bugshaw: (RedRobot)
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posted by [personal profile] bugshaw at 10:00am on 24/04/2007
News #1: Crush All Hu-Mans?
The Horizon Scanning Centre released a discussion paper titled Utopian Dream or Rise of the Machines? It addressed issues such as the "rights" of robots, and examined developments in artificial intelligence and how this might impact on law and politics.

Various people are discussing it with a mixture of sense and sensationalism:
"If an autonomous robot kills someone, whose fault is it?" said Professor Winfield.
"Right now, that's not an issue because the responsibility lies with the designer or operator of that robot; but as robots become more autonomous that line or responsibility becomes blurred."


and there will be a talk on Rights for Robots this very evening at the Science Museum. Ah, cruel fate! Why is this not late May already when I'd have time to go? I could still go anyway, but dodgy backs and Projects and stuff... Maybe I could work on the train...

EDITed to fix link. Anyone interested in going with me, to assist in train-catching if my back gets bad? 7-8:30pm.

News #2:Chap from BT predicts the future will belong to women in the new "care economy".

After years of so called soft skills - such as communication - being sidelined, they will now play centre-stage.
"People will have to focus on being people, using their emotional skills," asserts Mr Pearson - with male confidence.
And, he insists, women are instinctively good at this.


Oh! If only I'd known, I wouldn't have to have worked so hard trying to identify and develop the skills. Skills I wouldn't have needed in the playground if it weren't for the boys having statistically greater height and strength and establishing dominance using that, an area where most girls couldn't compete. So we have to find other ways of interacting.

I was planning to write more, but it's only giving me ulcers. I might just have to crush him instead.

News #3: What Bridget would rather be doing today:
Making a stop-motion film of Doctor Who monster miniatures having a ceilidh. Daleks and Cybermen stripping the willow, anyone?
There are 7 comments on this entry. (Reply.)
 
posted by [identity profile] surliminal.livejournal.com at 09:56am on 24/04/2007
Daleks and Cybermen stripping the willow, anyone?

Yes PLEASE!
 
posted by [identity profile] sharikkamur.livejournal.com at 10:00am on 24/04/2007
I second that Yes PLEASE!
 
posted by [identity profile] bugshaw.livejournal.com at 10:03am on 24/04/2007
I don't know nearly enough about how to make a movie - animated GIFs, yes, but putting things to music and in different formats is currently beyond me. But in June I'll have plenty of time to investigate...
 
posted by [identity profile] aardvark179.livejournal.com at 10:19am on 24/04/2007
I say crush the futurologist, in the name of brutal efficiency of course.
 
posted by [identity profile] bugshaw.livejournal.com at 10:29am on 24/04/2007
This would be the "women are touchy-feely and nice" futurologist I presume, not the "robots should have rights" futurologist?
 
posted by [identity profile] aardvark179.livejournal.com at 01:19pm on 24/04/2007
Clearly the former should be crushed for stereotypes (and all the photos of him with a crystal ball) while the latter should be crushed before you are declared responsible for the sudden spate of crushings.
 
posted by [identity profile] hilarityallen.livejournal.com at 04:07pm on 24/04/2007
Hmm. Having a line manager who's a woman, but lacks caring people skills, I feel that BT chap is talking bollocks.

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