Central Perk: 14 sept. 2013

sâmbătă, 14 septembrie 2013

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Software Robots Eliminate 94.7% of Jobs Needed for Space Launches

Posted: 14 Sep 2013 06:20 PM PDT

It used to take 150 to do a space launch. Now it takes 8 thanks to artificial intelligence at the launch site. That is a 94.7% reduction in the number of jobs.

The BBC reports Japan launches 'affordable' Epsilon space rocket

Japan has launched the first in a new generation of space rockets, hoping the design will make missions more affordable.

The Epsilon rocket is about half the size of Japan's previous generation of space vehicles, and uses artificial intelligence to perform safety checks.

Japan's space agency Jaxa says the Epsilon cost $37m (£23m) to develop, half the cost of its predecessor.

Jaxa said the Epsilon was not only cheaper to produce, but also cheaper to launch than the M-5.

Because of its artificial intelligence, the new rocket needs only eight people at the launch site, compared with 150 people for earlier launches.

Japan's other recent space innovations included sending a talking robot to the International Space Station.

If it can be automated, it will. I am wondering "what cannot be automated?

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

Want to Get on the Disability Gravy Train? There's an App For That!

Posted: 14 Sep 2013 01:48 PM PDT

In response to several recent posts on disability fraud, I received several interesting emails from readers.

Reader Ervin writes ....

Hi Mish,

I have a niece and nephew in their early thirties. Both are perfectly healthy. They have a son with a slight learning disability. The mom got him on disability and then applied for funds to take care of him and got it. Her husband, an Afghanistan vet in supply never saw a moment's action. He worked at a desk. When he came home he applied for disability claiming Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and got on disability. The wife then applied for money to take care of him. She got it. They are also on a long list of other entitlements like welfare.

They bought a new house a little over a year ago and a month ago they both went out and bought two brand new cars! She actually brags about playing the system.

I have no doubt there are hundreds of thousands or millions doing the same thing. Needless to say it boils my blood.

Ervin

There's an App For That!

Want on the disability gravy train? Several readers said to check out Disability Over 50.

We could help you get your benefits approved! Get your FREE, no-obligation evaluation now.

All free evaluations are performed by an experienced social security disability advocate or attorney.

Since when do lawyers do anything for free? Someone has to pay. So who is it?

I wanted to call them, but there is no number, just online forms, then they call you.

Possibly states pay them to get you off welfare and on to disability, or possibly you pay them something if they succeed in getting you on disability.

Either way, there is no one acting on behalf of the taxpayer, to stop fraud.

Incentive For Fraud

I noted in detail how fraud works and why in States Have an Incentive to Promote (Not Stop) Disability Fraud; So How Much Fraud Is There?

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

Weekly Address: Pursuing a Diplomatic Solution in Syria

Featured

Weekly Address: Pursuing a Diplomatic Solution in Syria

President Obama follows up on his speech to the nation on Tuesday and describes the possibility for a diplomatic solution in Syria, partially because of the credible threat of U.S. military force.

Click here to watch this week's Weekly Address.

Learn more about President Obama's response to Syria here.

Seth's Blog : The magic of a spec

The magic of a spec

“If I build this, will it delight you?”

Time spent building a spec that gets a ‘yes’ to this question is always time well spent. The spec describes what victory feels like, not necessarily every element of what's to be built.

A spec is an agreement before the agreement, it moves the difficult job of getting in sync with your client from the end of the process to the beginning.

Creatives of every stripe are so happy to get the assignment, so eager to get to work that we often forget to agree on what we’re setting out to do in the first place. It's fun to nod your head and say, "I understand," but even something as simple as cooking dinner deserves a few more moments of interaction before the knives are sharpened and the oven is turned on.

“I’ll know it when I see it,” is reserved for crown princes, government agencies and well-funded startups. People who can afford to do it twice. Everyone else should use a spec.

I’m not suggesting that there’s no room for exploratory work. Of course there is. But even exploratory work deserves a spec. Don’t tell me the answers in advance, but I certainly want to know the questions.

Writing a spec is a kind of mind reading, which is why it’s so difficult. One half of the partnership has to take the time to not only specifically and precisely write down what’s expected and what the measurements and boundaries are, but then must do the challenging and risky work of engaging with the other half of the team to agree on that spec. Disagreements here are cheap, disagreements later cost a fortune.

The fear, of course, is that the spec will end the project, that without a lot of sunk costs on the table, a spec alone is too easy to renege on. In my experience, the most successful freelancers are also the most successful spec writers. Yes, there's some risk in clearly and vividly making your promises while the client/partner/boss still has time to back out. But professionals take that risk every day.

I have no doubt that one could have boiled down the spec for the Taj Mahal to, “a big white marble house” but somehow, I don’t think it would have ended as well.