Does Automation Means Zero Jobs and Free Money?

As mentioned in previous posts (2010 and after), we projected that the robots were going to take jobs from our fellow humanoids.


The Questions of the Day
Have any of you heard that this  French politician's proposal- that every adult get £660 a month for free... because ROBOTS are taking over three million jobs?

Interestingly, Elon Musk of Tesla's also concluded the same point in Nov 2016.

Q: Will the cyber money then be produced by robots?

Projection and Prognostication 
Our projection is that there will always be jobs for those who are strategically creative and are willing to take the chance to prevail over the complexity of life.  Whether the actual endpoint of the endeavor beats the odds is a different story.

The first step is having the willingness to not to take things for granted.

The next step is recognizing the matrix of the connectivity that exists behind the order of the grand situation.


The third step is verifying the truth behind the recognition. 

The fourth step is asking whether one has the leadership qualities, the resources and the logistics to meet or exceed  the standards behind the matrix of the connectivity.

The fifth step is to deciding whether one is willing to pursue the challenge. 

Assessing Super Bowl 51 (Scenario Analysis) Updated

Source: Sox and Dawgs

(updated 02.05.17)

Those who are statistical fanatics, would prefer to examine specific data like the ranking of the receivers on 3rd down passing situations (based on the various field positions) and the quantity of knockdowns and sacks in a progression mode from the first game to the 18th game.

For this post, we decided not to dwell into the statistical specifics (the injuries, the quality of opposition, the depth, the offensive efficiency, the defensive efficiency, the individual offensive vs the opposing defensive match-up, the coaching comparisons, etc) of both teams, lets focus on a simple projection of this Super Bowl game.

The Grand Projection

Source: Fox6

Currently, the odds favored the New England to win this Championship game. 


The Pro-Patriots Scenario
Patriots win if the two or more of the following three conditions occurred:

• the Patriots scores first while implementing a slowdown methodical run game that prevents the Atlanta offense from getting on the field;
• the Falcons running backs cannot consistently penetrate toward the 2nd line of the defense; and
• the Falcons passing game is nullified if the Pats pass rush influences the Falcons quarterback.

We are surmising that the Patriot's game plan will be similar to these two following approaches
Approach#1: Influencing the opponent to implement their alternative offensive option
The Bill Belichick's Patriots defended the St Louis Rams by implementing a defensive backs-based defensive approach in 2002. Challenging them to run the ball while preventing them from passing the ball.    

Approach#2: Influencing the opponent to play defense
In 1991, NY Giants defended the Buffalo Bills by keeping their high scoring offense off the field.  They effectively ran the ball into the heart of the Buffalo's defense while preventing the Bills from getting the ball. Bill Belichick was the Giants defensive coordinator who ran a defensive backs-based "bend but don't break" defensive alignment where they dared the Buffalo offense to run the ball because they understood the tendencies of the opposing QB and the limitations of their offensive scheme.

Andre Reed, a former Buffalo Bills player also believes in this possibility.

While Atlanta possesses the capability to play "the comeback and catch up" offense,  we doubted if their defense can dominate the New England's offense.


The Pro-Falcons Scenario 
The Falcons could win as long if they score first and dominates the ball possession time factor by passing the ball and completing intermediate routes and long passes consistently with the tactical approach of numeric mismatches.  The consistency of positive passing will not only spread the opposing offense, but it will stage them to execute inside run plays

Atlanta could surprise New England with a hurry up no huddle offense approach on the first two drives of the game. If they score on both drives and if Patriots offense is not able to respond with their own scores, the NE fans will be expecting a long day.    

If Matt Ryan (Falcons QB) consistently hits his receivers on those intermediate to long routes, we expected Falcons to win. However, if the Pats defense are able to influence Ryan to run and pass or influences the Falcons to execute their run game , their chances to shutting down the Falcons offense increases.

The lynchpin of the Falcons offensive success begins with the center of the offensive line.  ... If the all-pro center Alex Mack is unable to play 100%, the Falcons passing game will falter. ... One can expect the New England's defense's to pressure him to break.  Do not expect the second string player behind Mack to perform in the same level as the starter.  ...  Historically, most second string players are usually unable to play up to that level in a championship game of this magnitude.
 
