TLPTPW #35 dyscalculic bugs edition

Mechanisation putting people out of jobs started in the UK with the Luddites in the early 1800's in the weaving industry.  Luddites feared that the time spent learning the skills of their craft would go to waste as machines would replace their role in the industry. It is a misconception that the Luddites protested against the machinery itself in an attempt to halt progress of technology.

Look at automated car production lines today compared to Henry Ford's times. In engineering setter operators started to be replaced by plugboard capstans, then CNC machines came in, now we have fully computerised machining centres. You still need designers and programmers but less numbers of skilled machinists.

Remember the newspaper industry with hot metal typesetting where there were guys sitting at Linotype machines. It's all done by computer now. Car servicing is now every 10,000 miles not 3000, electronic diagnosis, less mechanics needed. Long life milk from supermarkets, no milkmen, no coalmen needed with gas fired central heating, No dustmen humping bins on their shoulders, all done by lorries tipping two wheelie bins at a time. One man operated buses and trains, no conductors needed.  Look at the old Strowger telephone exchanges with a dozen technicians to adjusting relays to run a 10,000 line unit, now a couple of guys can run a 40,000 line electronic unit by computer,

The list goes on and on, but as technology evolves it means less labour intensive work, so less labour is required, purportedly giving mankind more leisure time. But spending 20 years on an unskilled persons pension is not good to look forward to. But you won't stop progress.