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User: JimSadler

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  1. Maybe Not on Japanese and US Piloted Robots To Brawl For National Pride · · Score: 1

    Drones are saving large numbers of our soldiers as well as keeping innocents safe in conflicts. No longer need we bomb an entire city to kill one or two bad guys. That drone may have a human operator or be on auto pilot. But my point is that smaller robots may well be of more vital importance than huge robots. We do not need to stomp down cities like Godzilla. But a small drone with a small grenade flying through a bedroom window can kill an enemy without killing thousands of innocents. I do see that very large robots could get the public more aware and more eager to see high function robots and that might lead to better funding and training of engineers which is great. But in the end the tiny robot is what we really need the most. A self driving car may well have the "robotics" built into the dash board and look like any other car. The robot is essentially invisible. And the robot can actually be spread about in various nooks and crannies of a machine. We need not fixate on a robot that we can see as an entity in itself. Imagine a very simple robot such that each leg of a table adjusts so that the table is level and does not rock on its legs. The robotics could be concealed within the table legs and no one would suspect unless the table was moved and the legs needed to adjust themselves to the new place on the floor.

  2. We have had a local problem with companies refusing to hire people over rather old misdemeanor arrests. In a way imposing a permanent penalty for law breaking has its merits but we do see people with very minor violations suffering permanent harm even though only a small fine was the penalty. Yet I do see an issue with a job candidate who has a perfect record being passed over by someone who had a drunk driving conviction thirty years ago. Should we not always promote or hire the best?

  3. Resistance To Change on Why Electric Vehicles Aren't More Popular · · Score: 1

    Think of the built in resistance that already exists. Condominium and rental apartments are frequently next to impossible to convert so that owners or renter can easily recharge their electric cars. I don't have data on the subject but maybe one half of all housing in the US is rental, condominium, dormitory or military post housing. That means a hard uphill for electrics taking a huge market share. And the sick part is that we all really need to go electric.

  4. My Rant For Years on Cameron Asserts UK Gov't Will Leave No "Safe Space" For Private Communications · · Score: 2

    No government on this planet wants or accepts private communications. In one sense of the term secrecy is in itself a hostile action and not just by nations but by individuals as well. A simple example is Russia. Because we do not know exactly what the Russians are doing at all times we carry a heavy expense burden of trying to be able to defend against any hostile actions by any new imaginable technologies. So secrecy is sort of an act of war. Taken down to the man and wife level any degree of secrecy puts stress on the party who does not know all about the mate. A parent must take precautions and purchase various forms of insurance as it is so well known that teens will keep secrets from their parents. It all boils down to secrecy being a rather overt, hostile act. And it works in both directions. It means nothing to be able to vote when a government is allowed to keep secrets from the public. Should I vote for a man who wants to shrink our military when i am not allowed to know the true strength of our weapons?

  5. Been There on Volkswagen Factory Worker Killed By a Robot · · Score: 1

    Early on I built industrial scale robots for universities to train engineers and other professionals. This was about 1985. Deaths and severe injuries did occur in universities and we found that making robotic systems idiot proof is next to impossible as idiots are so very creative. In essence the robotic arms were moving at about the same speed as the tip of a golf club when the user is trying to hit a hole in one. Combine that with the portion of the arm in motion weighing over 300 lbs and you can picture brains covering the walls of a robot lab. Naturally we used the floor mats that shut down the arms if someone got near as well as the usual blinking lights and honking horns as did other shops supplying universities. Yet people did die from time to time. They moved the floor mats or disconnected the leads. Obviously the same can happen in industry although some safety systems now do things that we could not back them. I think the public would be stunned if they knew what robots could already do in 1985. The limiting factor in deployment was not the ability of the robots but the vision of corporate officials combined with the cost of the required technicians back in those days.

  6. Re:The "glow in the dark" thing on Bill Gates Investing $2 Billion In Renewables · · Score: 1

    From a moral standpoint can we allow even one death from oil or coal to take place without murder charges being applied to the culprits? Jobs or perpetuating current lifestyles are not an excuse for allowing even one death or disability from coal or oil pollution. Greed has twisted minds. We can measure and know that shutting down seven large cruise ships would equal getting rid of every gasoline engine in the US. But who has cried out to stop large ships from burning the worst possible fuels? Who has cried out about stopping international air traffic that is proven to spread germs quickly around the globe causing all kinds of health problems for the masses. Your immune system is being beaten into the dust by over exposure to germs caused by tourism. We are an insane society hell bent on doing the things we have always done as gutless masses cry out in fear of change. Like the insane we keep doing exactly the wrong things over and over again.

