This is mostly tongue in cheek, but i figured i’d see what happens:

Quote :

"Too bad we won't see AMOLEDs like this on the market any time soon. As I reported in March of last year, the commercialization of OLED has been delayed by the economic downturn. New factories have to be built to produce these displays, and that build-out won't happen until credit and capital free up and consumer demand returns. The Samsung rep working the AMOLED booth made clear that there's no announced timeframe for bringing these displays to market, which suggests that they're all one-off lab prototypes and not evidence of a functioning production pipeline. "

- http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2010/01/3d-tv-is-coming-ready-or-not.ars

Basically, OLED technology is the next big thing in display technology. It’s similar to an LCD display, but it doesn’t require a backlight, which means the viewing angles are much better, they displays can be even thinner, and use considerably less energy than LCDs. It also means in the future, they can be flexible, or even have ports of a screen change from transparent to opaque (assuming there’s no back panels).

But, because of the downturn, the roll out is being delayed. THe whole point of the stimulus package was an attempt to boost investments to spur consumer spending. Many people are saying the goals instead should be to rebuild with a better focus on manufacturing, because consumer spending will always have the withdrawal symptoms we’re feeling now after unsustainable highs. And then there’s everything in between… In the meanwhile, you have worthwhile technologies that get pushed back, or worse, swept under the rugs.

1/11/2010 12:24:19 AM

OLED's have an amazing future as evidenced by the transparent OLED displays (that we've been seeing in sci fi movies for years, wicked), excellent color reproduction, and efficient power usage. That they aren't rolled out isn't because people aren't buying TV's, its because people are not going to spend 5000$ on a 32 inch OLED TV.

1/11/2010 12:02:07 PM

I read somewhere that Mass Effect 2 was delayed for this same reason.

1/11/2010 12:07:37 PM

Serply and Dermand

1/11/2010 12:18:40 PM

Quote :

"Many people are saying the goals instead should be to rebuild with a better focus on manufacturing, because consumer spending will always have the withdrawal symptoms we’re feeling now after unsustainable highs"

the first half of that sentence directly conflicts with the second half

1/11/2010 12:25:17 PM

^ how so?

1/11/2010 5:45:41 PM

I think largely because economies with large manufacturing bases are less susceptible to massive bubbles, which may or may not be true.

1/11/2010 5:47:25 PM

if consumer spending is cyclical, the demand for manufactured goods would be cyclical as well, and therefore not a stable source of jobs.

1/11/2010 5:48:06 PM

although i suppose automated manufacturing might do ok.

1/11/2010 5:49:52 PM

Need more planned obsolescence. Buy another green Malthusian belt today!

1/11/2010 5:51:05 PM

Quote :

"if consumer spending is cyclical, the demand for manufactured goods would be cyclical as well, and therefore not a stable source of jobs. "

But as the rest of the world gets wealthier, we’d be making things for other countries too. Theoretically, manufacturing should be more stable.

I don’t really think either of those solutions is viable in the long term though. I think our standard of living is too high to compete with the developing world regarding labor for manufacturing. We are going to continue and increasingly use robots for domestic manufacturing, which is bad for jobs. Which means we’re going to have to figure out how to “export ideas” as they say to make up for it.

1/11/2010 7:08:22 PM

The loss of jobs due to mechanization is not really a bad thing. Greater efficiencies shouldn't be worked against. Hopefully people won't continue to ignore history and realize this. Unions, I'm looking in your direction.

1/11/2010 7:12:25 PM

^ i agree

but you also can’t ignore the lingering blue collar masses. If they can’t or won’t be retrained, then what? What is a leader to do?

1/11/2010 7:32:27 PM

The blue collar masses need to find ways to gainfully employ themselves. New trades can always be learned, entrepreneurship is something that frequently occurs in blue collar and service sectors as well. I see what you are saying though. As long as we operate in a pseudo-democracy the desires of the masses must be catered to.

I don't have a good answer other than, find another job, but that's basically all they can do. Restricting progress just doesn't work, as those who have tried to do have seen (see the collapse of the domestic auto and steel industries, the number of manufacturing jobs that have relocated south or out of country, etc.).

1/11/2010 7:37:56 PM