Automating our lives

I saw this cartoon on Instagram the other day. It resonated with me because I too like to order food, especially junk food online and have it delivered. Pizza, McDonalds, curry, you can basically get anything.

You log onto the site. Order what you want. Usually I order way too much and then wait for it to be delivered. It's great. The only problem is you have to deal with the delivery person. I usually just pay by cash so I have no choice.

Although in saying all of that I wonder if I don't want to deal with the delivery person face to face or I feel embarrassed by the fact that I have ordered 3 Big Macs, 2 quarter pounders, half a ton of french fries, 6 apple pies, two chocolate shakes and a partridge in a pear tree.

Ordinary everyday things are becoming more and more automated. When you go to a supermarket in New Zealand you don't have to deal with the checkout person asking how your day is going and you can just check your groceries out yourself. I haven't seen that in Japan yet. You would think that there would be a few supermarkets that you have the option of swiping your groceries yourself.

 For the last 25 years we have had these things called ATM machines in which you don't have to deal with the bank teller and just get your money yourself, 24 hours a day.

Last night I was with a friend at an izakaya (Japanese style pub) and we could order ourselves by just using the touch screen menu iPad-like thingamabob. It was great. You don't have a server hanging over you pressurising you to make a decision quick smart. You can relax and work out the menu yourself. Isn't that great?

We are more and more entering an automated world. I heard that there is a hotel in Nagasaki that has robots on reception. I don't know about you but that sounds creepy to me.

My question is, why do they say we live in an extroverted world but more and more things are removing the human contact from the transaction? That sounds strange to me. In one instance, our lives are becoming more and more easy but the human contact is going. Some people will like that but I think even the most introverted soul needs some contact occasionally.

I wonder what is going to be next. What is going to be the next thing that is automated? Any ideas?