Category Archives: Technology

Robots Part 1

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What’s in your future? Is it sunshine, lollipops, unicorns, and rainbows? I hope it is, but beyond wars, and rumors of wars, and a human-created virus, there is a certain reality that awaits all of us.

Question: Is your job secure? Do you even have a job? If Covid-19 Madness has come to your community, you might not be working now. If you are one of the lucky ones with a job, but you should consider that you might not have the job security that your parents or grandparents enjoyed. Times have changed, and there is no gold watch in your future.

Those of you who do not understand what a gold watch has to do with working are probably on the near side of 50, and if you are in your 20s or 30s, it is unlikely that you even have a clue as to what the gold watch has to do with working, but I digress.

Why are jobs and the future of human labor in jeopardy? I can tell you in one word–ROBOTS. The rate at which robots powered by artificial intelligence are advancing is mind-boggling. I am interested in both Robots and Artificial Intelligence so I constantly seek the latest information on the development of both, but I can scarcely keep up with the rapid advancements in either field. I also understand that real cutting-edge technology in Artificial Intelligence and Robots is classified and not available to the public. It takes time for cutting-edge advancements to emerge and appear on YouTube, but enough is already published or “leaked out.”

Big companies like Amazon already utilize robots to a great extent. Even smaller companies now employ robots and that will expand as time goes by. One of my favorite examples of robots in the workplace is the robot duo that serves coffee in Korea. CLICK HERE to see the Coffee Robots

NOTE: To preserve the continuity of reading the text each of the video links is also presented in a single list at the end of this text.

Robots come in many shapes and sizes. Only a few of them look like Robbie the Robot from the 50s and 60s television and movies. However, now some look incredibly like humans. Of course, many robots have no human form at all. Most do not walk or talk, but it is the human-like robots that will define our future.

One robot has gained quite a bit of fame. Her name, or should I say its name is Sophia. She is a robot that appears to be artificially intelligent, but she might not really be as intelligent as she appears. Some even say that she is a hoax. Nevertheless, she was given full citizenship in Saudi Arabia making her the first robot in modern history to achieve that status. However, if nothing else, she is giving us a look at what a truly artificially intelligent autonomous robot of the future might be. I am not sure about the ultimate consequence of that situation. CLICK HERE to see the Human-like Robot “Sophia”

There is no question that a robotic device is coming for your job. That’s a given, and it includes those of you in the medical and legal professions. With the possible exception of the world’s oldest profession, no job is robot-proof, but should we worry?

There might be cause for alarm, but it is never over until the fat lady or the fat robot sings. Some governments are already looking at how a guaranteed income for everyone might work. In the USA and other countries such as Germany, we have already seen people receiving money for not working. These payments are designed to help people during the Covid-19 “pandemic.” The checks are called Stimulus Payments, but it is unlikely that they stimulate anyone to work. They are doing just the opposite. The unemployed stay unemployed as long as they are receiving the free money, but how long will this continue, and will the concept carry over to people whose job was given to a robot? That’s a very important question.

Once a robot displaces a person from his or her job, how will that person live? Under the current system, one must work to get money to eat, pay bills and pay for the other things that constitute living in our modern world. Once there is no work and no pay, what happens then?

Some people understand that sooner or later, robots will replace them. That is probably still several years off, but when that happens, will the displaced worker still be compensated? Does this scenario sound like a fairy tale? Maybe, but not so fast. In some circles, this type of guaranteed income is being considered.

Have the Covid stimulus payments already provided us proof of concept? The virus lock-downs forced millions of people to suddenly be without a job. That includes small business owners as well. The government shelled out Billions of dollars to millions of people. What was the source of that money? This article is about robots, not economics, but the short answer is the folks in charge simply cranked up the printing presses and printed the money they needed to pay the masses. Yes, Virginia, they can do that!

Understand that sooner or later, robots will replace some humans. When that happens, will the displaced worker still be compensated? Does that sound like a fairy tale? Maybe, but not so fast. In some circles, this type of guaranteed income has been considered. Once a robot displaces a person from his or her job, how will that person live? Under the current system, one must work to earn money to eat, pay bills and buy the things that constitute living in our modern world. If there is no work and no pay, what happens then?

Have you given any thought to what you would do if you did not have an income? Without money, an individual or a family faces a dicey future that might even end in premature death. That is a harsh reality, but some influential people believe the planet is exceedingly overpopulated. Consequently, they feel the need to reduce the number of people drawing on the planet’s finite resources. Can that be true? Some say that it is, and that’s scary, but the process of thinning the herd might already be underway. CLICK HERE.

