Bazza Posted July 12, 2021 Report Share Posted July 12, 2021 1 hour ago, Michael Hopcroft said: One of the questions on when an AI becomes a person with the right to be part of our "moral community" is "can it suffer"? No. The word “artificial” is a giveaway. They are a) not intelligent, or b) not organic; c) they are rational artifacts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan D. Hurricanes Posted July 12, 2021 Report Share Posted July 12, 2021 Lightning strike kills 18 selfie takers on tourist tower in Jaipur Quote Video captured by Reuters TV partner ANI showed empty shoes left by the dead. It is astonishing the number of people that die each year taking selfies, but this is something else! 😲 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted July 12, 2021 Report Share Posted July 12, 2021 Sir Richard Branson reaches the edge of space. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-57797297 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hopcroft Posted July 12, 2021 Report Share Posted July 12, 2021 5 minutes ago, death tribble said: Sir Richard Branson reaches the edge of space. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-57797297 That is so disturbing on so many levels. I mean, it's his money and he can do what he likes with it, but how did he get that money and are there better used for it he didn't even consider? assault 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Bushido Posted July 12, 2021 Report Share Posted July 12, 2021 From what little I have been given to understand, he asked his government for 500 million eurof or something or other last year or so, then found a billion under his sofa cushions later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclevlad Posted July 13, 2021 Report Share Posted July 13, 2021 17 hours ago, Michael Hopcroft said: That is so disturbing on so many levels. I mean, it's his money and he can do what he likes with it, but how did he get that money and are there better used for it he didn't even consider? Welcome to the world of the New Robber Barons. Of course there would be more responsible uses. And some of them do make really, really huge charity contributions. This, tho, is no different from $300M superyachts or $100M+ artworks. Or however much Ballmer paid for the LA Clippers, or Kroenke is laying out for the sports complex for the Rams. Supercars are passe' now there are hypercars like the Bugatti Chiron and Veyron. Heck, the entire notion of space tourism feels like nothing but indulging the whims of the ultra-wealthy. Nothing new there. The difference is the expansion of the class as income inequality is increasingly distorted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csyphrett Posted July 13, 2021 Report Share Posted July 13, 2021 20 hours ago, Michael Hopcroft said: That is so disturbing on so many levels. I mean, it's his money and he can do what he likes with it, but how did he get that money and are there better used for it he didn't even consider? He did sponsor an expedition to figure out why one spot in the Carribbean was killing the fish. Turns out it's a natural cave which has become a dumping ground. CES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted July 13, 2021 Report Share Posted July 13, 2021 There's nothing that states that the super-rich need to spend all of their money on purely philanthropic endeavors. It's great when they do (or come close, like the Gates), but it's not a requirement or an indication of morality. The first private (non-government) crewed flight to space is not an insignificant thing. A vanity project? Perhaps...but that doesn't diminish the significance. For a (long) while, private space travel is going to be prohibitively expensive. That's the nature of things -- the same could be said of the early days of ocean/sea travel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DShomshak Posted July 13, 2021 Report Share Posted July 13, 2021 Given the potential benefits of space industrialization, such as nigh-limitless solar energy, minerals from the asteroids, and microgravity industrial processes... No, it's not clear to me that Branson could spend his money on any worthier cause. Sure, space tourism is a junket for the ultra-rich. But it's an indulgence that builds capacity for other things. Dean Shomshak Ternaugh, Lord Liaden, pinecone and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hopcroft Posted July 13, 2021 Report Share Posted July 13, 2021 2 hours ago, DShomshak said: Given the potential benefits of space industrialization, such as nigh-limitless solar energy, minerals from the asteroids, and microgravity industrial processes... No, it's not clear to me that Branson could spend his money on any worthier cause. Sure, space tourism is a junket for the ultra-rich. But it's an indulgence that builds capacity for other things. Dean Shomshak Remember when Americans were promised "Electricity too cheap to meter"? I am skeptical of Mankind's ability not to muck everything up in a spectacular fashion. I know there is some disdain for anime/manga here, but Planates postulates a solar system filled with transports, space stations, innumerable satellites -- and oceans of junk that could destroy any of these with little notice. If we are seriously going to use Low-Earth Orbit as the commercial hub of the future, we need to address the problem of space junk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ternaugh Posted July 13, 2021 Report Share Posted July 13, 2021 42 minutes ago, Michael Hopcroft said: Remember when Americans were promised "Electricity too cheap to meter"? I am skeptical of Mankind's ability not to muck everything up in a spectacular fashion. I know there is some disdain for anime/manga here, but Planates postulates a solar system filled with transports, space stations, innumerable satellites -- and oceans of junk that could destroy any of these with little notice. If we are seriously going to use Low-Earth Orbit as the commercial hub of the future, we need to address the problem of space junk. Andy's working on it.