Michael arose at 11:30 on Wednesday. Now that he no longer had a job, there didn't seem to be much reason to get up early anymore.
A sensor in his bed automatically sent a signal to the house robot so his breakfast was ready and on the table by the time he went downstairs.
The house robot was a remarkable device that took care of all of the household chores. Michael didn't have to lift a finger. After breakfast, Michael thought about what to do with the rest of the day.
Some days he would go for a walk, but he found it too depressing to see all the others like himself wandering around with nothing to do.
For twenty years, Michael worked as mechanical engineer. Now a machine did his job and the government sent him a "displaced worker" check each month.
He had everything he needed, but he was miserable. A government-appointed therapist suggested that he try one of the virtual reality work simulators.
The simulators could duplicate the sensation of hundreds of different jobs from coal mining to CEO of a multi-national, but it wasn't the same thing as actually having a job.
Not long after he was "retired" Michael tried one of the day labor agencies. The agency sent him on a few jobs, but eventually even those dried up when it became more cost effective to use a machine.
Later in the evening, Michael made a decision and switched off the house robot. The next morning, he awoke at 8:00 AM and made his own breakfast. The eggs were a little burned, but it was still the best breakfast he ever had.
A sensor in his bed automatically sent a signal to the house robot so his breakfast was ready and on the table by the time he went downstairs.
The house robot was a remarkable device that took care of all of the household chores. Michael didn't have to lift a finger. After breakfast, Michael thought about what to do with the rest of the day.
Some days he would go for a walk, but he found it too depressing to see all the others like himself wandering around with nothing to do.
For twenty years, Michael worked as mechanical engineer. Now a machine did his job and the government sent him a "displaced worker" check each month.
He had everything he needed, but he was miserable. A government-appointed therapist suggested that he try one of the virtual reality work simulators.
The simulators could duplicate the sensation of hundreds of different jobs from coal mining to CEO of a multi-national, but it wasn't the same thing as actually having a job.
Not long after he was "retired" Michael tried one of the day labor agencies. The agency sent him on a few jobs, but eventually even those dried up when it became more cost effective to use a machine.
Later in the evening, Michael made a decision and switched off the house robot. The next morning, he awoke at 8:00 AM and made his own breakfast. The eggs were a little burned, but it was still the best breakfast he ever had.
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