Just how talented ARE today's robots?

As I've mentioned recently, the more I look into the world of future jobs, the more I read and hear about robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) taking over jobs now done by humans.  We are all familiar with sci-fi robots like R2D2, C3P0, and the Terminator.  But just how crazy are the robots out there in the real world?  Here are several different types of robots that are functional and in development right now.  You'll notice that a lot of them mimic animals of various types.  Does the world really need a robot shark?  Definitely not near good surf breaks, but I'm sure various military and intelligence agencies have uses for it. 

It's funny that a robot chef now exists, but we still don't have smoke detectors that automatically order a pizza when you burn dinner.  That one seemed obvious to me.  I'm sure someone will market it soon.

How Simon Sinek found his "Why?"

I ran across one of Simon Sinek's TED talks about two weeks ago.  I've been listening to lots of his talks since.  Simple yet powerful.  If you figure out why you do what you do, you'll work your ass off at it.  And you'll very likely succeed in ways measurable and immeasurable. 

Why do you do what you do?  

I write, blog, and do art to bring me in contact with new people and old friends.  Once I've met them, then I can share what I've learned about life after being homeless for years and having life stripped down to its barest essentials.  I love helping people figure out what they want to do next in life.

The Start of a Real Big Goal

Here's well known scientist Dr. Michio Kaku with his thoughts on what humans jobs will disappear and what jobs will continue to be done by humans.

Back in 2003, I had just started driving a taxi again when the company I worked for took out the CB radios and put in a computer dispatching system.  Literally over night, the entire industry changed.  The change in technology made it impossible to make a good living as a taxi driver.  Later came Uber and Lyft, driving more coffin nails into the taxi world.  Self-driving cars will deal it another death blow in the years to come.

But technology changing industries and taking over jobs formerly done by humans is not new.  The same thing has happened to millions and millions of other jobs in recent decades.  Experts project 6% of today's jobs will be taken over by robotics, artificial intelligence (A.I.), or some other form of new technology by 2021.  That's over 9 MILLION jobs lost in the next 5 years.   Another report says 47% of human jobs will be replaced in the next 20 years.  That adds up to over 72 million jobs lost by the time today's toddlers graduate college.

I had already come to the conclusion that I needed to create my own job here in North Carolina.  I just couldn't find a "real job," despite a wide variety of experience in my life.  As I looked deeper into this issue, I realized just how devastating these tech-related job losses will be to our society.  I also realized that very few people are really looking at this huge issue.  There are three ways people are addressing this huge issue.

1.  Ignore it.  Most people don't realize how big this job loss is going to be, and how catastrophic its impact will be on the United States, and other nations.  If we ignore this issue, it could honestly lead to the end of civilization as we know it.  Really.

2.  Universal Basic Income.  The majority of people talking about this issue are from the high tech world.  They see the writing on the wall, and understand how serious this loss of millions of jobs will be.  Most of these people are backing the idea of 'universal basic income."  That means every single person in the country would get a check, with an amount around the poverty level, each month.  This would pull a lot of people out of abject poverty, and people could work to earn higher incomes.

Personally, I see this idea enabling millions of people to get high and play video games all day.  Yes, a lot of people would be helped.  But it would also likely lead to more widespread drug and alcohol addiction, and a lot of people would still live in poverty because of poor role models in their life which would lead to poor life choices.

To make universal basic income happen, the Republicans and Democrats would have to work together, raise taxes on the wealthy and well-to-do, and pass a huge law that most people will see as a Socialist policy.  I don't see that happening anytime soon.

3.  Raise income of low wage jobs.  Urbanist and economic development expert Richard Florida says we need to make the millions of low pay service jobs into better paying jobs.  Again, this would help millions of people, and is a good idea.  But this would take the Republicans and Democrats of the U.S. working together to pass a huge law that's in the best interest of the people, but not the politicians.  Again, I don't see this happening any time soon.

Those are the three main ways people are looking at to deal with the huge, long term, issue of technology replacing TENS of MILLIONS of human jobs.

I propose a 4th way to deal with this issue.  Let's take our economy, and future job losses, into our own hands, and bring back the idea of American Ingenuity.  I say we encourage Americans to start millions of new businesses in the next 25 years.

Here's the goal I propose:

Encourage Americans create 100 million new businesses by the year 2043. 

From now on, I will use money made from my artwork to help promote this idea.  I will use money made from my writing to help promote this idea.  This is what I'm working towards, a future where most Americans run their own businesses, like Americans did early in our history when most people were either farmers of craftspeople.

This is my focus for the next 25+ years.  I could use your help.  You can help support me by buying my creative work.  You can share this idea in your networks of people.  You can start a small business of your own.  You can help another person who's starting a business.  You can buy the products and services of small and new businesses in your area.

Oh... and you can help make sure your kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, and younger people everywhere will be able to find meaningful work and make a good living in the future.

Are you with me?

#100millionby2043

Robot arm versus Samurai Sword Master

I ran across this video a month or so ago.  Since I blogged yesterday about how robotics will take over lots of human jobs in the coming years, its wise to see just how good robotics can be.  I first saw a sword master cutting rolled bamboo mats as a kid in person.  It's freakin' amazing how good these guys (and gals) are, and how sharp and strong a katana is.  But this clip blew my mind.  I give the flower cut to the swordmaster.  But the pea pod cut is just plain amazing. 

