GlennA, I think you are correct. Actually, around the turn of the 20th century, it was Ernst Mach, I think, who was encouraging students not to go into physics. His reasoning was that everything usefull had been discovered. There were just a few details to be worked out. Then Einstein published his paper on black body radiation.
"And in today's news, the Director of the United States Patent Office has recommended that the Patent Office be closed, stating, every useful invention that is possible has already been invented."
Zippy, speakig of Foxconn, this is probably what it is like there.
You are right, though, there were lots of industrial accidents. A friend of mine lost his father when one of the shafts broke in a setup like this. There wasn't a lot of stress analysis or testing that went into design back then.
On the other hand William's next to last paragraph has some merit.
William L Weaver; So, the 'folly' of our current situation is that 12-year-olds are in school instead of on-the-job ? No OSHA doesn't sound like paradise to me = or do you agree with the mine owners that the 29 miners were 'expendable' or ' disposable' ? How about the caption: Remember, Work used to mean Dis-memberment and Death.
Wow, William, I expect the occasional "in my day.." comment on this blog, but seriously, nostalgia for the 19th century? Dangerous working conditions and child labor contribute to a satisfying albeit considerably shorter lifespan? :)
Perhaps your caption should have been "The workers at the Acme Buggy Whip factory were stunned to learn that their jobs had been off-shored to Foxconn..."
Sorry, @Alex. The only humor I see in this picture is the folly of our current situation. This picture reminds me that there was a time when innovation and hard work was king. The wood-fired boiler turned the flywheel that distributed energy to each of the machines. Humans were smart enough not to stick their arms between the belts and the pulleys, so there were no gates surrounding them. There are 12-year-old apprentices working to learn a trade and on their way to become master craftsmen. Each employee was dressed in their work clothes and ready to put in an honest 12-hour day.
No Blackberrys, no carpal-tunnel syndrome, no fluorescent lighting, no smoking breaks, no HR training seminars, no PowerPoint, no Farmville, no ergonomic office chairs...
How about the caption, "Smile. Remember that Work used to mean Work."
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