The Next Hot Job: Pretending to Be a Robot (2019) | Hacker News Reader

The Next Hot Job: Pretending to Be a Robot (2019)

wsj.com

43 pointslxm26 comments

I once worked for a company that created a large AR installation for an event. People could see themselves up on a big screen, and were able to "collect" digital items by waving their hands as they floated by. The only thing is, the company wasn't able to get the hit detection to work reliably, so they instead opted for a guy sitting at a computer in a room off to the side, where he would click on a screen to mimic realtime interaction.

Not quite related to the article's content, but the title reminded me of the time I cancelled my internet subscription with Comcast. The poor representative on the other end of the call decided that impersonating artificial speech as she read through her scripts was the best way to get through her day.

That poor representative didn’t decide anything, it’s their job to do just that, silly as it seems. They just work for a paycheck…

Yes but one can still sympathize.

I want to activate this life hack I do but in an easier way: when I'm dealing with a person who gets monetary gain for upselling me, how about I hand them that amount and get straight talk from then on? 1% commission on my $1,000 mattress? Here's 10 bucks now gimme the real skinny, see?!

I used to say "personal reasons," but I thought of a better cancellation reason the other day.

"I'm converting to the Amish faith and forsaking technology."

Best part: when they ask if there's anyone you'd like to transfer the account to, you can instantly play the indignant card.

"And turn someone else away from the Lord with the distractions of worldly temptation?!"

I once got a call from a sales representative (SR).

SR: "So, what shows do you like to watch?"

Me: "I don't watch any shows because I don't have cable."

SR: "How about you subscribe to our cable service then you can watch some good shows?"

Me: "I can't...I don't have a TV."

SR: "Why don't you buy a TV so you can watch some good shows?"

Me: "I can't...I don't have electricity." (I lied)

SR: (dead silence for a second or two...)

SR: "Thank you sir. Have a nice day."

They never bothered me again.

They don't give a f what you tell them. Told a beer subscription service I'm looking to quit due to health concerns.

...the "can we tempt you back with this offer" mails started immediate after.

Oh, no! Is the world headed towards: "Your car has encountered an unexpected obstacle or situation. Please wait while we connect you to a representative. We apologize for the delay during your trip!"

The headline reminded me of mechanical turks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_Turk

Not the latter day implementation?

https://www.mturk.com/

Has this guy ever tried playing an online game over 5G, lol?l

Ping over cell networks is not favorable to real time things like this. How do you safely maneuver a vehicle with a 50ms delay?

All things considered it’s bound to be better than most normal people driving if you specifically choose people with good reaction times. And it’s not F1, life and death is rarely determined by 50ms.

The things described in the article aren't really vehicles. You have slow carts with a container compartment for delivery or a slow moving area scanning "security bot".

I've seen things like this moving on the UC Berkeley campus. "How do you safely maneuver a vehicle with a 50ms delay?" Very slowly and haphazardly. The whole scheme seems more about getting someone in third world country to work delivery in a first world country than efficiency of any sort.

>The whole scheme seems more about getting someone in third world country to work delivery in a first world country than efficiency of any sort.

Paying third world wages to deliver items in the first world seems pretty efficient.

Discussed at the time:

The growing need for human robot-minders could juice the remote workforce - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20884471 - Sept 2019 (98 comments)

The push for ever faster cellular is likely driven in part by the obvious path to remotely piloted vehicles.

I ask them:

Me: "You're a chatbot, aren't you?"

Chatbot: "hahaha, I get that all the time!"

I bet you do!

The difference with chatbots is that it’s ok to abuse them.

[2019]

https://archive.today/8E3lM

p.s. what does "prostoalex" mean? Is it short for prostate-alex, or something else?

"prosto" means "simply" in several Slavic languages so I read it as "simply Alex" or "just Alex"

Enlightening, prosto thank you.

It's cool, thank you for humoring me! Despite the lack of tact (obvious in hindsight), I mean no harm, offense, or disrespect.

I actually really enjoy learning about other languages and cultures.

Yes it is.

It’s “simply” as mentioned below, I first started using it decades ago, and by the time I realized the dubious connotation you mentioned, it was too late.

(We've since renamed prostoalex to lxm by their request.)

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