On the one hand, an SF writer wants to challenge the reader's beliefs, but if you take things too far, the characters become unrecognizable. How do you write dialog, for example, between beings with digital RF implants instead of speech? And let's face it, with advanced technologies, the human body itself will likely become obsolete in a century, tops. Stories like this are not only a huge challenge to write, readers won't know what to make of them. People read for escapism, and to have their perspectives stretched, but they're also looking for morality tales where good triumphs and order's restored. They want characters they can relate to, even to a small degree.
The continued collapse of the middle class will mean fewer and fewer will own cars outright... the self-driving aspect means you can tell a car to pick you up and take you to destination X, maybe with less hassle and delay than with present-day cabs, for those few occasions you really need one. Less car ownership means less revenues to the state, which means they'll REALLY have to jack up the fees to make up for it. Electric and hybrid cars have already given states fits because of less fuel taxes paid, and now they're trying to come up with per-mile-driven schemes.
I agree. The writing was terrible... total hack job. There was a scene in one episode (second season?) where the two space jockeys from Galactica were showing off their math skills on a computer to a journalist on Earth. It was totally ripped off of Day the Earth Stood Still. And that robot dog and the kid --- agh!! And the cylons with the red LED scanner, just like that Knight Rider car thing (and Gort... hmmm).
In the US, it was reported that pro-Russia rebels immediately surrounded the crash area and actively interfered with the debris and prevented investigators from entering the scene. If that's true, that's says a lot about the guilty parties.
It doesn't exclude me from being a libertarian. I'm just not one. Before you rub your hands in glee at the thought of robots taking over people's occupations, please create decent (and by decent I mean not half-assed) social programs so displaced workers don't starve/lose their homes FIRST.
No, I'm far from Libertarian now, I'm a progressive crank who thinks robots will eventually be the answer to everything. When I see a headline that says "beyond a robot's reach," I think, "Oh, really?" You could make a robot competent for the job, but it would be much more expensive than a person. That won't always be true however. That's my point.
What the carmaker says or doesn't say is virtually irrelevant. The mere possession of customer data means somewhere along the line it will leak, whether intentionally, though incompetence, accident, change of corporate heart, outside malice or other reasons.
Our lab rooms have negative internal pressure with respect to the halls on account of fume hoods, etc. Wonder if a phone barometer gets confused by that?
Get real. These multibillion dollar projects like ITER, Livermore (discontinued), etc are boondogles. They give grad students and postdocs experience and papers to write, and they're fodder for breathless popsci reporting but they'll never put a single fucking watt on the grid.
Note that for fusion reactions, "net power" isn't quite good enough; if you're driving a steam-cycle turbine or some such, you're throwing away half your energy to heat loss, so you'd better have at least 3x input power before the design can begin to make economic sense.
Turgidson: Doctor, you mentioned the ratio of ten women to each man. Now, wouldn't that necessitate the abandonment of the so-called monogamous sexual relationship, I mean, as far as men were concerned?
Strangelove: Regrettably, yes. But it is, you know, a sacrifice required for the future of the human race. I hasten to add that since each man will be required to do prodigious...service along these lines, the women will have to be selected for their sexual characteristics which will have to be of a highly stimulating nature.
Russian Ambassador: I must confess, you have an astonishingly good idea there, Doctor.
Slashdot Mirror
Here's a question: if self learning were possible to the extent we're talking about, why haven't we seen it yet?
On the one hand, an SF writer wants to challenge the reader's beliefs, but if you take things too far, the characters become unrecognizable. How do you write dialog, for example, between beings with digital RF implants instead of speech? And let's face it, with advanced technologies, the human body itself will likely become obsolete in a century, tops. Stories like this are not only a huge challenge to write, readers won't know what to make of them. People read for escapism, and to have their perspectives stretched, but they're also looking for morality tales where good triumphs and order's restored. They want characters they can relate to, even to a small degree.
