Corporations do not care about you!

It has been awhile since I have written anything.  Not that anyone is actually reading this blog but I do find some enjoyment in my little observations on the decline of humanity or is it a decline in our culture? How we blame everyone else, without believing in anyway we where part of the problem! That a corporation actually cares about "People".  Those people are its consumer or employees.

Walmart, the monster we have created! The greatest villainy we hear about Walmart is it moving into midsize towns across the US, causing the small family business to close. Then when there profit margins didn't match expected predictions they begin to close stores (Walmart Stores Closing) that supposedly caused so much damage in the first place.  The stores closing cause increased unemployment, dependency on government assistance and the collapse of these small communities.  Oh, and we cannot forget the continued automation in the Walmart Store's themselves.

The Alter to Automation!

If you actually observe your surrounding and I understand, you just want to get in and out. That when you are in a Walmart look around you should notice a few things.  First, there are fewer cash registers who are run by humans.  That 1:1 ratio that we are supposed to seek out in our lives.  You have the large area of the "20 items or less" on both sides of the store, to which I believe only maybe 25% actually have the proper number of items.  This area has one Walmart employee, for eight self check out stations.  These hard pressed individuals, frantically shuffle between agitated, and supposedly put upon customers.

The next area is what used to be the regular check out lanes that have been turned into self check out, which they keep half to three quarters closed.  The reason for this seems that they only have one cashier to monitor and assist the customers.  These Customers usually have so much stuff that they couldn't fool themselves to go the the "20 items or less" checkout.  This is where you get people cramming as close to the person in front of them, with the belief it will make them go faster.

The Horseman of Jobloss!

Also remember, Walmart like other corporations, don't care about there employees. Janitors, or there equivalent named are usually the lowest paid employees.  They also seem to be who Walmart is quickly eliminating to save you money. Self driving floor cleaning machines...

I can go on, I have found that I can ramble on and on, while saying the same and most obvious things for a very long time.  What I want to say in closing though, its our fault.  The town governments and many of the small communities welcomed Walmart in with open arm's.  Extolling how much Walmart was going to save there towns, going so far in some places to give them the land for free and tax assistance.  We don't have to shop at these soul crushing monstrosities, its that simple. Buy your groceries where you talk to a human being.  Self Checkout, is you paying for the service of you doing the companies work.

At the end of the day your decisions do matter!

US Army nears competition that could lead to robots directly engaging the enemy

When I read this article, how everyone seemed so excited that this is the next big thing on the battlefield.  All I visualized while reading this was the Terminator movie, where SkyNet starts WWIII and set the machines at the facility to killing any human they could hunt down.  Yeah us, we will be designing the very weapon that kills off humanity. No, worries when you don't get to make decisions!

Army to begin end of humanity...

We also forget the ethical dilemma of having thinking machines that make the decision to kill a human being. I am one of those who believe in the inherent depravity of all of humanity but they can be redeemed.  Thinking machines cannot be redeemed and when they misbehave, IE killing entire village of every man, women, children and animals who is punished?
What about Asimov three rules of robotics, that every keyboard jockey talks about will save us from rogue AIs.  By creating them just to kill, we are making it so there is no moral quandary that must be faced by the military, developers and the machines themselves. Just encase you have forgotten here is the three rules we have been fed over and over, that are supposed to save us.

Isaac Asimov "Three Laws of Robotics"

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

So, all I guess we can hope for is that our robot overlords make us slaves instead of extermination!

Pentagon seeks 'ethicist' to oversee military artificial intelligence

Come on, developing killing machines that one day will probably wipe out life as we know it causing you some anxiety?
The author at the closing of the article take a small blurb from a defense contractor think tank, and I quote "“AI ethicists at the Pentagon would have to be capable of supporting the entire breadth of AI applications all the way from when is it acceptable to use artificial intelligence in a weapons system to how do we think about the acceptable and appropriate uses of personnel data.”
Sheppard suggested that the new appointee should be willing to “get their hands dirty” by visiting the frontline." Having an AI access to my personal data just seems a little extreme doesn't it?  Having a AI drone determine which village should or should not survive is one thing but we don't want competition with facebook when it comes to what a computer knows about me or at least before it kills me.

Here is the link, you make up your own mind while you still can:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/sep/07/pentagon-military-artificial-intelligence-ethicist

Robot's Invade Omaha VA Hospital!

This is TUG

This robot is the true beginning of automation of our hospital systems.  Hospital bean counters will slowly displace the jobs of the lowest skilled personnel. In the health industry, will show an increase in profitability because you will have less overhead and a decrease in liability coverage. This group is the least likely to be noticed by other workers and does not have the resources to put up any true resistance.  They will be displaced eventually to the rosters of government aide and TUG will win!

"We are doing to ourselves, what the Nazi's never could"

This is the opening from a NPR news article about how the science community is once again trying to fundamentally change what a human is.

The article starts,
 "First it was human embryos. Now scientists are trying to develop another way to modify human DNA that can be passed on to future generations, NPR has learned.
Reproductive biologists at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City are attempting to use the powerful gene-editing technique called CRISPR to alter genes in human sperm. NPR got exclusive access to watch the controversial experiments underway"

Here is the link to the article:
scientists attempt edit dna in human sperm

We so quickly forget how something seemingly so noble a cause, as possibly curing a genetic disorder can quickly turn to evil.  You can almost hear it, off in the distance..."its for the greater good" or "we just want what's best for you (or society, people..)" and finally "you'll be giving them (him or her) a leg up on everyone else".

Who gets to make the decision, the Doctor, the Scientist or how about your county clerk's office.  We could have a government agency that monitors that the equilibrium be maintained.  To many boys in this county so we are going to have to tell the breeding center to only allow girls for awhile.  Oh, not enough green eyes, you better fill out the paperwork and give them a call.  They must have missed your daughter, she looks different.  Just have her euthanized and go with pre-selection eugenics and you'll have the best of the best.

This is short article, read the NPR one and then it can be discussed in the comment section.

I Hate Self Checkout!

So, am I the only person mad at Wally World (aka Walmart) for adding more self check out isles.  Even, Sam's club has a dual program where you can self check out or you can download an app and scan your items to check out faster. 
Two, huge problems with this.  The first is that I am taking over the labor cost of a multibillion dollar company.  They sale this as expediting your time, so you don't have to wait in line at the check out.  Am I being paid for my labor, because last I checked I have to pay to use Sam's.  Also, there has not been a noticeable decrease in prices at both Walmart and Sam's to justify me doing there work for them. 
The second and truly the issue that I get really mad at, is that all of this self check out are taking jobs.  If you have ever had to the need to shop at either store, you will notice that it is not just young high school aged kids working there.  An observation in my limited bubble, there are probably an equal number, if not more older adults working in Walmart, with about a 70 30, toward younger at Sam's.
These are the folks being hurt by automation, these low skilled labor jobs.  I understand when people like to state how the system will self regulate and everyone should get ahead or get a good deal.  What actually happens is they cut hours, and make greater profit margins that rarely get passed onto the consumer.
At this moment I still believe in my country!

Monkey men, coming to a store near you!

This is the slippery slope of technology that I am always screaming about.  Its now monkey men from China...
https://gizmodo.com/scientists-went-to-china-to-create-controversial-human-1836913597