Hey @itchykitten thanks for taking the time to read and leave a great comment, as always it's greatly appreciated!! Sorry I've only just replied but I decided to leave my laptop and all forms of communication at home and in all honesty it was great to take it back to basics and balance.

The promise of technology was that of empowerment and the desctruction of the class systems and social divides, but this was a lie. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer, they rape our planet and poison our water and then attach the guilt of this wanton destruction onto those that have gained the least from it. They take from the world in ever increasing proficiency but never give back. They live for today at the expense of tomorrow.

I'm certainly not a technophobe in any way shape or form and I feel technology could be used a tool of power and freedom, but that really depends on who is wielding said power. Individuals have designed technology that could heat our houses and run our cars for free and with no detriment to our planet. Yet because the mega corporations would be unable to make a profit from this they have patent offices that actively seek out this technology, offer the individuals a relatively vast sum of money for the patent and then bury it. Without greed our current technology could return this world to a literal paradise within a generation. With greed it's dooming us all to an ever accelerating destruction.

In terms of factory work and driving jobs yes you're entirely correct the future has neither planned for nor needs the average working man. Equally I believe this will eventually be across the entire spectrum. Technology will eventually design and upgrade itself and artificial intelligence will be the coders of the future, there will be very few job sectors that will be untouched by this fourth industrial revolution. The problem is without humans where is the humanity?

In terms of self driving cars I believe we're already seeing the first stage of this process.

1. The offer of a driving app that monitors driving and as such gives you lower insurance premiums

2. This app will eventually become a legal requirement

3. Self driving cars will firstly be offered at lower insurance premiums

4. Eventually the insurance costs of phsyically driving will be so prohibitive that it will become a choice that only the upper echelons of society can enjoy. The rest will eventually be forced into the self driving car.

Sorry for a bit of a rambling rant but going away for a couple of weeks has really impressed upon me the need to further explore my self reliance and to equally detach myself from certain aspects of this increasingly interconnected society. To move forward as a species I feel we need to be outward looking towards the future but equally hold a deep respect for a past that enabled us to reach this pivotal moment in our history. I'm certainly not saying our past was perfect but hindsight is a powerful thing, as such with one eye on the yesterday we can buid a more cohesive tomorrow. Thanks again my friend, look forward to catching up with you soon .. over and out :)