Ugly World

 

Robots and Artificial Intelligence

 We knew that robots with artificial intelligence was on the horizon back in 2000 and did not worry about it because it was decades away...  now, we are two decades later and the robot/AI movement has been with us for 2 years or more from a very serious standpoint...  scientists are now worried about it because they can now see see into the future and are anticipating the downside of the movement.

The problem with capitalism is that once companies can see and appreciate the amount of money that a new technology is going to provide to them, it is difficult and probably damn near impossible to get them to stop the progress.  This is the case with robots/AI and in 2025, millions of jobs will be replaced.  All of this accomplished to save money, increase net profits and increase EPS to shareholders which can and will inflate stock prices.

Even though the downside of robots/AI is negative, US businesses will move forward...  the biggest reason to move forward revolves around the savings of labor costs.  American workers drain the company's resources through wages and salaries, health insurance, holiday and vacation pay, and other benefits.

On the other hand, robots/AI don't ask for a wage or a salary, don't want health insurance, don't want holidiay pay, don't take vactions, and don't get sick or need time off for birth.  Robots/AI don't drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or take drugs.

Businesses do not need humans to build robots, they can use robots to build robots.  Robots have the ability to learn, adapt, and use that new learning to improve products.

What I am looking forward to is when governments realize that they can build robot/AI soldiers and no longer need humans in the military.

NO MORE DISABLED VETERANS...

• Robots can report the news...  no more biased opinions
• Robots can teach classes
• Robots can drive cars, buses, and trains...  not sure if I want them to pilot aircrafts
• Robots can build houses, apartments, and buildings
• Robots can be used to police city streets
• Robots can cook/serve food
• Robots can perform secretarial duties
• Robots can assemble/build products
• Robots can clean houses and mow yards

My first thought is that...   it is ABOUT TIME ROBOTS ARRIVED IN OUR SOCIETY

New Wave

 

Left Wing

 

Just Saying

 

Artificial Intellilgence Warning

A serial artificial intelligence investor is raising alarm bells about the dogged pursuit of increasingly-smart machines, which he believes may soon advance to the degree of divinity.

In an op-ed for the Financial Times, AI mega-investor Ian Hogarth recalled a recent anecdote in which a machine learning researcher with whom he was acquainted told him that "from now onwards," we are on the brink of developing artificial general intelligence (AGI) — an admission that came as something of a shock.

"This is not a universal view," Hogarth wrote, noting that "estimates range from a decade to half a century or more" before AGI comes to fruition.

All the same, there exists a tension between the explicitly AGI-seeking goals of AI companies and the fears of machine learning experts — not to mention the public — who understand the concept.

"'If you think we could be close to something potentially so dangerous,' I said to the researcher, 'shouldn’t you warn people about what’s happening?'" the investor recounted. "He was clearly grappling with the responsibility he faced but, like many in the field, seemed pulled along by the rapidity of progress."

Like many other parents, Hogarth said that after this encounter, his mind drifted to his four-year-old son.

"As I considered the world he might grow up in, I gradually shifted from shock to anger," he wrote. "It felt deeply wrong that consequential decisions potentially affecting every life on Earth could be made by a small group of private companies without democratic oversight."  READ MORE...

James Webb Telescope

 

Hundred Years Left

 

Hydrogen Powered Hyupersonic Jet

If you’ve ever taken a flight from Europe to Australia or the other way around, you’ll know that it’s an arduous 20-hour flight that almost feels like torture. However, there’s a Swiss start-up called Destinus that is currently developing a hypersonic, hydrogen-powered passenger jet that aims to cut that journey time down to just over four hours. “You can reach the other side of the world in three to four hours without compromising on versatility, cost, or noise,” the start-up claims. 

Over the last few years, the company has been testing its prototype Eiger and announced successful test flights at the end of 2022. Recently, Destinus announced that it has been awarded grants for two projects worth a total of 26.7 million Euros (about $30 million) by Spain’s Ministry of Science, as part of the Spanish government’s plans to develop hydrogen-powered supersonic flights.

