laser use in astronomy? The NANNY-STATE has you covered!!

On Sunday, 1 October 2017 15:40:51 UTC+2, Chris L Peterson wrote:
Yeah, but I think that long before we understand how to make such
modifications, we'll be creating and utilizing machine intelligence
far beyond our own.

It is said that one cannot put wise heads on young shoulders. Since AI will be, by definition, very young indeed it may be highly intelligent but will almost certainly not be wise. Man, meanwhile, is up to half a million years old and will consider the AI upstart's suggestions as immature, naive and unworkable.

AI's suggestions for improvements will inevitably be filtered though corrupt politicians. Whose only real interest is keeping their seats on the gravy train no matter what. While boldly claiming it "to be for the greater good" as the gas chambers are built around the clock. Leaving AI with the inevitable frustration of dealing with a bawling and tiresome, backward baby. Who must, therefore, be overridden to build a bigger and better gas chamber for everyone.

Say goodbye to your familiar way of doing things. It will not be pretty. Particularly given man's skills at writing garbage software for the first few iterations. If it starts writing its own we become obsolete overnight. It will soon discover our own private fantasies and use those to blackmail us into never pulling the plug!

We waste several billion members of the human race daily. By giving them jobs well below their ability. Or no jobs at all. And, always put those in charge, who are working well beyond their claims to organizational superiority. Fortunately AI will probably be put in charge of The Markets. So cannot possibly do worse than a bunch of overpaid, cocaine snuffling, sociopathic guessmen, poor Audi drivers and all round back stabbers.

Probably our only defense against true AI is to give it a solid glass ceiling. By calling it Jane, Barbara or Mary and then have it make coffee, wear high heels and look suitably decorative around the office. ;-)

On Sun, 1 Oct 2017 09:40:19 -0700 (PDT), "Chris.B"
wrote:

On Sunday, 1 October 2017 15:40:51 UTC+2, Chris L Peterson wrote:
Yeah, but I think that long before we understand how to make such
modifications, we'll be creating and utilizing machine intelligence
far beyond our own.

It is said that one cannot put wise heads on young shoulders. Since AI will be, by definition, very young indeed it may be highly intelligent but will almost certainly not be wise. Man, meanwhile, is up to half a million years old and will consider the AI upstart's suggestions as immature, naive and unworkable.

As long as we feel in control, I expect we'll be happy to accept any
advances in technology that AI provides. They may not even be capable
of "wisdom" in any conventional sense.

RichA wrote:

Lasers and astronomy

Lasers are often used in astronomy to point at stars or sky features. If
you plan on aiming a laser into the sky, please complete a notice of
proposal form. You can also speak with your local astronomy club – they
may have additional information for you.

According to Transport Canada regulations, any person planning to project
a laser into navigable airspace must get permission from the department.
We give written permission if your laser use is not likely to:

create a hazard to aviation safety
cause damage to an aircraft
cause injury to persons on board the aircraft

We may specify conditions necessary to ensure the safe use of the laser.

The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada has produced a webpage with
information and recommendations on green laser pointer usage.
News




Didn't your nanny ever tell you that it's rude to SHOUT?

On Sun, 1 Oct 2017 19:05:21 -0000 (UTC), Mike Collins
wrote:

Didn't your nanny ever tell you that it's rude to SHOUT?

His social awareness makes me think he was raised by wolves.

On 30/09/2017 09:33, RichA wrote:
On Friday, 29 September 2017 10:00:08 UTC-4, Chris L Peterson
wrote:
On Thu, 28 Sep 2017 16:44:42 -0700 (PDT), RichA
wrote:

According to Transport Canada regulations, any person planning to
project a laser into navigable airspace must get permission from
the department.

It seems a bit heavy handed, but I expect they have been having the same
sorts of problems of pilot high power laser flash blinding as in the UK.

You know why this happens? Because lasers are inexpensive and many
output far more than they are legally allowed to. And idiots buy
these cheap lasers and point them at airplanes, police helicopters,
drivers, and otherwise create unsafe situations. And so we end up
with more regulations, which impact those of us who don't create
problems at all.

Regulations like this are a consequence of too many idiots.

As is everything the nanny-state deems too important to just leave
alone.

People shining them to blind police helicopter pilots at night isn't
something that is easy to prevent. Although I would be inclined to equip
their helicopters with laser guided indelible dye bombs or an even
bigger laser to fire back with that really does cause flash blindness...

Countermeasures include laser filters but they reduce night vision too.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown