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> architecture (bland) This one isn't from automation. There are a lot of compounding reasons, but one primary one for the lack of ornamentation on modern buil

> architecture (bland) This one isn't from automation. There are a lot of compounding reasons, but one primary one for the lack of ornamentation on modern buildings is the use of caulk to speed up the building process (which itself is still generally done by hand), eliminating many of the layered weather-sealing structural elements from previous building styles. > But I can't help but feel our stuff is a lot worse than it used to be. You can still get stuff that's "as good as it used to be" (or rather, as good as the small percentage of items that survived over decades). You're just going to be paying the same kind of prices for that quality, e.g. $500 for a KitchenAid stand mixer or $7000 for a Miele oven.

wilg 2y ago
According to some quick research (grain of salt, used ChatGPT deep research) KitchenAid stand mixers cost over $3000 (inflation adjusted) when released in 1919, and perhaps $1500 (inflation adjusted) in the 1970s, so they too are cheaper than ever at $500 today!
- TeMPOraL 2y ago
  They are also shittier, but that's not the direct consequence of automation - that's a consequence of the market optimizing away quality over time as much as it possibly can. Happens with or without automation. It's also often impossible to get high-quality goods at any price (or at least cheaper than it would take to contract a factory to make a small batch of a custom product, and then pay for QA, which I guess is possible... if you're a billionaire), and it's impossible for most people to even verify they're getting quality for price - both of these are, again, consequences of how competition works over time in the market economy, and happen with or without automation.
fhd2 2y ago
Fair point about architecture: It's not fundamentally about automation, it's about efficiency (which automation typically supports). If you want to do more with the same amount of people (or the same with less people), quite often, something's gonna give. Getting stuff as good as it used to be can be pretty tricky. I'd have to do a 30 minute drive to buy bread that's actually baked by a trained baker. Most of the bread bakeries carry is made industrially. The thing is: If things get cheaper, the consumers usually don't benefit primarily from that. For one, the company that reduces production costs will do what they can to keep the difference. If competition drives prices down and consumers actually end up needing less money, watch the salaries shrink (effectively), because to a degree they are tied to the cost of living. I'm not sure I'm getting this right, but I think it's worth considering.

wilg 2y ago

According to some quick research (grain of salt, used ChatGPT deep research) KitchenAid stand mixers cost over $3000 (inflation adjusted) when released in 1919, and perhaps $1500 (inflation adjusted) in the 1970s, so they too are cheaper than ever at $500 today!

TeMPOraL 2y ago
They are also shittier, but that's not the direct consequence of automation - that's a consequence of the market optimizing away quality over time as much as it possibly can. Happens with or without automation. It's also often impossible to get high-quality goods at any price (or at least cheaper than it would take to contract a factory to make a small batch of a custom product, and then pay for QA, which I guess is possible... if you're a billionaire), and it's impossible for most people to even verify they're getting quality for price - both of these are, again, consequences of how competition works over time in the market economy, and happen with or without automation.

fhd2 2y ago

Fair point about architecture: It's not fundamentally about automation, it's about efficiency (which automation typically supports). If you want to do more with the same amount of people (or the same with less people), quite often, something's gonna give. Getting stuff as good as it used to be can be pretty tricky. I'd have to do a 30 minute drive to buy bread that's actually baked by a trained baker. Most of the bread bakeries carry is made industrially. The thing is: If things get cheaper, the consumers usually don't benefit primarily from that. For one, the company that reduces production costs will do what they can to keep the difference. If competition drives prices down and consumers actually end up needing less money, watch the salaries shrink (effectively), because to a degree they are tied to the cost of living. I'm not sure I'm getting this right, but I think it's worth considering.