“We are currently testing a gaseous hydrogen post-combustion jet engine (afterburner) while working to advance other engine technologies using cryogenic fuels such as liquid hydrogen. These technologies will undergo extensive ground testing over the coming year and be integrated onboard our next supersonic prototype, Destinus-3, in 2024,” Destinus added. 

Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico e Industrial, the agency overseeing the government’s program, selected Destinus’ project as a strategic initiative under its Plan de Tecnologías Aeronáuticas (PTA).

“We are delighted to have been awarded these grants, especially because they are a clear sign that Destinus is aligned with the strategic lines of Spain and Europe to advance hydrogen flight,” Davide Bonetti, VP of Business Development and Products for Destinus, said. “For deep tech companies like us, access to these EU recovery funds is essential to carry out advanced research and accelerate the innovation needed to be competitive on a global scale. With these grants, hydrogen-based solutions for aeronautical mobility will be one step closer to becoming a reality.”  READ MORE...

Situations

 

Be Prepared

 

Hunger

 

I Give As Much as I Get

 I am James Alexander Hutchins, III., the oldest son (second child) of James and Margarite Hutchins, Jr., and probably their biggest disappointment.  I had natural athletic ability and threw it away.  I had natural artistic ability and threw it away.  I had natural musical ability and threw it away.  I had a natural apptitude for math and pursued English...   WHY  DID I DO THIS?  I have no frigging idea.

I started smoking cigarettes at the age of 10 while I was delivering newspapers early in the morning, before the sun came up.  I started drinking beer and alcohol at the age of 13 and had my first sexual experience at the age of 14.  I was very sexually active in high school, along with smoking and alcohol.  I NEVER GOT INTO DRUGS...  not sure why, but it just wasn't my thing.

During my first 23 years of marriage, I had over 20 affairs so it was not much of a marriage at all.  I flunked out of college because I did not have the "BALLS" to tell my parents I did not want to go and listen to their bullshit. 

I earned a BA degree in English and an MBA with a focus in strategic planning and worked in middle to upper management during my 45 year career.  However, I have been fired 10 times during my career because I cannot keep my mouth shut, I don't like following meaningless rules, and I simply don't kiss ass.

My daughter does not want to have anything to do with me and we have not spoken to each other in over 5 years.  My sister does not want to have anything to do with with, nor do her children.  My brother does not want to have anything to do with me, nor does his children.  I have two friends and one of them died 10 years ago.

My personality is INTJ according to Myers-Briggs.  My sign is Scorpio according to astrology.  My body has been well made because I survived a serious heart attack, had 5 stents inserted into heart arteries instead of a triple bypass, have survived cancer for over 14 years, and 9 months ago had 5 lower back disks fused together and have recovered about 90%.  My second marriage of 25 years has been faithfully executed, but has turned into us being roommates instead of soul mates.

At the age of 40, I stopped smoking and drinking, COLD TURKEY, and have not looked back at either one as missing anything, other than all the mney I spent.

I am 75 years old and am pretty much a loner, at least since 2015 when I retired.  I retired because I simply hated working for ASSHOLES, INCOMPETENTS, and INTELLEDTUAL DWARFS...  that does not mean that I am smart or even intellectual...  it just means, I am not like them as I value INTEGRITY more than they do.

My life has been debt free since between the ages of 55-60...  not exactly sure when it actually happened, but I will never get into debt again.  I use a credit card only to the point that I can pay it off at the end of the month.

Over my lifetime, I have written over 42,000 poems, 1,200 articles that were published on LINKEDIN and have completed 7 - 100,000+ word novels and have 2 more that will be finished in a couple of months.  The 10th one will be finished by the end of 2023.  I may or may not look into publishing them on KDP/Amazon.

I enjoy writing but have no idea if I am any good at it or not and not sure if I want to know because it may cause me to stop writing...  and, I don't want to stop since I enjoy it...  somewhat silly motive, but it is what it is.

In 2015, my second wife retired too and said she was no longer cooking, so I have been cooking my meals for the last 7+ years.  I suppose I will continue cooking my meals until I die.  I don't always like what I cook but I eat everything I cook.

