The SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY News Thread

[mangamuscle]

Originally Posted by Dhomochevsky

Sign me up for the robot brain.

Your positronic brains comes preloaded with windows 911 and comes preinstalled with 90 day trial of skills from sewing to piloting an airplane (of course your license does not make the software manufacturer liable in case you sew your finger or crash your plane with the ground). We are also not liable if a virus takes control and makes you transfer all of your assets to a shady overseas criminal organization. Of course it also comes with a back door in case some goverment agency wants to know with whom you have been, where you have been of what have you been thinking lately.

[Dhomochevsky]

If it's anything like modern day DRM, I would likely belong to the sub-group of the population that 'hacks' it away.

*knows how to google 'crack posbrain win911 download'*

[LoweGear]

Damn, I almost missed posting this history in the making:

SpaceX Successfully Launches the First Privately Built Spacecraft to the International Space Station

Despite having way smaller hype than the Lunar landings, I do believe this also calls for that famous line... one small step for man...

Also:

Video: MIT's Latest User Interface Employs Gravity-Defying, Levitating Metal Orbs

[Xellos-_^]

Originally Posted by mangamuscle

Your positronic brains comes preloaded with windows 911 and comes preinstalled with 90 day trial of skills from sewing to piloting an airplane (of course your license does not make the software manufacturer liable in case you sew your finger or crash your plane with the ground). We are also not liable if a virus takes control and makes you transfer all of your assets to a shady overseas criminal organization. Of course it also comes with a back door in case some goverment agency wants to know with whom you have been, where you have been of what have you been thinking lately.

you forgot the Blue Screen of Death.

[AnimeFan188]

"The Canary Islands of La Palma and Tenerife have been briefly connected by a
quantum teleportation system that sets a new distance record for the spooky
communications technique.

In an angle that will get Trekkie bloggers reaching for the “beam me up”
metaphors, the researchers, from Austria, Germany, Canada and Norway, hope
that quantum teleportation could one day be used for ground-to-satellite
communications."

See:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/05...leport_record/

[LoweGear]

WIRED: Combat Exoskeleton Marches Toward Afghanistan Deployment

One step closer to powered armor it looks like

[Ithekro]

Eh. Wake me when they get Arm Slaves working.

[mangamuscle]

Originally Posted by Ithekro

Eh. Wake me when they get Arm Slaves working.

Why? are you already planning the independence of the fellow republic of Californication?

[Ithekro]

California keeps talking about breaking itslef apart before it talks about breaking from the Union. Be it Northern vs Southern California, or Eastern vs. Western California, it still is mainly liberal city forks verse conservative farmers and and the like. Latest one (2010s) was several southern and central (eastern) counties wanted to break away from the coastal (western) city influenced regions to form a new Southern California (without Los Angeles).

The previous time (1990s) it was Northern counties (north of Sacramento) that wanted to break away from the cities that never seem to listen to them in the Assembly. That failed the vote due to San Francisco not wanting to be assosciated with Los Angeles. They redraw the split to a three way (dubbed "Logland", "Fogland", and "Smogland" by the media). It vanished in committee.

Before that was the State of Jefferson (1940s), with several northern California counties and some southern Oregan counties wanted to form their own state near the end of the Depression because Sacramento and Salem didn't get them a good access road for mining and logging business. They almost got it too...save that Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. It would be "unpatriotic" to talk of secession during an international war. Plus the Federal governement put in an interstate highway to get required war materials out of the region, thus ending the need for a State of Jefferson.

And long before that (1860s) was the mostly Latino South wanted to break form the mostly Anglo North in the year leading up to the American Civil War. That ended hard due to the war.

Though we could rejoin Alto and Baja Californias (both North and South Baja)......


The Arm Slaves are just more interesting to think about. A 8 or so meter tall power suit that is basically a replacement for the tank on the battlefield. It probably wouldn't work, but at least it isn't huge like most mecha designs.

[mangamuscle]

Originally Posted by Ithekro

The Arm Slaves are just more interesting to think about. A 8 or so meter tall power suit that is basically a replacement for the tank on the battlefield.

I think you have it backwards, it would not be a replacement for the tank (which is basically an upgrade of the cannon placed over a pair of wheels), it would be an upgrade for garden variety soldier (which since the invention of the machine gun has been throughly outmatched in modern warfare).

[LoweGear]

Originally Posted by mangamuscle

I think you have it backwards, it would not be a replacement for the tank (which is basically an upgrade of the cannon placed over a pair of wheels), it would be an upgrade for garden variety soldier (which since the invention of the machine gun has been throughly outmatched in modern warfare).

