Lugh

joined 2 years ago
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The paradox of Europe's space efforts is that it has the money and technical expertise to be number 1, but is always playing runner-up, and is now third behind the US and China. ESA - Europe's equivalent of NASA & China's CNSA, has 23 member states - most of which have their own national space agencies too.

This fragmentation and diffusion has always been a huge problem, now ESA has another. NASA is abandoning it's biggest joint NASA/ESA project. The ill-fated SLS/Gateway/Artemis Moon landing program is up for the axe in the latest NASA budget. Taking its place (and money) will be plans to pivot to Mars, led by - you guessed it - a certain South African's space company.

Will ESA do something decisive as it readjusts? If past performance is any guide, don't hold your breath. Then again, maybe this time might be different.

 

This article gives details on the many shortcomings that make the 'golden dome' idea unworkable. These objections have been around since Ronald Reagan proposed the idea in the 1980's, and they are even more true today. The 'golden dome' proposal deals with ICBM-type missiles, but they are already out of date. The 'golden dome' proposal has even less chance against hypersonic missiles that travel at Mach 20.

Ask yourself a question - The $175 billion 'golden dome' idea requires 36,000 satellites. Is there a certain South African at the center of the US government who might be pushing this idea, because he's the man who'll get a lot of that $175 billion to supply & launch them?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The big caveat here is that 'cured in lab tests' and a viable human treatment are two different things, and sadly the former doesn't always lead to the latter. Still, this points to what may work in the future. Just how much of our tissue could be replaced by brand new 3-d printed tissue?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

We tend to focus on the many bad effects of AI, but its doing, and will do, plenty of good too.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

There's a few different efforts like this. DeepMind have another one. I follow these types of developments as much as possible, because I think robotics is soon going to take off thanks to recent advances in AI.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Yeah they mention it can reduce stress on joints, for people with arthritis and other conditions this could be a lot more than a hiking toy.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago (5 children)

I've no relationship with the company! In fairness, it does seem to work. I posted it as it seemed quite cool.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I disagree. There are definitely people who sincerely believe in AI 'consciousness'. Ironically, they are usually the first to throw about terms like 'woo woo' in any discussions about human consciousness.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago (4 children)

When it gets to the point AI is self-recursively improving itself, is this a version of 'life' as we know it? Perhaps with humans as the ultimate parent? In a sense those AIs would be our descendents.

My problem with Big Tech leading these efforts, is that they are so often anti-human welfare, why would we trust them with the issue of anyone else's? Big Tech's desire to have zero regulation is an expression of how little concern they have for other humans. The ease with which all the Big Tech firms help the military slaughter tens of thousands of civilians is another. I can't help thinking they'll use any effort to elevate AI 'welfare', to harm the interests of inconvenient humans, which means most of us to them.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Corresponding author of the paper Dr Ana Angelova Volponi, King’s College London, said: “As the field progresses, the integration of such innovative techniques holds the potential to revolutionise dental care, offering sustainable and effective solutions for tooth repair and regeneration.

Growing a tooth is one thing, I wonder how hard integrating it into a mouth will be. These teeth need to integrate with nerves and blood vessels.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago (2 children)

They mention people will own them outright after 6 years. So it's free electricity from that point onwards.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago (5 children)

This is an innovative model. They are working with people on low incomes, renters and apartment dwellers. All people cut out of traditional rooftop solar. People will be paying $35 a month for two free-standing 7 by 4 feet panels. There doesn't seem to be any upfront cost, though a qualified electrician needs to install them.

If those two panels generate more than $35 worth of electricity a month, then this seems like a no brainer.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Yes.

There are probably quite a few inflection points coming, and that is one of them.

I think another is when they are capable of most unskilled work (supermarket shelf stacking, cleaning, etc), but cost less to employ than humans paid Western-country minimum wages.

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