luddites!

[Jeff Davis]

On Thu, October 13, 2005 5:14 pm, Brad Parker wrote:
>
> They were anti-loosing-your-job-due-to-technology.  They didn't think it
> was right that 10 people working should become 3 people working just
> because a new machine was installed...
>
> (and, I think they had a point.  I think economists are all smoking
> really good dope when they talk about mythical 'productivity gains')

Well, your own example proved the existance of productivity gains - 3 people
with a machine could produce as much as 10 people without the machine, ergo
the 3 people are more productive.  If you give 9 of those workers the
machines, and keep 1 around to do maintenance on the machines, the whole group
is nearly 3x as productive.

It doesn't necessarily lead to the loss of jobs.  The cost of what you are
making drops, and more people can afford to buy it. I, for one, am glad
refridgerators no longer cost 6 month's salary.

This is why we can sit around and discuss "classic" computers - if there were
no productivity improvements (faster, cheaper) in computer technology, we'd
still be using all that old stuff.

Jeff