Considering the size of your average Arm Slave, it would actually be more a replacement for the tank rather than infantry, since they wouldn't be able to enter emplacements that any man can. This is along with the cost of such machines ensuring that you can never have them as a 1:1 ratio replacement in any army.

Also, automatic weapons are a double-edged sword: they made infantry more vulnerable in open field combat sure, but who are the ones often wielding such weapons? The infantry themselves. It is why modern combat doctrine emphasizes the use of cover and maneuver first and foremost, instead of charging off into the open as has happened in engagements in WW1 and WW2.

[Bri]

Originally Posted by Ithekro

The Arm Slaves are just more interesting to think about. A 8 or so meter tall power suit that is basically a replacement for the tank on the battlefield. It probably wouldn't work, but at least it isn't huge like most mecha designs.

Normal tracked vehicles and helicopters are simply more (cost) effective and optimized for their roles on the battlefield than large humanoid mecha. Not to mention the large silhouette would make these mecha easy targets in the open. The niche for large piloted mecha would be in urban warfare or very inhospitable terrain.

Military labors in Patlabor are probably the closest to what a real world design could look like. http://www.patlabor.info/military.htm. Interesting is the Hell Diver as a tank replacement for Airborne forces.


Power-armor on the other hand is the holy grail for modern infantry. Casualties (and thereby political aversion to ground conflict) would immensely decrease if basic troops were no longer vulnerable to small arms fire, anti-personnel mines/booby-traps and shrapnel.

[mit7059]

Originally Posted by mangamuscle

Why? are you already planning the independence of the fellow republic of Californication?

Ug. Who the hell are these delusional people who write these articles. I only read the first few paragraphs and I already feel dumber.

Also while there have been a number of mecha series that I have enjoyed I've never really believed that they would come to exist or really be useful. There is no reason to think that a motorized version of a human is the most efficient or cost effective way to do anything. The cost associated with bipedal motion would be extreme, with no clear benefit as it is slower than wheels and tracks. Once you add in flying mechas then what is the point of having legs?

Ground Mechas would be so easily destroyed by modern aircraft as to be a complete waste. Tanks are already sitting ducks when facing any modern aircraft or helicopter.

[mangamuscle]

Originally Posted by Bri

Power-armor on the other hand is the holy grail for modern infantry. Casualties (and thereby political aversion to ground conflict) would immensely decrease if basic troops were no longer vulnerable to small arms fire, anti-personnel mines/booby-traps and shrapnel.

Power armor is inherently several levels of cost higher than assault rifles & landmines. IMO the substitue with the higher cost/performance ratio for humans are ... humans, be it clones with memories implanted (a la Blade Runner) or derivatives of humans better suited to warfare that no longer have to be aesthetically pleasing.

In Edward Elrics words: "Water, 35 litres. Carbon, 20kg. Ammonia, 4 litres. Lime, 1.5kg. Phosperus, 800g. Salt, 250 g. Niter, 100g. Sulphur, 80g. Fluorine, 7.5g. Iron, 5g. Silicon 3g. And fifteen other elements. Those are the elements to make an average adult human body. You can buy these elemental ingredients at the market with the pocket money of a child. Humans are made so cheaply. "

[Bri]

Originally Posted by mangamuscle

Power armor is inherently several levels of cost higher than assault rifles & landmines. IMO the substitue with the higher cost/performance ratio for humans are ... humans, be it clones with memories implanted (a la Blade Runner) or derivatives of humans better suited to warfare that no longer have to be aesthetically pleasing.

In Edward Elrics words: "Water, 35 litres. Carbon, 20kg. Ammonia, 4 litres. Lime, 1.5kg. Phosperus, 800g. Salt, 250 g. Niter, 100g. Sulphur, 80g. Fluorine, 7.5g. Iron, 5g. Silicon 3g. And fifteen other elements. Those are the elements to make an average adult human body. You can buy these elemental ingredients at the market with the pocket money of a child. Humans are made so cheaply. "

Full adult clones like clone troops in Star Wars are far beyond current technologies, plus they have the same ethical issues concerning the expendability of troops.