  7. Re:you never hear of having USN nuclear problems on Bill Gates Investing $2 Billion In Renewables · · Score: 1

    Three Mile Island was an eye opener as well.

  8. Re:Renewable versus fossil - where is nuclear? on Bill Gates Investing $2 Billion In Renewables · · Score: 1

    The problem with nuclear power is the degree of harm it can cause. The world has already seen incidents of nuclear contamination that are far from trivial. The recent Japanese disaster will be harming human and animal life for centuries. Take a look at ocean front nuclear reactors in the US alone. Imagine rising seas and a need to disassemble these nukes and move them elsewhere. Could it even be done? I'm in Florida near a nuclear plant that sits about three feet above sea level right on the beach. When 9/11 occurred we had the German air force protecting our nuclear plant in Florida the next day. As I was born during WW2 seeing the German air force flying over my home was creepy to say the least. Yet we are sitting on tidal energy here that exists 24 hours every day all year long. And the amount of tidal and water current energy locally could probably power most of the US.

  9. TV Committed Suicide on How Television Is Fighting Off the Internet · · Score: 1

    They listened to the bean counters. They put more and more junk advertising per hour on TV. Then they got the notion that having less episodes of a series would save a buck. Viewers fled over the air TV in droves. Ads should be restricted to 1 one minute ad per hour. Series should be designed to run 52 weeks a year with a new episode every week. That holds viewers. You could chart the encroachment of advertising and the shrinkage of new episodes of series and offer a strong proof of why business types simply can not run successful TV networks. Right now i would give up all over the air channels for Net Flicks.

  10. Deep Thought on WSJ Overstates the Case Of the Testy A.I. · · Score: 1

    Programming a chess computer or just using a chess computer can teach one quite a lot. The computer is essentially given a lot of rules and values are programmed in. For example a script aimed at capturing a queen in six moves without suffering a major negative can be installed. Other scripts might seek a certain advantage in 5 move or in 15 moves. The end result may be a very, very strong chess game that no human has ever played before. These programs have already reached a point at which humans offer only a tiny challenge to them and if one looks at the game as art then the art produced is likely to be totally original. The type of goal oriented programming exemplified in chess programs does not always extend well to other challenges but by any fair definition of creativity common chess programs meet the tests. Now imagine what can be done with a game of checkers. No human should ever win a game of checkers against a decent computer program. In other areas such as music programs can adjust every note slightly so that perfect pitch for every note is the norm. Human players simply can not play that perfectly so the music produced is singular in quality. I suppose that is musical intelligence beyond human abilities.

  11. Hold It! It's A Trick on Aiming To Beat Tesla's "3", Chevy Tests and Teases a Cheaper 200-Mile Electric Car · · Score: 1

    GM had a much sought after electric car and declined to allow customers to keep the car or get access to new ones. In other words GM has shown a dedication to stopping electric cars. This is likely an attempt to ruin Tesla rather than any real commitment to advancing electric vehicles. So go buy a Chevy electric and learn that if you lay down with dogs you get up with fleas.

  12. TROUBLE WILL FOLLOW on Google, Apple, and Others Remove Content Related To the Confederate Flag · · Score: 2

    Although I think a confederate flag other than the battle flag should be flown I suspect that taking down the stars and bars will cause quite a severe reaction in the south. That flag honors our southern war dead from all wars and not just the civil war. Southern soldiers are well known for ferocious dedication and bravery during really heavy combat. Many people will be severely hurt by states not flying the flag and it may well spark violence. The confederate flag has nothing to do with race at all. Black soldiers fought for the south as well as white soldiers.

  13. Smack Me with A Mullet on 3D Printed Supercar Chassis Unveiled · · Score: 1

    Obviously 3D printing is going to be an enormous blessing for all of us. It is as profound as the creation of computers in what i expect for social and economic change. Yet everyone I mention 3D printing to seems to be unaware, lost in space, or totally ignorant of what 3D printing can do. It is as if they are the ones who have been slapped silly with a mullet. I just can not understand how blind or dumb people can be when it comes to something that is sort of new.