To truly understand what is afoot, we must now enter what some would call Conspiracy Land to examine what’s lurking there. There are many theories, but I want to focus on what I believe is the number one hard-to-believe scenario.

Once robots become perfected, especially the android human-looking artificially intelligent versions, the need for a carbon-based life that consumes food, water, air, and other resources is no longer high on the priority list. That is not a pleasant thought. We are constantly hearing that food and water are getting more scarce now than at any other time in history. Climate change combined with a burgeoning population will eventually reach a tipping point. That is when there will not be enough precious commodities for everyone. At that point who decides how things are to be shared? To view my post on the vanishing Lake Oroville CLICK HERE.

Some people take comfort in the fact that the powers that be, the wealthy self-serving elites that run things, are also human, and they too would suffer from a calamity. Really? Not so fast Red Ryder. Remember the artificially intelligent human-like robots I told you about? Once they achieve a certain level of development, it is, point, set, and match in favor of the robots. The air-breathing resource-consuming human population will become expendable. Well, what about the elites? They are people too, I believe, and they will need the aforementioned, food, air, and water as well. True but they have an insurance policy.

Years ago, the wealthy elite bought their insurance policies. They built luxury underground facilities. New Zealand seems to be the location of choice. Other wealthy elites are making plans to live on privately owned islands. The USA has reportedly built several Deep Underground Military Bases or D.U.M.B.sThe United States government built underground facilities for the survival of the President and the congress in case of a nuclear war or another catastrophe. Some of these are literally small cities. Russia has a giant facility under Moscow, and recently they held a drill to see how fast people could get into it. To see some underground installations CLICK HERE.

There is evidence that a human-caused virus or some natural calamity is coming to wipe out the billions of “useless eaters.” When that event arrives, the elite and other selected people will retreat into their prefabricated survival bunkers. The rest of the population will be left to survive, or not survive by their own devices. Young, healthy people or anyone prepared for the coming calamity have a better chance to survive.

Now it is time to connect the dots. Some public pronouncements along with published or leaked documents prove that the elite wants the planet for themselves. They seem unconcerned about the survival of the “unwashed masses.” A harsh reality for sure.

Technology has already advanced to the point where people can live underground and live well. They can have all the necessary comforts without having things like hurricanes, tornadoes, civil unrest, and those annoying civil liberty laws that keep getting in the way of those who wish to rule. They won’t need human servants because they will have their Artificially Intelligence personal robots to attend to their every need. Is that a real possibility, or is it just a fairy-tale? Time will tell, but at this point, it seems there will come a day when it is possible.

Now it is time to connect the dots. Some public pronouncements along with published or leaked documents prove that a group wants the planet for themselves. They seem unconcerned about the survival of the “unwashed masses.” A harsh reality for sure.

If somewhere along the way I lost you, don’t worry. The videos that are part of this document will provide a complete picture. I will present a Part-2 with more information, so for now, believe it or not, like it or not, artificially intelligent robots are coming. That is no longer in doubt. The point of debate is on the timing of the transformation. The year 2050 is often the prime candidate for that, but now some in the industry are saying it might be as soon as 2030. That is only eight and a half years away! It is doubtful that I will be alive in 2050, but I could be living in 2030. That makes the possibility of a robotic world for me more interesting to contemplate.

Watching the incredibly rapid development of robots is like a spectator sport. Unfortunately, when it comes to Robots not many people are unaware of what is happening. They cannot connect the dots to see the future. Maybe I have helped you shine a light on the emerging technology and helped you to understand that someday robots will play a significant role in our society.

–Jim

Video List:

Hundreds of videos about robots and Artificial Intelligence are available on the Internet. You could literally spend all day watching them and never see them all. I will let you do a web search for the ones that interest you, but I will start you off with a few to give a peek at what is out there.


CLICK HERE to see the Coffee Robots
CLICK HERE to see the Human-like Robot “Sophia”
CLICK HERE to see more Sophia
CLICK HERE to see even more Sophia
HAGA CLIC AQUÍ Robot humano “Sophia” (español) Spanish Language
CLICK HERE to see the murky future of Robots
CLICK HERE to view my post on the dried-up Lake Oroville, California

Obviously, there is not much publicly available information concerning the Deep Underground military bases (D.U.M.B.s) or the elite shelters. Unfortunately due to the recent policy changes of YouTube, the links that I had bookmarked in the past no longer work. They have been expunged. However, I did find one source that has some information and photos. CLICK HERE to see some underground installations.

If you seek more information then do a web search for Deep Underground Military Bases.

