Has our relience on technology become to much of a good thing?

Don't get me wrong, I love my computer, Internet and on demand TV. I just remember reading many Sci-Fi stories about people becoming so much a part of technology that they lost their connection to humanity. In one story people eventually lived in pods, attached to feeding tubes, the computer attached to their brains and they live their lives cocooned away from the world. They would work, play and socialize all through the net. Everything was automated. People would show images that represented them, not their own faces. They would be just a part of the system living their lives trapped in it and never know it.

It seems like a far fetched scenario, people removing themselves from physical contact with other people, and even from physical contact from the world. Yet I can see the potential of this type of "withdrawal" already starting.

People don't actually need to leave their homes. I for one work from home. I email my work to my boss, I post it on the Internet, and I send my boss my time sheet by email. My pay is deposited into my bank. I can pay my bill online, everything without leaving my home. Food I can order anyway I like it. I can have meals delivered, or have grocery's delivered. Clothing, toys, everything I can order online and shipped to my home. Entertainment, I can watch any movie online, play games, just about anything I can think of I can do it in my home.

Socialization, we already do a lot of it online. We no longer need to go to a bar to meet someone "special". We can do that online at any social site. We form relationships with people all over the world sitting in front of our computers or now our game consols. We don't have to go out to hang out with our friends, we can chat on Facebook, Myspace or any number of social sites. We can email or MSN each other anytime. We post images that we like to represent us, sometimes it is our own image, but more often than not it is something we like. We can create avatars and become what we want in games, or in our contact with people online. We can create any type of life in games, or create an online life of what we want to be, now what we have. For now most of us use it as an extension of our lives, but for some it becomes their "alternate" life and possible their "real" life.

I don't see myself becoming one of the people who live their lives inside connected only by the Internet to the rest of the world. I like going out and doing things, swimming, shopping, and just having fun. For me playing a game where I am a scuba diver, a skier, golfing, or being a race car driver is not the same as actually going out there and doing it. For some people playing the game is more fun than doing things for real. I know people who don't want to do something real, staying inside playing a game is as real as it gets for them.

Entire generations are growing up spending more time online than outside or with people. There socializing is all done on line or over a gaming system. They are getting what they need that way. Heck, even some get their sexual needs met online. There is equipment available that allows people to have sex with each other, online, and not even be in the same country. Robots are being created to meet our needs. So it is possible we could eventually live physically isolated from others and still have all our needs met. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but eventually enough generations live within technology it may become a reality. I hope not. I just find it interesting how real life is running parallel to many Sci-Fi stories written in the 50's and 60's, long before the technology we have today.

Brantnews.com - Local Brantford News, Brantford Restaurant Listings, Events, Hotels, Attractions, Shopping, Movies, Bars, Clubs, Nightlife, City Guides, Harmony Square, blogs

Brantnews.com - Local Brantford News, Brantford Restaurant Listings, Events, Hotels, Attractions, Shopping, Movies, Bars, Clubs, Nightlife, City Guides, Harmony Square, blogs

A psychic fair in Brantford brought a variety of mediums together for a unique display of supernatural, spiritual and astrological exhibits at the Dunsdon branch of the Royal Canadian Legion.

Artificial intelligence and other ways for humanity to destroy itself.

Almost every story I have ever read has negative consiquences for creating artificial intelligence. Humanity always ends up controlled, contained, or destroyed by the very beings or machines we created. All the natural consequences of creating an inelegant machine. Knowing this would be the likely outcome we still strive to create artificial intelligence. The question is why.

I believe it is like many things humanity does. We have known the consequences of global warming, over fishing, and destroying the delicate balance found in nature. Yet we continue to do so simply for the immediate reward. Also the reaping of the consequences is not likely to be within our life time but our children’s children’s life time. The immediate reward out ways the long term consequences.

The challenge of creating artificial intelligence is also hard to resist. It is interesting the things humanity is willing to create just because they can. In fiction more often than not humanity is seen as the cause for its own demise. In reality it seems quite likely humanity will eventually cause irreversible damage to our planet, ecosystem, or the species.

Why the idea of having sex with a robot is so attractive

The idea of having sex with a robot has probably existed as long as the concept of robots has existed. Books, T.V. and movies have been sexualizing robots for decades. The question is why? What makes the idea of having sex with a robot so attractive?

1) No rejection or humiliation or any negative response unless it was programmed in as part of your fantasy. The robot is a sure thing because it is programmed to want to have sex with you.

