Interesting Links for 25-06-2017

[andrewducker]

The Wheels Come Off Uber (No leadership and no path to profit)

(tags: taxi driving fraud business viaSupergee )

Missouri Votes to Let Employers Fire People Who Use Birth Control

(tags: birthcontrol contraception abortion usa OhForFucksSake )

The tragedy of FireWire: Collaborative tech torpedoed by corporations

I remember seeing a few devices that used it are the time. But it required a separate card in the PC, and so was never going to catch on.
(tags: technology history apple )

Turkey will stop teaching evolution in schools

(tags: evolution turkey education OhForFucksSake )

Here’s What the New Transformers Movie Is Like

(tags: transformers review funny )

Men Legally Allowed to Finish Sex Even If Woman Revokes Consent, NC Law States

(tags: USA law rape )

McDonald's hits all-time high as Wall Street cheers replacement of cashiers with kiosks

(tags: work automation mcdonalds food )

If they say you’re a Red Tory or a Yellow Tory, ask about Corbyn’s welfare cuts

(tags: welfare labour )

I read the plot summary for "Transformers: The Last Knight" and now I feel actively stupider

(tags: movies )

Comments

[lilysea]

McDonald's hits all-time high as Wall Street cheers replacement of cashiers with kiosks

I have mixed feelings about this

- we need more jobs, not less, and if jobs are being automated, we need universal basic income

- automated kiosks can be a godsend for people who have or are
D/deaf and Hard of hearing
autism,
Asperger's,
social anxiety,
selective mutism,
strong Cerebral palsy accent;
stutters,
Depression
and more

- automated kiosks are often not at the right height for wheelchair users to be able to use them, or even if they are at the right height, they often have barriers like benches/counters/bollards preventing a wheelchair user from using the touchscreen

[andrewducker]

UBI FTW

And I love the kiosks. Much more efficient than the old queues were.

[fub]

we need more jobs, not less, and if jobs are being automated, we need universal basic income
I think this is really becoming inevitable. I don't think that's a bad thing.

[cmcmck]

Given the way our own country is going to hell in a handbasket, it seems that there are others heading the same way at a greater pace!

[rmc28]

I saw Transformers: The Last Knight today. That Village Voice article is ... not inaccurate.

[andrewducker]

Deliberately? Or were you concussed and wandered in by mistake?

[rmc28]

Parental obligation. The 10yo was happy.

[dewline]

2. This is abominable.

4. Ditto.

6. Ditto.

7. One more reason for me to not resume buying from that company.

9. Not interesting in that series of movies anyway, unless required for study of VFX animation techniques.

[andrewducker]

There is too much abominable in the world.

[dewline]

Truth.

[anef]

Yup.

[danieldwilliam]

Uber sounds all kinds of messy.

Presumably the same logic that applies to Uber in terms of gaining a monopoly or oligopoly position and supernormal profits also applies to other entrants to the market of mobility as a service.

[andrewducker]

If you actually make the cars then you've got an advantage.

And if you can be the major provider of MAAS then you'll be fine. But I suspect that that monopoly position will be hard to hold on to.

[danieldwilliam]

Making the cars.

Making the software.

Having some market incumbancy effect, a reputation with customers or drivers or both.

Regulatory hurdles.

Access to capital.

But I don't see them presenting much of a long term barrier. There are lots of vehicle manufactures. The software isn't too difficult to make or so rare that you are gonig to be the only person with it (even the autonomous vehicle software). All the regulatory hurdles already exist (except for licensing of autonomy software) and other people manage to hire taxi drivers, bus drivers and van drivers. Capital isn't a huge barrier because you can expand incrementally or you are car manufacturer with an existing capital base. I think the thing that is most up for grabs is some combination of reputation and network effect but given that e.g. Uber are attempting market disruption feels to me that there is a lot up for grabs and other potential suppliers have reputations to carry in to the market. It's not like the market is particularly new or innovation particularly innovative - it's a new way to book a taxi coupled with an old way not to pay people properly. In the future it might become a new way to drive a taxi or a bus.

If you find yourself as the dominant player in a market then you have some incumbancy advantage but the market might be more fragmented then one might suppose. The market size might be city-sized rather than continent-sized. Most cities I know have more than one taxi firm and more than one bus company and some sort of municipal railway or light rail system.