Early Humans vs. Modern Humans

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For as long as people have existed, curiosity about the lights in the night sky has also existed. Early humans looked up and pondered the purpose of the billions of lights but had no hope of understanding what the lights represented. They did not even have the concept of space travel. However, ancient stone tablets and other archaeological artifacts suggest they had contact with beings from one or more of those lights in the sky.

Stories of beings that came from the sky to help or sometimes enslave early humans persist in our history and mythology. They tell of beings that came from the lights and brought with them technological wonders and great power. The ancient peoples were in awe of this and no doubt confused at what they were seeing. Their attempts at explaining what they saw were for years hard to decode until our level of technology evolved to allow some of the pieces to fall into place. 

The stories of what transpired back then are usually considered myths. They sometimes include the reaction of early humans to the superior beings that came from the sky. Ancient humans respected and feared the power possessed by the beings who came from the heavens. This form of respect and worship later evolved into the religions that we have today.

When it comes to technology, we have come a long way since our distant ancestors roamed the earth. The bulk of our technology has only occurred since 1900 and it is accelerating at a rapid rate. Today, we know much more about the universe in which we live, but the wonderment of the lights in the sky continues. Thankfully advances in astronomy are constantly being made that allow us to comprehend just what is out there.

Humankind may be unraveling the mystery of the lights in the sky but perfecting a craft that can take us to those lights is still many years away. It is a good bet that I will not live to that day, but I might live to see the day where some of my fellow earthlings embark on a journey to a planet or a moon other than our own. Mars is the current best choice.

Centuries have now passed since the ancient gods inhabited the planet. It would be interesting to know why they left. During World War II, a significant event occurred for humankind that marked a new beginning for earth-bound humans that could someday allow us to visit them on their home planet.

In the early 1940s, German engineers created a rocket called the V2. Its primary mission was as a weapon of war to destroy enemies at a distance. After the war, it became the key to allow the human race to escape gravity and head into space. We have not yet ventured very far from mother earth, but our baby steps are now turning into bigger steps that will allow us to eventually set out on a journey to the lights in the sky.

So far our space adventures have only been as far as the moon. Our robotic probes have traveled greater distances with one now billions and billions of miles into the cosmos. Until recently, space exploration has come only from governments that could afford to finance the enormous cost involved. maybe that could change?

Strictly speaking, the effort to put a man on the moon was the true beginning of humans venturing into space. That was of course a government undertaking motivated by military necessity but cloaked in the veil of civilian space exploration. No matter what the reason, the need to ensure that the USA was not be left behind in the space race was served. But once we landed on the moon and scared the pants off our enemies the push to space cooled down. It soon ended without a commitment to the next logical step. That left a vacuum, and as Aristotle quite rightly explained, Nature abhors a vacuum.

To fill that vacuum, in 2004 a talented group of people came together in Mojave California to create a project to send civilians into space. Something called the Ansari X-prize motivated them to build a spacecraft to fly to the edge of space and win the 10 million dollar prize. By cosmic standards, this was just a baby step, nonetheless quite significant. I had the good fortune to be there on that momentous day to watch the first non-government space launch that signaled the beginning of a new race to space. I made a video of the event that day in 2004 when Sir Richard Branson saw what Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, and Aeronautical Engineer Burt Rutan created. It was not long before he announced that he would create a new spaceship company called Virgin Galactic to become the space component of his stable of products and services with the Virgin name. There were already Virgin Records, Virgin Airlines, and Virgin Phone services. Now 17 years later Virgin Galactic Spaceways takes its place alongside the other Virgins.

On July 12th, 2021 The Virgin Galactic spacecraft took six people to the edge of space in the first civilian passenger flight. Sir Richard’s dream came true. Soon a robust series of many more flights will follow. These first flights will be more like a carnival ride than anything to do with space exploration. Virgin Galactic reports that over 600 people paid $250,000 apiece for the privilege of taking a one-hour ride to the edge of space and back to earth. That is a lot of money for a flight with no food service–not even a bag of peanuts.

Compared to the NASA flights to the moon, a suborbital flight might seem somewhat insignificant, but it is not. It is a grand achievement on several levels. In addition to paving the way for future space endeavors, civilian space flight is also opening the door to some real-world applications.