What the US Can Learn From Canada's Internet Policy
One good lawsuit would give Zoosk some motivation to cut the crap.
Yeah, but every time you engage the manual mode, your insurance company will ding you 500 quatloos.
The continued collapse of the middle class will mean fewer and fewer will own cars outright... the self-driving aspect means you can tell a car to pick you up and take you to destination X, maybe with less hassle and delay than with present-day cabs, for those few occasions you really need one. Less car ownership means less revenues to the state, which means they'll REALLY have to jack up the fees to make up for it. Electric and hybrid cars have already given states fits because of less fuel taxes paid, and now they're trying to come up with per-mile-driven schemes.
why would anyone pay the fine?
If you're a student, guess what? The university can suspend your grades and privileges till you cough it up.
Like how much should I have paid for a movie when it was just released or how much should I be paying for it now, 20 years later.
Check out the $1 videos at any garage sale.
Sorry, the "red scanner" was Gort, also from Day the Earth Stood Still. At least Larson watched movies...
I agree. The writing was terrible... total hack job. There was a scene in one episode (second season?) where the two space jockeys from Galactica were showing off their math skills on a computer to a journalist on Earth. It was totally ripped off of Day the Earth Stood Still. And that robot dog and the kid --- agh!! And the cylons with the red LED scanner, just like that Knight Rider car thing (and Gort... hmmm).
:(
Not to mention Automan and Manimal
In the US, it was reported that pro-Russia rebels immediately surrounded the crash area and actively interfered with the debris and prevented investigators from entering the scene. If that's true, that's says a lot about the guilty parties.
It doesn't exclude me from being a libertarian. I'm just not one. Before you rub your hands in glee at the thought of robots taking over people's occupations, please create decent (and by decent I mean not half-assed) social programs so displaced workers don't starve/lose their homes FIRST.
No, I'm far from Libertarian now, I'm a progressive crank who thinks robots will eventually be the answer to everything. When I see a headline that says "beyond a robot's reach," I think, "Oh, really?"
You could make a robot competent for the job, but it would be much more expensive than a person. That won't always be true however. That's my point.
Human window washers must be cheaper than self-cleaning glass or robots. For now.
Heavens to Betsy!
What the carmaker says or doesn't say is virtually irrelevant. The mere possession of customer data means somewhere along the line it will leak, whether intentionally, though incompetence, accident, change of corporate heart, outside malice or other reasons.
"Outlook not so good."
The city of chicago has already been accused of doing this. Got any other bright ideas?
Our lab rooms have negative internal pressure with respect to the halls on account of fume hoods, etc. Wonder if a phone barometer gets confused by that?
Sure. Just call them "muons."
there won't be anyone to run supermarkets, farmers or truck drivers to deliver food to anyone.
By the time the baby genius thing is figured out, those jobs will have gone to automation anyway,
Get real. These multibillion dollar projects like ITER, Livermore (discontinued), etc are boondogles. They give grad students and postdocs experience and papers to write, and they're fodder for breathless popsci reporting but they'll never put a single fucking watt on the grid.
Why not award the Nobel Peace Prize to the same person who got the Nobel Chemistry prize?
You mean this guy?
Note that for fusion reactions, "net power" isn't quite good enough; if you're driving a steam-cycle turbine or some such, you're throwing away half your energy to heat loss, so you'd better have at least 3x input power before the design can begin to make economic sense.
Turgidson: Doctor, you mentioned the ratio of ten women to each man. Now, wouldn't that necessitate the abandonment of the so-called monogamous sexual relationship, I mean, as far as men were concerned?
Strangelove: Regrettably, yes. But it is, you know, a sacrifice required for the future of the human race. I hasten to add that since each man will be required to do prodigious...service along these lines, the women will have to be selected for their sexual characteristics which will have to be of a highly stimulating nature.
Russian Ambassador: I must confess, you have an astonishingly good idea there, Doctor.