tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post6074203160876883083..comments2023-10-25T05:30:54.507-04:00Comments on Oh Get A Grip!: John Henry's Days Are NumberedAshe Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390519279886657608noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-64188024256419158132014-03-31T08:52:20.689-04:002014-03-31T08:52:20.689-04:00I think what was so glamorous about it to me was t...I think what was so glamorous about it to me was the independence and empowerment of it. It seemed so self-sufficient. Also, I liked the machines (the sound of the typewriter, the punch of the postage meter going off and all that). <br /><br />I'm sure you're right about the seamstresses. I like to entertain myself by trying to figure out what things that we take for granted now are likely to change in just the same way.Annabeth Leonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07455191827664110878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-79929812055477253682014-03-29T21:29:13.942-04:002014-03-29T21:29:13.942-04:00I welcomed word processors because they meant neve...I welcomed word processors because they meant never having to use white-out (or retype entire pages), but I was never more than a mediocre typist and had no hope of making a living at it. Of course the ease of writing with word processors also made it easier for people to write work to submit for publication, and I've heard (or read) it said that we now seem to have more would-be writers than readers for that reason, and more badly-written work as well.Sacchi Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10801164916418570059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-7643078740340069772014-03-29T21:02:44.721-04:002014-03-29T21:02:44.721-04:00Annabeth, that comment makes my day! When I was pa...Annabeth, that comment makes my day! When I was part of what I still think of as the Culture of the Typing Pool, the work wasn't usually exciting, but it was always available. It was a comfort to know that if/when I needed a job (esp. in the gov't town where I've spent most of my life), all I had to do was ask around, and I could be pounding a keyboard and/or sitting at the reception desk in a government office within days. At the time, I thought the general typing pool (or typing ocean) would never dry up. I assume the professional seamstresses of the 19th century (when sewing was a widespread skill among women, and in widespread demand) thought the same.Jean Robertahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08805088081675965859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-28459668749423948992014-03-29T11:38:37.801-04:002014-03-29T11:38:37.801-04:00I'm sad about this class of jobs drying up par...I'm sad about this class of jobs drying up partly because it was this pool of labor that became some of the first computer programmers. I've done some writing on the history of technology and it's strange to see how the meaning of computer programmer changes from women out of typing pools to a bunch of young men (and the pay and level of value afforded to the work also changes). <br /><br />As a kid, I worshiped women who worked as clerks and typists. It seemed like the most awesome job to me, and I still envy the way older women in my family could just go find that kind of work when they needed to. <br /><br />I suppose that makes me one of the whippersnappers Daddy referred to...Annabeth Leonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07455191827664110878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-78724668423448290102014-03-28T23:22:05.135-04:002014-03-28T23:22:05.135-04:00From what I see with the young whippersnappers (he...From what I see with the young whippersnappers (hehehehe, in a walter Brennan affectation) and their machines these days make me wonder if even physical contact will get to be passé. Jeez- hope not!Daddy Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12927663248424944119noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-75709639013199573222014-03-28T22:55:16.237-04:002014-03-28T22:55:16.237-04:00Hi Jean!
I've been thinking about John Henry ...Hi Jean!<br /><br />I've been thinking about John Henry these days. I was reading a short story by Richard Matheson called "Steel" which was also a Twilight Zone episode about a man who battles a boxing robot in the ring and is demolished in all but spirit.<br /><br />Our jobs, typist and so on are definitely being taken by machines even as our population increases. I think this could cause a real crisis in the future.<br /><br />GarceGarceushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11160407485298015371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-65690770643609356042014-03-28T22:54:55.296-04:002014-03-28T22:54:55.296-04:00Ah, Jean - a worthy conclusion to two lively weeks...Ah, Jean - a worthy conclusion to two lively weeks. Will we all be replaced? Even as sexual companions? (see Garce's offering)<br /><br />I'm an optimist, so I think we humans will always have a niche. And if I'm wrong, I probably won't live to see it.Lisabet Saraihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05162514190572269660noreply@blogger.com