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Machine As Man; Man As Machine
Mindless Debates About The Mind
Do You Mind? Focus On Focus
Know What? Efficiency Is Not A Sign Of Intelligence
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Earth Day – Are Science And Mathematics On The Cultural Fringe?
The Limits Of Computation – Can We Trust Our Computers And Calculators?
Chaos – Not A Theory, But A Phenomenon
Is The Universe Expanding? Beware: Dangerous Eclipse Radiation!
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Animal Rights – No Such Thing
Species Egalitarianism Is For The Birds
On-Line Voting – Democracy’s Latest Indignity
Filling In The Details On Landfills
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Power To The People – Making Individuals Energy Independent
Smart Meters Are A Stupid Idea
Hydrogen Cars Of The Future Are Here Today
Alternative Funding For Alternative Energies
Artificial Intelligence And New Inventions
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Cleaning Up The Environment – With The New Technologies Of The Future
Hydrogen Isn’t Just An Alternative Fuel; It’s The Only Fuel
Green Barriers To Innovation
Net Metering and Generating Your Own Power
An Environmental Vision Of The Future With No Sunshine Tax or Wind Tax
Emotional bonds form between humans and machines in ways once confined to science fiction. Robotic vacuum cleaners known as Roombas now receive names, personalities, and even family-like affection from owners. Researchers add cartoon expressions to these devices, triggering reactions that blur lines between tool and companion. Consumer products gain human traits—smiling car grills or friendly cell phones—to boost sales and attachment. Such developments signal a future where robots integrate deeply into daily life, raising profound questions about humanity itself. Scientific frontiers expand alongside these trends. Astronomers uncover a vast empty region in space, a billion light-years wide, devoid of galaxies or stars—dismissed by some as mere accident, yet challenging assumptions about cosmic order. At CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, delays mount in the quest for the Higgs boson, the so-called “God particle” that explains mass itself. Einstein’s relativity receives further confirmation through precise atomic experiments, affirming time dilation at high speeds. Current controversies demand scrutiny too. Tasers, promoted as life-saving alternatives to firearms, instead enable expedient avoidance of physical confrontation, with accountability evaded when victims’ conditions bear blame. Canada’s infrastructure crumbles—bridges, roads, and water systems past service life—while political deflection and misplaced priorities exacerbate the crisis. The eternal left-right divide clarifies: involuntary collectivism versus voluntary freedom, force versus persuasion. Television offerings provide lighter escape, from the fast-paced comedy of Chuck to the moral depths of Moonlight. All these threads weave a tapestry of insight that lands just right. Safety concerns already dominate discussions. Reports cite dozens of robot-related accidents in Britain alone, from crushings to molten aluminum spills. Japan’s guidelines demand sensors, soft materials, and emergency shut-offs, while experts debate liability when autonomous robots learn unpredictably. Isaac Asimov’s famous Three Laws of Robotics sound logical—protect humans, obey orders, preserve self—but prove riddled with unintended consequences, as Asimov himself demonstrated in his stories. Deeper questions arise about sentience and morality. Programming right and wrong into silicon minds challenges metaphysics: can machines ever possess true choice, or do they merely execute predetermined instructions? Ethics symposiums tackle unsettling issues, from robots strong enough to crush owners to the imminent arrival of sex robots. Local politics mirrors these themes. Debates at London City Hall over industrial development reveal a socialist resistance to market-driven growth, even when projects involve high-tech robotics. Labels like “socialist cabal” spark outrage, yet the contrast remains clear: government control versus individual management, coercion versus voluntary exchange. Socialism relies on force to achieve its ends, while true management thrives only in freedom. Philosophy underpins it all—metaphysics, epistemology, and morality guide whether technology serves good or evil. The choice belongs solely to creators and users. Recognizing these polarities in technology and politics proves just right.
033 – Falling in love with robots?
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Nov 292007
017 – Robots Rising: Sentient or Soulless?
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Aug 092007
