If you're going to look far enough down the road to worry about SBC's envelope openers, I think you should probably be worrying about the trees used to make the envelopes too.

Don't worry about them. I've thought this through - yes, it sucks that they'll have to look for new jobs, but they'll find them. If you're worried about job obsolesence, why don't you unplug your computers and move into a secluded shack in the woods? Oh.. wait.. someone's tried that already :)

Automation is good. It makes things faster, more efficient, and often more reliable (if most software didn't suck, we wouldn't have most of the problems we do with technology).

Sure unskilled labor gets pushed around as more jobs get replaced, but automation increases our total wealth as a world, so we'll be able to afford more welfare - and eventually get to the point where unskilled workers won't really have to do anything. And maybe a smaller percentage of people will go to college than will in the immediate future (the percentage of people with higher-education will definitely keep rising for a while), but there will always be people with the drive to learn and do more complicated things - work will be more on an open source sort of a basis - people will do tricky/complicated things because they WANT to, not because they have to. And the world will be a much better place.

I agree...automation IS good, hell, why do you think I'm a CSC?

But, as with everything else, there is a balance. I think right now we're moving far too quickly towards automation and commoditization (of software), and because of this our economy is now going through the tubes.

I agree that we need to move more towards automation. I just think we need to slow down a bit, and make sure we don't overautomate/overterrorize ourselves into a depression.

This was more a thought experiment than anything else...the other (more main) reason I pay my phone bill by check is, I just plain don't trust SBC and BofA not to screw something up in the automated transfer.

/me pats phlog on the head. Good little optimist... ;)

Realistically in our lifetimes you will have to work to support yourself and your family. There is no benevolent corporation/government in existance and none expected anytime soon that is going to just provide for people because its nice.

Notice the tax cut that just passed this week. Did they say, well we're going to give a bunch of money to poor people so they can kick back and relax...

Oh and by the way, more and more programming jobs are becoming considered "semi-skilled" and moved to India where they have compitent developers willing to do _your_ job and _mine_ for 1/10 the salary. Don't expect companies to pass the savings on to you so you can enjoy life without work...

Oh, come on! We all know things will be perfect in the future! :)

But seriously, we have a LONG time before we get to the point I was talking about.. possibly a hundred or (likely) more years. That's a LOT of time for things to change.

A lot of my hypothesis is going on a hunch. I'll adjust it as I get more experience and things pan out.

This has probably changed, but when "online banking" first started they basically sent a check from the bank to SBC for you. really _high tech_. ;)

Oh, I'm sure it was...but given the way bank systems are setup nowadays, I would imagine that the transfer just happens electronically now. It could very easily have been electronic before, if the company and the customer used the same bank.

"Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink I feel ashamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn't drink this beer, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, 'It is better that I drink this beer and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver.'" -Jack Handy