June 25
Surface
Have you heard about Microsoft Surface? If not, take a look. It will blow your mind.
As cool as this is I can’t help but think of all the jobs that technology is eliminating. Sounds weird right, technology is supposed to create new jobs, and it certainly does. There are tons of programming and design jobs. But what it is also doing is eliminating the service industry. You won’t need a waitress or a hotel clerk, because a computer will take the place of those jobs.
That in and of itself may not be a bad thing, but it does seem a bit strange. I am sure there will come a day when 100% of supermarket checkout lines are self serve, where you order your food by pressing a button instead of speaking with a waitress and your local bank, which is already housing less employees, will be completely automated as well.
What about human interaction? Part of the fun of going out to dinner is being waited on and getting recommendations (when needed) from waitstaff. While we are making our lives “easier” maybe we are losing a bit in the process.
Don’t get me wrong, I love technology but I do worry that what we gain may not make up for what we cast aside.
COMMENTS(7)7 Responses to “Surface”
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Surface was originally mixed on June 25 at 7:57 am, and then promptly served in Teetotaled
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June 25th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
Your human interaction will come in the form of tech support. Soon we’ll all be spending 6-8 hours a day on the phone with someone in India.
June 25th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
Diesel, do you mean “Alice” in “South Carolina” who says have a good night when you call at 8:00 am? Oh I am on to her game!
June 25th, 2007 at 2:43 pm
“Hello, good day to you, I am Alice here for make benefit your computer.”
The funny thing, though, is that you just illustrated that although jobs may be lost… new ones are made in Tier 1 technical support call centers. For every new product that enters the market, someone’s got to tell you how to use it or what to do when it breaks. It’s just that these jobs are not (necessarily) on our shores.
June 26th, 2007 at 10:04 am
Y’know…tech support isn’t human interaction; I seriously doubt their human at all (this coming from a woman who’s married to a guy who used to work at microsoft…)
I hate that things are becoming automated. The only thing my computer is good for is visiting folks online (like here!) and playing with artsy stuff and printing photos. But automated wait staff? Nope. Don’t like that thought at all.
June 26th, 2007 at 10:29 am
I guess I should start appreciating the times I am stuck in a long line or get a rude cashier, because some day I imagine I will be telling my grandkids…”In my day actual people handed you your coffee and you paid them with green paper money! Can you believe that kids?!”
June 26th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
There will be a whole new service industry of people cleaning up Microsoft Surfaces when beer is spilled on it, when fingers dripping with grease navigate it, and when Uncle Joe, who has had one drink too many, accidentally empties the contents of his stomach on it. Yuck. What a dirty Surface that will be!
June 27th, 2007 at 8:49 am
You are right Dan! What a job that would be, yuck.