Predictions of Possible Scenarios
This game is a contest between the top scoring offense vs. the top scoring defense.

If the Falcons takes a minimum of 10 points lead into half time, the advantage favors them. 

If the Patriots takes a minimum of 10 points lead into half time, they will be grinding their opponent by running the ball into the heart of the Falcons defense.

If the game is even or near parity, the special teams on both sides become quite relevant.  Experience-wise, New England has a slight edge in this category.

In this competitive terrain, securing the two second advantage is the name of the game.  Research tells us that both teams have been able to adjust on the fly, especially if the game goes sideways for them.

If the New England Patriots win, the total score will be under 58.5 points.
However, if the Falcons win, the total score will be over 58.5 points (if the game becomes a shootout).

/// If the game did not go overtime, the total points would have been under 58.5.  Final Score:  NE Patriots 32  Atl. Falcons 28 

In summary, the Falcons possesses the grand advantage of winning regardless of the score because of their high powered offense, where the Pats would only prevail in an "under" game.



The Grand Football Maxim
Offense scores and thrills the crowds. Nonetheless, it is always the defense that wins the championships.


Side Notes
Before watching the game, wear your blue or gray hoodie and/or read your copy of Sunzi's Art of War. :)   This might evoke your strategic mind.  ... It might help you in the practice of knowing the next three moves in any endeavor that one pursues.  ... By knowing the next three possible moves, the successful strategist is ahead of the curve.

The Dao of the Smart Economy

The competitiveness factor of the global economy has ascended a few notches upward since the emergence of the Internet.

Those who possessed the near-endless abundance of resources, can afford to err in their endeavor while the rest of the world who possess a finite amount of resources are usually risk-adverse.

They espoused to the masses to push, persist and persevere without telling them about their singular advantage.

How do you prevail over these crafty banshees?


The Suggestion 
Recognize the configuration of your arena before outlining the specific factors that are in play.  Comprehend the strategic state of the matrix that is behind the array of those factors by understanding the measurables behind each factor.

Out of the macro menu of tactical approaches, most people chose the one that is based on these following three points: attainability; realistic in its projected outcome and the timeline that the objective/approach must be completed by.

Based on the arrangement of those specific factors

Be smart, not stupid.

If Most of the Minimum Wage Jobs Were Automated, What Would the Outcome Be?

thefiscaltimes.com

Many days ago, the White House produced a report that the majority of minimum wage jobs will be fulfilled by robots sometime in the future.

Based on the shape and the momentum of this compression economy, do you think that quantity of unemployment will increase?  ... 

Side Note 
The White House staffers could have surfed the Brookings Institute's web site and the Washington Post and got the similar information. 

We have also projected and predicted the same comparable possibility in 2010, 2012 and 2014.

In summary, there is nothing new under the sun.

Defense Wins Championships: Broncos Over Panthers

(updated on 01.08.16  15:55 hrs)

Offense wins the games, sells the tickets and gets the glory but it is the defense that wins the championship.   That meta-cliche is a grand collection of many other similar cliches


Denver Broncos 24   Carolina Panthers 10.


The Bottom Line
The total score of the game went under the projected 45.5 or 46 points.  Those who understand the content of strategic competition and recognize the history of various sporting games, usually wagered on the best defensive teams.

The Details
After that major loss to the Seahawks in 2014's  Super Bowl,  John Elway, the general manager of Denver Broncos believed in the notion that defense wins championship and decided to pursue a slew of defensive players by draft and by free agency.

Other Perspectives 
Click here on this ESPN writer's perceptive on why defense wins championships.

Of course, some people (i.e.,  Freakonomics people, a SB Nation writer , a certain Washington Post reporter etc.)  do not believe in it. I think that they are moderately correct in their logic.

Some statistical professionals have a tendency to look at data from an "absolute outcome" perspective where our associates and I preferred to view and explain the results of events and the output of objects in terms of specificity from the tectonic level.

Defense wins on the long run when it stays consistently positive in all of its games.

