US replaced their human labour with robots.This resulted in a class of several thousand trillionaires, and 300,000,000 welfare recipients packed into what were essentially concentration camps. Capitalism only worked in an economic system under scarcity: when cheap robot labour meant that everyone could have whatever they wanted, natural market forces ended up hyper-concentrating the wealth into a tiny group.
The "Australia Project" is the second half of the book, where they detail a system under which the robots would work for the humans' benefit and not the other way around. A kind of communism, actually, the original Marxist kind that now worked due to having essentially unlimited resources.
Quote from: Remington on May 11, 2010, 09:38:36 AM
Quote from: Doktor Howl on May 10, 2010, 10:50:43 PM
Quote from: Remington on May 10, 2010, 10:49:56 PM
Quote from: Doktor Howl on May 10, 2010, 09:59:10 PM
Quote from: Kai on May 10, 2010, 09:57:31 PM
Quote from: Iptuous on May 10, 2010, 08:45:17 PM
second time in a week that i thought this short story seemed somewhat appropriate to link to:
http://marshallbrain.com/manna1.htm
While I am not a transhumanist, let me just say that I would love to live in a society where I had the complete freedom to study and create with no worries about all of the other stuff. That would be the perfect society for a scientist, right there.
Sucks to be the guy wearing the headphones, though.
Robots were supposed to do the shitwork, and humans the planning...Not the other way around.
NOT MY FUTURE. :crankey:
Which is the basis of the Australia system.
What, shove all the humans onto leaky boats and send them to a giant desert?
Nah, it's part of the story Iptous linked to.
I know. But that's not what would really happen. What would really happen is the moment the guy put his thumbprint down, he'd be rendered into raw materials to feed the other welfare dwellers.
We can't let the people in the terrafoam get ideas.
Quote from: Doktor Howl on May 11, 2010, 02:41:17 PM
Quote from: Remington on May 11, 2010, 09:38:36 AM
Quote from: Doktor Howl on May 10, 2010, 10:50:43 PM
Quote from: Remington on May 10, 2010, 10:49:56 PM
Quote from: Doktor Howl on May 10, 2010, 09:59:10 PM
Quote from: Kai on May 10, 2010, 09:57:31 PM
Quote from: Iptuous on May 10, 2010, 08:45:17 PM
second time in a week that i thought this short story seemed somewhat appropriate to link to:
http://marshallbrain.com/manna1.htm
While I am not a transhumanist, let me just say that I would love to live in a society where I had the complete freedom to study and create with no worries about all of the other stuff. That would be the perfect society for a scientist, right there.
Sucks to be the guy wearing the headphones, though.
Robots were supposed to do the shitwork, and humans the planning...Not the other way around.
NOT MY FUTURE. :crankey:
Which is the basis of the Australia system.
What, shove all the humans onto leaky boats and send them to a giant desert?
Nah, it's part of the story Iptous linked to.
I know. But that's not what would really happen. What would really happen is the moment the guy put his thumbprint down, he'd be rendered into raw materials to feed the other welfare dwellers.
We can't let the people in the terrafoam get ideas.
I didn't see any logical problem with it.
The terrafoam wasn't built with malevolent intent, the government just wanted all the poor people to be out of sight. Out of sight in the terrafoam is exactly the same as out of sight in Australia, and it's one less mouth to feed for them. Why wouldn't they let them go?