Uber flying cars - Elevate

[cowpatz]

You know it really makes me despair when I read stories like this:

Uber flying cars

Who really thinks that "swarms of flying cars over a city" is desirable progress. Or swarms of drones delivering frivolous crap here, there and everywhere? Every dystopian sci-fi movie is full of them. These self interested zealots pedaling this and other things like mass driverless cars, drones and AI robots have not really thought through the consequences, ethics, need, or even the desirability of the technology that they are promoting. All this is apparently designed to assist us and give us more leisure time whilst all the work is done by smart autonomous machines.
So how do I get paid if there is no work to support and enjoy all this leisure time?

It is like watching a slow motion, real life version of the original Terminator movie.

Technology may well be our "new found friend" but it will lead to a drastic erosion of human rights and ultimately the demise of the human species.

Can't happen? It already has.

Then read this

[emfrat]

CP _Have you read "The Machine Stops" by E M Forster? Published 1909 but written in 1902, it is very scary and even more prescient than H G Wells's "The War in the Air", also written in 1902

http://archive.ncsa.illinois.edu/prajlich/forster.html

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_War_in_the_Air

Enjoy
Mike

[Charl]

You'll just have to retrain and upskill!
The weather forecast was not quite spot on today, so instead of doing the rainy day tasks, some old toys were collected and the result is as shown.
Better than flight simulator

Watch on youtube.com

[cowpatz]

That does look like a lot of fun there Charl.

[toprob]

These self interested zealots pedaling this and other things like mass driverless cars, drones and AI robots have not really thought through the consequences, ethics, need, or even the desirability of the technology that they are promoting.

This morning I was doing some gardening on a rare lovely autumn day here in Timaru, and there were a couple of aircraft buzzing about. It did cross my mind then, after seeing Uber's announcement, that we've managed to survive for a long time without cluttering the skies, but that can't last forever.

One of the great things about being a corporation is that you don't need to worry about consequences or ethics, provided you stay within the law, and through some timely lobbying you can change the law if you need to. Sure, we've almost destroyed the planet already, and it is still perfectly acceptable to keep doing what we have done.

I've already been made obsolete in two industries, but I can't say I wasn't warned. Are kids still taught about the Industrial Revolution at school? People, or more specifically employees, are a major pain for corporations, their cost is artificially high at the moment, they are poorly designed for most jobs, due to excessive maintenance and down-time. I knew that when I was at high school, and I can still remember a conversation with my teacher, who insisted that technological development would mean a better life -- I couldn't see how back then, and I still can't see it now. But then again, although almost all 'industries' prior to the industrial revolution were disrupted to the point that there is no equivalent these days, we've still managed to expand the world's population, and employ a good percentage.

But I don't think you can stop the current push for autonomous flying vehicles, any more that those who complained about dirty noisy dangerous cars 120 years ago. Actually early motor vehicles were not anywhere near as easy or cheap to produce as flying cars will be. They were an uncommon luxury for almost 50 years, but boy, we've learnt a lot about mass-production since then. One thing I know is that we'll see all the major industry disruptors such as AI, robots, driverless cars, including flying cars, long before the technology is ready for the masses. Putting any of these things into the hands of the average idiot isn't going to magically make people less idiotic. Luckily Timaru will be one of the last places in the world to be over-run...

[cowpatz]

Well put Rob.
When the "productive worker class" is made redundant then who will be buying all this mass robotically produced stuff?

[towerguy]

I say make it the same as the Georgia (US) state law on drones

Perfectly legal to fly em...

Perfectly legal to shoot em!

[Charl]

I firmly believe that technology elevates the human condition.
It's worth visiting Howick Village in Auckland to see how people lived 100 years ago.
They spent a great deal of their lives just trying to survive and cook and clean.
Today there are machines and technology which meet those most basic needs for us.
And many would not even be alive without them.
Once you have covered survival, a full belly, and a roof over your head, you are able to lift your sights somewhat.

That does look like a lot of fun there Charl.

It was! Later we took a glider up to 100m and released it, still not found due to unexpected high-level winds but better than crashing it which is the usual result

Perfectly legal to shoot em!

I'm with you there, and I hope the idiots who go out and take a look at airliners on the approach are caught before all drones get banned.
I fly within the published restriction maps, and do not approach private citizenry within gunshot range!