The key assessment point is not to lose in playoff games and to study their last six games against high scoring teams.

Click here on the NFL view of that notion.

Click here on our previous projection of the game.

Revising the Cliche 
Offense sells tickets and t-shirts.  But, defense usually win games when it stops opposing offensive drives,  creates turnovers and scoring opportunities for offense.  Doing it consistently wins the Championships.

Does that cliche sounds too long?

Congratulations to the Denver Broncos.


Side Notes
Regardless of the score of the game, the Denver's offense was quite deficient.  Their defense prevented the opposing offense from securing yardage with four man pressures and deceptive blitzes.

They were able to secure short field positions that enabled the offense to score.

Study the stats and the play by play drive.  Assess the context behind the specifics.  One would agree with that the Denver defense saved the offense.

Assessing Super Bowl 50 (Scenario Analysis)

(updated at 11:01 hours)

Some of you are statistical fanatics just like us- where we preferred to examine specific data like the ranking of the receivers on 3rd down passing situation (based on field positions) and the number of knockdowns and sacks in a progression mode from the first game to the 18th game.

For this post, we decided not to dwell into the statistical specifics (injuries, quality of opposition, depth, offensive efficiency, defensive efficiency, the offense vs the opposing defense match-up, the coaching comparisons, etc) of both teams, lets focus on the simple projection of this Super Bowl game.


The Grand Projection
                                 

Source: Euroweb

Currently, the odds favored the Carolina Panthers to win this Championship game. To be victorious, they must score first, score fast and score repeatedly.  Forcing the Broncos to play catchup.  (This scenario would be similar to their NFC Championship game against the Ariz. Cardinals) Their defensive backs are superb enough to neutralize Manning's average passing skills.  ...

If the two or more of the following three conditions occurred:
the Bronco running backs cannot consistently penetrate toward the 2nd line of the defense;
the Bronco QB is throwing ducks; and/or 
the Bronco receivers are dropping passes as usual.

Therefore, the Bronco offense  became one dimensional.  ... In most instances, it then becomes easy for the Panthers pass defenders to anticipate the Bronco's QB's objective. 

In this terrain,  securing the two second advantage is the name of the game.  ... 

Source: Denver.cbslocal.com

Denver Broncos could still win as long if they score first and dominates the ball possession time factor by running the ball and completing short to intermediate passes consistently with the tactical approach of numeric mismatches (similar to the 1991 Super Bowl where the NY Giants dominated the Buffalo Bills by ball control.)   While they do not possess the capability to play "the comeback and catch up" offense,  their defense can dominate and if they change the quarterback for certain tactical situations.

While the Carolina Panthers possesses an above-average running offense, Cam Newton, the Carolina QB has a predictable tendency to throw long.  Whether the Denver Broncos's defense is able to consistently sack him and neutralize him from the game, would be an interesting challenge for them.

Scenarios
If Cam Newton consistently hits Greg Olson, the TE and Ted Ginn on the long passes, we expected Carolina to win. However, if the Broncos defense are able to influence Cam to run and pass, their chances to shutting down the Panther offense increases.  The success of the Panthers offense begins with their running attack.

If the Carolina Panthers takes a minimum of 10 points lead into half time, the game might be over for Denver. They do not possess the comeback game unless they change the quarterback.

If the Broncos takes a minimum of 10 points lead into half time, they will be grinding the opponent by running the ball.

Side note: For this post, we  cannot predict injuries and turnovers because of the lack of insider information.

Predictions of Possible Scenarios
If the Carolina Panthers win, the total score will be over 45.5 points.

If the Denver Broncos win, the total score will be under 45.5 points.

The Panthers could also win on an Under game if the game stays near even and the Denver defense falters during the final quarter or if the Denver offense gives away the game by fumble or interception.

If the game is even or near parity, the special teams on both sides become quite relevant.

In summary, the Panthers possesses the grand advantage of winning regardless of the score where Denver would only win in an "under" game.

Grand Football Maxim
Offense scores and thrills the crowds. Nonetheless, it is always the defense that wins the championships

Side Note
Peyton Manning, the Denver Broncos QB has a tendency of calling two plays during the huddle for any "down and distance" situation.