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattern Ghost Posted July 13, 2021 Report Share Posted July 13, 2021 2 hours ago, Michael Hopcroft said: I know there is some disdain for anime/manga here I thought we had a ton of anime/manga fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Bushido Posted July 13, 2021 Report Share Posted July 13, 2021 2 hours ago, Michael Hopcroft said: I know there is some disdain for anime/manga here, 5 minutes ago, Pattern Ghost said: I thought we had a ton of anime/manga fans. Those two things are not mutually exclusive. I don't really have a lot of hate for anyone, personally (before anyone jumps to that conclusion. _Again_. ) Still, it bears pointing out. I do have a serious mocking disdain for antivax people, as do many others in my personal circle. It doesn't change the fact that we are surrounded by them daily, though, because those two facts are not mutually exclusive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DShomshak Posted July 14, 2021 Report Share Posted July 14, 2021 7 hours ago, Michael Hopcroft said: Remember when Americans were promised "Electricity too cheap to meter"? I am skeptical of Mankind's ability not to muck everything up in a spectacular fashion. I know there is some disdain for anime/manga here, but Planates postulates a solar system filled with transports, space stations, innumerable satellites -- and oceans of junk that could destroy any of these with little notice. If we are seriously going to use Low-Earth Orbit as the commercial hub of the future, we need to address the problem of space junk. No new technology works as well as its most enthusiastic boosters hope. Every new technology brings new problems with it. And yet, I see no evidence of people really wanting to give up computers. Or aviation. Or plastics. Or automobiles. Or radio. Or explosives. Or antibiotics. Or electricity. Or artificial fertilizers. Or automatic looms. Or vaccination. Or the printing press. Or, for that matter, writing (which took away our memories and put us at the mercy of paperwork), agriculture (the starting point for the threat of overpopulation), or fire (who knows how many still are killed each year from our failure to control it?), or knives (still a popular tool of murder). I take this as evidence that the common person recognizes that the benefits from the expansion of human capacity consistently outweigh the drawbacks. And given this long history, I confidently predict that it will continue to be so. So good for you, Mr. Branson. I raise my glass to you, and to everyone else trying to develop space industry. Dean Shomshak wcw43921, Lord Liaden, pinecone and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
assault Posted July 14, 2021 Report Share Posted July 14, 2021 Not what the headline says, but the actual story. A planeload of US military personnel in the Northern Territory have been declared close contacts after a fellow US Army soldier tested positive for COVID-19. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted July 14, 2021 Report Share Posted July 14, 2021 Lego blocks ‘SUPER FUN’ handgun designed to look like a kids’ toy Abject idiocy. This is the exact mirror image of the reason why toy manufacturers aren't allowed to make toys that look like real guns. If an onlooker can't tell if someone's holding a toy or a gun, more people are going to be shot. "We built BLOCK19 because we have been building guns out of blocks for the last 30 years and wanted to flip the script and aggravate Mom," the listing reads. Culper also says the design is meant to highlight that handguns are "SUPER FUN! WE LOVE SHOOTING GUNS!" This [censored] sounds as though he's marketing these mods to children. Lawnmower Boy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnia Posted July 14, 2021 Report Share Posted July 14, 2021 Why Neil Peart’s Silver Surfers are the stars at this year’s Pebble Beach pinecone 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclevlad Posted July 15, 2021 Report Share Posted July 15, 2021 Gahhhhh.... I don't watch that much network TV other than sports. That said, with the NBA Finals going on, I've had ABC up. Now, ok, it might be that it's ABC, ergo it's Disney...but cripes, the ads for "new" material is total regurgitation. The Jungle Cruise movie goes back a long ways; I remember Disneyland's jungle cruise ride (which was connected) when I went there...and we left California in the 70s. A Turner and Hooch remake. A Wonder Years remake. Gahhhhhhhhh!!! All the more reason to avoid network TV, or at least ABC. Also makes me think that Disney's goal is to drive people to Disney+. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ternaugh Posted July 15, 2021 Report Share Posted July 15, 2021 56 minutes ago, unclevlad said: Gahhhhh.... I don't watch that much network TV other than sports. That said, with the NBA Finals going on, I've had ABC up. Now, ok, it might be that it's ABC, ergo it's Disney...but cripes, the ads for "new" material is total regurgitation. The Jungle Cruise movie goes back a long ways; I remember Disneyland's jungle cruise ride (which was connected) when I went there...and we left California in the 70s. A Turner and Hooch remake. A Wonder Years remake. Gahhhhhhhhh!!! All the more reason to avoid network TV, or at least ABC. Also makes me think that Disney's goal is to drive people to Disney+. Rides to films are nothing new for the House of Mouse. There were 5 Pirates of the Caribbean movies (of varying quality), The Country Bears, The Haunted Mansion, Tower of Terror, Mission to Mars, and Tomorrowland. I don't typically watch live TV, so I usually catch ABC shows on (ad-free) Hulu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted July 15, 2021 Report Share Posted July 15, 2021 There have been no documented new ideas in Hollywood since 1994, or perhaps earlier, so none of this is really a surprise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csyphrett Posted July 15, 2021 Report Share Posted July 15, 2021 Chris Gore says all this is because a studio doesn't want to shell out for anything original. THey want something that has already proven to have a fan base and then try to sell that. CES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted July 15, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2021 The general public seems to be complacent and just goes along with it anyway, so why change? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted July 15, 2021 Report Share Posted July 15, 2021 6 hours ago, Pariah said: There have been no documented new ideas in Hollywood since 1994, or perhaps earlier, so none of this is really a surprise. Inception was new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawnmower Boy Posted July 15, 2021 Report Share Posted July 15, 2021 7 hours ago, Pariah said: There have been no documented new ideas in Hollywood since 1994, or perhaps earlier, so none of this is really a surprise. Aquaman sucks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnia Posted July 15, 2021 Report Share Posted July 15, 2021 ...holy cats... Dutch crime reporter Peter de Vries dies after being shot in the head Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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