[Splitpin]

Charl ...all serious chat aside, what a great video.
The last few seconds really made me laugh ... when the tank makes a quick exit
Little things amuse me ... well done.

[Charl]

Marty: Yes!
My video preview clinic had to be told not to leave before the punchline, I feared no-one would find the humour in there.
You have restored my faith in human nature.

[SUBS17]

You know it really makes me despair when I read stories like this:

Uber flying cars

Who really thinks that "swarms of flying cars over a city" is desirable progress. Or swarms of drones delivering frivolous crap here, there and everywhere? Every dystopian sci-fi movie is full of them. These self interested zealots pedaling this and other things like mass driverless cars, drones and AI robots have not really thought through the consequences, ethics, need, or even the desirability of the technology that they are promoting. All this is apparently designed to assist us and give us more leisure time whilst all the work is done by smart autonomous machines.
So how do I get paid if there is no work to support and enjoy all this leisure time?

It is like watching a slow motion, real life version of the original Terminator movie.

Technology may well be our "new found friend" but it will lead to a drastic erosion of human rights and ultimately the demise of the human species.

Can't happen? It already has.

Then read this

To live in such an environment the governments would need to make laws to make it safe for everyone. A high tech society is fun, there is a lot of leisure time and life becomes much easier so people spend more time doing what they enjoy. AI can clean, cook, deliver goods and services and build buildings and structures without people having to do labour intensive work. For space exploration/mining and expansion into other systems AI is the way to do it. They can also be used to remove plastic from the oceans/water ways and this sort of stuff is the future. It can lead to a cashless society where everything could be free(food/drink/products/services) which is unusual in this environment but is not a bad thing. The more AI have contact with people the more sentient they in fact become so long as they are programmed that way. There would always be work of some sort for people but it might require people to learning new skills for other roles that are made as a result of this technology.

[cowpatz]

So what you are saying then is that there is really no point in human beings continuing to exist. From what you have said at least 2/3s of society will become jobless.
How do they earn a living to support all this leisure time? Unlike the industrial revolution the technological revolution is happening at such pace that we are unable to evolve and adapt properly with the change. Look at how legislation is falling way behind in regulating these new age tech companies and their products. These companies are not doing it for the betterment of mankind....they are doing it for the $$$$.
Productivity is the new word for slavery......be it machine or man.

[emfrat]

Productivity is the new word for slavery......be it machine or man.

"We need to increase productivity" - favourite mantra of managers who don't know the difference between work and productive effort.

I have often wondered whether a nation could be run as a co-operative. Nauru showed great promise, until the finance sharks moved in and sent them bankrupt.

In both the books I mentioned at the start of this thread, a common factor is not so much a dictator, as a very authoritarian governing entity. Not much in the way of democratic freedom. As someone mentioned the other day, the factory of the future will have only two occupants, a human and a dog. The human's job will be to feed the dog; the dog is there to keep the human away from the machines...not a great prospect, is it?
ATB, Mike

[SUBS17]

It does not work that way in fact AI can exist in society and provide services that no one else wants to do, you can still have people do the jobs they like but AI can operate in such a way in society that literally everything is free. Tech advancements involving AI can lead to space exploration within a galaxy and intergalactically. AI is needed in order to further technology at a certain point in the future and is also a requirement for a safe flying car, it is a level above fly by wire that is needed in order for a flying car to operate in society in a safe manner without everyone needing a pilots licence. For intergalactic mining it takes 100+ of years per each rotation so that is why AI is needed and also space travel it is necessary because of the vast distances that ships travel. It is also possible to build things to last forever with the right materials so there is less requirement to replace items you would instead upgrade. In the near future it might be a matter that Earth may skip a lot of things and go straight into a super golden age this would mean literally everything is free as far food, drink, electricity and construction of buildings, mass transport etc. There will be AI in such an environment and that is how a lot of things are done, it is an assumption of many people that it could lead to conflict the opposite will happen there will be no war or crime it is a very good future. AI could also clean a house and provide grocery delivery plus food is fresher because it could be grown and harvested and delivered more efficiently. Fish could be trawled with customers requests as to exactly how many to be caught and the ocean in regions replenished with baby fish on the same day immediately after it was trawled.