There's short term and long term threats.

But really, it's not even a threat - it's just inevitability.

A million years ago Man had fire and stone tools - but He was not US.

A million years from now - if any descendant survives - He too will not be US.

We are not creatures of forever.

I'm not saying it will never happen, but I work in computer programming. It takes a REALLY complex (ie buggy) program to attempt to do things humans can do without even thinking about it. And that same computer program has to be written by humans with an utterly complete and infallible understanding of what they are trying to imitate in code. To understand how to create a human-like computer, you have to understand HUMANS. Yeah. That's right.

I'm far more worried about en economic collapse or being overrun by psychopathic jihadists than by a Terminator wannabe. But you're welcome to ask again in 20 years.

that's really interesting

200 years from now?
500?
50?
2000?

It's all the same.
Are you really prepared to say "Never"?
And if not - what does that mean except what I said.

BTW - just found this...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morni...

Let me know when one actually passes the Turing Test. THAT will be a breakthrough.

Technological breakthroughs happen all the time and they change the world overnight.

Make no mistake, when you look at a robot, you are looking at the next stage in "human" evolution.

The problem is that a computer thinks very differently than a human. A computer has to have a goal, a human can devise their own goal.

For all the techno-terror flicks, we are still a LONG ways away from creating machines that equal humans on an intuitive basis.

A self repairing replicating tractor.

as immortal as a tractor...

Thanks Kh. Enjoy your evening.

Depends on how good cybernetics get. Also, keep in mind that self repairing machines are immortal, humans not so much. BUT -- predicting the future is a dicey proposition. In the 50's, we were predicting that in the 21st century, we'd have an outpost on Mars, cars that traveled in the air, the elimination of global conflict. Very few that I recall said anything about the evolution of computers and all of it's offspring such as the internet, iPods, etc.

no, it's already happening. I'll post tomorrow. right now I am putting the finishing touches on a german potato salad. tonight there is a whiskey tasting. everything from early times to Makers mark. I will just sip :)

You think that is far off?

We've got them now to some degree. The problem isn't the mechanics, it's the linking it to your nervous system. At least far as I know.

Hi Barwick. Thank you for your comment. My first thought was how long before we can make artificial limbs? How far away is that?

I work in robotics, they've come a long way, but trust me, we're still a long ways from being even remotely near the level of a human.

Put it this way, robots do very well in structured environments. And even better at tests you can prepare for. But even then, it's pretty common to be sitting there, watching a robot during a test, and it turns right instead of left (or something). And you'll say to the guy next to you, "I have no clue why it just did that..."

This is great. Thank you.

Jan

ah herb, you're with Elon Musk on this one? technology is your friend. With or without robots, we still have to win the battle of ideas

that's how I move at night. no depth perception

oh, good to hear! he'll be a hawk

next book? I have one coming out, which I edited,
"Deadly Cold" by Jed O'Dea ..... soon -- j

p.s. stargeezer asked me to relate that he's
working the election hard these days, and thus
is AWOL from the gulch ... I'm proud of him!!!

just think about a robot changing bedpans for
an ebola patient! -- j

moves like I do when trying to figure out peripheral
neuropathy and Dewars concomitantly! -- j

Careful...
Homo Electric would seem to be an inevitability.
Even the hope of human-cyber evolution will be a pipe dream if we can't boost the brain's computing speed.

One step closer to the elimination of the need for humans. Terminator, here we come.