This robot scare is getting out of hand.

[Suff]

You missed the point WM, that these computers could do this work 24 hours a day without fatigue or fatigue related errors. Reducing the time required significantly. Of course computers were already used to enable them to create the vaccine. Without computers and automation that work would have taken decades.

[Workingman]

I didn't miss the point, Suff, that is what I was trying to get across in a short statement. I agree with everything you say in your longer post.

We have been struggling with nuclear fusion for decades. Imagine we could feed a dedicated machine with all we know so far from all the work done in every lab and facility looking at the problem. We then set it running and go for a coffee... or maybe a few pints.

It is these kinds of problems where I see probably the greatest benefits.

I do not think we will be seeing RoboCop or Terminator for a long time, if ever.

[Suff]

You're right, I should have said, you missed one.

No I don't think all these fanciful things are going to suddenly turn up either. What I think is that stuff is going to happen which is in a totally different direction.

For the last 2 decades the consumer market has been driving most of the research and taking most of the funds. Witness Nuclear and Fusion research is woefully underfunded, but Internet, social media and hardware to support them is booming. It is driving miniaturisation, atomic storage solutions and whole new materials like graphene and graphene lights on the atomic scale which can drive atomic scale lasers. All of which will drive computing for the next 2 decades to come.

What is missing is more of the basic broad scale scientific research on the fundamentals which we still don't understand today. That is not getting funding because it's more important to pay people not to work and to fund glitzy tech which will be dead in 18 months but might bring in billions in that 18 months.

We, as a species, will suffer for this because our more general engineering and scientific progression is taking a back seat to, well, trivia. Whilst I understand that there is a real place in our lives for trivia and totally non essential timewasting gadgets, we should not be focusing on it to the exclusion of more basic and fundamental needs.

Computers will help and faster computers will help a lot. But Toys For Christmas are just that. Not for all year round... We are way out of balance now and progression is slowing. If we don't get it going again fairly soon, then we'll stagnate. Then our society will collapse...

Our computers have given us the same things but with a better gloss. Try taking out an old Ford Cortina and driving it down the road. Then take out a small Japanese budget car. Notice that you can hardly hear yourself think with the Cortina, but the budget car is almost silent, both inside and out. That's not progress, that's just a better mousetrap. It's the same horrifically inefficient fossil fuel burner, just built with computer precision and using newer sound dampening material.

So when they say robots will take over our lives.... Not until they do the basic fundamental scientific work to produce one that could run for more than 5 hours without a nuclear power plant inside it. Battery technology is only just beginning to advance again after virtual stagnation for 30 years. Driven by the EV market.

I could just see my Robot, running around the house, switching it's plug and lead from socket to socket to make sure it has enough power......

[Workingman]

I could just see my Robot, running around the house, switching it's plug and lead from socket to socket to make sure it has enough power......

While you drink an Alta Rica and eat a rather tasty corned beef and onion sandwich in a white cob with real butter.

AI my ars.... just a tick, the smart meter is telling me I have to turn something off as I am exceeding energy use limit. Now what should I choo