  14. Call Me A Snob on New Google and CMU Moonshot: the 'Teacherless Classroom' · · Score: 1

    Many teachers are already being replaced by computers. But as far as what target the teaching should be designed for I have an unpopular opinion. Teach to the brightest students! The gifted students will be the ones that offer society the most and educational efforts should support the star students far more than lesser students. Even in public grade schools we need to teach to a level that is challenging enough to cause some very bright students, from good homes, to fail. Lesser students should be trained to cook or lay brick or build roads. Right now many of our best minds are being held back while teachers struggle to get kids who could care less about learning up to speed which almost never works.

  15. Super Important on WikiLeaks: NSA Eavesdropped On the Last Three French Presidents · · Score: 4, Informative

    Wiki Leaks is so important in correcting social and political issues that it may well be something the history books must feature as a very prominent turning point in history. The more that people around the world are able to see and understand the better our laws and social policies will become. In a way it is simply nothing more than social and political government in the sunshine and we all should demand the kind of access that wiki has created for us. Every utterance of public officials should be public 24/7/365. Corruption could cease to exist.

  16. Re:Phase out fossil-fueled power plants by midcent on The Presidential Candidate With a Plan To Run the US On 100% Clean Energy · · Score: 3, Informative

    And yet Germany is making even better progress with true, natural energy. No nukes needed thank you. Sun, wind and tide can get the job done. But I do fear that assassins will be used to keep big oil and big coal going.

  17. A fact is a fact. In some areas it might be pretty hard not to park sort of close to a whore house. But anyone has the right to observe, collect and report such things. A wife for example might find that the husband is parking quite near every whore house in the entire county. And a newspaper might just print such an item if the person is a minister or public official. So suppose people think I am keeping a data base and that my data base "goes too far" and violates their privacy. So what is the cure? The state comes and demands that I reveal all my computer contents to decide if any privacy laws are being violated based on unfounded suspicions of people in the community. Then where are my privacy rights? And after all my data bases are not displayed where the public can view them. So the cure for an imagined invasion of privacy turns into a very real invasion of my privacy and guess what! When someone is falsely accused there is usually no legal compensation available for the falsely accused person. The girl that falsely cries rape almost never gets the type of prison sentence that the man would get if the rape charge was true. Remember the sports team at Duke that was falsely accused and cost those boys a fortune in legal bills, collapsed their sports team and halted their education for a year or two? Did the girl go to prison? Life without parole would be fair.

  18. That Duh Factor on Louisiana Governor Vetoes License Plate Reader Bill, Citing Privacy Concerns · · Score: 1

    The car is displayed on a public road in full view of the world. What the heck definition of privacy includes existence of a situation or object in full view in a public place? Anything that can be viewed in public is not private. We are really over the edge stupid about some common beliefs.

  19. Donate where you are on Ask Slashdot: Making Donations Count · · Score: 1

    First donate near where you live or work so you can observe the place and how it behaves. Sometimes odd places do a lot of good. For some disadvantaged youth a boxing gym is a life saver. Or a basketball program for youth can be quite worthwhile. The Kahn Academy is a blessing for many people and deserves support. Slashdot is a good spot to donate as well. Distrowatch,com gets Linux into the hands of people who can not afford Microsoft products or who wish to know about their computer than commercial systems offer. I have noticed a tragic shortage of group homes for men whereas most communities offer a bit of shelter for women in distress. Maybe helping out a shelter with either money or time is a good idea. Oddly one also might consider supporting liberal politicians as they usually try to aid the poor or unfortunate whereas the right wing only postures about such help. Locally our Catholic Church does more for feeding the poor than any other church. And do consider taking in a person to give them a leg up for a while. I have helped several people in tragic circumstances by giving them a free room until they could save up for their own apartment. Since I had the room anyway it cost me next to nothing but made a huge difference in some of their lives.

