What’s Going on in the Workforce?
“…our last resort is industrial action. And this we will continue.” Did you know that Amazon warehouse workers are conducting a series of rolling strikes with the support of their union, Verdi?
Does American society value work too much? This seems unlikely, to those of us who organize workers that are routinely disrespected & underpaid. But this writer makes the claim that “Having more of our human workers get replaced by machines is the best thing that could possibly happen to us.” And it’s hard to argue with, in context.
Read this amazing first-person narrative by an 40-year-old undocumented single mom farmworker in California. Have tissues nearby.
Jobs of the future may involve more quality assurance and usability testing. Because the robots can’t replace humans as testers of goods for humans…
Reputation, reputation, reputation
Thanksgiving is coming—do you have all the cooking equipment you need? If you search for a last-minute turkey baster on your smart phone and then you click an ad for Williams Sonoma, Google may be tracking your phone to see if you went to the store.
The Singularity Approaches
One of the (hopefully soon-to-be-realized) promises of Obamacare is that we’ll have better coordination between health care providers, through the use of electronic medical records. A new company is hoping to manage health IT for senior living centers in the US and abroad. “The competition is phones, faxes, paper, voicemails—that’s health care past and present.”
For every parent who’s ever wondered—how do I get my kids to reduce their screen time in favor of physical activity—here’s the solution! A desk you pedal to power your tech.
Before wearable computing can really take off, the question of how to give silent input without a keyboard must be solved. Here’s a quick look at what Google’s looking to patent, in the way of gesture tech.
Here are some easy questions to ask your self about any new technology:
On the other hand, if you tend to be the kind of person who scares easy, don’t read this interview about our future after AI takes over the world.
Sharing, Solidarity & Sustainability
“…consumption isn’t the only thing that needs to be collaborative,” argues this new post from ImpactLab. “…freelancers—not companies, websites or apps—are responsible for the tremendous growth of the sharing economy…”
Sometimes, blogs give you a glimpse into a life you might’ve lived, had something been different. Sometimes, they let you see up close what it’s like to do something you’ve never done. Here’s an amazing look at one man’s decade-long efforts to report on the recycling industries in China that take your used soda bottles, Christmas tree lights, the change you never emptied out of your car, and well everything—and strip them down for reuse. He’s got a book coming out, too.
And while you’re wondering—what gets made out of my recycled soda bottles? This new foundation is working to make sure that the stuff of 3D printing—filaments that feed the printers—comes from recycled sources.
Students at Auburn University have been building one $20,000 house a year for low-income residents for the last 20 years. This year, they aim to build 8—but in order to meet their goal, they need to raise $160,000. Why don’t you go clean that change out of your car, and kick something in?
Here’s a follow-up to the worldwide sharing economy mapping project from a few issues ago…this one looks at how the mapping actually worked in different cities around the globe.
You’ve heard about the Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership, and have a sneaking suspicion it’s bad for workers, but are not sure why? Check out the executive summary of this new report by the Seattle to Brussels Network that shows how it takes bad US business practices and exports them to the EU.
From Partners
A new post by Economic Policy Institute’s Lawrence Mishel argues that we shouldn’t blame the robots for slow job growth in the last decade. I’m personally terrified whenever someone uses the phrase, “Let’s start from some basic macroeconomics mathematics”, but YMMV.
Organizing Theory
Who needs a supply chain (or a theory of supply chain disruption) if the majority of products are printed-to-order, in-store? Wal-Mart is experimenting with 3D printers in their stores.
If you’re not a lawyer, you may not be aware of this case that the Supreme Court is about to hear…but if you want to organize in the context of agreement elections—you need to learn about UNITE-HERE v. Mulhall.
Geeking Out
The heaviest metal there is? Or maybe the robot really does sing of love… Would you go to see a concert in which the only performers were robots?
This is old, but one of the best things I’ve ever seen–watch Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, one of the first computer programmers, explain what a nanosecond is, to Dave Letterman.
Final Thoughts
“Zombified industries have four telltale signals: a glacial pace of innovation and a lack of new ideas; apathetic customers; dwindling brand equity; and increased marketing investment.”
Umair Haque, The New Capitalist Manifesto