The two plays could be any of the following combinations:

• pass play, run play ( draw play or draw trap);
• pass play, pass play;
• run play, run play;
• run play, pass play; and   
• run play, play action pass off the fake run. 

Whenever the  "Omaha" signal is broadcasted, he is telling his offense to run the other play instead of the other play.  "Omaha" means "opposite."

Final Thought
Will the Broncos (Horses) prevail in the Year of the Monkey?

Assessing the Game Factors for the Super Bowl Game Before Playing the Risk Game

(minor update: 19:18 hrs)

If you are pondering on wagering on the game, read the following post. Then reflect on it before acting on your decision.

“These are the ways that successful strategists are victorious. They cannot be spoken or transmitted in advance. ... Before the game, they resolve in their conference room that they will be victorious, have determined that the majority of factors are in their favor. Before the game they resolve in their conference room that they will not be victorious, have determined a few factors are in their favor.

If those who find that the majority of factors favor them, will be victorious while those who have found few factors favor them will be defeated, what about someone who finds no factors in their favor?

When observing from this viewpoint, victory and defeat will be apparent.”

- Art of War 1 

source: NY Daily News

By using this season statistics, the football fanatics center on the possible factors on why each team  (The Patriots or The Seahawks) could win this game, before wagering on the game.

While watching some of their previous season games, we were focused on the various categories of match ups and whether each team is able to adjust to the psychological pressure of a high-performance game situation. In our case, we did it while sipping a cup of Dragon Well tea.

New England Offense vs. Seattle's Defense
New England's has a efficient offense with a diverse set of talented players. They possessed a super quarterback (QB), a wide arrays of running back (RB's), a future hall of fame tight ends (TE's) and a group of slightly "above-average" receivers corp. The effectiveness of their passing game is usually focused on the first fifteen yardages from the line of scrimmage. 

The New England's running game is consisted of many talented game changers that Seattle has to spend an abundance of time concluding which running back will get the majority of runs and how they will handle New England's up tempo, no huddle approach. (There is nothing more lethal than a 250 lb tailback who runs angry.)

Seattle usually runs a simple defensive "bend but don't break" scheme that rushes four linemen at the opposing quarterback. Beside base zone coverage, it also includes a Cover-3 formation that is designed to prevent the opposing offense from utilizing a long vertical pass play. 

We expected the Seattle's cornerbacks to physically contain and cover the New England's wide receivers within the first 10 to 15 yards of space  

If the Seattle's strong safety (SS)  plays tight to the box (the first ten yards of space from the defensive side of the line of scrimmage) , the viewers should expect the New England Patriots TE to run a medium pass pattern. In most cases, we do not expect the Seattle's linebackers to properly cover him due to his explosive speed and his range. Simultaneously we believed that the Seattle's defense backs would not be able to contain him from catching the ball because of his size.

Expect the Seattle defense to attempt to strip the ball from the ball carrier while utilizing certain containment and coverage plays to remove New England's game changers during gametime.

In the red zone, New England's offense will consider the mismatch of TE  vs. the under-sized safety. 

  
Seattle Seahawks Offense vs. New England Defense
The strength of Seattle's offense is running the ball up the middle with different tactical variations.   Using that set of plays to stage the read option or vice-versa.  

The Seattle team has also successfully mastered the read option quite well that it has become a near-automatic yard-gainer . 

However, we expected that the New England Patriots defense to have already mastered the keys to neutralizing that specific approach. Expect the defensive ends and outside linebackers to punish the Seattle quarterback each time he decides to run the ball.  Do not be surprised if Seattle changes their offensive keys for the purpose of misdirecting the defensive play callers.

As long as the ratio of running the ball is greater than the passing the ball, Seattle will prevail. 

Seattle WR's are slightly above average at best. They play well within their offensive scheme while not possessing a long bomb threat.  New England's defense should "shutdown" the Seattle receivers with zero problems. 

The "wild card" factors: the QB being spontaneous in chaotic situations, the TE's and the RBs as the receivers.