2) Enthusiasm: You can actually live your fantasies and desirers with a willing enthusiastic partner. The robot would be programmed to find all your wants and needs to be it’s as well. It can also be programmed to provide a variety of “new” things to try, and be willing to try them. A robot is not going to look down on you because of your desirers or fantasies you would like to try.

3) Variety and fantasy fulfillment: Robot can be anything or anyone you want it to be. Any fantasy can be fulfilled using a robot. You want to have sex with someone famous, get the robot that looks like him or her. You can even have the robot look like something that never existed, like an anima character. You want a change; switch robots or have the robot change its appearance. One company, NTT DoCoMo, is actually working on “glasses” that you put on and you see what ever you want superimposed over the body of the robot. Don’t get me started on those who have fantasies that would involve their robot pets, it’s a robot, anything is possible.

4) No fear or reprisal or risk of secrets desirers being reviled. No robot is going to post the sex tapes you made on the Internet because you traded it in for a newer model, or use sex secrets you revel to it to blackmail, control or to humiliate you.

5) Consistent availability. The robot is there when you need or want it. It does not need sick days, have headaches or need to go on business trips.

6) Control. You have absolute control of all interactions with the robot. Even when your fantasy is for the robot to have control, it only has as much control as it was programmed to have or you allow it.

7) Robots don’t come with baggage, issues, past relationships, hang-ups, pre-made families or “in-laws”.

8) No pressure: It is all about you, your needs desirers and satisfactions. A robot is never going to be disappointed or frustrated with your lovemaking or that you want the same thing as last time. So what if you want it to be nurse Betty or Dr. Bob again, it is all about what you want or need. The robot can be programmed to meet all your needs and you don’t have to worry about meeting its needs because it has none unless you programmed it in.

9) Robots cannot become or make you pregnant.

10) No consequences or guilt. It is not cheating; you are just using a machine or sex toy.

11) Stamina and flexibility. A robot can be designed to be able to do things no human could possibly do

12) Security. A robot will not leave you unless it is repossessed for non-payment.

Would having sex with a robot be cheating?

With the way technology is going it will not be long before atomically correct robots are available. Several of the larger companies are working on it as well as more mainstream commercial applications. The sex industry is huge so it only makes sense that the companies working on robotics would want to tap into that market. Robots designed for sex or capable of sex and emotional relationships has been the theme of many science fiction plot lines since before the 60’s. Think of all the movies, TV shows and books that have sex robots, Weird Science, Circuitry Man, A.I., Millennium and more. It is something people have thought about for some time; it is not surprising that it is becoming a reality. The concept is that there will be robots interacting with us everyday almost indistinguishable from a human both in form and function. Robots would become an accepted part of our society with the possibility of relationships developing, even marriage. Marriage to a robot has already taken place and is legal in Japan.

So there are two minds to the possibility of sex robots. One is that there is a market for robots designed for sex. Second is that as people interact with robots emotional bonds will develop with the possibility of humans falling in love with robots: “Love and Sex with Robots: The Evolution of Human-Robot Relationships” by David Levy. There is even a theory that robots may be programmed to love and other human emotions. Kim Jong-Hwan, the director of the ITRC-Intelligent Robot Research Centre, has developed a series of artificial chromosomes that, he says, will allow robots to feel lusty, and could eventually lead to them reproducing. He says the software will give the machines the ability to feel, reason and desire. Which reminds me of the twilight episode where the robot killed because she loved. Another possibility, that if we program robots to react as humans they will.

There are people who would benefit from the creation of robots for relationships, so here comes WowWee's Femisapien and Sega's E.M.A.. Some people are destined to be lonely due to physical location, personality issues, or are just not attractive. Robots can be designed to fulfill that need. Some people need the interpersonal skills and could practice with a robot until they are able to develop a relationship with a real person. But would that be cheating on the robot? There are other people who are unable to maintain relationships who could have a robot programmed to put up with them.

Now comes the moral question, would having sex with a robot be cheating? Would the robot count as a “person” or would it just be another sex toy? Think about it, there could be a robot designed to meet all your needs, from cleaning the house, cooking, and sex, as the ones in Cherry 2000. The robot could even be designed to change its physical appearances so that you could have a different partner, or a variety of partners to play with depending on your whim. Robots can even be designed to meet the needs of sexual deviants hopefully keeping real people safe.

Will there be a day when a wife or husband says, “Not tonight honey, I have a headache. Why don’t you pull the robot out of the closet?” Will having sex with a robot be seen as being as bad as having it with another person or just a really fun sex toy? Will robots replace prostitutes?



