Everything will be automated
According to New Scientist magazine, casinos may soon be equipped with technology that quickly detects card counters:
Krists Zutis and Jesse Hoey at the University of Dundee, UK, have developed a system to help casinos spot card counters quickly.
A stereo camera mounted above the table records the action. A computer processes the video feed to identify cards as they are dealt, face up, and monitors their value. The camera also records the precise height of betting chip stacks and the computer uses the information to work out betting patterns.
By comparing the cards and gambling patterns, the computer can identify a card counter inside 20 hands – even if the gambler starts off with a run of high bets to confuse the system.
Rain Man would have been quite a boring movie had the casino tossed Dustin Hoffman out on his arse before he won a small fortune.
But the real implication of this is that routinized work is rapidly being automated. If what you do can be written down as a formula — no matter how complex — your job is at great risk.
Posted by James on Sunday, October 25, 2009