- We're treated to a steady stream of articles these days about how the future is bleak for all non-knowledge workers. We should expect robots to steal our jobs in the not-to-distant future.
- For example, this one that appeared yesterday in a few different places is describing how McDonald's is testing robot clerks to replace minimum wage workers.
- While I don't think that a government enforced minimum wage is a good idea (force is rarely ever a good idea - especially government force), I do believe articles claiming the end of the non-knowledge work force are a mix of pipe-dream and B.S.
- So, in the future, I'm going to go into McDonald's and order from some sort of food ATM and then have my food brought out to me by little robots?
- And this is going to work?
- I doubt it, and here's why.
- Every morning I get in my car to drive to work and I go through the same irritating routine.
- I start a podcast on my phone (Galaxy Note II).
- It starts playing, and says it's connected via Bluetooth to my stereo (a very recent Alpine deck).
- So, I cycle through the audio sources to get back to Bluetooth again.
- The Alpine says no connected devices.
- I swipe down from the top of the screen on my Note II and long-press Bluetooth.
- When the paired devices screen comes up I click the little gear icon next to the Alpine.
- In the connections screen for the Alpine everything is un-checked.
- I then tap to check the "media audio" option.
- At this point the audio starts playing over my stereo.
- I have to do this procedure every time I get in the car and want to listen to a podcast. Which is about 4 times a day.
- And, again, I'm supposed to believe that robots will serve me food when we can't even get Bluetooth to work reliably on a very recent phone connected to a very recent stereo.
- And, I'm not a luddite. I've been a sysadmin for 17 years. I know how this stuff works, and I know that much of the time it simply doesn't.
- Sorry, but I'm calling BS on the robot thing.