A couple of lessons here:  Don't piss off a Japanese kendo master or a blue robotic arm holding a katana.  The longer term lesson is, if a robotic arm can be this precise, what jobs won't it be able to do in our future world?

The Crazy Future of the Work World

It's a bit sad that this 4-year-old TED talk by Mr. McAfee is still one of the best takes on where the work world is heading and the challenges we all face because of these changes.

Here are some facts about what's happening now and in the future:

According to the August 2017 Bureau of Labor Statistics info, there are 238, 331, 000 Americans (who are not "institutionalized") over the age of 16.  35.6% of these people are not working.  This includes retired people and other categories in addition to people unable to find work.

There are 153,439,000 people working in the U.S.

The teen unemployment rate is 13.9%

 7.1 million people are officially unemployed, and 448,000 more are considered "discouraged workers."

No one really has any idea how many underemployed people there are in the U.S., though an estimate of 30 million has been tossed around a lot.

6% of current jobs are projected to be replaced by new technology by 2021.  That's about 9,206,340 more people unemployed in the next five years.

47% of jobs are projected to be replaced by robotics, artificial intelligence, and other new tech in the next 20 years.  To put that in perspective, if you have a toddler right now, there will be about 72,163,330 LESS jobs when they graduate college than there are right now.  Really. 

 This trend is causing many highly intelligent people to push the idea of a "guaranteed minimum income" for every person, paid for by the government.  Think we can get the Republicans and Democrats to agree on that one in the next few years?  Me neither.

As most of my Facebook friends know, I've been struggling to find a viable way to make a living since I came to North Carolina in November 2008.  I've stood in lines of 2,500 people to hand a resume' to be added to a huge stack of resume's by people much more qualified for the handful of jobs open.  Several times I dove into online job boards, applying for jobs at local restaurants and any other thing available so I could "just get a job" like everyone here kept telling me.  I got one reply from a local fast-food place, and the manager changed her mind when she saw me. I have three solid years of restaurant work in my background.  But I'm now over 50, fat (thought losing weight big time), have bad teeth, and my last career was as a taxi driver.  Those things seem to make me completely unemployable here.

I've been blogging since I came to NC, and looked into ways to make money doing that.  But most "make money blogging" affiliate marketing programs involve getting people to buy an over-priced ebook about how to make money by selling over-priced ebooks.  So I didn't do that.

Instead, the entrepreneurial side of me, that was born in the action sports world in California, went to work.  I started reading about how technology was changing our world, particularly our business world.  I started attending the University of YouTube, watching all kinds of videos by the fairly small number of people who really understand aspects of this huge change we're all going through.  I started self-educating.  Out of that came the one thing that has made me some money over the last year, my artwork.  It hasn't made me much, but I'm making steady progress at it.

Most important, I was finally able to make at least a little income, something that seemed nearly impossible since I landed in the Triad region of NC where my family wound up living.  My years in the action sports world, writing for magazines, and working on TV crews mean nothing here.

While I draw pictures in my unique style to earn what I can, I'm going to also be looking deeper into the future of jobs, meaningful work, and the ways we can deal with this huge social changes led by new technology.  There just aren't enough people focusing on this huge issue right now, and raising awareness is one thing I can do right now as I search for solutions and ways to deal with a very uncertain future.

What bothers you about where the work world is headed?  Let me know.

Work is changing... FAST

I don't have kids of my own, like many of you do.  But I do have young family members who will be starting their working careers soon.  Above you see my four-legged niece Willow Belle, my smart, baseball-playing nephew Ethan, and my lovely and talented niece Katherine.  Ethan just started high school and Katherine just started college.

Five short years from now, as Ethan heads into college and Katherine heads into the career world, there will be about 9,206,340 LESS jobs in the U.S. than there are right now.  Really.  Those are jobs projected to be taken by robotics, artificial intelligence, and other technology by 2021.  Don't believe me?  Watch the CNBC clip below.  No one knows how we will find work for those left unemployed by tech, and any future economic downturns.  Are your kids ready for this?  It's a good time to think about that.






Willow, being a very affectionate dog, doesn't really have to worry.  And she can always get gigs as a Jerry Garcia K9 look-a-like if she does need to work.

Future Shock 2017: Jobs are going bye bye fast

I'm the taxi driver in this video who was taken out by technology, except fatter and with more hair.  From about 2003 to 2007, I worked 7 days a week as a taxi driver, 15 to 18 hours most days.  I lived in my cab because I couldn't afford an apartment, sleeping in it six nights a week and getting a cheap motel room one night.  What did I get for busting my ass as a taxi diver?  A lot of crazy stories.  And I bulked up to 374 pounds, nearly died from MRSA infections, and wound up homeless and panhandling to survive for a year.

I'm not alone.  This kind of thing is happening to millions of people as high tech like robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) improves at an exponential pace.  Most of the taxi drivers here in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where I now live, drive cabs just to get a car to drive around.  They don't even try to make a living at it.  I just talked to one yesterday.  The same is true in cities nationwide.

No matter who you are, no matter what you do for a living, this loss of jobs to technology WILL affect you.  If you don't lose your job to tech, you may lose customers for your business who lost their jobs to tech.  

This little video gives a quick and fairly good look at what is one of the biggest issues facing modern society that is being largely ignored.  How secure does your job seem?

This is the big issue I'm putting my thoughts and effort into as we move forward in what will be a rapidly changing and highly interesting future.