EdEarl

I agree that a person should prepare the patient for lift. I'm suggesting the awkward crane like devices they use now can be improved using robotics. Instead of having a person pull it into position for the lift, a robot crane could walk to the patient, position itself, attach to the lifting sheet, lift the patient, and place them on a gurney. The cost of such a device should be under $50K, which is about one salary 24x7x365. A bargain.

Terminal velocity on Earth is determined by wind resistance. A feather falls much slower than a cannon ball. In a vacuum, the speed of light and relativity limit terminal velocity, I believe. Moreover, dark and regular matter is not distributed evenly around the Universe. At large scale the distribution is even, but locally it is lumpy. Thus, at local scales, the acceleration from matter varies. Thus, the force of gravity affects things differently at local scales. Thus, local galaxy groups are collapsing on one another, while dark energy is causing the Universe to expand faster and faster. Both forces affect the acceleration of bodies.

Many jobs, this one included, can be automated in steps. Hospitals often move patients who are confined to bed, and it may take up to four people to do that, once to leave their room, once to position the person in or on the radiology table, then to put them back on a gurney, and finally to put them back in bed. There are lifts to help with it, but they are inconvenient. I think the job of moving patients is a candidate for automation. One person could manage the robot that moves people, saving hospitals considerable manpower. Other more technical jobs will fall to automation eventually. While robots are getting quite capable, they are still being made of metal, which can be dangerous around people. Thus, things AI can do without a robot will be done by automation before things that need robots around people, in general. Doctors jobs can be done by AI already. Cancer diagnosis, eye diagnosis, and reading radiology scans are things AI can already do better than doctors. This kind of job will fall to automation before medical robots are common. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/04/03/ai-versus-md

I agree that bigotry is a hugely important issue that has adversely affected millions or billions of people. I suppose some bigots have experienced culture shock, but I think most learn very little about their targets; thus, do not experience culture shock. Moreover, comparing bigotry to culture shock is apples to orangutans. My comparison of future shock to culture shock may be apples to oranges, but the resulting shock is the same for both. Moreover, both Hitler and Trump had/have ulterior motives for using bigots. I don't know about Hitler, but I think Trump is not a bigot; he dislikes everyone equally.

I'd expect multicultural, multilingual television to ameliorate culture shock in many cases. Moreover, future shock is, I think, more troubling for people. People can adapt to a new culture, or they may return to theirs.

Oligarchs seem unable to help themselves. The make things worse and worse for people until there is a revolt, e.g., the French Revolution. Police getting weapons of war is a bad sign.

Yes, much better.

I'm far slower today than previously; I hope indexing is in progress now more than usual.

I've been getting page changes in minutes. Is it my link or the site? Other pages in my browser are fast.

As a young soldier, I worked on a Nike Missile site as a repairman. Among the things I repaired was an analog computer system that computed intercept trajectory from the position of a target and the missile based on radar data. All the information was encoded as hundreds of different voltages processed by circuits that summed voltages, integrated voltages over time, and differentiated changes in voltages over time. After graduation from the Army, I attended University and became an expert with a slide rule, an analog calculator that uses lengths as data, while I studied digital computers. Then, I learn of neural networks, both living and simulated, and learn another way to process data. The Universe may be simulated or "live." Cosmology has tracked the beginning and end of the Universe, within limits, knowing we see only ~5% of it all. Within that simulation are tiny sentient beings, looking out a the Universe, hoping to find other sentient beings. If the Universe is simulated, there exists a Turing equivalent machine running the simulation. If the Universe is "live," it must be a vast analog computer that is Turing equivalent. Yet, the Universe does not seem to be sentient; is it? What is sentience? Why can part of something be sentient without the whole also being so.

Many metals have antibacterial, antiviral and anti-yeast properties. Some like arsenic and lead are too poisonous. Silver is used in some antibacterial creams, but there is concern that silver nano particles aren't good for people. Perhaps copper is both safe and effective. I think nickle door knobs are also antibacterial, and nickle is commonly used on door knobs, but the stainless steel knobs should be replaced. .

