Comments on: An Endless Sea of Perfect Shining Robots

By: Bolinao

Bolinao — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 05:16:18 +0000

Thanks for this smart article!

By: John Thacker

John Thacker — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 21:46:03 +0000

Imagine the last Japanese family (declared endangered by the Institute for Human Biodiversity), hundreds of years hence, possessing the entire growth-compounded GDP of Japan. It could happen!

The name “Asimo” for the robot pictured in the video is particularly apposite, considering that Asimov’s Robot novels featured approximately the same thing among the “Spacers,” who used robots.

By: John Thacker

John Thacker — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 21:46:00 +0000

Imagine the last Japanese family (declared endangered by the Institute for Human Biodiversity), hundreds of years hence, possessing the entire growth-compounded GDP of Japan. It could happen!

By: Fred S.

Fred S. — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 03:26:42 +0000

Given the extraordinarily low quality of most of the human capital brought into the United States, it’s hard to imagine robots could be less productive.

Also, those Japanese “club members” (what a grotesque way to concieve of a nation!) are likely more averse to being raped, robbed, and murdered than Americans are: all things which, the Onion clip notwithstanding, robots do not do. You might want to work that into your little calculus.

The racist Japanese seem to have a pretty good thing going for themselves (lowest crime on Earth, extraordinarily high social capital and trust) and they have gained these things by being solicitous of their national interest, not by treating immigration as some sort of half-baked international welfare scheme.

By: Fred S.

Fred S. — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 03:26:00 +0000

Given the extraordinarily low quality of most of the human capital brought into the United States, it’s hard to imagine robots could be less productive.

By: shecky

shecky — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 03:20:43 +0000

The xenophobia in Japanese society is so pervasive that they’d rather subsidize the robot industry than allow immigrant labor. Borjas is whacked enough to think this is a desirable thing.

If they want to pick up the tab for such development, it’s fine by me. The rest of the world will reap the benefits of the trickle down technology. But this is only a cost effective move when collectivist and protectionist impulses know no bounds.

By: shecky

shecky — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 03:20:00 +0000

The xenophobia in Japanese society is so pervasive that they’d rather subsidize the robot industry than allow immigrant labor. Borjas is whacked enough to think this is a desirable thing.

By: Trevor

Trevor — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:00:34 +0000

"Or, if the robots are good enough, and numerous enough, maybe absolute GDP doesn’t shrink at all, and you get ever-fewer people dividing an ever-growing pie. Imagine the last Japanese family (declared endangered by the Institute for Human Biodiversity), hundreds of years hence, possessing the entire growth-compounded GDP of Japan. It could happen!" That's sort of the jumping-off point for the excellent comic strip Nine Planets Without Intelligent Life.

By: Trevor

Trevor — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:00:00 +0000