The Virgin Galactic flight classified as suborbital means that it did not go into orbit around the earth. It only went up to near space. Offering only a few minutes of zero gravity, the flight glided back to the point of departure. There is an ongoing debate whether it went to space. The debate is fueled by the two men, Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos because they continue to trade good-natured barbs about who has the best flight concept. As I write this the flight of the Jeff Bezos Blue Horizon spaceship is just hours away. Sir Richard Branson’s spaceship already went to the edge of space, which is generally recognized as starting at 62 statute miles above the planet. If this space flight was compared to a ship going to sea, it would be akin to wading ankle-deep into the water then announcing that you went to sea. Nevertheless, it is a true technical achievement and a significant milestone for humankind, but is all this just about taking a joy ride into space?

In the near term, a few more of the Virgin Galactic flights will grab the attention of the press and fascinate the public, but at some point, the flights will become commonplace and fall off the front page. Nevertheless, before the echoes of the flights have faded, other companies might join Virgin Galactic and Blue Horizon to generate their front-page news. That will not matter because the future of the suborbital flights has nothing to do with reaching for the stars, so just like our distant relatives, the early humans, we are still looking at the sky with wonder. Albeit we do however have better viewing devices.

If the flights are not about going to the stars, then what are they about? Well, do you need to fly from Los Angles to Australia? Today, the fastest airliner in service takes 15 to 16 hours to travel from the USA to Australia or various other locations in the region. When you go, be sure to take one of the flights that offer fully reclining seats that turn into a bed. But what if you had the option of making that journey in just a couple of hours? Would that not be an attractive option? Yes, it would, and that is why Sir Richard wants to perfect the suborbital flight environment.

It may turn out that what is required for the two-hour flight to become a reality is a cross between suborbital and orbital flight. What would that even be? With the maiden flight of Virgin Galactic, we witnessed the forerunner for that concept. It is not too difficult to understand the concept, but I have no idea what it will ultimately require to make it work as a commercial enterprise, I do know that the tickets must cost far less than the current $250.000 per seat because even first-class travelers would not want to pay anything close to that price.

I was happy to see Sir Richard accomplish his goal. He might have been a few thousand feet short of passing some arbitrary line in the sky, but his flight ushered in a new era for humankind. Had Unity’s pilots kept the engine on for just a few more seconds, it would have easily reached the target altitude. I suspect that they fell a bit short because they did not account for the extra weight of the additional passengers when determining burn time for the engine. No doubt they have already discussed that situation and the next flight will prove that Unity can go higher. I hope that next time when he is giving praise to those who helped him he will include Paul Allen and Burt Rutan. Without them, his flight would have never happened.

Will other countries find a billionaire to jump into the suborbital game? The civilian space effort would be better if they could. However, without a near-term payback, the entry fee might be unattractive even for the rich guys.

No matter what is in store for the future of the civilian space initiatives, we can still look to NASA to fund the esoteric (costly) space exploration projects. We should also keep an eye on China to see the real competition in space exploration hiding in plain sight. They have already been to the moon and have a robust space exploration schedule that no doubt rivals the USA. The sad part for me is that even with no setbacks, and no hiccups, the point at which humankind will finally be ready to venture to the stars will be too distant for me. In the meantime, like my ancestors, I look at the sky with amazement. I use my mind to conjure up visions of what might exist on a planet orbiting one of those lights in the night sky.

It is now less than 12 hours before Blue Horizon will soar to the edge of space. Once that happens, Jeff Bezos will have put the frosting on the civilian space cake and the undeclared civilian space race will be underway.

–Jim

Update:
The Blue Origin flight was a complete success. It was fun to watch but for something so technically demanding it seemed commonplace. In a moment of glory years of preparation paid off. Now two civilian companies have gone to the edge of space. A true accomplishment, and from this day forward the flights might seem like a normal part of our lives. The next milestone is to put paying passengers on the moon and to begin the colonization of Mars. I look forward to that.

Read about the Virgin Galactic Passenger Flight.

https://www.jimsayers.com/wp/blog/2021/07/12/virgin-galactic-passenger-flight/

Virgin Galactic Passenger Flight

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Wow! Did you watch the longest-running space flight commercial message in history? You might know it as the Internet event showcasing the first passenger-carrying flight by Virgin Galactic. Sir Richard Branson created Virgin Galactic to take people to the edge of space. The spaceship company joins his other established companies starting with the word Virgin.

The broadcast was interesting, but sometimes it was more like an elaborate commercial for Virgin Galactic Airlines. At times Technical glitches did not allow us to see the action so the well-rehearsed talking heads turned the proceedings into a giant commercial message. Maybe that was the plan all along? That would not be surprising because Virgin Galactic is a COMMERCIAL space venture, and blowing one’s horn about one’s product is a smart move. The flight might have fallen short of the altitude goal, but it was a true milestone in human history and worthy of all the pomp and ceremony.