Are you saying evolution does not affect consciousness?

No need to post twice. Who is "u guys?" What do you mean by "affiliated?" I don't think I've personally visited physics forum.

What makes you think that I believe humans and their activity is outside nature? IMO the Universe is natural.

Maybe, but satellites typically have some kind of thruster to maintain orbit and maneuver; others have engines for interplanetary travel. There's a lot of orbiting junk without a rocket engine that would be better in the ocean. Launching junk into orbit magnetically (or otherwise) doesn't make much sense.

How do you get to this from my statement, "Prayers for anything that cannot occur naturally. " You asked, "for instance?" I gave the rocket example. This question is nonsense in context.

My childish god delusion was forged by fundamentalist Christian preachers as all powerful and all knowing. The one who created the Heavens and the Earth in seven days, a documented supernatural act. It should be trivial for that God to put a rocket into orbit without firing its motor.

I doubt there is anything unnatural about the Cowboys.

Prayers for anything that cannot occur naturally.

According to Wikipedia, This definition is sufficient, but this discussion is about robotic self replication, but not about nanotechnology or cellular replication. . Finally the question, "Is a Replicator Possible Now," is too open; conditions follow: A robot with dexterity and mobility like humans Computer processing distributed, using both local and cloud based AI Plans for the robot and tools necessary to make itself complete and accessible by the robot Raw materials and energy provided for the robot to use making itself Teachers to led the robot and AI through building at least one copy of itself (Will it be a robot selfie?) The initial skills the robot needs to master include, but are not limited to, tool and die maker. Additional skills may be making glass, pottery, cabinets, etc. Given grinding stones and raw materials, a tool and die maker can make rudimentary tools such as knives, saws and wheels. Using simple tools, more complex tools can be made, including foundries, presses, lathes, mills, etc. and ultimately machines to make computers and robots. Finally, assemble computer, robot and software to make a copy. This version of a replicator is limited to making an exact copy of itself because it always uses the plans; although, if it is ever able to modify the plans, then the system can change. It is this possibility that interests me the most, because I believe the things already discussed are possible and perhaps being developed. There is a bit of evidence that an AI can be creative, for example the site creativeai.net has about four dozen examples of AI creativity. In addition, AlphaGo found an early move that generations of masters had not discovered. That AlphaGo found a move is not remarkable, since by design it played games against itself to find winning strategies and moves. That no human had discovered that move makes it noteworthy, it only required that the AI knew the game rules and could play; thus, teaching an AI the basic sciences should allow it to simulate things before it does them. For example simulate walking across a plain strewn with objects, such that it determines a shorter path or perhaps the shortest path across the plain before taking a single step. Since AlphaGo was not conscious, I believe an AI that knows science will be able to make discoveries without being conscious; thus, will be able to improve upon its plans. Whether some discoveries require consciousness is a question I cannot answer and will not speculate.

Joanna Connor at Kingston Mines blues club, Chicago, New Year 2016

Studiot is knowledgeable; you will do well to heed his advice. There are various educational sites, a good one is https://www.khanacademy.org/math

It has been a long time, before FDR, since jobs were scarce; nonetheless, it can happen again.

Charity means many things, including a veil to mask cruelty and great steps towards humane treatment of humanity. For example, free food programs for the needy are a veil that saves some people from starvation, while many more are malnourished, yet the world trashes enough food to feed them all. Many people in the US fear-hate various groups, including homeless and Mexicans, and are happy to see these people in jail, deported or dead; where is charity? We aren't the only ones, there is opposition to immigration in many places around the world. Charity is not limited to giving a fish, it includes teaching how to fish, and equipping the fisherman. Charity is the actions that result from empathy. People who cannot fish, need the fish. People who can fish, need a different kind of help.

A nuclear bomb emits a powerful EM pulse that will destroy unprotected electronic and electric devices, including transformers used to distribute electricity to homes and businesses. Moreover, the solar flares emit powerful EM that sometimes damage electrical distribution equipment. Although electronic devices can be shielded from EM, high energy EM can penetrate some defenses. Thus, satellites are occasionally damaged.