Machines are taking our jobs... part 1 (6/10/2014)

Machines are taking our jobs... part 1 06/10/2014 0 Comments   Who has heard the subject of this blog said before? I did't want to address this before because to me, this was just another ignorant sentence from a misinformed person. That was until I heard this very thing being discussed on the BBC at 4:30 this morning. I found myself with something to say, and now I have something to write-- bringing me back to the land of blog. Here is a link to a similar story that I heard: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-27125728 There is no question that everything is becoming more "smart" and automated-- our world is being analysed and optimized to keep us out of harm's way. We can debate if this is right or wrong, but it is certainly not stopping, but only increasing in speed. The more machines are used for the hard labor and potentially dangerous tasks, the more human lives are spared. This doesn't note that some humans want to do physically demanding labor and dangerous jobs, but then again, these people have not realized the potential of the human mind. And here is my point: Muscle abundance is overrated. The human brain is what makes us better than machines. Many people constantly equate power with muscle and physical prowess, and not mental agility and creativity. This is why youth is so coveted. Is this right? Everyone should stay in shape for health's sake, but our brain controls everything and consistently improves in greater leaps than any body building can promote. What will last? Sure, there is alzheimer's and dementia that can eventually eat away at our mind (if not treated, which science is working on), but staying in an overly muscular shape requires many different factors, and it can all change when one of those factors changes. In other words, we hold onto our mental strength longer than our physical strength-- so we should optimize both by setting priorities. What this means is to start signing up for those free online MOOCs (online classes). Read those books and participate in online forums about subjects you find fascinating.  Work on perfecting (meaning: making efficient) an exercise program for building strength and remaining tone. Make it a habit, but think of it as keeping a vehicle in functional order (your body is a vehicle for your brain). Health before healthcare-- you do not have time for health issues. What do the machines have over us? Maintenance on machines is not as severe and difficult as it is with humans. We cannot interchange parts so easy, and there is a certain point when getting repaired becomes futile. Unfortunately, we are not there yet in the research and science to give us super longevity and interchangeable parts. That is not to say that these issues are not being worked on. We are aligning with our machines and we remain with the upper hand, because we have the complex mind, the creative mind, and the exponentially growing mind. Our biology is still amazing compared to super computers and other complex systems. If a position becomes automated, it was not worth the mental power for a human to do it. We are slowly removing the mostly physical jobs and focusing more on the mental ones. This is a prioritization of what makes us special in the universe. Of course, then there are the projects on AI (artificial intelligence). A machine/program has been toted as passing the Turing test recently: http://io9.com/a-chatbot-has-passed-the-turing-test-for-the-first-ti-1587834715. Will we eventually design our superiors? Part 2 is coming next...