[ExI] retrainability of plebeians

[Rafal Smigrodzki]

On Tue, Apr 21, 2009 at 10:55 AM, Lee Corbin <lcorbin at rawbw.com> wrote:
>
> In your scenario the phenomenon is magnified. Yes,
> there are still some things that completely unskilled
> labor can do---it's nice to have someone sit behind
> the desk at a motel, or to have effusive and charming
> "greeters" at the totally automated Wal-Mart. But
> the rich, i.e. those of the people who have skills
> so refined that the machines can't yet cope, very
> likely have no use for the hoi-polloi, and really
> don't want them around.
>
> Therefore, I claim, this is why few will be willing
> to hire, and that freely given charity will be rampant.

### I would say charity might become exponential (more below).

-------------------------
>
> What about a sudden advent of affordable matter compilers?
> The prosperous among us shell out the $100,000 for one
> and suddenly the services of 60% of the population are
> no longer needed by the prosperous. Exactly why couldn't
> that happen (ignoring its improbability, i.e., taken
> as a purely theoretical possibility)?
>
### Cool, I am relieved to discuss matter compilers again! :)

OK, so what if you have a 100,000$ matter compiler that can turn chaff
into wheat buns with chocolate, and garbage into .... let's say,
another matter compiler. What happens to the price of the compilers?
(let's for now set aside the question of IP protection for
simplicity's sake, and not mention using compilers to blow up stuff)

After making some chocolate for yourself you would make a compiler
each for your wife, and kids, just to keep them out of your hair. The
kids would make compilers for their friends, who would make compilers
for their parents. If the effective doubling rate of compiler-making
is 1 day, in just 33 days everybody will have a compiler, for free.

One might argue that this would result in "unemployment" but not in
angry mobs of hungry desperados storming the strongholds where Dagon
envisions us ruthless libertarian overlords trying to hide from the
anger of the oppressed.

Rafal