The real question for me is: How can an average person compete with a robot? They don’t age, they can look physically perfect, meet anyone’s desires, and are ready and willing anytime. They can be programmed to have no moral hang-ups, so you want to do two robots or a robot and a person, why not. How can an almost 40 overweight and overworked woman like me possibly compete with a robot designed to meet my husbands every desire both in the physical appearance and sexual appetite, what ever he likes she does as well and is always willing and able. That is the real question, can human relationships survive the perfection of robot partners?

Robot wheelchair finds its own way (MIT)

MIT researchers are developing a new kind of autonomous wheelchair that can learn all about the locations in a given building, and then take its occupant to a given place in response to a verbal command.

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Motorcyles Designed to Run on Air : Discovery News

We may be driving on air in the next few years. That is, we may be driving vehicles powered by compressed air, instead of gasoline or diesel fuel.

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How to Build an Electric Car Charging Infrastructure

In a slew of announcements this week, a picture of what the future of plug-in vehicle charging might look like is starting to emerge.

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"Tongue Drive System" Controls Wheelchair & Computer

The new system uses that famously strong, agile and sensitive muscle, the tongue, to provide computer accessibility and wheelchair control to severely disabled people

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Five Ways Reality Went Sci-Fi So Far This Century

We love a good science fiction story, but sometimes reality is just as strange. While we may have seen 2001 come and go without an actual space odyssey, the last eight years have been full of events that - had they not actually happened - could easily pass for science fiction.

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How Far Should We Go To Save Species?

As climate change threatens more and more species, the question that is coming to the forefront is this: How far should we go to save species that are endangered by global warming?

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Anti-smoking vaccine on trial

"Swedish scientists begin human trials on a shot intended to stop nicotine reaching the brain.The experts behind the vaccine say it will eliminate the nicotine highs that smokers relish and therefore help tobacco addicts to quit but some have their doubts it will be that simple."

The real problem is that smoking is a habit. You don’t just have to break the physical addiction you have to eliminate the mental addiction. There have been a lot of products out there to help people stop smoking by providing an alternative source of nicotine the body is craving. People still don’t quit even though there is an alternative to smoking, and still satisfy the need for nicotine. Smoking is a way of life, and to quit smoking you need to make some big changes in your life.

There are some great commercials about having to relearn how to do everything without a smoke once you quit. It shows people being unable to drink a cup of coffee, or drive their car with out a cigarette. They are quite funny but at the same time show how much people who smoke need more then just the nicotine. It is part of their routine and they need the comfort of the routine, even if it is bad for them. So it is great that there is yet another option to help people quit but a drug, patch, or shot is not going to break the pattern of smoking. Something has to be done to help people let go of the cigarette not just break the physical addiction.

I know people who have quit but as soon as stress enters their lives they start again. Even after years of not smoking. Cigarettes seem to be able to keep their hold on people far longer then the actual nicotine addiction.

Now your Maid will obey all your orders and will serve you..

Those who have watched The Jetsons cartoon show might remember Rosie, the robotic kitchen maid. Now, scientists are working towards making her a reality.

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50 Best Robots Ever

Wired puts together a list of both fact and fiction, did your favorite 'bot make it on the list?

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Robots DO dream of electric sheep: Emotional robots

A robot with empathy sounds like the stuff of sci-fi movies, but with the aid of neural networks European researchers are developing robots in tune with our emotions. The tantalising work of the Feelix Growing project is grabbing the world’s attention.

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Water conservation at its best

Today I was walking home in the rain, hating every wet second of it because it was not a light rain. I was drenched within minutes. I came across this older gentlemen washing his car in his drive way. He had an umbrella in one hand and a car scrubby in the other. There he was washing downh is car in the poring rain. I was thinking; “What is this guy doing? Why would anyone want to be out in this rain unless they had to be?” Then the light bulb went off. This guy was no idiot but a very smart man.

He was using the power of the heavy rain to clean off his car and using the scrubbing brush to get off the hard parts, like stuck bugs. He was saving water the smart way, making use of what was naturally there. He let the hard rain do 95% of the work and was saving money because he has to pay for his water usage but rain is free. As for getting wet, you get wet washing a car, what is the difference if it comes from the sky or a hose?

It made me think of the other ways people take advantage of rainfall. Farmers often have cisterns or other ways to store rainwater to be used to water the crops, given to the animals or used to clean things. I remember always having rain barrels where we could collect rainwater and then would use it to water the garden on hot dry days. It made sense then and now. Water conservation needs to take place now more then ever and yet most people don’t think about it that much. Water from a tap makes it convenient and it is hard to think that it might not be so easily available someday.