New England is superb in term of never showing the same defensive formation or alignment during the game. We would not be surprised if Seattle runs a slow tempo, no huddle approach for the purpose of controlling the ball possession. 

Comments From The Compass Desk 
In most games, a team is always one injury away from losing its initial competitive disposition. (Seattle has a few players that are slightly hurt.) 

Remove the offensive and/or defensive game changer's from each team, their performance immediately drops  

Always attack the position when the starting player being replaced by a reserve player for the obvious reason. It is quite rare that the reserve player has the game experience or the athletic prowess of the starter.

Regardless that Coach Belichick is one of the best coaches in preparing a team to play a highly pressured game. Occasionally, he would implement various unorthodox tactics just to un-nerve the competition. We expected him to run a gadget play or two that might surprise the Seattle's defense.  Most likely, he spent many days ago, studying the Seattle's losses especially against Dallas and San Diego. 

Seattle utilizes a simple game approach that is focused on out-executing the opponent while New England fluid game approach is centered on out-strategizing and out-executing their competitors.

Subverting the opposing defense to the act of thinking and reacting is what New England's offense based on.  Influencing the decision makers to make poor decisions is the highest form of the competitive strategy game. 

While Seattle's defense executes a "bend and don't break" tactical approach, their linebackers (LBs) and SS will not be able to pass-cover NE's TEs unless they knock him out. The LBs have the difficult job of deciding whether to defend the pass or the run.  If they are stacked 6 or more in the box, The pass play is on. ... If they stacked 5 or less players in the box, The run play is on.  Forcing the linebackers and the SS to play the guessing game could disrupt the psychological continuity of the defense.  

Based on schedules, Seattle has the advantage of playing and prevailing over a higher quality of competition while the New England played in a "soft" division and a moderately less tougher schedule this past season.

It would be interesting if Seattle's implements a successful trick play that "shocks and awes" the New England's defense. (Gadget plays is not the norm of the Seattle's team.  They did surprised Green Bay in the January 2015's NFC championship game) with a fake field goal.

We think that the game is going to be a defensive battle and that both teams are able to play "shut down" defense in the red zone.  Therefore, we expected the kickers on both sides to be busy.

If New England takes the initial lead and wins the game, then the possibility of a high-scoring game would be quite relevant. However, if Seattle takes the initial lead and wins the game, then the possibility of a low-scoring game would be quite relevant. No one really knows.  The game must be played.  

We expected that the game referees to let the players play.  There would be very little penalty calling unless it is obvious and blatant.   ... In some cases, the noise factor might favor the Seattle team.

#

After studying the stats and the projected match-ups, we projected the total score for this game to be lower than 47 points.  Click here on the latest spread on this game.


Latest update (19:18 hrs)

New England Patriots  28   Seattle Seahawks 24

In a game of near parity and inches, neutralizing the opponent's strength while capitalizing on their errors is the dao to victory.  

Free Safety Malcolm Butler intercepted the QB pass at the end zone which preserved the victory for the New England  Patriots.

In the field of observation, chance has always favored the mindfully prepared.   ... The successful strategists have always believed that victory loves the prepared.  ... In summary, the "prepared players" factor have always decided the game winner. ... 

Click here for the non-obvious reason why the Patriots won.

#

Minor Points  
Retrospectively, the gist behind any victory begins with "the will of the mind (xin-yi)."  


The ranking of the "will" practice (from an ascending order): 

• the will to be centered;
• the will to prepare; 
• the will to perform, to persist and to endure;  
• the will to win; and 
• the will to restart the process. 

###

The Latest IPTV and OTT Trends

It has been awhile that we have posted anything relevant on IPTV.  Since 2009-2010, we saw this trend coming.  


Dawn of Ultrafast Broadband Era
Live Trading News
G.fast is set to be very important, particularly as service providers look to provide services such as IPTV at 500 to 1000 Mbps. As G.fast moves forward, the ...

Parks Associates forecasts 4K future
IPTV News
New research from Parks Associates finds more than 46 million households worldwide will subscribe to a 4K UHD pay-TV service by 2018. Pay-TV providers will ...