Virgin Galactic is currently taking very wealthy folks on Disneyland style “E” Ticket Rides while looking to the future in developing an exotic airline that will whisk people from the USA to Australia in two or three hours. I hope that they succeed.

Some folks labeled the flight as the beginnings of humankind reaching for the stars. Give me a break. A spacecraft as slow as Unity would take several generations to travel to the nearest star. The flight did not even reach the planned altitude, so stop with the grandiose superlatives.

Space ship Unity does have the capability to attain the necessary altitude to qualify as a space flight, but the additional weight of the passengers will require the engine burn to be longer. I suspect that the pilot shut down the engine based on previous flights with less weight. Simple physics tells us that could have been a factor. I will wait and see what they report was the official reason.

No matter what the reason for falling a bit short of the planned altitude, there is still an open question and an interesting “give-and-take” between Sir Richard and Jeff Bezos as to how high one must fly to enter “space.” Bezos says Branson didn’t make it. NASA has assigned the official altitude of space as 54 nautical miles. That is 62 statute miles, or 330,000 feet above mean sea level. Then there is also the accepted standard called the Kármán line. Click Here to read about that.

The pomp and circumstance of the launch and the flight was quite an extravaganza, but parts of it left me wanting. It should have used a split-screen concept. Spaceship Unity and the mother ship renamed Eve after Sir Richard’s recently deceased mother should have always been in view on the screen. (We have the technology!) Every SpaceX launch uses multiple or split screens. One can see every aspect of the flight happening in real-time. That makes the experience more exciting and educational. Right on Elon!

As lacking as the coverage issue was, the thing that frustrated me the most was when the coverage devolved into a rock concert that seemed to go on longer than the space flight. I tuned in to watch a space flight only to find out that I had to endure what seemed like a forever stage presentation by a Grammy Award Winning artist no less. Well, excuse me! I never even heard of him. I understand that musical tastes vary. Realistically the full implementation of the Virgin Galactic Airline commercial venture will probably mature after I have sprouted wings and I am floating around the clouds playing the harp. (Great visual eh?) The stage presentation was more a case of too long a duration and not necessarily the musical selection. No matter, for me, it detracted from the flight. Whew, I had to get that off my chest. Thanks for listening.

Several positive offerings made the presentation a special event. One bright spot that stood out was the participation of a real astronaut by the name of Chris Hatfield. His achievements in space have made him a legend. He is larger than life but seemingly as down to earth as anyone can be. Having him as part of the broadcast team was brilliant. Canada should be proud of one of its own. I would welcome the chance to meet him in person.

Speaking of meeting someone in person, I have on two occasions met Sir Richard. Yes, I am a name-dropper, so get used to it, but seriously I want to give credit where credit is due. In both encounters, Sir Richard was courteous and congenial to me and my business partner. This charm combined with his business acumen leaves little doubt why he is so successful, but his journey was not always roses and lollypops. Along the way to making his space company a success, he faced several challenges. One of them was a sad occurrence. He had a major setback when a test flight resulted in the death of one pilot and serious injuries to the other one. However, even despite the accident, Richard persevered. The historic passenger-carrying flight is a testament to his courage and determination. Click Here for the crash story.

As always, the mainstream press dutifully regurgitated the details of what took place. Thank God for press kits. Some news outlets did make it interesting, but others were boring as hell. I think I will vomit if I hear one more broadcaster announce that they would willingly go on a future mission if only their wife would let them. Please, let’s get real, shall we? Some of those talking heads would NOT go even if their wife paid for them to go. Then there are the wives who would pay for a one-way trip. I prefer not to address that issue here.

During my research, I discovered a YouTube presentation that explains the details of the Unity spacecraft flight. It also compares Sir Richard’s project with Jeff Bezos’s approach to suborbital flight. Interestingly, the two billionaires have a very different approach to suborbital space flight. This is showcased in a video produced by Tim Dodd, known on the internet as The Everyday Astronaut. I thoroughly enjoyed watching it and highly recommend it to anyone who wants to understand everything relating to the current state of the civilian space program in greater depth. He shows how everything works. A link to this fine video is at the end of this article.

My personal belief is that Virgin Galactic has the better approach toward developing rapid near-earth sub-orbital travel. However, the approach taken by Jeff Bezos is better suited to transition into orbital offerings. I bet that is where his ultimate focus lies. The third member of the Billionaire Space Club, Elon Musk, is concentrating on leaving the planet. He has his sights firmly fixed on Mars. That mission excites me the most but taken together, this triad of very wealthy men is creating a desirable future for the dwellers of planet earth. Once the Disneyland aspect of these flights settles down, there will follow an evolution toward the day when the various offerings could serve the whole of humanity.
–Jim

Here is the link to The Everyday Astronaut video: https://everydayastronaut.com/new-shepard-vs-spaceshiptwo/ if you want to know the whole story of the civilian space efforts then watch this well-done video. Click Here to read about Tim Dodd.

