While researching additional material for my blogpost on the "Dystopian Workplace of the Future," I came across news interviews with Edward Hess on his new book Learn or Die. He sees a very big change in the workplace of the future with many routine jobs currently held by humans being replaced by technology.
He offers a critical critique of human's natural tendency toward lazy mental processes. Columbia University Press has provided a series of videos summarizing the main point of several chapters. I've linked to a couple below.
How our mind works - 2 minutes
Learning Conversations (Need for intellectual humility) - 2 min.
I came across this ergonomics video produced in the UK. It's a bit dated but does cover the fundamentals of ergonomic design in several situations. At the 11:30 point there is a discussion about proper ergonomic design of can openers.
Robb Godshaw and Instructables Developer Will Doenlen designed and constructed the Hamster Wheel Workstation at San Francisco based Pier 9.
There are a couple of nice features with this station. If it is combined with a 72inch wide height adjustable platform the worker can transition to standing or sitting position by moving to the side and pulling up a chair. Also the wheel does not require electricity and would use less energy than a treadmill. The hamster wheel could also be set up to generate electricity.
24 hour project for hamster wheel workstation - less than 1 minute
For those of you on a limited budget, combining a New Balance stepper
with a height adjustable workstation will provide a similar workout.
USA Today reports that Late School Start Times are Good For Teens. Early school start times before 7:20 am make it almost impossible for students to get adequate sleep.
According to the article the consequences of inadequate sleep in teenagers:
Increased risk for obesity, stroke and type 2 diabetes; higher rates of automobile accidents; and lower levels of physical activity.
Increased risk for anxiety and depression; increased risk-taking behaviors; impaired interpretation of social/emotional cues, decreased motivation and increased vulnerability to stress.
Lower academic achievement, poor school attendance; increased dropout rates; and impairments in attention, memory, organization and time management.
As a parent of a teenager, I work to keep tabs noting problems with sleep deprivation. There are significant issues with a later start time with respect to after school activities. It is important to be careful of the time commitments and very important to get appropriate amounts of sleep.
Rick Newman from Yahoo Finance describes at 2022 Workplace in an August 19, 2014 article. In the article he describes a future where worker key strokes on the computer are rated on a scale similar to an ACT score. Workers will be extensively interviewed to find out if they fit into the corporate culture. Workers without unique skills will be commodities.
The future of work A journey to 2022 according to pwc breaks work categories into three major areas: The corporate (blue), the sustainable(green) and the small(orange). Each group has a very different set of values and expected behaviors. The report summarizes survey results about future work from over 10,000 individuals in China, India, Germany, UK and US.
According to the widely known but seldom quoted futurist, Monsignor Gregory Casura, work in the not so distant future will be done by robots we purchase and program to do our work. The better we are at programming and optimizing the functionality of these robots the higher our pay scale. We'll also send out drones to deliver pizzas.
Drone above the U of M east bank - N. Carlson
Robots are already replacing parking lot attendants, bank tellers, movie projectionists, movie ticket sellers, toll booth operators and kids mowing lawns (see Robomow). Robots will not be replacing plumbers, steam fitters, carpenters. They may replace truck, train and taxicab drivers. BBC News describes the coming age of driverless trucks. It is a bit of an oversell but one driver can essentially control two trucks in tandem with the aid of computer technology.
Ed Hess - Author of Learn or Die - 4min.
Ed Hess- In the next 10 - 20 years roughly 50% of jobs are in danger of replacement by technology. We can no longer afford to fake it 'till you make it. We are conditioned to be defensive about what we don't know. This destructive behavioral trait will cost people their jobs.
As I travel around doing ergonomic evaluations I've asked several people about changes in activity level. One of the most common problems is the change from an active job like a store clerk to a sedentary job doing primarily computer work. Individuals reported often gaining 1 to 2 pounds a month with a typical weight gain of 10 to 20 pounds in one year.
Several celebrities have worked to loose weight including Drew Carey, Michael Moore, John Goodman and Jennifer Hudson. There brief stories are available in a slide show by Daily RX
From my personal experience and going through several articles and about weight loss a few factors appear to help out.
Betty White method: Weigh yourself several times a week to make sure the weight gain is not out of control. In practice weighing yourself at the same time of the day wearing the same weight in clothing helps.
Local exercise equipment: Developing a routine to use exercise equipment at home helps. Setting aside a certain time of the day and varying the activity also helps. Exercise long enough to have an increase in body temperature. I start out wearing a sweater and need to take it off after about 15 minutes.
Combine with balance and strength training: Toned muscles burn calories. It's easier to hall around equipment.
Don't fight against food, turn away from it: Thinking about what you can't have takes the focus off the positive things like being able to move faster, walk without running out of air. Fewer doctor's visits.
Eat food that rots and go nuts in moderation: Simpler food has a lower chance of unintended consequences. Nuts have good fat and protein. A handful a day is enough. Variety is important.
Floss: Reducing gum inflammation adds a couple years onto an average person's life.
Final notes: Fit individuals survive disaster situations much better than unfit individuals as noted in Amanda Ripley's book The Unthinkable.
I want to thank Jon Abbott from Cardinous Ltd for posting information about an excellent free resource for training school age children about the importance of ergonomics. The larger website is titled http://www.ergonomics4kids.com/. It is cosponsored by several organizations including the Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors.
The program breaks down ergonomics training for three age groups.
The training tools focus on ergonomics both in traditional settings and in the home with an emphasis on proper ergonomic posture when studying or using multimedia tools.
Children and computers video from the www.CLStore.ca (1 min)
A piece in theNew Yorker The Open Office Trap by Maria Konnicova covers the origins of the open office and comes down on the negative side of it with respect to productivity.
Merideth Wells found that allowing employees in particular women to personalize their office leads to greater job satisfaction at work and reduced worker turnover. J. Env. Psychology (2000) 20, 239 - 255.
Divisions - N. Carlson
Please comment on an open office vs. a private office. Which one worked best for you and why.
