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scilab[w83,jmc]		Notes on Science and Labor conference

Kirkland story:

Mitterand visits a French computer lab that has a computer that
predicts the future.

Mitterand: If we continue our present policies, what will be the
rate of unemployment when my term is up in 1987?

Computer: Zero percent.

Mitterand: Fine. What will be the rate of inflation?

Computer: Zero percent.

Mitterand: And what will be the price of a loaf of bread?

Computer: Two rubles.



Chudnovsky story

	An American computer is installed for predicting the future
and after two years of programming it is ready for Brezhnev to try
it.

Brezhnev: How long before the Soviet Union achieves communism?

Computer: Thirteen miles.

	Heads roll at the Computer Center.  But after a day the
following explanation is offered.

Comrade Brezhnev, you know that each Party Congress is announced
as a step towards communism.  All we need do is divide
thirteen miles by the length of a step.



D. Chudnovsky: Ask John Patrickovich to tell you about Bruce Franklin
and his theory of the revolutionary potential of the lumpenproletariat.

G. Chudnovsky: Oh, is it something like Marcuse?

D. Chudnovsky: Oh no.  This is practical.  People were killed.


Letter to Tom Donahue

	More proposals as to how science can help the labor movement.

1. remote mining

2. oppose fascist man-machine interaction programs.
quality of life and useless deskilling.

3. on-line vs. batch.

4. question about protection of older workers from speedup.