SOMETHING SPECIAL:
If you want to own a piece of history my Mojave Magic DVD shows the genesis of the civilian space effort and the very beginning of Richard Branson’s Project. It is a personal look at how it all began. I still have some DVDs in stock, so for a limited time, you could own a piece of history. Watch online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05fiRTI0CEE

To own a historic Mojave Magic DVD, leave me a message in the LEAVE A REPLY field below.

Read more about my experience with the space program HERE.

REFERENCE: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0489767/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl

I leave you with this bit of humor: https://imgur.com/gallery/3SK9yUz
Be sure to click the speaker icon in the upper right corner of the video.

SpaceShipOne – The Beginning

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The space race is no longer the exclusive domain of countries. Private citizens now launch rockets into space alongside governments, and in some cases, they now act as proxies for those governments. In the free world, this is likely to become even more commonplace. Eventually, private companies could take the lead in the exploration of space. 

I was lucky to have been present at Mojave, California the day civilian space flight was born. CLICK HERE to read my story and watch the video. 

The Robots are Coming!

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The robots are coming! No wait…they are already here. The true state of robots has advanced more than most people understand. Private industry has moved upward and onward with robots at the speed of a rocket. The possibility of your job going away is now a reality. Many people will lose their jobs, and because of AI, even lawyers are becoming a vanishing breed. 

I have spoken with people who even in the face of overwhelming evidence dismiss AI and robotics as science fiction. MARK MY WORDS. Robots are taking over, and will eventually be the dominant “life” force on the planet. That is a given. The only question is when? With the advancements happening in the private sector outside the political process, it is advancing rapidly. No congressional committees or partisan (politically correct) debate to slow it down. In the political arena, the debate is now about a guaranteed basic income for the army of soon-to-be unemployed people. The battle cry now becomes… “Take a human to lunch!”

Maybe like me, you are encouraged by the possibility that robots will assist us. However, there is another alternative. Elon Musk and other lesser-known AI scientists are predicting a less brilliant future. There is a fear that if the young people of today are opting to NOT have children and raise a family to replace the aging population so ensure there will always be young people to attend old people. My personal feeling is that by 2050 our hospitals will be staffed with 90% enhanced Artificially Intelligent robots. They are already assisting in some areas including the discovery of cancer and other illnesses that are hard to detect in the early stages. In 2050 your nurse will attend to you 24/7. She will probably look and act just like a human nurse.

Is the future a positive one or more sinister? What say you?
CLICK HERE to see the latest postings.

Welcome to Tomorrow

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A look at the changing landscape of our world – PART 1

One of the hardest things to do correctly is to predict the future. It is an interesting exercise but the nature of life on earth is fraught with un-imagined twists and turns. I don’t have a crystal ball but I do pay attention to the ongoing developments in science and technology so I can offer an educated guess. Time will tell if my vision of the future was accurate or not.

AUTOMOBILES:

I grew up in Detroit, Michigan during the Golden Age of the automobile. I feel blessed to have been there to experience the automobile before it morphed into what it is today. it was a real treat for a young boy. Automotive technology has steadily advanced, but the romance of the Golden Age is long gone. Thankfully museums and private collectors like Jay Leno have kept the romance alive.

AUTO REPAIR SHOPS:

As electric vehicles become more and more popular there will be less need for traditional auto repair shops. They will eventually disappear but it will take some time. Even if there is a rapid transition to electric cars, it will likely take about 10 years, maybe more for most of them to go out of business for lack of business. We may not see it happening now but it has already begun, In a couple of years, we will see a rapid departure from what exists now. However, don’t sell your stock in the local mechanic just yet. In 2021 there are not enough alternatives to the current crop of gasoline and diesel-powered cars so this may be one area that has more time on the clock.