Gartner: Dominance of pay-TV masks VoD growth
Advanced Television
It is, and will be, complementary to traditional pay-TV services such as cable TV, satellite TV or IPTV. Yet, consumers will increasingly spend less in additional ...

Growth of Pay TV Subscribers and Channels Propels the Global Pay ...
Newswire Today (press release)
The demand for pay TV video encoders is on the rise, with cable, Internet protocol TV (IPTV) and satellite companies requiring these products to get consumers ...


Global pay TV market to generate USD 268 bln in 2014
Telecompaper (subscription)
The IPTV market share grew over 1 percentage point year-over-year. Competition in the global pay TV market is growing with the rapid evolution of IPTV and ...


Set-top box market hits $4.8 billion 2Q14; market seeing "mixed ...
MarketWatch
The report also tracks telco IPTV and cable and satellite video subscribers. Vendors tracked: ADB, Apple, Arris, Changhong, Cisco, Coship, DVN, Echostar, ...


Spain: Multi-play packages lead pay-TV growth
Advanced Television
Most of Spaniards watch TV through DTT, 82.7 per cent, followed by cable and IPTV with 13.2 per cent and satellite with 4.1 per cent. Spaniards spent an ...

Streaming devices proliferate in fiber broadband homes, study says
FierceOnlineVideo
While Calix, a unified access services provider, developed the whitepaper to discuss options for IPTV providers such as gateways, the plethora of connected ...

Half of Brits ditching TV guide for time-shifted telly
IPTV News
The latest study and statistics from Virgin Media have revealed technology is transforming the way the nation watches television. Data from over 2.3 million ...

Measuring virtual set-top box success by service velocity & sub growth
IPTV News
Set-top box virtualization should increase service velocity and subscriber reach for pay-TV operators while simultaneously reducing capex and opex, according ...


Italy: mobile broadband drives telecom market growth as manda ...
WhaTech
The segment is also suffering from the near-nonexistence of a triple-play market, given the lack of IPTV offerings and the dominance in pay-TV of DTH player Sky ...

Content is king as telco prepares push into internet television
The Australian
As part of its IPTV refresh, Mr Teoh said TPG would invest in “popular television content”, including movies and possibly big-ticket sports events. The move is an ...

Almost half US households have connected console
IPTV News
46% of US broadband households have a game console connected to the Internet and over one-quarter (28%) use the connected gaming console as their ...


Ixonos: “There hasn't been innovation in TV ads for 50 years”
IPTV News
IP&TV News: How significant do you think the present is to the evolution and advertising and why? Roope Suomalainen: Advertising is globally a huge business: ...

What content shortage? Most top movies ARE available online
IPTV News
The vast majority of the most popular films and television shows are legally available online for US audiences, according to a new study from KPMG.

World Consumer Electronics Market 2014 - 2018 Research Report
PR Newswire UK (press release)
Average annual growth of 6.8% between 2014 and 2018 is forecast for the IPTV STB sector. The TVs market (Televisions) is on the road to UHD and OLED with ...

Set-top viewers to monitor trends
The Australian
The company, which collects data from the 35,000 subscriber households to its FetchTV IPTV product, will rank the programs people are viewing on its set-top ...

Cloud Computing Stocks; Cloud services market is expected to grow ...
InvestorIdeas.com (press release)
... transformative multi-screen video services through an open, cloud-based, intelligent software platform trusted by cable, IPTV and mobile operators globally.

Study offers 'anatomy of the spoiler'
IPTV News
The rise of OTT has been inevitably accompanied with the rise of the spoiler. Nowadays, people increasingly get into TV series in their own time, and ...

55% of US broadband households subscribe to OTT service
IPTV News
Fifty-five percent of US broadband households subscribe to an OTT video service, opening up new opportunities for cloud solutions, according to Parks ...

Jeff Kagan: Can Cable TV Survive?
Equities.com
Then the large telephone companies jumped in with their IPTV services. This was the first type of service that used the new technology and the Internet to ...

