Week of March 26th, 2012

End in sight.

Robots — they scan our groceries, build our cars, aggregate our news, direct us to the quickest route home, they even serve us cupcakes! This week we set out to discover just how ubiquitous robots are, and to what extent they govern our lives.  Marketplace’s David Brancaccio embarked on a 3,200-mile transamerican odyssey with his robot dog Wilson and a microwave oven. His mission: cross the country without interacting with another human being. We hear excerpts from his road diary and what it’s like to live in a world where your only companions are machines.

“Monetization”: for social networks like Twitter and Facebook, it’s the most essential business issue they face. How do you turn all those eyeballs into money in your pocket — and do it without driving people away? One major social networking site has declared that it has no intention to ever monetize its audience. CaringBridge lets those facing serious health issues set up pages to network with the people who care about them. It’s a nonprofit, but it’s potentially big money: half a million users a day who might follow a link to buy cards or flowers, or whose data could be valuable.

The company that makes Apple products in China, Foxconn, is pledging to improve working conditions at its factories, saying it’ll hike pay and limit work hours after an investigation found the firm was regularly violating labor rules. Here in this country, many jobs are being replaced by machines, and Economy 4.0’s David Brancaccio is currently driving 3,200 miles across the country without interacting with humans. The amount of outstanding student loan debt in this country has reached $1 trillion, and Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois is trying to address this issue at the federal level. And the Master’s tournament tees off next week at the exclusive Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. It’s tradition that CEOs of major tournaments sponsors are invited to join the all-male club.

In the last installment of “Robots Ate My Job,” special correspondent David Brancaccio tells us what we need to do in order to promote jobs through technology and avoid violating Asimov’s First Law of Robotics: robots must never, under any circumstances, harm humans. The Canadian government has decided to get rid of its penny. An oversupply of natural gas has substantially pushed prices down, altering the United States energy landscape. And we hear why the states matter in tonight’s big lottery jackpot drawing.

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Foxconn says it'll hike pay and limit work hours after an investigation found the firm was regularly violating labor rules.

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But Illinois farmers give little credit to the political party in power.

Marketplace's David Brancaccio and his robot dog Wilson drive coast to coast without as much as a "hello" to fellow humans.

Canadians don't even bother to pick pennies up off the street anymore.

Home sales in popular neighborhoods are up sharply as the economy continues its slow-but-steady recovery.

A podcast highlighting some of our best stories from the past week: The robots in our lives (and how they might eat our jobs) and what matters in the health care debate.

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Sprinkles Cupcakes installs a robotic cupcake ATM.

The changing natural gas market is forcing big changes to the U.S. economy.

Now to a community college here in Southern California that has been losing funding from the state. And to make up for that, Santa Monica College is jacking up tuition for its most popular classes by 500 percent.

Consumer spending was the big surprise of the morning. The government said Americans spent 0.8 percent more in February.

The Master's tournament tees off next week at the exclusive Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. It's tradition that CEOs of major tournaments sponsors are invited to join the all-male club. Thing is, the CEO of a major sponsor IBM is a woman.

Commentator Frances Frei says automation needs to improve the customer experience, not frustrate it.

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The amount of outstanding student loan debt in this country has reached $1 trillion. And if you scan the headlines this week, you'll find school after school raising tuition, which will almost certainly send that $1 trillion number up even further.

The news that didn't quite make the headlines. This week: a bacon-y coffin, what The Beatles have to do with wheelchairs, and is Siri worried about getting sued?

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European finance ministers are meeting in Denmark today. They're reportedly adding $670 billion to their bailout fund. Ministers have been trying to figure out how big of a financial bazooka they need to defend Europe from speculators.

The states collect income tax on record lottery.

When technology is married with high-skilled jobs, the result can fundamentally change things for the better.

If there's one industry where robots have tried and failed so far, it's hospitality — seems humans prefer humans for hotel customer service.

Reviewing the week's headlines on Wall Street and beyond. This week: Consumer consumption numbers are up again, and what's going on in Europe.

