A thought came to me today regarding the modern tech world and robotics used so much in producing everyday products when both require electricity for power. Everything we hear about this next revolution requires electricity but we are told that this will come without the need for fossil fuels and from renewables that seem to have short lifespans and rely on rare earth minerals.
I’ve always been fascinated by green energy thinking, It was a good thing but as I read more about this there seem to be issues that never hit the mainstream media news, such as the relatively short lifespan of wind turbines and how the waste is created due to the rotary blades not being easy to recycle and are often put into landfills. Solar again has similar issues with lifespan and does rely on rare elements such as silver. Given that these have to be constantly replaced over time, each with its own upfront carbon footprint all isn’t as it seems.
Could corporations and politicians be misleading people for their own benefit, could they?
They say that AI could eventually replace 1.4 billion jobs worldwide, that’s a hell of a lot of people’s power which will need replacing with electricity at ever-increasing wholesale prices. Are humans really worse for the planet than all this extra power needed to replace them? Isn’t this a waste of energy?
Regarding Jobs, I always think of Henry Ford who increased wages for his staff to $5.00 per day knowing they would be customers of the future, he had an entrepreneurial spirit that seems sorely missing in these large corporations today. Modern corporations’ mantra seems to be one of exploitation where profits come before people, but who they hope will be customers of the future, I digress and apologies for my cynicism.
AI and robotics are clever inventions for sure but one has to get to the reason for their purpose and will they add more to mankind than they take away? The race for singularity (combining both technologies) is on, because apparently whoever achieves this first, is said will run the world, the dangers are unsurpassable. Whether they are blinded by science or just good old-fashioned greed, these technologies have one defect in a world that is supposedly suffering from a climate crisis, unlimited clean energy. Maybe AI will come up with a solution, like using useless humans to run on electric-generating treadmills!
Up until now, tools have been made to assist mankind, and AI and robotics have been invented to replace mankind where duplication, information, and control are concerned. Those pioneers in AI with robotics should know they are creating something that will make them non-essential and disposable.
I think we are living through times when consequences of actions pale into insignificance when there are instant gains to be had. Shortsightedness is a trait of the young and given that youth dominate the tech world is it any wonder why the world seems to be going to hell in a handcart?
What about skilled crafting labour?
Over the past 20+ years, there has been a drive by governments to make things harder for SMEs in favour of corporations and crony capitalism but it’s a fact these companies can’t do those things that can’t be mass-produced.
History tells a thousand stories and I recently started to research Surfdom in the middle ages onwards, it soon became apparent that skilled labour had an advantage in any world that has a rich and poor divide. At the end of the day, heritage is important to humans, as is the maintenance of the existing, whilst new plans require implementation. Likewise, those in high places demand quality and aren’t fitting flat-pack furniture into their Yachts, etc.
The power to create from our own hands will always improve our own lives, those close to us, and those who need our services.
As you can see from what I’m presently doing with old tools there is a vast plethora of existing things that can with a little imagination be given a new lease of life or potentially repurposed.
There is a lot going on in the world right now and from what I can see this life of abundance in the West is going to change, self-reliance and purpose are going to be huge factors in the years ahead if people want a real life rather than an effortless one spent plugged into the virtual metaverse.
I suppose that’s the point, Have so much of the population become so lazy and self-obsessed that they can be discarded by a mass-produced gadget? AI is a learning technology used by lazy people who want a shortcut solution whilst feeding the very technology they will be eventually replaced with!
Go figure, on this evidence, someone soon will be bringing back dinosaurs and these same fools would nurture and eventually feed them with their own flesh! It only shows there really are some clever idiots out there inventing these things or is it just good old-fashioned madness?
Could it all be led by the need for Diversity and Inclusion, I wonder? I’m not an expert in this field but just a passing observation of what it looks like from the outside!
Anyway, below is a video that explains the Dunning-Kruger effect, it may just help some experienced guys understand why some people come across as so confident in their abilities and why this happens.
If you wonder why this Dunning Kruger effect struck such a cord with me it’s because for years in my original trade, there were tradespeople who were so confident vocally about what they could do. However, all too often I had to rectify the mess they created. There is nothing worse than trying to complete someone else’s work, especially when they were disorganised and evidence of bad workmanship which was embarrassing, to say the least. Many contractors out there are fooled so often by this overconfidence and fall for it every time they are busy. It’s like it in all trades and knowing this back in the day would have been so helpful.
It also applies in this vintage tool world too!
Note: To hobbyists, we all started at the same point, and this will also help you understand the learning curve involved.
