10 Professionals That Will Lose Their Jobs In The Next Decade

According to a Oxford University study, automation will replace up to 47% of current jobs by 2033. If any of you want job security and plan on staying employed past the next decade, cross these jobs off your list.

1. Data Entry Associate

This job is one that softwares can easily replace. With the increasing development in technology, the mundane and repetitive job of entering data into the computer is one that will be performed by humans for a short while.

2. Typist

With a new age where hard copies of almost any document are rarely needed and CEO’s that are constantly blogging, the need for a typist is dwindling. Voice-recognition software is available now for those who need someone to “take a letter”.

3. Telemarketer

Robocalls are increasingly replacing human telemarketers. Few people, other than telemarketer themselves, will mourn the passing of this job. The robocalls have the advantage of being able to perform 24/7 with no need for a break and can also maintain the perky attitude programmed into it, no matter how many people hang up.

4. Bank Teller

ATMs are already used more than their human counterparts. 85% of possible transactions can be performed at the ATM with little to no need for human assistance. Citibank is experimenting with video-based tellers and ATM-based loan applications that will lead to a decrease in the number of human tellers.

5. Travel Agent

Years ago, if people wanted to travel somewhere and wanted to find the best deal, they went to a travel agent. But with websites like Expedia and Orbitz, the occupation of travel agent has become almost superfluous. People no longer feel the need to visit or call an agent when they can simply get what they want from a website for free.

6. Mail Carrier

The amount of snail mail is greatly decreasing in today’s digital age. This coupled with developing drone delivery systems, means that a job at the postal service will be non-existent in the future.

7. Telephone Operator

People who answer phones for companies and overnight call services are vanishing species. This is not only due to automation which lets computers handle calls but also due to outsourcing where cheaper labor is easily available for multinational corporations.

8. Newspaper Reporter

The average consumer is less dependent on the newspaper due to the internet. With new blogs popping up everyday and services like Google News, the need for a paper media news outlet is on the decline. The profession of newspaper reporter is bound to decline as a result of this changing trend.

9. Receptionist

This is much like the profession of telephone operator, and is also being replaced by softwares like Virtual Receptionist. Other countries, like Japan, are using actual robots to act as a receptionist. One of the main reasons why receptionists have not been replaced completely is because customers dislike lack of human interaction.

10. Cashier

There is already a rise of self-checkout machines and the task of a cashier is one that can simply be automated. But with recent complaints by customers about these machines, companies are cautiously moving into the time of completely automated checkout machines. Cashiers may still have some time left.

10 Secret Underground Bunkers Around The World That Will Save Your Life During A Nuclear War

A lot of people prepare themselves for the worst in terms of natural disasters. They stock up on canned foods, generators, first aid kits and other things that can come in handy if a calamity strikes. But what if something worse than a natural disaster was about to hit your residence? There are many doomsday scenarios which have been portrayed in movies, book and articles all over the internet. The shelters shown below, can not only withstand natural disasters but even man-made disasters of apocalyptic proportions.

1. Svalbard Global Seed Vault (Norway)

This vault is located in the isolated arctic of Norway at a distance of only 810 miles from the North Pole. The vault acts like a Noah’s arc of vegetation and is designed to store and protect countless types of seeds.

2. Denver International Airport (Colorado)

This airport is one of the world’s largest and busiest. The airport covers 53 square miles and is rumored to contain a bunker underneath the buildings that stands above the plain. Five buildings are said to have been built “incorrectly” and then new buildings placed on top of them.

3. The Shanghai Complex (China)

Most of the details of this facility have been kept hidden but what is known is that the bunker covers one million square feet and is capable of housing up to 200,000 people. The shelter has the ability to withstand blasts, nuclear radiation and poisonous gases.

4. Burling­ton Bunker (UK)

This is a 35 acre cold war city located 100 feet beneath the surface of Corsham. The site was built by the British government in 1950 and code named Burlington. The shelter could accomodate 6,000 people for 3 months and withstand nuclear strikes.

5. The Greenbrier Bunker (Virginia)

The US government built an addition to this hotel in 1958 and in exchange, they were allowed to build a 120,000 square foot bunker underneath it. The bunker remained a secret until 1990 when it was revealed and then decommissioned.

6. Iron Mountain (Massachusetts)

This underground fortress was originally built by an enterprise information management services company. Although not originally intended to be a survival bunker, place is ranked as one of the most secure places on the planet. The fortress takes up 10,000 square feet in a 1,000 acre limestone mine.

7. The Moscow Metro (Russia)

This subway system is also a large subterranean system of secret trains and bunkers. It is a hidden city underneath Moscow. Most of the Metro was built by Stalin during the Cold War.

8. Raven Rock Mountain Complex (Pennsylvania-Maryland)

There are five, three-story buildings in the complex meant to relocate the the pentagon site. The facilities in this complex contain everything you could need including a dental clinic, snack bar, barber shop and even a Starbucks.

9. Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado)

Located 2,000 feet deep in granite, this facility was originally designed to withstand a 5 megaton nuclear explosion at a distance of 1.7 miles. This place is probably the safest in all of Colorado.

10. Mount Weather (Virginia)

This civilian command facility is a bunker and is also used as the command center for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Announcements made by the President or FEMA over the Emergency Alert System are most likely to come from here. The site has fortified building above the surface and underground bunkers as well.

Martinez: Barkley will become England's best ever player

The youngster has established himself as a regular for both club and country in recent months and his manager has no doubts about his ability to become a legend

Roberto Martinez believes 20-year-old Ross Barkley can become England’s best ever player.

The Everton midfielder has earned nine caps for the Three Lions since his debut against Moldova in 2013, and played in every match of the country’s 2014 World Cup campaign in Brazil.

And having firmly established himself as a regular at both club and international level Barkley has now been tipped by the Toffees boss to join the pantheon of England greats in the coming years.

"There is no doubt in my mind he will be the best player England has ever had," Martinez told reporters.

"Ross has everything. Normally a player has the pace and power to get around the pitch, or they have the vision to pick a pass.

"Ross can do both of those things. He is two-footed, he’s intelligent and he is also in love with the game.

"All he wants to do is play football. When we played in our first Europa League game this season he was gutted to be injured, because he was desperate to play."

Chelsea and Manchester City have both been linked with big-money moves for Barkley, but Martinez insists the club have no need to sell the midfielder, who he has labelled the "biggest asset Everton have ever had."

“The truth – and the key to his situation – is that we don’t have to sell," he added. "We don’t have to sell players to balance the books at Everton."

Jamal Shah takes a swipe at filmmaking

The film centralises the areas of Swat, Malakand, Peshawar and a few places in Islamabad. PHOTOS: PUBLICITY

ISLAMABAD: 

“I broke my sword in my brother’s heart, When the enemy came, I had nothing in my hands, When I was a green, shadowy tree, they invited flames,

When I burnt down to ashes, they called upon winds.” Penned by the famous Pashto poet Darvesh Durrani, these verses symbolise the mayhem that swept Swat about four decades ago. They are now part of the theme song of the upcoming Pakistani feature film Revenge of the Worthless, which is slated to release by March next year. Written, directed and produced by veteran artiste Jamal Shah, the film pays homage to the vibrant culture of Swat.

“It is of extreme relevance, keeping in mind both national and international audiences,” Shah tells The Express Tribune about the film, which is his first-ever attempt at filmmaking. “The film is about the prevailing intolerance in Pakistan and the way our cultural narrative has been brutalised and defaced. It defends our cultural narrative,” he shares. He explains that the film is loosely based on a few true events of the recent past and characters, but comprises the element of fiction.

Shot entirely on location in red epic digital format, the film centralises the areas of Swat, Malakand, Peshawar and a few places in Islamabad. Speaking about filming in tough terrains, Shah says he wanted to choose authentic locations, such as Piyochar, something he hopes will pivot international audiences’ attention towards the panoramic beauty of Pakistan. “Apart from cultural, sociological and political relevance, the film will also promote tourism in a way because it is also about the beauty of Swat and its culture, people and their struggle,” he comments.

Shah’s training in and flair for art will be evident in the way the film has been shot. “The art department [of the film] has done a great job. There is a 200-year-old mosque in Piyochar, which a brick wall was built around a few years ago,” he shares. “Our department transformed its walls using textures and colours to create the desired effect. I think that will look good on the screen.”

“I had seen Swat so many times but when I saw it this time, I really fell in love with it. It’s one of the most beautiful places in the world,” states Shah, adding that the film also highlights the Gandhara heritage and its archaeological sites. Swat, he says, is different from the rest of the Pashtun belt, as its people are more inclined towards arts and crafts, writing and other mediums of artistic expression.

Shah shares that the film’s protagonists are unsung commoners, who have sacrificed in the name of safeguarding their homeland. “It’s about them and their struggle of safeguarding their culture and in the larger context, Pakistan,” he comments. Sharing the research that went into making the film, Shah says that because of his interest in the political economy of the area, he had been exploring various aspects of its culture. Besides that, he also made a few visits with the purpose of location scouting and interacting with locals for first-hand accounts.

“We shot the film in areas that used to be the stronghold of militants. Let’s say Piyochar was [their] den… the main headquarters. We filmed in beautiful places and recorded history,” states Shah, who along with his team shot in stupas and actual hujras. Interestingly, they have also shot scenes in the hujra of the Pashtun legend Adam Khan Durkhanai in his village, which is still intact. Currently in its post-production phase, the film’s cast includes students from Shah’s Hunerkada College of Visual and Performing Arts

Uncertain: Google Glass future clouded

SAN FRANCISCO: After two years of popping up at high-profile events sporting Google Glass, the gadget that transforms eyeglasses into spy-movie worthy technology, Google co-founder Sergey Brin sauntered bare-faced into a Silicon Valley red-carpet event on Sunday.