  20. Two Stress Generators on The Science of Incivility · · Score: 1

    I have seen two stress generators in play at various jobs. One huge cause is when a company has economic wars and can not afford to pay the going rate for workers who really are productive. Employees tend to turn on each other as if one getting ahead decreases the others' chances of ever getting a raise. It can reach the point of employees destroying the work of other employees to make them look bad to management. The second cause of note occurs in jobs that are reliable and lasting in which there is a great deal of hostility when an opening is given to an applicant other than some friend of workers already in a department. The usual tactic is to go to the department manger and give false reports of the new persons job performance. And it can also involve sabotage of the work output of the new employee. In the construction trades peoples' lives can actually be at risk as the injury or death of a worker is all too easy to create.

  21. We Can Can't Cure Him on Kim Jong Un Claims To Have Cured AIDS, Ebola and Cancer · · Score: 1

    Kin Shorty Yo Yo Pants can't be fixed. The boy not only slipped his anchor his brains obviously fell out his exit portal.

  22. Second Time Around on Privately Owned Armored Trucks Raise Eyebrows After Dallas Attack · · Score: 1

    The first time we saw this kind of nonsense involved making it a crime to wear bullet proof clothing. The reasoning is that it was hard to stop armed robbery types who wore bullet proof clothing. Now they want to make bullet resistant vehicles illegal. Does it not dawn on them that many celebrities as well as others may need such equipment to be reasonably safe? Many music and film stars need special protections as do some economic figures. So are we to have a nation in which only certain people can own a bullet proof vehicle? If one person can own such a thing then every person has the same right. Cops sometimes wear bullet proof vests when off duty as they are aware that revenge shootings are a distinct possibility.

  23. The Traffic Fine Issue on FCC To Fine AT&T $100M For Throttling Unlimited Data Customers · · Score: 2

    Corporate money is very much like the traffic fine problem. A poor man gets a $200 fine for driving ten miles over the limit. That $200 may exceed his weekly take home pay. A multi millionaire gets the same fine and it is so trivial as to mean absolutely nothing. Now if both men had to spend a week in jail we would have equality in the system. So just why do we not do that? it is simple. First the system would lose money by putting them in jail. Secondly the rich demand being exempt from the law and one way or another make pay offs to keep that immunity. So we have two factors and a very unpleasant reality. The reality is that our justice system is all about money and not about justice at all. If the public becomes aware at the same time we face rebellion and riot. It also proves what many black leaders have fought against in that the poor are often a target of police. Police placate the public by arresting unpopular racial or ethnic groups. In many cases police are shown to knowingly arrest innocent people and allow them to go all the way to death row. Chicago is notorious for police sweeping up some poor soul and telling the media that the bad guy has been caught. And it throws the entire system into jeopardy. Since we know that sometimes lies and false evidence are created by police departments how can we have faith that in any trial a person is not being railroaded? In essence reasonable doubt is in effect in almost every case before the courts and if we do what we are supposed to do we find almost all defendants not guilty without regard to the supposed evidence against them. Society crumbles as a consequence.

  24. Businesses commonly use the independent contractor scam to steal public funds as well as stealing from an employee. The Feds have controlled the definition for years. In essence the person is an employee if the business regulates them in any way or supplies them with anything at all. As a rule businesses do control their workers. For example you are given a desk and a phone and required to be at work at 9 AM. that makes you an employee. Perhaps you are given sales leads. You are an employee. If you are truly an independent contractor you will provide your own leads, furnish your own supplies, work whatever hours you wish, and behave as you wish. And being an independent contractor you must also have a valid business license. And no,, you can not work "under" someone else's license. Workman's Comp is defrauded, mandatory federal pensions are defrauded, Unemployment compensation is defrauded. Yet this is how sick this nation is : We almost never see a business seriously punished for the crime of falsely calling someone an independent contractor. And if you are an employee you can get a lot of revenge. You cans sue. You can also refuse to terminate your contract and bind the business to catastrophic agreements. And if the business tries to shut you down ask to see the contract you supposedly signed so you can see if the termination meets the contract.

  25. Re:Effect of nukes on NEOs on Should Nuclear Devices Be Kept On Hand To Protect Against Near Earth Objects? · · Score: 1

    I wonder if we have the ability to actually change the flight path of a serious threat sized object in space. If we were that good at planing and delivery we would all be wonderful pool players. But so many of us scratch on the eight ball despite our credentials.