Wizard of Id by Parker and Hart for November 12, 2015

I just talked with a police officer the other day that was saying he wished his job would become obsolete. I agreed with him wholeheartedly.

Meanwhile, I’m off in a few minutes to scythe down some tall weeds and brush not far from the house. Great exercise, and on uneven ground it’s much more effective than the riding power mower. Gotta admit, though, that I don’t do it eight or more hours each day.

Those people working those feilds had fields of their own that they then harvested together in turn. Mechanization of the harvester merely meant that each person could harvest their own field without asking their neighbors for help.

They are going to replace supermarket stockers with robots now.

Three professions when I ask “How’s business?” I hope they tell me “Terrible!!!”: Police, Firefighters, Funeral Directors. (Rev.Ed)

i always hear this approach from labor regarding automation and i can never get a straight answer as to why none of them are interested in learning to fix and maintain the machines. its easier to sit and configure a router or switch than deliver a note via horseback.

They are lazy, someone should be there, cracking a whip!!

Maybe it was difficult for the artists to draw, but these fellows would be a lot more efficient if their tools looked like this…

The peasants are revolting! Yeah, they stink on ice. (H/t, Mel Brooks.)

Machines replace humans when the machines become cheaper and more reliable than the humans. We can speed the process up by finding ways to make the machines cheaper, or by making humans more expensive. We seem to be pushing for the latter, so I expect to see a big growth in automation over the next five years, particularly in fast food. Just as we see self-service checkouts appearing in retail, look for self-service ordering in fast food, and automated burger-making machines. Self-driving over-the-road trucks are also not far away.

Crime is subjective… even here in the US. 30 years ago, many things were legal which are not now. We pass laws willy nilly and then enforce them subjectively. is it any wonder people have little respect for laws?The more laws a state has, the fewer freedoms for the citizens. If all laws had an expiration date, only the laws that were needed would get rewritten and passed. Iceland does not like to make new laws and from what I understand, it is a great place to live

The jobs aren’t usually lost, the workers can be trained on how to operate the new machinery and retain their jobs. This doesn’t work if the machines need to be operated with complex duties like with computer automation in some cases.

Replace our jobs?! It’s enough to make you sickle.

Schumpeter proves, via Parker and Hart, that economic theory can be a basis for humor.

Eventually,robots will take control of the robot’s jobs.