Blog: Training and Development

Some people were much in hate with machines then--except the owners and inventors.

There was a time when we stopped looking at machines as making our lives’ easier and started looking at the jobs they were replacing–and, indeed, they began replacing jobs. Some people were much in hate with machines then–except the owners and inventors.

My apologies to those of you who develop training apps and sell the same. Your apps have commercial purposes tied to the trainer and the company, and of course, may be very useful now. As trainers, a duty to do the best job you can to train staff and other employees in the company.

My questions are:

1. What we are doing, and
2. How long do we keep doing it over time.

Many writers extrapolate to see a future world. Don’t be offended but try to see the possibilities. Maybe we can stop bad news before it happens.

Today is different, however, the previous still happens. Machines do make lives’ easier and some machines do replace men or women. Lately there is a lot of commerce made from machines that can help train a man or woman better than a trainer, and in a manner in which they do it best. Some of us techies are just more comfortable with apps.

Where does it stop? When a machine can’t train a man to think? Nope, already done. Simulators can help a man practice making the correct the right decisions, in the immediacy in which it needs to be made.

Let’s back up a minute. What about games? You’re getting it. Smart Phones. Learning tools. Those learning tools that help us take control of the training. Of our training. Ultimately it tells who, what and when it is smart to talk. Now, I’m worried. When does man and woman stop controlling the machine and letting the machine control their every move. We have science fiction…or fact.

I wrote a novel about when we, Man and Woman, are so frustrated with the current world of politics that we created a machine to make those difficult decisions on our behalf. It the database was all the science, literature, history and art we would ever need.

Scientists glimpsed a doomed planet. Ineffective population controls spelled disaster for the entire world. Billions died in famines. Hundreds of millions died from air and water pollution. Still more millions died from criminal violence in their own overcrowded neighborhoods. Surprisingly global warming and rupturing the ozone layer in the earth’s atmosphere never created the disasters that scientists had been predicting for the last century. For once, politicians were willing to listen to the scientists.

Even though democratic governments were willing to give up governing themselves in order to feed the people, it was too little commitment, too late. With the world in chaos, it was up to the technically superior United AmerEuro States to take charge of the devastated planet. For the world to survive, it needed tough laws and other controls of astonishing magnitude for now there wasn’t much room for error when managing limited resources and fragile ecosystems. Efficient management was needed. More than what was humanly possible. There was simply no time for creative politics. Humans by themselves could only fail.

So much for politics and science. For those of us engaged in commerce, we made best use of machines, too, selecting perfect clients and using the perfect software to train the company.

Not much work to do now. Might as well stay home. Go on wonderful fantasy vacations; no need for real ones with the hassles of traveling and dangers of the real world.

We forgot sometime and somewhere to keep talking. Soon the computer put us in touch in our own company with the perfect person to talk to, or told us itself. We trusted it, didn’t we. We assumed it was always right. We forgot differences.

Now, any time we wanted to talk with someone socially, we had to be cleared. The computer checked our files in case we were a “danger” to the company when paired with this individual. The computer was doing the job we gave him…it. It felt like a “him.”

Then came the splintering of society… Some people thought machines shouldn’t be the ones telling us anything. They even refused the use of the “smart” machines, while others thought, “Hey it makes my life easy, what harm is there.” Or, “We can co-exist.” Or, “Take the best of both worlds.” Besides, it’s efficient for government, science, and people. We truly ruled the world. We discovered we are gods–each of us. However, the machines are smarter in every way. Maybe, we should worship them, and some do.

Wow, some heady stuff.

What happens when what is good for the machines is not necessarily good for us? What happens when a machine is worthless–worn-out? We throw it out or take the time to recycle. What about a person? No longer efficient? More efficient to train or eliminate?

Scary stuff now. I haven’t touched on artificial intelligence! A machine that thinks for itself. Where does program stop (therefore control) and self-machine control begin? So my novel begins.

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For more resources about training, see the Training library.

There are ideas and adventure from the Cave Man, and few from the author of IN MAKR’S SHADOW or SHADOW WARRIORS, working title. Tell me which title or others you think might better get your attention. My website is still the same with more information and ideas than I can keep straight sometimes. The Cave Man Guide To Training and Development is still a people-oriented treatise on our world of training and development from the people we expect to do the work.

Happy Training.