Friends, as per Elon Musk, the robots are coming for your jobs!!! Jobs are kinda dumb anyway, but some of you may still consider this "bad news", since it's nice to have a paycheck. The good news, for EVERYONE, is that robots will do for mankind what automation already has: make production vastly more efficient, raising the global standard of living to undreamed of heights. This is just one of the topics that Brian and I cover on this week's Newsmakers show. We also consider the medium term outlook for the US-Iran conflict, the truth about conflicts between Trump and Vance, the debate over data centers, the rights and wrongs of our fancy new ballroom, the two faces of John Roberts, and the recent Dutch decision to withdraw some of their gold reserves from the Fed in NYC. It's quite the intellectual smorgasbord this week, folks!
https://wysl.podbean.com/e/newsmakers-9-5-26/
In other news, it's refreshing and very heartening to see a lot of countries walk back their opposition to nuclear power. Hey, I guess it's true: necessity really is the mother of invention! The world needs POWER, and it's willing to bust a few atoms to get it, apparently. Very sensible.
Dr. Waddy: I don't know if my heart can take much more of this miraculous counterintuition on the part of WAPO. I couldn't read the article unless I subscribed , which I declined to do. But it appeared to be balanced and reflective of willingness to objectively discuss developments which are anathema to the far left.
ReplyDeleteOh my, "no nukes" of any kind was the reflexive and Luddite posture of the radicals for sooo long. How painful it must be for them to know that nukes have become so acceptable. Doesn't seem to occur to them that it might reduce the use of coal, a substance they loathe both for its surely unallayed "environmental" offense but also for the heresy of the social culture its production has manifested in the 'nether" regions of unenlightened America.
Dr. Waddy: OK I found the article on RCP and read it. In describing the brief and disillusioning trials several countries enacted in banning or reducing use of nuclear power , at the behest of frantic idealists, we are ONCE AGAIN shown that the far left's dreams ALWAYS have catastrophic consequences in action. That is because they are suffused with compelling emotions and are bereft of clear thinking. The world would do itself a very large favor by assuming that all far left efforts are by definition unworkable and characteristically productive of totalitarianism in the always futile attempts to impose them on the desperate or even those of common sense. The radicals have failed in politics, economics, psychology, sociology , the military, philosophy, beneficial industry, environmental issues : indeed in every field where they have tried to force their doctrine on what they consider a perfectable mankind. Instead they have only dysfunction, destitution , death and regret to show for their now 110 year campaign of "fundamental transformation". Their attempt to nuke nuclear power and nuclear armament's now 81 year prevention of WWIII, is the latest proof . Any group which professes faith in their ideals must be defeated in the political arena or if necessary when they become nationally aggressive , international force.
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy: Musk's no doubt well considered predictions of AI possibly improving our lives beyond measure and even imagination are very credible due to his proven brilliance.
ReplyDeleteIn one sense he exemplifies an enterprising attitude which perhaps should be expected of responsible individuals who may find their professions taken over by AI entities. Should this negatively affect the material well being of large numbers of people, maybe society will be constrained to indemnify especially those for whom adopting a new form of gainful employment is genuinely very difficult or impossible. But as for those consequently suffering ennui let them take personal responsibility for its alleviation by affirmatively seeking new forms of engagement , eg. education , reading, charity, physical fitness and sports , travel and the always increasing variety of entertainments.The provision of opportunity for such avocational activity by AI enabled free enterprise may well generate vastly increased prosperity. People may well have far more time available to them also because AI may expand their lifetimes indefinitely. AI may be a great benefit to those so determined to make positive use of it. But too, humanity will also have to be very wary of totalitarians arrogating to themselves authority to mandate "correct" usage of the time freed up by AI.
Jack, I wonder if the reversal of so many governments and politicians on nuclear power will amount to much, because the lead time required to build a new nuke plant is A LOT! One assumes that those who are invested in other forms of energy production are working behind the scenes to sabotage nuclear energy's renaissance, too. It's something of a zero-sum game, after all. In the end, I think it may be too late for nuclear energy to become the dominant source of energy that it deserves to be. The best we can hope for is a modest comeback.
ReplyDeleteSo true that the Left's crusade against nuclear power has been one of the biggest blows they have landed not only on common sense but on human wellbeing and the environment itself. We could be INFINITELY better off if we had built nuclear plants aplenty -- for one thing, we might well all be driving electric cars -- but no, the Left just couldn't abide those pesky atoms!
You are wise to ask the question, Jack: how will humans use their time if freed from the burden of work? There are a lot of potential answers, but many of them could imply edification and ennoblement. I don't think we need despair at the brave new world that AI is unleashing, but you're right that various bad actors will try to muscle into the process and dictate solutions to us. We must be wary of that.
Dr. Waddy: "No nukes". Once the far left gloms onto a concept they have a visceral and often totalitarian animus about ever admitting it is wrongheaded. This is especially so when they are challenged by thinking which in large part is motivated by the catastrophic consequences of typically badly conceived far left doctrine in power. Such "insolent"contradiction greatly intensifies the already dominant resentful emotion which drives radicals. We should assume this to be inevitable with them and afford them no benefit of the doubt when they advance their airy notions (read dictates). They are a bizarre and terribly malign intrusion on human advancement and civilization must strive to find an antidote to their poisonus influence.
ReplyDeletepoisonous rather. Jack
ReplyDeleteDr.Waddy: Again re your latest Newsmaker broadcast: the building of data centers: these bloody Luddite far leftists are fully aware that it took CAPITAL to build the infrastructure of the Industrial Revolution and that of course closes their minds until they have all that slave labor of the kind with which they built their heavy industries in the 20th century once again "at hand". They are "planning" for that! First they have to take DC and rename it Equity City. Then requisition all picks and shovels.
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy: And again the broadcast: I'm guessing that the Roberts Court will be remembered as being devoted to the rule of law. Its no coincidence that it has ruled over its years in a manner which has driven the lawless far left to resolve to work its transformation into a bloated radical rubber stamp. As is always true of radicals , they would not hesitate to throw the baby out with the bath water; why Scotus was their plaything within living memory and without reckless elephantine expansion.
ReplyDeleteI think most of the time the present Scotus majority has made common cause with the Trump administrations by its principled adherence to that indispensable maxim above at the heart of our British/American legality.
But our ebullient President is at times intemperate in expression and he occasionally prematurely thinks out loud, airing ideas which sometimes bear reconsideration. I'm glad Chief Justice Roberts sometimes serves as a reserved countermeasure to his quasi youthful , good willed enthusiasm.
Jack, I think how the Roberts court is remembered is almost entirely dependent on who blows up our constitutional order first: conservatives or liberals. If the lefties get half a chance, they will make SCOTUS a creature of the Democratic Party, and then the historians will have a field day demonizing the Roberts court -- and I doubt anyone will dare to contradict them. Democracy will be null and void, and so will our right to free speech.
ReplyDelete