If modern militaries did not care about the lives of their troops then there would be cheaper alternatives to cloning. Simply stop food-aid and open army recruitment stations in the worlds poorest and fastest growing nations. Annual family income in those countries is below the price of a single assault rifle...( a thoroughly sad thought)

[mangamuscle]

Originally Posted by Bri

Full adult clones like clone troops in Star Wars are far beyond current technologies,

I still remember twenty years ago how computers were mere toys in the hands of few and the internet was an obscure technology even fewer people knew or care about. It has been ten years since the cloning of dolly and my bet is that in the next ten or twenty years cloning (want a new heart or liver, we deliver!) and DNA modification (why buy sun blockers if with one swift modification you can take a day worth of sun like any other mammal?) will be the new technological breakthrough. The tricky part would be the man-machine interface, but I still think copy/pasting the contents of the brain is feasible in the timescale I mention.

plus they have the same ethical issues concerning the expendability of troops.

The DNA of gorillas is highly similar to that of a human, from 95–99% depending on what is counted, yet I have yet to see one person be prosecuted for manslaughter for killing one gorilla. TBT if subject is humanoid but no longer looks human most people will not consider them to be not humans, even if 95%+ of the DNA is just the same.

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by mangamuscle

I still remember twenty years ago how computers were mere toys in the hands of few and the internet was an obscure technology even fewer people knew or care about. It has been ten years since the cloning of dolly and my bet is that in the next ten or twenty years cloning (want a new heart or liver, we deliver!) and DNA modification (why buy sun blockers if with one swift modification you can take a day worth of sun like any other mammal?) will be the new technological breakthrough. The tricky part would be the man-machine interface, but I still think copy/pasting the contents of the brain is feasible in the timescale I mention.

I don't think so, since all we've done so far is, at best, some rough mind reading. Programming a human brain isn't going to happen in the next two decades.

Heck, even on cloning, there are still plenty of problems even if you're willing to wait for them to grow normally, let alone if you want to accelerate the process.

Lastly, it's not economically viable - if want people and aren't encumbered by ethics, well, there are plenty of people you can pick up for cheap. No need for a fancy way to grow more of them.

Which makes me think - we'll probably see autonomous robot soldiers before we do clone ones. Computers are easier to program than organic brains, robots can be engineered to be the most advantageous shape for any given mission, they can certainly be made to be tougher and stronger than humans, and ethically speaking, they're a lot more expandable than flesh and blood soldiers.

And before that we'll see remote controlled soldiers. Like drones, but for infantry missions.

The DNA of gorillas is highly similar to that of a human, from 95–99% depending on what is counted, yet I have yet to see one person be prosecuted for manslaughter for killing one gorilla. TBT if subject is humanoid but no longer looks human most people will not consider them to be not humans, even if 95%+ of the DNA is just the same.

Well, wait till we make them smart enough to substitute for human soldiers, and we'll find out.

[AnimeFan188]

Originally Posted by mangamuscle

I still remember twenty years ago how computers were mere toys in the hands of few and the internet was an obscure technology even fewer people knew or care about. It has been ten years since the cloning of dolly and my bet is that in the next ten or twenty years cloning (want a new heart or liver, we deliver!) and DNA modification (why buy sun blockers if with one swift modification you can take a day worth of sun like any other mammal?) will be the new technological breakthrough. The tricky part would be the man-machine interface, but I still think copy/pasting the contents of the brain is feasible in the timescale I mention.

Why clone, when you can print?:

A machine that prints organs is coming to market:

http://www.economist.com/node/15543683

I wonder how soon we'll be able to print out complete bodies.

It makes me think of the reconstruction scene from "The 5th Element"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmNy5_FplUI

Originally Posted by mangamuscle

The DNA of gorillas is highly similar to that of a human, from 95–99% depending on what is counted, yet I have yet to see one person be prosecuted for manslaughter for killing one gorilla. TBT if subject is humanoid but no longer looks human most people will not consider them to be not humans, even if 95%+ of the DNA is just the same.

Josef Stalin had that idea too:

Josef Stalin's Plan to Create a Race of Killer Apemen:

http://voices.yahoo.com/josef-stalin...95.html?cat=37

[Ithekro]

Clone troops depends entirely on how desperate you are. In a one planet, many countries with over population problems enviroment, you don't need clones.

In a galactic scale war with millions if not billions of planets to contest...and the enemy has almost the monopoly on robots (which number in the quadrillions on even a lowball estimate)....clones are nice to have on the battlefield. Especially if you want your army to be relatively uniform in tactics, speech, and methods of treatment for first aid. Also cuts down on the need for different sizes of uniforms and body armor.

An Army of One Man....just be sure it is the right man.

[Anh_Minh]

You know what's easier to clone than people? Viruses and bacteria. There aren't enough vaccines to save your One Man...

(And even in your scenario, the clones are the least important part. The things you'll need: artificial uteruses, and ways to grow your human, both physically and mentally, at an accelerated rate. Where the fertilized eggs come from seems comparatively unimportant.)