Three years ago — fresh out of grad school, with new jobs and lots of optimism — my husband and I bought a beautiful house that we love. Trouble is, we spent too much money. Now, our mortgage consumes nearly all of our monthly income, leaving us very little to save for retirement, our kids' college funds or do the things we love such as traveling. The question, then, is: Should we cut our losses, try to sell and buy something cheaper? Julia, St. Paul, MN

Despite pressure to show uses ads and make hay from their personal data, CaringBridge refuses. They're a special case, but are there lessons here for other social networks?

U.S. households hold half of all municipal bonds issued by cities and states in the U.S. But over the course of the past year, those investors have been backing away. Why?

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Going over listeners' responses to past broadcasts. This week: Our series Robots Ate My Job, whether the Boomerang Generation is hurting the economy, and the Lorax.

Comcast is now available for users of Xbox Live, the online service for Xbox users. And when you’re a Comcast customer and watch Comcast shows, that won’t count against your Internet usage for the month. Watch all you want, watch TV all day long if that’s what you choose to do, you never have to worry. Which sounds great, unless you want to watch something other than Comcast. Plus, is Twitter’s random unfollow feature a bug or a feature?

Arguments for and against the legality of the Affordable Care Act wrapped up yesterday in the Supreme Court, and today, in our weekly Attitude Check, we look at how the average American feels about the law. The value of Mega Millions drawing has soared to a half-billion dollars. Lottery officials report strong sales in the 40-plus states that take part in the drawing, but if you go into a pool with co-workers, you might want to take a few precautions.

Kai Ryssdal interviews the head of the fair-labor group that issued a critical report today on working conditions at Apple contractors in China. In Marketplace’s weekly interview with Gallup’s editor in chief, Kai talks to Frank Newport about what Americans think about the health care law. President Obama’s proposal to end tax subsidies for oil companies went nowhere, but what if one day it does? Two British students are paying off their debts by selling advertising on their faces. And in the latest installment of Robots Ate My Job, special correspondent David Brancaccio explores what would happen if robots took over speaking and reporting.

Spain has the highest unemployment rate in the European Union and the government is hoping changes to labor laws will kick-start the economy.

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The U.S. government has confirmed that the economy grew 3 percent last quarter, and that could mean that the U.S. economy and the European economy are going to diverge this year as the U.S. grows and Europe shrinks.

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As more shoppers move online, the chain has been caught with too many stores and not enough customers. So, Best Buy will close a slew of its big box stores and open many smaller ones.

Squeezed by high oil costs and shrinking demand, major changes are coming in the oil refinery biz.

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The Mega Millions lottery has soared to a half-billion dollars, which means coworkers are pooling their money, which can lead to disputes.

Leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa are meeting today in New Delhi to work on an economic strategy apart from the developed world.

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Two British students have found a novel way to pay off their student debt: offering their faces for corporate advertising on the Internet.

The leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa gathered in New Delhi today for a summit for the so-called BRICS group of emerging economies. At the top of agenda is a proposal to establish their own development bank.

The president wants lawmakers to repeal $4 billion worth of tax breaks that oil companies currently get. How much of an issue are these subsidies?

Construction on roads and bridges around the country could grind to a halt this weekend, and over a million jobs could be at risk.

David Brancaccio continues his journey across the United States only interacting with machines–at least today some of them were pretty fun.

I am ready to convert my 401(k) into an IRA. I am 61 years old and want to start taking annual distributions. The current balance in the 401(k) is $562,000 and I would like to withdraw 4 percent annually. Fidelity Investments is recommending a Guaranteed Annuity of $400,000 and the remaining in a managed portfolio fund (balanced). The annual fee for annuity is 1.90 percent of the balance and the managed portfolio 1 percent. These are the only fees. There is a 2 percent penalty if withdrawn within the first 5 years. Is this a good option, or should I keep the money in moderate conservative index funds? Emma, Las Cruces, NM

The GOP casts itself as the party of fiscal discipline. The Paul Ryan budget blueprint does not close deficits until around 2040.

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Comcast is now available for users of Xbox Live, the online service for Xbox users. Plus, is Twitter’s random unfollow feature a bug or a feature?

You're better off placing your bets on dating a supermodel. Really.

The defeat of a U.S. Senate bill to end oil company subsidies leads us to wonder: What would actually happen if subsidies ended?

According to Gallup, a majority of Americans don't anticipate many positive changes to come with the Affordable Care Act. Support for health care reform roughly tracks the same numbers as President Obama's approval ratings.

A robot technician at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Plant in southern Indiana talks about working with technology, not against it.

Auret van Heerden, president of the Fair Labor Association, discusses working conditions at Foxconn's factories and the fixes that Apple and Foxconn are promising.

Arguments for and against the legality of the Affordable Care Act wrapped up yesterday in the Supreme Court, and today, in our weekly Attitude Check, we look at how the average American feels about the law.

Even creative work — like journalism — is up for robotization.

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Research shows that over a quarter of the population isn’t getting enough sleep, but what can be done? Research in Motion reports earnings tomorrow, and despite efforts to revamp the company and its BlackBerry product, the outlook is still grim. The health care debate continues into Day Three, and David Brancaccio continues his cross-country trip looking at robots that are stealing our jobs.

Fight it if you want, but the robots are coming. Marketplace’s David Brancaccio is embarking on a deep investigative experiment in participatory journalism called Robots Ate My Job. “I am now trying to see if a guy can drive clear across the country and never have to do business with any other human being,” he says. We talk to him about the challenges so far. Also, the Instagrammiest Instagram, brought to us by comedian Rob Delaney.

A group of investors including Magic Johnson bid more than $2 billion for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Highway Bill expires on Saturday and if Congress doesn’t act, construction projects will start to shut down. Commentator Todd Buchholz says the “Boomerang generation” doesn’t take as much risk as it did in the old days — and that’s not good for the economy. And we hear how robots are taking over jobs in the supermarket.  

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France says it is discussing a joint release of strategic oil reserves onto the market with Britain and the U.S. The U.S. says no decision is made.

The IPCC is about to release its latest findings regarding extreme weather trends and climate change. The predictions can help insurers figure out what to cover, and for how much.

New information from the Centers for Disease Control reveals that more than quarter of the U.S. population say they're not getting enough shuteye. The issue has consequences on our economy and health.

A year after the war that dislodged Muammar Gaddafi began, Libya finds itself in the political doldrums. North Africa expert Geoff Porter discusses the difference between chaos and anarchy in the Sahara.

Earnings report from Research in Motion, parent company of BlackBerry, may be a cliffhanger.

Yesterday the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris said the European Union would need to increase the amount of money in its bailout fund to more than a trillion dollars.

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Today is the final day the Supreme Court will hear arguments about the legality of the Obama administration's health care overhaul. The Justices will be looking at severability, of what happens if the individual mandate is struck down.

What are the most important election issues you're thinking about this year? Singer-songwriter Brad Hoshaw gives his answers in verse.

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Fight it if you want, but the robots are coming. Marketplace’s David Brancaccio is embarking on a deep investigative experiment on how robots are taking over. Plus, what is the Instagrammiest Instagram photo?

The main question on day three of the Supreme Court health care hearings: Should the whole health care reform law be scrapped?

Doctors across America give very different takes on the Affordable Care Act, aspects of which are now being considered by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The highway bill is in a standoff in the House, threatening highway projects if an agreement can't be reached by this weekend.

Hello. I'm 50 and single. I have a 15-year mortgage at 3.5 percent. My income is more than $80,000. I have a Roth and I am maximizing my company's 403(b) account. I have no credit card debt — no debt in general except the mortgage, so I don't have a lot of write-offs. Does it make sense to get an equity loan and finish my basement so I can get a bigger write-off on taxes while investing in my home, or should I continue to just sock money away because it is better to not have debt? Thanks. Lisa, Salt Lake City, UT

The 300-pound, two-foot-tall bronze statue of the Dr. Seuss figure has disappeared.

Commentator Todd Buchholz says young adults who return home to live with their parents are sapping the economy of needed vitality.

"A steadily growing portion of the workforce will continue to work at least part-time well beyond the 'normal' retirement age of 65," says a senior research fellow at the New America Foundation.

The people who put together the SAT and ACT college entrance exams have announced new security standards in response to a cheating scandal.