miriam_e: from my drawing MoonGirl (Default)
miriam_e ([personal profile] miriam_e) wrote2004-08-26 01:37 pm

robotic freedom

Will the looming robot age bring a new renaissance with leisure time for all and a flowering of creativity? Or a new dark age filled with turmoil and insecurity? The choice is ours.

Read this piece by Marshall Brain -- creator of the HowStuffWorks web site and a heap of books for kids and books on computer programming. He is also member of the Academy of Outstanding Teachers at North Carolina State University, where he taught computer science.
http://marshallbrain.com/robotic-freedom.htm

It offers excellent insights into the problem and a fairly simple-to-implement solution.

(I found out about this via [livejournal.com profile] cpolk.)

[identity profile] usuakari.livejournal.com 2004-08-26 11:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Interesting. I'll try and make time to read the preceding essays as well.

You might find the the following interesting/useful as well. They're somewhat related on the technological aspects, if not the social or economic...

Robot health care on the way

IN CONVERSATION: The Molecular Economy
Thursday 2 September, 2.15pm, Radio National

Lynne Malcolm speaks with Chris Meyer, CEO of Monitor Networks, a large business consultancy firm in the US. He explains his 'wild' ideas about the future of our working lives, and how the molecular revolution started by Watson and Crick may shape the way we do business in the future. Get ready for the emergence of the 'molecular economy'!

[identity profile] miriam-e.livejournal.com 2004-08-26 11:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Interesting article. Thanks.
I often worry that movies like Terminator and I Robot could slow the general introduction of robots. Of course it is extremely unlikely that a robot will ever hurt a human. Look what happens when a dog bites a human -- instant death to the dog, nation-wide news stories, general panic about that breed. No way would humans allow a robot to be dangerous.

And they could do a lot to help us, taking a lot of the pressure off carers and giving the sick and disabled a more independant life.

I'll look forward to the In Conversation talk. I try to always catch them. Thanks for the heads up. It goes into my little Palm computer to remind me.