[extropy-chat] 70% oppose resumption of military conscription

[The Avantguardian]

--- Adrian Tymes <wingcat at pacbell.net> wrote:

Ok, you sold me. When can we have these robots ready
by? :)

> Actually, they might be even better in Iraq. 
> Limited power supplies?
> No problem: a secure, mobile HQ/supply depot is
> always somewhere in
> the city.  No identified combatants?  No problem:
> redundant systems
> mean you can take a few shots and return fire after
> knowing where fire
> is coming from (not to mention knowing you're under
> fire at all).
> 
> > Our mission in Iraq
> > currently is more like humanitarian aid than war.
> 
> Raiders attacking unarmed supply convoys has been an
> ancient problem.
> A remote-controlled robot convoy, once its remote
> operator determined
> it was under attack and that only raiders were
> nearby, could blow it
> up.  Maybe it'd take a few of the raiders with it;
> it'd definitely
> deny the raiders of their objective (if the blast
> designers made sure
> the cargo would be rendered useless).  Not an option
> with manned supply
> convoys.
> 
> > We
> > are not there to kill people and break things.
> 
> Solution: send out robot scouts that can afford not
> to fire first, even
> when knowingly walking into an ambush.  Lose a 'bot,
> lose a 'bot.  Lose
> a human being to trip a trap?  Not happening.
> 
> > We are
> > there to build a democracy. I don't think the
> > Terminator to be quite the olive branch we want to
> > extend to the Iraqi people right now.
> 
> One of the lessons from the Terminator series is
> that it's not the
> robot, it's the intelligence that controls the
> robot.  Robots can serve
> and save humanity just like real people do, if their
> controllers wish
> it.


The Avantguardian 
is 
Stuart LaForge
alt email: stuart"AT"ucla.edu

"The surest sign of intelligent life in the universe is that they haven't attempted to contact us." 
-Bill Watterson

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