Typical gasoline or diesel engines need hundreds of individual parts to function. An electrical motor needs about 20. Some electric cars are already being sold with lifetime guarantees and are currently only repaired by dealers. I am told that an electric motor can be replaced in as little as 10 minutes. That is a big departure from replacing an internal combustion engine which can take a couple of days to a week if it needs a complete rebuild. The electric motor will be a game-changer for the auto industry. There will come a time when faulty electric motors will not even be repaired in the dealership but instead will be sent to a regional repair shop that uses ROBOTS to repair them. Robots and robotic processes are already here and will continue to expand to the point of almost eliminating the need for much human intervention. The combination of robots and AI (Artificial Intelligence) could even become the dominant form of life on the planet. It is anticipated that this scenario could happen as soon as 2050. Some say even sooner, but no matter the date, it will happen. This also raises the question about job opportunities and job security. I delve deeper into that situation in Part 2

If you have a malfunctioning electric motor in your car then time and the ease of repair are on your side. You drive into what looks like a car wash and your car slowly moves through while you have a cup of coffee. In that short time, your car comes out on the other side with a new electric motor or replacement component. This is a great visual, but it will be a few years before this will likely be a daily experience. I imagine that some people might be wondering if such a process will also be available in the future for changing one’s spouse. (Just kidding)

GAS STATIONS

Will a reduced need for combustible fuel stations make them disappear? Yes, but the date for this is very difficult to predict. Nevertheless, at some point gas stations as we know them will go the way of the buggy whip.

The advent of the electric car demands plentiful electric charging stations. Governments and private companies will install electrical recharging stations. This has already started in many developed countries. No doubt you have already seen some of these locations. The 500-pound gorilla in the room on this one is the electricity has to come from someplace. The debate rages on as to how that will be handled.

Tesla is just the tip of the spear. The move to electric cars is well underway. Major auto manufacturers have already invested in new plants that will ONLY build electric cars. Additional information can be found here: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6464/422

A baby born today will likely only see “personal cars” in museums. I have not owned a car for over 30 years now. I was able to transition away from owning a car because of where I live. As a person that at one time had a love affair with cars, I found the transition a bit difficult. However, my main motivation was to force myself to walk a lot to mitigate the effects of my type II diabetes. It worked. My lifestyle proves that for some people a car is an option, but for others, probably most people, having a car is an absolute must. I use Uber taxis, and a few times a year I rent a car. My yearly transportation costs are a fraction of what most people with a car are paying. Consider the following:

The cost of the Car…
Insurance…
Licensing…
Tires…
Parking fees…
Gasoline… (unless it is electric)
Oil Changes… (unless it is electric)

The Utopian plan is telling us that The big difference between 2021 and 2025 is that by 2025 there might not be a need for human drivers. I don’t necessarily believe that (yet,) but I do believe that in 2025 the trend will be toward autonomous cars. I would bet cold hard cash on that coming to pass. Pride of ownership aside, the reality is that self-driving cars and taxis will alter the age of the personally-owned automobile.

AUTONOMOUS CARS:

In a few years, the entire auto industry will be disrupted. 2018 brought forth the first self-driving cars. 2021 promises sufficient advancements to start making the technology mainstream, but some folks disagree. Nevertheless, once reliable self-driving becomes a proven technology you might not want to own a car anymore. You will do what I do now. You will call for a car with your phone and it will show up at your location and drive you to your destination. You will pay only for the distance driven. No need to pay to park it. Right now my taxis do have a human driver, but likely, children born in 2021 and beyond will never get a driver’s license and never even own a car. This will change the landscape of our cities because the reduced need for private cars will also reduce the need for parking spaces. Some people are already suggesting those unneeded parking lots will be turned back into green areas. That sounds great, but I am wondering about the psychological effect of not owning a car. For some, it could be like trying to break an addiction.

AUTO INSURANCE

Worldwide about 1.2 million people die each year in car accidents. That includes a high percentage of drunk drivers. Currently, there is one accident per every 60,000 miles driven. However, it is anticipated that with autonomous driving that will drop to one accident in about 6 million miles. That alone will save million-plus lives each year and it will have a clear effect on Insurance companies as well. Without accidents, the cost of insurance will become cheaper. The current automobile insurance business model will eventually disappear. Some auto insurance companies will likely cease to exist once the transition to autonomous driving is well underway.

THE ELECTRIC CAR IS HERE NOW

Volvo is now producing hybrid cars and in the not-too-distant future, they intend to phase out the hybrid models and go completely electric. https://www.volvocars.com/en-th/news-and-event/volvo-presents-my-2021-line Volkswagen and Audi also are well aware of Tesla’s success and what it is doing to the auto market. All the major US. companies are now offering electric vehicles as well. Ford, GM, and Chrysler are well into the transition to electric cars. Once Tesla showed there was a market everyone else followed.