My parents raised me Democrat but I lost faith with the Democrats after BILL CLINTON...  My MBA education has pushed me into the direction of the Republicans because of their conservative agendas but I don't vote for either party...  WHY?  Nothing has really changed in America (other than technology) since the 1960s.  We are talking about the same problems today that were talked about back then.  THIS MEANS to me that NEITHER PARTY gives a RAT's ASS about helping the American People.

HISTORY shows that moving towards SOCIALISM is a move towards decline...   and yet, the Democrats want to move towards Socialism...  that makes no sense to me.

I used to like BLACKS but now because of all the BLM/CRT movement bullshit, I'd rather care about Hispanics, Mexicans, and Asians than BLACKS...  In fact, it pisses me off that 12% of our population has so much influence over the other 88%.

Crime and Violence in all of our big cities is going to cause an EXODUS into the SOUTH and into the rural areas of the SOUTH which means NORTHERNERS will soon have a chance to ruin our area now...  after ruining all those areas up north that used to be tourist attractions.  

GP TO TEXAS AND FLORIDA BUT NOT TENNESSEE PLEASE...

I am a lower middle class American and LOVE MY LIFE...  I have exactly what I need and have no desire for more.  I do need to loose about 20 pounds...

Just a Dolphin

 

Mercy

 

Living Energy

 

Earth's Atmosphere Can Clean Itself

Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery that could change the way we think 

about air pollution. (CREDIT: Creative Commons)

Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery that could change the way we think about air pollution. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, have found that a strong electric field between airborne water droplets and surrounding air can create a molecule called hydroxide (OH) by a previously unknown mechanism.


This molecule is crucial in helping to clear the air of pollutants, including greenhouse gases and other chemicals.


The discovery is outlined in a new paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, which suggests that the traditional thinking around the formation of OH in the atmosphere is incomplete. Until now, it was thought that sunlight was the primary driver of OH formation, but this new research shows that OH can be created spontaneously by the special conditions on the surface of water droplets.


“You need OH to oxidize hydrocarbons, otherwise they would build up in the atmosphere indefinitely,” said Sergey Nizkorodov, a University of California, Irvine professor of chemistry, who was part of the research team.


“OH is a key player in the story of atmospheric chemistry. It initiates the reactions that break down airborne pollutants and helps to remove noxious chemicals such as sulfur dioxide and nitric oxide, which are poisonous gases, from the atmosphere.”


The implications of this discovery are significant. It could change the way we model air pollution, as the assumption has always been that OH comes from the air and is not produced in the droplet directly. This means that existing models may need to be revised to take into account this new source of OH.  READ MORE...

Behind the Screen

 

Oldest Paradox

 

Time Swapping - Slits in Time

A new diffracton study sends lasers through 'slits in time' in a novel take on the classic double slit experiment. (Image credit: Thomas Angus, Imperial College London)

In a first, scientists have shown that they can send light through "slits" in time.


The new experiment is a twist on a 220-year-old demonstration, in which light shines through two slits in a screen to create a unique diffraction pattern across space, where the peaks and troughs of the light wave add up or cancel out. In the new experiment, researchers created a similar pattern in time, essentially changing the color of an ultrabrief laser pulse.

The findings pave the way for advances in analog computers that manipulate data imprinted on beams of light instead of digital bits - it might even make such computers "learn" from the data. They also deepen our understanding of the fundamental nature of light and its interactions with materials.

For the new study, described April 3 in the journal Nature Physics(opens in new tab), the researchers used indium tin oxide (ITO), the material found in most phone screens. 

Scientists already knew ITO could change from transparent to reflective in response to light, but the researchers found it occurs much faster than previously thought, in less than 10 femtoseconds (10 millionths of a billionth of a second).

"This was a very big surprise and at the beginning it was something that we couldn’t explain," study lead author Riccardo Sapienza(opens in new tab), a physicist at the Imperial College London, told Live Science. 

Eventually, the researchers figured out why the reaction happened so fast by scrutinizing the theory of how the electrons in ITO respond to incident light. "But it took us a long time to understand it."  READ MORE...