He had left his pair in the car, Brin told a reporter. The Googler, who heads up the top-secret lab which developed Glass, has hardly given up on the product – he recently wore his pair to the beach.

But Brin’s timing is not propitious, coming as many developers and early Glass users are losing interest in the much-hyped, $1,500 test version of the product: a camera, processor and stamp-sized computer screen mounted to the edge of eyeglass frames. Google Inc itself has pushed back the Glass roll out to the mass market.

While Glass may find some specialised, even lucrative, uses in the workplace, its prospects of becoming a consumer hit in the near future are slim, many developers say.

Plenty of larger developers remain with Glass. The nearly 100 apps on the official website include Facebook and OpenTable, although one major player recently defected: Twitter.

“If there was 200 million Google Glasses sold, it would be a different perspective. There’s no market at this point,” said Tom Frencel, the Chief Executive of Little Guy Games, which put development of a Glass game on hold this year and is looking at other platforms, including the Facebook Inc-owned virtual-reality goggles Oculus Rift.

Google insists it is committed to Glass, with hundreds of engineers and executives working on it.

Glass was the first project to emerge from Google’s X division, the secretive group tasked with developing “moonshot” products such as self-driving cars. Glass and wearable devices overall amount to a new technology, as smartphones once were, that will likely take time to evolve into a product that clicks with consumers.

Meanwhile, after an initial burst of enthusiasm, signs that consumers are giving up on Glass have been building.

Google dubbed the first set of several thousand Glass users as “Explorers.” But as the Explorers hit the streets, they drew stares and jokes. Some people viewed the device, capable of surreptitious video recording, as an obnoxious privacy intrusion, deriding the once-proud Explorers as “Glassholes.”

“It looks super nerdy,” said Shvetank Shah, a Washington, DC-based consultant, whose Google Glass now gathers dust in a drawer. “I’m a card carrying nerd, but this was one card too many.”

Glass now sells on eBay for as little as half list price.

Some developers recently have felt unsupported by investors and, at times, Google itself.

Microsoft introduces app-less Skype

SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft on Friday released a test version of Skype that lets people make Internet calls from web browsers, eliminating the need to install special applications.

“It’s perfect if you prefer using the web rather than an app: perhaps you’re sitting at a computer that doesn’t already have Skype downloaded,” said Microsoft in a blog post.

“Or maybe you’re on the go and using an Internet cafe or hotel computer whilst on vacation where you can’t download Skype at all.”

Skype for Web will be available to a small number of existing users at first and will be rolled out globally in the coming months, according to Microsoft.

Skype is used every day for more than two billion minutes of voice and video calling on the Internet, said the US technology titan.

Skype was launched in August 2003 by two Scandinavian technology entrepreneurs, Niklas Zennstroem of Sweden and Janus Friis of Denmark, who expanded on existing peer-to-peer networking technologies.

Skype, which allows its online users to make high-quality calls to each other anywhere in the world for free, quickly took off, bringing the world closer together in an age when globalisation and intercontinental travel pulled more families apart than at perhaps any other time in history.

Skype was made available through free applications tailored for computers, smartphones, tablets and smart televisions. US software maker Microsoft bought Skype in 2011 for $8.5 billion and built the service into Xbox One video game consoles.

Maersk Ready To Invest In Oil Fields

Chief Executive Nils Smedegaard Andersen made the following comments in a conference call with Danish media:

ABOUT OVERALL DEVELOPMENT:

“We are very pleased with the results. It is better than what we have hoped for and cash flow is so strong we feel further confirmed that we are very well prepared for future competition.”

ABOUT FALLING OIL PRICES:

“In general, in times with tougher competition and pressure on competitors’ earnings, opportunities to buy assets may arise. This could for instance be an oil field. We think it is cheaper to buy oil fields than to undertake exploration. That’s why we have reduced oil exploration. In addition other options could come up such as investment opportunities in ports as we are always looking for.”

Image for Representation Purpose only; Credits: maerskdrilling.com

“Some oil projects are more challenged than others. Challenged means that we need to talk to government partners and work very closely with suppliers. There is for example the deepwater Chissonga project in Angola. It’s just a fact that there are relatively high production costs and projects like this is challenged by oil price of $80.”

“We only want to go on with the projects if we feel comfortable in having a limited risk and if we are likely to get a reasonable return from investment.”

“We have for some time expected the oil price to go down to $80 to $90 dollar per barrel and it is also a level that we see as reasonable – both for the oil industry and the transportation industry.”

ABOUT MAERSK LINE:

“Our strong earnings in Maersk Line means that we are among those who can continue with a high level of investment – even in difficult times. It means that we can continue to modernise our fleet, invest in more fuel-efficient ships, focus on customer service and focus on the long-term.”

(Reporting by Ole Mikkelsen; editing by Sabina Zawadzki)