I stood at a Supermarket check out today, and as I waited to be served, it got me thinking.

this is a Supermarket. that, five years ago had about a dozen check outs with Assistants working away serving customers This same shop now has two Assistants and rows of self service tills. The majority of supermarkets and large stores are going exactly the same way.

In effect, machines are taking over tasks that we all used to do, so if we keep being so  terribly clever, we will all end up not being needed.

The great Minds of the World are inventing machines to do the housework, machines to run offices and not very far in the distant future, we are told we will be having cars that will drive themselves.

What is so fascinating is that the Government spends a lot of time and energy telling us  that we are all getting too fat and we must do more, yet  they are encouraging Inventors to come up with ever more clever machines that will ensure that we all do less.

I simply do not understand the logic behind all this.

Everything, it seems has to be quick and easy. Ready prepared is the motto of the twenty first Century.

What are we all going to do with our spare time?

We will not have to go to work, machines will do it all.

We certainly do not seem to talk to each other as we used to, and Television has been replaced by Computers. It looks like you can anything you want on a computer.

I know what everyone will do when they have all the time in the World. Play on their ever more complicated phones. the only asset we will need in the brave new world is a couple of dextrous fingers to work the phone.

Count me out.