[HeyLaughingBoy]

No. The reason we have people working fast-food jobs is that they need the money and it's still cheaper than full automation, but the industry working on it. Have you seen what goes on in McDonald's these days? They automate everything they can and they are constantly trying to increase this to get costs down and increase speed.

My brother in law is an executive in fast food: it's amazing how much they try to reduce the in-store labor. I should really talk to him about business opportunities in that field.

[kaens]

The reason we have people working fast-food jobs is that they need the money and it's still cheaper than full automation

Right, that would be part of what I view as a larger problem with society (at least in the US) at the moment. People should no longer have to generate money for food and roofs, or if they do, they should not have to resort to doing repetitive, boring, brainless work all the time.

Unfortunately, there is no simple solution to this, and most feasible solutions require an overhaul of most of our economic structures, not to mention the education system, and a whole bunch of other stuff.

Edit: I somehow missed the "still cheaper than full automation" part. I can see that - but certainly having one or two humans at the resturant, with almost full automation would be cheaper?

[bokonist]

but certainly having one or two humans at the restaurant, with almost full automation would be cheaper?

If you believe this, why don't you raise some money and start a company to out compete traditional restaurants? If it's really so easy to automate as you think it is, you'll be raking in the dough.

[kaens]

I very well may, although that's only one example of what I view as a much larger issue. I currently make less than 10K a year though, so I'm sort of focusing on that first.

EDIT: Clarification.

[wheels]

I suggest that Brave New World would be an interesting read for you. The hierarchy of intelligence classes in there I think does hit at a real problem: most work in society is mindless.

[kaens]

I've read Brave New World. And yeah, most work in society is mindless. Ideally, I don't think people should have to work at all anymore, but there are a whole lot of problems stopping that from happening.

Really expanding on this stuff takes a lot of writing, I'm not quite up for it yet (but I'm working on it).

[eru]

But on the other hand they talk about an Island where they tried to eliminate all mindless work - but the people got bored. They should have set up an Island without mindless works and only "Alphas".

[rsheridan6]

As I recall, they did that, and the alphas ended jockeying for status and killing each other.

[eru]

OK, have to read it again.

[HeyLaughingBoy]

Full automation will eventually be cheaper; right now it isn't.