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posted by janrinok on Monday November 21 2016, @02:53AM   Printer-friendly
from the so-long,-farewell! dept.

UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) released a policy brief [PDF] about the impact of automation in developed and developing countries.

"The share of occupations that could experience significant automation is actually higher in developing countries than in more advanced ones, where many of these jobs have already disappeared, and this concerns about two thirds of all jobs"

[...] Much of the debate on the economic impacts of robots remains speculative, it says.

"Disruptive technologies always bring a mix of benefits and risks," the paper says, noting that by embracing the digital revolution, developing countries could use robots to open up new opportunities.


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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Thexalon on Monday November 21 2016, @04:03AM

    by Thexalon (636) on Monday November 21 2016, @04:03AM (#430323)

    When you pay $40 for a shirt, the person who sewed it (typically a teenaged girl in a Third World country) gets maybe 50 cents. You pay far more for the legal right to put the words "Ralph Lauren" on the label somewhere than you do for the labor of the person doing the actual work of stitching those words onto the shirt.

    Also, if you're paying $40 for a shirt, you are overpaying, by a lot.

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  • (Score: 2) by Snotnose on Monday November 21 2016, @04:10AM

    by Snotnose (1623) on Monday November 21 2016, @04:10AM (#430325)

    Also, if you're paying $40 for a shirt, you are overpaying, by a lot.

    Decent shirts cost $40 minimum, else you're buying crap that falls apart in a year or two. I tend to buy Reyn Spooner shirts that are $60-$80 to buy, but I've got some that are 20 years old. Granted, the old ones are Christmas shirts than I wear 2 months out of the year. But the Reyn Spooner shirts tend to last for years.

    --
    Why shouldn't we judge a book by it's cover? It's got the author, title, and a summary of what the book's about.
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 21 2016, @05:21AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 21 2016, @05:21AM (#430360)

      Heeeellll naaaawwww. I've got 5 dollar t shirts that are 10 years old. The only clothes I spend more than 20$ an item for are jeans and khakis, because the cheaper ones don't fit well.

    • (Score: 2) by mcgrew on Monday November 21 2016, @07:09PM

      by mcgrew (701) <publish@mcgrewbooks.com> on Monday November 21 2016, @07:09PM (#430754) Homepage Journal

      I'd rather pay $10-20 every ten years than fifty every twenty.

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      mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org
    • (Score: 2) by urza9814 on Wednesday November 23 2016, @10:55PM

      by urza9814 (3954) on Wednesday November 23 2016, @10:55PM (#432192) Journal

      Decent shirts cost $40 minimum, else you're buying crap that falls apart in a year or two. I tend to buy Reyn Spooner shirts that are $60-$80 to buy, but I've got some that are 20 years old. Granted, the old ones are Christmas shirts than I wear 2 months out of the year. But the Reyn Spooner shirts tend to last for years.

      See, I always have the exact opposite experience. I spend $100 on a pair of pants, wear it once a week, it starts to fall apart in a year or two. I spend $30 on a pair of pants, wear it two or three times a week, four years later it still looks brand new!

      Shoes...bought a cheap pair of Timberlands, they made it four years before the sole starting falling off; they're still usable with a bit of glue. Replaced them with a much more expensive pair of Alfanis, which lasted all of two weeks before they started getting holes in them!

      Every time I spend real money on clothes I regret it. Every time I buy the cheapest garbage I can find it's practically immortal.

      For shirts, you can usually pick up a Van Heusen for around $20 at whatever department store -- I think the MSRP is a bit higher but they seem to be eternally on sale. I've got a couple of those that I've worn once or twice a week, every week, for five years. So far they show no signs of wear at all. You probably wouldn't want to wear one with a full suit, but for business casual they're excellent.

  • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Monday November 21 2016, @11:48AM

    by Phoenix666 (552) on Monday November 21 2016, @11:48AM (#430448) Journal

    Go to Century 21 or the clearance table at Macy's and you can get those designer label shirts for $5. No clothing is worth paying full retail price. If you must have a hand-tailored suit, go to a place like Hoi An in Vietnam. You can get a great suit hand-made there for $30-50, and they do it in a fin-de-siecle French style (the tailors of Hoi An supplied the colonial French officers) you can't get anywhere else. As an extra bonus there are fantastic beaches at Hoi An.

    --
    Washington DC delenda est.
    • (Score: 2) by mcgrew on Monday November 21 2016, @07:17PM

      by mcgrew (701) <publish@mcgrewbooks.com> on Monday November 21 2016, @07:17PM (#430763) Homepage Journal

      You're not a math major, are you? A visit to Viet Nam is FAR more expensive than any tailor in your own city, especially what it will cost to return to Viet Nam for tailoring.

      I had a tailored shirt once, in Thailand in 1974 when I was in the USAF. A tailored shirt fits so well that if you gain or lose more than a pound (1/2kg) you'll need to see the tailor again. Me, I wear blue jeans and tee shirts (and flannel in the winter) exclusively. Cheap, comfortable, and once they start to wear, thieves won't think I have a pocket full of money and a $700 Samsung phone (which I don't).

      Oh, the shirt in Thailand? A hundred and fifty bhat, or eight bucks.

      --
      mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org
      • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Monday November 21 2016, @09:10PM

        by Phoenix666 (552) on Monday November 21 2016, @09:10PM (#430834) Journal

        No, it doesn't pay to go to a place like Hoi An just to get clothes. But if you happen to be in an area where they do such a thing, as you did in your very example, then you can save a lot of money. Or if you're planning on taking a vacation somewhere, you could do worse than Hoi An, a lovely town with lovely beaches, lovely people, and tasty food; while you're there, get some suits made.

        Alterations can be done by a tailor at home, later, in case you eat too many fish grilled in banana leaves.

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        Washington DC delenda est.
  • (Score: 2) by mcgrew on Monday November 21 2016, @07:04PM

    by mcgrew (701) <publish@mcgrewbooks.com> on Monday November 21 2016, @07:04PM (#430750) Homepage Journal

    50¢? No, she gets WAY less than that. Did you know that when you buy a box of corn flakes, the farmer gets about three cents for the corn it's made from?

    As to technology taking away jobs, it's been happening since the industrial revolution. There are few blacksmiths and farriers these days, because there are few horses. Instead of an army of men with shovels, we have backhoes and front end loaders. You've surely heard the story of John Henry?

    Before and during WWII, a computer was a human being who did math for the military and large corporations and science. In 1900, 97% of Americans worked on farms. Today, most of farming is now automated.

    All those jobs and more are gone now and I say "good riddance".

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    mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org