Managing Human Workers With an Algorithm 186
New submitter prayag writes "With the advent of crowdsourcing platforms it has become easier for people to 'automate' simple, yet repetitive tasks that computers aren't good at by hiring thousands of people at once. This can help some business cheaply accomplish certain tasks, but it can also be misused by spammers. A company called MobileWorks is even outsourcing this concept, reaching out to workers in developing nations whose income needs aren't as high. 'Kulkarni, who founded the company in 2010 with fellow graduate students from the University of California, Berkeley, says the value of tasks is set so that workers can reasonably earn $2 to $4 an hour; payments are on a sliding scale, with lower rates for poorer countries. "Even though they are acting as agents of a computer program, we are creating an opportunity for them," he says. MobileWorks charges its clients rates starting at $5 per hour for workers' time.'"
Re:Yet another thing that doesn't help the US. (Score:0, Funny)
Hey, it's better than giving it away, like FOSS.
C'mon guys... (Score:4, Funny)
Can we please just get the robotic-uprising-and-enslavement-of-mankind over with already and dispense with the assorted sordid intermediate steps?
At least that part will have laser guns and gigantic deathbots, rather than gnawing ennui and postindustrial globalized cube hell...
One of the Oldest Algorythms on the Books (Score:4, Funny)
function manageWorker(worker)
while (worker)
{
worker.flog();
if (worker.isDead)
{
return;
}
else if (worker.morale == HIGH_MORALE || worker.productivity == HIGH_PRODUCTIVITY)
{
worker.goldstars++;
}
manageWorker(worker);
}
}