Madagascar Hopes Tourism Saves 'Noah's Ark'

Exotic species and Homo sapiens have a hard time existing side by side. Wherever you find Man, you are also likely to find that rare birds, mammals, fish and flowers have been driven to the brink of extinction, and sometimes beyond.

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Shrooms make people behave better?

In an article 'Shroom' Study Reveals Lasting Effects scientists reported Tuesday that when they surveyed volunteers 14 months after they took a psychedelic drug as part of a research project, most said they were still feeling and behaving better because of the experience.

I find it interesting that they started to study the effects of magic mushrooms again. I wonder what drug company wants to harvest them and make them into a magic cure all? Yes there is potential use for psilocybin, the hallucinogen drug found in shrooms. This may help people feel better, that is how they work. So it is quite possible to try and turn it into a new anti-depression drug, or something to help addicts of both drugs and alcohol. I do not doubt that there are medicinal properties to be found in psilocybin. It is finding it, legalizing it for medical use and then packaging it and marketing it that is going to take a little time.

What I found even more interesting is that some of the people in the study still feel that the one time use of the psilocybin is still having an affect on their lives. What would happen to someone who uses this on a regular basses? Would they become the typical hippy stereotype; relaxed, happy, and no real ambition but to get the next high and some snacks?

Are there more studies planned? If so, what type of person would volunteer? Could it be that a certain type of person is drawn to a test study like this, a controlled environment in which to get high? Could this be affecting their results? What would happen if they took a random sample of people off the street and did the same study? Would there be a difference in the results? Could it also be that the people in the study were looking for a life changing experience and therefore were more open to change, this just gave them a catalyst for the change. Could the side effects just be in their minds because they wanted to change or was there an actual physical change in their brains? If so how do you test for that? Can you do a before and after mapping of the brain?

For me this study gives me more questions then answers. Yes they already knew that psilocybin would give people an out of this world or psyco-delic experience, that’s why people use shrooms in the first place. So some of the people feel better 16 months after participating in the study. However it was based on a survey, no real scientific reading or testing was done. If something has changed for these people, what is it? I can see it now, drugies all over the world claiming they use shrooms because it makes them a better person. That is great, but can you prove it? Drunken people think they are better lovers and drivers and everyone knows the truth about that, what they think and what they do are completely different.

10 Reasons Why High Gas Prices Are Good

There was an interesting article, 10 Things You Can Like About $4 Gas, on the Times website. It did give some good examples of how the high cost in gas is forcing changes.

Yes there is good to be found in just about anything if you look hard enough. So people are being forced to change their lives because of the high cost of gas. The problem is that the changes that need to be done now are not being done. People are being forced to change or go hungry. Their money is going to pay for gas and they don’t have money to buy the new products that will save them money.

It does us no good to question why alternative sources for fuel and power were not being invested into the last 30 years. It is not like we did not know this was going to happen. Most people just assumed it would not happen in his or her life. Well it is and now we have to deal with it before it takes us down. I want to be able to feed my kids not worry about being able to get to work because I have to decide to put gas in the car or food on the table.

We need to have bigger changes that just looking for better fuel-efficient cars or ones that run on alternative fuels. We need to start using solar panels, wind harvesters, water wheels, and the new H20 engines. India is doing it look at the new National Action Plan on Climate Change the Prime Minister of India just put into place. Holland and other countries have been doing this for years. We need to start incorporating their technology and know how into our way of life. Stop thinking about consumption and start thinking about creating energy. It is not good enough to try and conserve now, it is time to actually change how we do things.

If we could put solar panels on every home, and building and use the energy generated from just that think about how much of a change that alone would make. Add wind harvesters in open areas, some that we cannot live on or farm, and there is a huge source of energy. We have a lot of options now, but we need people and companies to start investing into the changes and doing it. Then we need the Government to support it, and make it easer for people to start changing. New buildings should be required to incorporate the use of solar energy technology and other forms of harvesting and conserving energy. There is a lot that can be done, but it is not being done even though we all know it needs to be done. Why can India as a country make these changes but we don’t?

Solar Energy to Change the Face of India

The Prime Minister of India released a National Action Plan on Climate Change today that focuses attention on eight priorities, the first among which is “Solar Energy”, whose success-- according to the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh--has the potential to change the face of the country, and perhaps the world.

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