If Your Job Became Automated Today, What is Your Next Move? (A Pragmatic Analysis to the "Living Wage" Protest)

Fast Food Self-Ordering Replaces Cashiers Video

(updated at 1118 hrs) 

Cause and Effect
Protests and walkouts are taking place around the world where the fast food workers were "demanding" a "living wage" ($15/hr).  

Some people have claimed that this action accelerated the adoption of this technology.  It is coming. ...  McDonalds Europe purchased 7000 touch screen cashiers in 2011. 

Click here on a previous "living wage" protest.

Automating Fast Food 
Robots are slowly taking over the jobs in the fast food restaurants and the other low paid labor niches. ... We predicted that this trend of fast food eateries replacing their human  workers with robots  in 2010.  

thefiscaltimes.com

Do not be surprised if some of your favorite fast food eateries are preparing to employ a conveyor belt type of machine to serve their products.  ... 

Mobile technology is also slowly changing the restaurant terrain.  It was only a matter of time that this niche is going to be automated. 

The Perspective
Since the costs of health care and employees benefit are rising, the smart employers are taking initiative to reduce costs while increasing their revenues. 

To be operationally efficient,  the implementation of robotics and data automation are some of their current choices. Idealistically, it could start by deploying a robot who does the work of 10-20 employees, one employee to check on the performance of the robot's and a part time employee to maintain the operating standard of the robot.  Some people might not like this example but this is the future.

The negative side of most macro technological advances is that more jobs are being destroyed than the number of jobs that are created.  The after-effects of the zero-sum economy continue to burn the lower end of the 99%.

The robots and the drones are also taking over other avenues of blue collar work. 

The Foxcom Conversion
In 2011, Foxcom, the chief manufacturer of Apple iPhone knew the days of human labor were numbered and decided to pursue the route of the robotics.  Early this year, they announced that they were moving  their capital-intense manufacturing projects  to the USA.


Interestingly Google is helping them in amplifying their robotic process.

Automation Rules 
According to Alibaba.com, going into 2013 78% of the 600 U.S. small business owners surveyed plan to automate to cut costs and streamline operations, 49% plan to create a new e-commerce website and 87% do not plan to hire additional employees. This tends to show that small business owners are seeking ways to operate within the difficult economic climate.

63% Expect the Economy to Remain Unchanged or Weaken Further
It would seem that with the majority of small business owners that were surveyed by Alibaba.com stating that they expect the economy to stay the same (33%) or worsen (30%) in 2013, that their optimism about their own business revenue for 2013 would suffer. But, that was not the case. Of the 600 small business owners that were surveyed, only 21% expect lower revenue, while 46% actually expect an increase in revenue (the remaining 33% are uncertain). This supports the reputation of small business owners and entrepreneurs being eternally optimistic and always looking for ways to make lemonade when given lemons.
Source: docstoc.com

Click here for more stats,  As mentioned before, this is the beginning of the end for the low end jobs. 

Before you decide to automate your business, spend some time assessing the configuration of your situation.  Identify the possible problems and the obstacles. Then, determine whether you have the resources to adjust to that specific situation. It would be a smart move on your part.

The After Effects
Think about it, when the utilization of machines becomes the operational norm of the working world, where would the "real" blue collar jobs be? ... Do you think that the economic value chain becomes shorter?

Connect this dot of information with this dot.  Continue the connection  process with this dot, this dot and this dot. Now, look at the Big Tangible Picture.

After identifying the specifics of your position, connect it to all of the above-mentioned dots. Finally, ask yourself, are you currently ahead or behind the "social-economic" curve?

Click here on a MIT's view of how the technology will replace the majority of the blue collar jobs in the global economy.


Second Thoughts
What would happen to the immigrants who are holding those jobs now?

Retrospectively. do you really care?

The Compass Solution

To stay ahead of the "robotic and outsourcing" curve,  one focuses on becoming "innovative and inventive."  While being aware of one's own settings and beyond,  focus on one particular act of inefficiency and ask these two questions - can that task be optimized?  Based on the given data, what is the best approach for minimizing the timeline and the resources?

The other approach is to anticipate the inefficiency by others and to capitalize on it.

Stay centered, observe quietly and learn.  

Have a good weekend.