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I won't hijack texta's thread any further.
No doubt everyone has noticed that I don't seem very excited by Christian's robotics project. I bear Christian no ill will but feel the need to fully explain why I have a negative view of what he is trying to achieve. I believe that after existing for centuries, the writing is on the wall for gem cutting as a profession and that it's demise will come at the hands of inventions like Christian's. I don't think that he is trying to do any harm to anybody - but actions have consequences regardless of whether harm was intended or not.
Just think about what it is you do for a living. Now imagine somebody builds a machine that can do exactly what you do, but it never needs to eat, sleep, take a break, never gets sick, never needs a holiday, never argues about anything etc. They patent this invention and it becomes widely available - what is your labour now worth? You have now been effectively de-valued to zero because you are now obsolete. All the years you may have spent building up and refining your particular skills mean nothing - you are tipped into the garbage can because a machine can do it more cheaply. Neither yourself nor any other human can hope to compete on speed and cost-effectiveness. You aren't even of any real value passing on your knowledge and teaching others what you have learned because what you have learned is now worthless if done by a human being.
This is the future of gem cutting as a profession (among many others) - and I don't think that future is all that far away. Christian's efforts bring that day closer. I think it will still linger on as a niche hobby after humans have been supplanted by machines here but will steadily fade away and the skill set will be lost to history. The other lapidary arts will follow as even custom jewellery making becomes automated, with models being generated on a touch screen and then 3D printed for casting, a machine doing the setting and finishing - thousands of years of history of developing human skills withering away because humans will be deemed unnecessary for the role and will subsequently forget how it was ever done.
So this is why I'm not keen on what Christian is doing. Yes, it's coming anyway but the longer it takes the better from my point of view. Just because something becomes automated it doesn't necessarily mean that it does more good than harm.
Well I must say, that's a lot of time-consuming hobbies to have on the go at one time - I can well understand why I've seen so many of your posts in the Lapidary topic for so long without ever seeing (that I can recall) you show us your own lapidary work or comment on anyone else's, you haven't had time to do any. That's why I asked if you really had any interest in it.
And when you succeed - what then?
As vonG said to you.....
Correct there vonG, with one correction - everybody who uses a manual machine can be put on the shelf because they won't be needed anymore.
Further, he or she has correctly noted that this technology could quickly spread once initially implemented, so anyone who thinks they will have a cosy monopoly will likely have another think coming. Right now, faceting is an uncommon skill set requiring quite a bit of learning and practice - all that will be required under your scenario is a few bucks and virtually anyone will be able to set themselves up as a "gem cutter" without needing to have any ability to cut gems themselves. It will be like the lawn mowing business - LOTS of competition! Has vonG thought this far ahead I wonder?
Once they are in the distribution stage, I could buy one of these machines myself - but I don't think my heart would be in the work anymore, given that the skills needed aren't likely to involve much more than pushing a few buttons - that is not lapidary. In any case "cutters" will be a bob a dozen (in Australian slang that means abundant and therefore cheap).
At the end of the day, I really fail to see how the drive to remove human beings from lapidary makes any kind of contribution to lapidary - or if it can really be called lapidary at all.
Many new advances in technology have lifted millions out of poverty, fed the hungry, healed the sick and greatly improved human welfare - while others largely just wreck things while making no improvement to people's lives overall. Ask yourself which kind this one is likely to turn out to be. :awful:
No doubt everyone has noticed that I don't seem very excited by Christian's robotics project. I bear Christian no ill will but feel the need to fully explain why I have a negative view of what he is trying to achieve. I believe that after existing for centuries, the writing is on the wall for gem cutting as a profession and that it's demise will come at the hands of inventions like Christian's. I don't think that he is trying to do any harm to anybody - but actions have consequences regardless of whether harm was intended or not.
Just think about what it is you do for a living. Now imagine somebody builds a machine that can do exactly what you do, but it never needs to eat, sleep, take a break, never gets sick, never needs a holiday, never argues about anything etc. They patent this invention and it becomes widely available - what is your labour now worth? You have now been effectively de-valued to zero because you are now obsolete. All the years you may have spent building up and refining your particular skills mean nothing - you are tipped into the garbage can because a machine can do it more cheaply. Neither yourself nor any other human can hope to compete on speed and cost-effectiveness. You aren't even of any real value passing on your knowledge and teaching others what you have learned because what you have learned is now worthless if done by a human being.
This is the future of gem cutting as a profession (among many others) - and I don't think that future is all that far away. Christian's efforts bring that day closer. I think it will still linger on as a niche hobby after humans have been supplanted by machines here but will steadily fade away and the skill set will be lost to history. The other lapidary arts will follow as even custom jewellery making becomes automated, with models being generated on a touch screen and then 3D printed for casting, a machine doing the setting and finishing - thousands of years of history of developing human skills withering away because humans will be deemed unnecessary for the role and will subsequently forget how it was ever done.
So this is why I'm not keen on what Christian is doing. Yes, it's coming anyway but the longer it takes the better from my point of view. Just because something becomes automated it doesn't necessarily mean that it does more good than harm.
The thing with the machine im building is more to combine all my hobby's together, electronics, chemistry, microscopy, programming and robotics to get back to one hobby and that is cutting shiny little facetted stones.
Well I must say, that's a lot of time-consuming hobbies to have on the go at one time - I can well understand why I've seen so many of your posts in the Lapidary topic for so long without ever seeing (that I can recall) you show us your own lapidary work or comment on anyone else's, you haven't had time to do any. That's why I asked if you really had any interest in it.
Im just currioua if i can manage to cut a stone automaticly and if it can be done as a diy
And when you succeed - what then?
As vonG said to you.....
Im really impressed on how advanced your project is going to be, Im looking forward to see it finished and how good polish you can get with it. If it manages to get competition cut stones, then everybody with a manuell machine can put that on the shelf because they wont need it anymore. big_smile
If one person can build that kind of machine, then others can do it too.
Correct there vonG, with one correction - everybody who uses a manual machine can be put on the shelf because they won't be needed anymore.
Further, he or she has correctly noted that this technology could quickly spread once initially implemented, so anyone who thinks they will have a cosy monopoly will likely have another think coming. Right now, faceting is an uncommon skill set requiring quite a bit of learning and practice - all that will be required under your scenario is a few bucks and virtually anyone will be able to set themselves up as a "gem cutter" without needing to have any ability to cut gems themselves. It will be like the lawn mowing business - LOTS of competition! Has vonG thought this far ahead I wonder?
Once they are in the distribution stage, I could buy one of these machines myself - but I don't think my heart would be in the work anymore, given that the skills needed aren't likely to involve much more than pushing a few buttons - that is not lapidary. In any case "cutters" will be a bob a dozen (in Australian slang that means abundant and therefore cheap).
At the end of the day, I really fail to see how the drive to remove human beings from lapidary makes any kind of contribution to lapidary - or if it can really be called lapidary at all.
Many new advances in technology have lifted millions out of poverty, fed the hungry, healed the sick and greatly improved human welfare - while others largely just wreck things while making no improvement to people's lives overall. Ask yourself which kind this one is likely to turn out to be. :awful: