3 ms·

> This doesn't really make sense to me. It doesn't make sense to me either. > Only 30% of Americans have jobs where they can't work from home? "Only" implies

> This doesn't really make sense to me. It doesn't make sense to me either. > Only 30% of Americans have jobs where they can't work from home? "Only" implies you think 30% is too low? You think more Americans can work without home internet? I'm surprised it's as high as 30%. I think a lot more Americans can't work without home internet. > Truck drivers, factory workers, cashiers, taxi drivers, etc all make up less than 30% of America? I dont buy that. I'm not familiar with truck drivers. But I can easily see that they would need the internet to simply receive a phone call to alert them that a route has been contracted by their contracting company. Or to engage in a route marketplace. That's going to necessitate not only "home" internet, but probably also mobile internet too. I'm not familiar with factory workers. But I hear they're overworked. And if they don't have home internet that often means they also don't have a way to get in contact with their bosses outside of the factory. Cashiers need the internet because their employer's scheduling system is available on the internet. Not only that, but their schedules are often produced last-minute. Are you saying that a cashier must go to the retail premise and risk getting infected just to check to see whether they're scheduled for the day? Taxi drivers... absolutely need the internet to work. Can you imagine being in a taxi today without having the ability to pay via your credit card? That's absurd. What about emergency services like fire fighters, EMS, doctors ... are you saying that they don't need home internet? I'm saying you're wrong. The modern world has moved into a place where we're hyper connected. Everyone's employers communicate on the internet. Lack of home internet hinders everyone's ability to work.

sharkweek 6y ago
Truck drivers 100% need home internet to get jobs, broker loads, fill out the required paperwork, etc. Worked in the industry for a bit, while it used to be a dinosaur, it's actually super tech-focused now for many.
blobbers 6y ago
There was a time when you paid by credit card using a mechanical copy of the credit card and data was manually entered at the end of the day. It sadly doesn't work well with new style credit cards that don't have raised numbers, but for that you could just take a picture. It's not ideal, but it can work. The internet has made a lot of things happen smoother or faster, and some things happen in "real time" that previously could not, but as a whole... life without it wasn't horrible. Kids used to write notes to each other instead of text messages. Cashiers used to look at a schedule that was manually created and posted on the break room door on sundays. If you weren't working that day, you'd ask a friend to check for you.
- inetknght 6y ago
  > It's not ideal, but it can work. It "can" work, yes. But we don't ride horses any more; automobiles are here to stay. Suggesting that transportation isn't necessary for employment disenfranchises millions of people from reaching employment. I believe there's laws (or, at least, certainly ethics) that employers must compensate employees when they use their personal transportation for their employer's purposes. And, good employers offer public or private transportation to their own employees -- in the form of a "company car" or paid public transportation. Likewise, the internet is here to stay. Suggesting that the internet isn't necessary for employment disenfranchises millions of people from reaching employment. Many lucky ones do have their own personal devices and services they can use. But I am of the opinion that this is unethical and should be more closely related to the "company car" or paid public transportation or compensating employees when they use their personal devices. Kids do still write notes to each other. Thinking that a text message isn't a valid form of writing notes is ignoring the advancing methods of communication and burying your head in the sand. Kids' notes now include animated pictures, "memes", with whole websites dedicated to finding and creating them. Are you suggesting that these aren't valid forms of communication? Bosses change schedules often. I've seen schedules be posted on Sunday, changed on Monday, and changed again Tuesday afternoon. And even if that weren't the case, your coworkers aren't friends: in a cutthroat environment your coworker will lie to you, state that you're not scheduled when you are, and your boss will fire you for not showing up. That happens when jobs are scarce. Fortunately, the internet helps to solve that problem by allowing employees to look at the schedule online. Times change. Having access to the internet wasn't required forty years ago. It is required today.
  - SAI_Peregrinus 6y ago
    It's also impossible to apply for most jobs offline.
  - blobbers 6y ago
    Please don't misunderstand me; I didn't say anything was invalid, just that all these things existed before the internet, and could exist without it in a less streamlined way. It's actual somewhat of an interesting topic when you think of it. Transport went from walking -> riding animals -> driving + flying. Communication went from talking -> moving physical messages -> radio -> telephone -> internet I wish hackernews forums fostered better discussions on topics that are out of date the way reddit might. Unlikely anyone will ever see this reply. Are there any good books that cover this sort of techno (r)evolution in depth?

sharkweek 6y ago

Truck drivers 100% need home internet to get jobs, broker loads, fill out the required paperwork, etc. Worked in the industry for a bit, while it used to be a dinosaur, it's actually super tech-focused now for many.

blobbers 6y ago

There was a time when you paid by credit card using a mechanical copy of the credit card and data was manually entered at the end of the day. It sadly doesn't work well with new style credit cards that don't have raised numbers, but for that you could just take a picture. It's not ideal, but it can work. The internet has made a lot of things happen smoother or faster, and some things happen in "real time" that previously could not, but as a whole... life without it wasn't horrible. Kids used to write notes to each other instead of text messages. Cashiers used to look at a schedule that was manually created and posted on the break room door on sundays. If you weren't working that day, you'd ask a friend to check for you.

inetknght 6y ago
> It's not ideal, but it can work. It "can" work, yes. But we don't ride horses any more; automobiles are here to stay. Suggesting that transportation isn't necessary for employment disenfranchises millions of people from reaching employment. I believe there's laws (or, at least, certainly ethics) that employers must compensate employees when they use their personal transportation for their employer's purposes. And, good employers offer public or private transportation to their own employees -- in the form of a "company car" or paid public transportation. Likewise, the internet is here to stay. Suggesting that the internet isn't necessary for employment disenfranchises millions of people from reaching employment. Many lucky ones do have their own personal devices and services they can use. But I am of the opinion that this is unethical and should be more closely related to the "company car" or paid public transportation or compensating employees when they use their personal devices. Kids do still write notes to each other. Thinking that a text message isn't a valid form of writing notes is ignoring the advancing methods of communication and burying your head in the sand. Kids' notes now include animated pictures, "memes", with whole websites dedicated to finding and creating them. Are you suggesting that these aren't valid forms of communication? Bosses change schedules often. I've seen schedules be posted on Sunday, changed on Monday, and changed again Tuesday afternoon. And even if that weren't the case, your coworkers aren't friends: in a cutthroat environment your coworker will lie to you, state that you're not scheduled when you are, and your boss will fire you for not showing up. That happens when jobs are scarce. Fortunately, the internet helps to solve that problem by allowing employees to look at the schedule online. Times change. Having access to the internet wasn't required forty years ago. It is required today.
- SAI_Peregrinus 6y ago
  It's also impossible to apply for most jobs offline.
- blobbers 6y ago
  Please don't misunderstand me; I didn't say anything was invalid, just that all these things existed before the internet, and could exist without it in a less streamlined way. It's actual somewhat of an interesting topic when you think of it. Transport went from walking -> riding animals -> driving + flying. Communication went from talking -> moving physical messages -> radio -> telephone -> internet I wish hackernews forums fostered better discussions on topics that are out of date the way reddit might. Unlikely anyone will ever see this reply. Are there any good books that cover this sort of techno (r)evolution in depth?