Say goodbye to OPEC

The Middle East is in trouble! The middle east is ALWAYS in trouble. Oil is king right now but it is becoming an endangered species. The question is how long will it take to be phased out completely. The current occupant of the White House in the USA has been tasked to try to save the worldwide oil industry, but nobody can hold back the tide. However, if we are going to transition to electric cars then the electricity needed to support that Utopian Dream must be generated from some source. Maybe it is not time to sell your oil, gas, or coal stocks just yet, but that day is eventually coming.

SOLAR

With solar power, homes can produce and store more electrical energy during the day than they use. The excess production can be sold back to the grid which can then dispense it to industries that are high electricity users. I have not seen the statistics on this but I imagine that worldwide thousands of houses are already doing just that. Fossil energy companies have at times tried to limit that access to the grid to prevent competition from home solar installations, but that simply cannot continue, and it should not. Technology will dictate a new paradigm in the not-too-distant future.

Solar energy conversion has been happening for years. Every passing year brings significant improvements. Elon Musk came out with something called “The Tesla roof?” A good concept but the original did not go as planned. Nonetheless, the combined initiatives of the industry are rapidly gaining traction. https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/26/22404639/elon-musk-tesla-solar-roof-mistakes-cost-price-increase

In general, the concept of a one hundred percent solar-powered world is possible. Technically that situation would produce the electrical output that the dreamers envision, but the cost and the other realities of getting there will place this well into a future that might never materialize. Many people reading this will probably be dead or very old before it becomes a reality. Will solar work? Yes, but only if a significant number of private homes and businesses use it.

The FUTURE is approaching faster than most of us can handle. If you have a differing view of the future then I presented here then please share it with me.

— END PART 1—

The world according to Elon Musk

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Elon Musk seems to be more than one person. Somehow he has time to run an automobile company, a rocket ship company, a battery company, and now he is interested in modifying human beings. His stated motivation for this is because he believes Artificial Intelligence is a dangerous technology. I happen to agree with him about that. He has finally acknowledged that there is simply no way to stop the advancement of AI technology. Consequently, he has determined that if we can’t stop the advance of AI, we must join it on our terms. I am not sure how I feel about that, but for now, his outside-of-the-box thinking has earned him a special place on my website.

The brain implant technology is interesting, it is also scary. Some say that it smacks of the biblical Mark of the Beast. Of course, There Is no need to decide today whether you will get your chip, but I think that it is fair to say that at some point this technology will be approved, and join the other plans for marking and tracking humans. However, if Elon is to be believed then this might be more a case of salvation, than of condemnation. Time will tell.

Vatican astronomers look for extraterrestrials

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LUCIFER is helping Vatican astronomers look for extraterrestrials.

A new tower for studying the stars has been erected during the XV year of the reign of John Paul II on this peaceful site so fit for such studies, and it has been equipped with a new large mirror for detecting the faintest glimmers of light from distant objects. May whoever searches here night and day the far reaches of space use it joyfully with the help of God.

The Vatican’s latest, the L.U.C.I.F.E.R. Telescope (Now called LUCI)

Posted by: Jason McClellan April 11, 2013 32 Comments
http://www.openminds.tv/lucifer-is-helping-vatican-astronomers-look-for-extraterrestrials-970/19968

A new book claims that Vatican astronomers are looking for extraterrestrials. And they are using LUCIFER to do it. Although it shares the same name as Christianity’s fallen angel and the personification of evil, LUCIFER is an instrument attached to a telescope.

As Popular Science explains, LUCIFER is an acronym for the instruments lengthy title, “Large Binocular Telescope Near-infrared Utility with Camera and Integral Field Unit for Extragalactic Research.” This instrument is attached to the University of Arizona’s Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) located on Mt. Graham in south eastern Arizona. The Vatican-owned Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (VATT) is right next door.

According to EcumenicalNews.com, authors of a new book assert that Vatican astronomers are using both the VATT and the LBT’s LUCIFER instrument to watch for an alien savior. Tom Horn and Chris Putnam, authors of Exo-Vaticana: Petrus Romanus, Project LUCIFER, and the Vatican’s astonishing plan for the arrival of an alien savior, visited with the Jesuit astronomers at the VATT, including Guy Consolmagno.

The authors claim that Consolmagno revealed to them documents showing that the Vatican believes “that we are soon to be visited by an alien savior from another world.”

The authors claim they will back up their assertions with documented sources when their book is released on April 15.

Guy Consolmagno speaks regularly about science and religion. In a 2010 interview, he told The Guardian, “Any entity – no matter how many tentacles it has – has a soul.” He made headlines because of this interview, in which he said he would offer to baptize an extraterrestrial being if one requested.

Consolmagno has also stated that the Pope and the Vatican are keen on science, and they are kept up-to-date on the latest scientific developments by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.